Who does that?

The Beatitudes are some of the best known parts of the Bible. They are found in the Sermon on the Mount which, according to John Stott, “is probably the best-known part of the teaching of Jesus, though arguably it is the least understood, and certainly it is the least obeyed.” I’ll just leave this here without any comment.

When we look at the Beatitudes it is tempting to say they only Jesus using hyperbole to make some point but to do so actually misses the point. One of the current buzzwords in business and leadership is “aspirational.” It is unfortunate the word has been taken over and is slowly losing its impact and meaning because it is a useful word. An “aspirational goal” is a goal you are pursuing with the awarenesg that it might be unreachable. It isn’t absurd like the goal to fly to the moon without the aid of any machinery but rather is something that is achievable but very, very hard . . . maybe even virtually impossible. One of the ways to look at the Beatitudes is through the lens of aspirational goals.

The sermons are bit shorter this week as we celebrated Holy Communion but I still think there is some useful material in both, let me know if I’m overestimating them.

“Who does that?” Knox Presbyterian (to download, right click and select “Save Link As . . .”)

“Who does that?” St. Mark’s Presbyterian (to download, right click and select “Save Link As . . .”)

Blessings,