Practices of Mercy: Becoming Mature, Not Perfect

You see, in communion, what we're admitting is that there is no scoreboard unless I make one. There's no scoreboard anymore. It's a it's a confession that perfectionism cannot perfect me. And it's also the admission that I'll always be a work in progress, and I need this work of Jesus in my life constantly. And so I wanna cultivate my own heart that Jesus might do the work in me. [01:01:44] (24 seconds)  #NoScoreboard

And the way he does that is through his own death on the cross. Jesus takes upon himself anything that separated both the closest people and the farthest from. Anything that would have separated them from life with God and he puts it to death on the cross, absorbing it onto himself and it goes away. And the way in which people have kind of engaged in the practice of remembering that particular thing, that people who are once far from God are brought close to him, is in something called communion. It's probably the most consistent practice of the church because it is a constant reminder. [01:00:37] (32 seconds)  #CommunionReminder

In the same way, he took the cup saying, this is cup of the new covenant in my blood. And the covenant, as we talk about it a lot, is a sacred agreement of love and trust, mutuality. And he said that this that that whatever separate this new covenant, this new relationship between God and people will be will be sort of finalized, is the best way to say that, on this cross. And whenever you eat this bread and you drink this cup, do so and remember that that distance has been now eliminated, that there is no scoreboard anymore. [01:01:17] (27 seconds)  #NewCovenantCup

It is an admission that I need a family. It is an admission that the brothers and sisters that are regarded as this community of people are not a threat to my belonging, but the key to it. And so this is why we do this, that we might come to a better understanding of the mercy of God, and we might understand how God has called us to live into that reality. [01:02:08] (23 seconds)  #CommunityIsFamily

Jesus, we're so grateful that you've been merciful to us. That the best picture of what it is to be a follower of someone who belongs to you is the person who receives the mercy you've extended to them and then pushes it out to other people. Father, forgive us for creating a scoreboard where there isn't one, that we might feel better about ourselves than other people. We might find a way to distance ourselves from them or a way to feel superior to them. [01:02:36] (33 seconds)  #ReceiveGiveMercy

It's as if to say that the culmination, the the mature person, the one who is becoming as they ought to become, is a person who has in like manner the kind of mercy that God has shown, is fully complete in that they have the kind of mercy that God has. Which means the mature person is a person who loves in the same manner but not in the same degree perhaps as God. Meaning that the the full precision of perfection is not what's being called upon here, moral perfection. What's being called upon here is that there's a kind of dedicated love for the enemy, a love for people who are far from the family. [00:44:16] (38 seconds)  #MatureInMercy

Perfect word is a word in Greek, teleios. It it is that same exact word is used elsewhere in the Bible to mean these words right here, complete or mature. Which, in that case, what's actually being described is the becoming process, end arc of how we ought to be becoming is this kind of indicator here. This is what's sort of being sort of teased out. This is the way God has called us to be, to become complete or mature becoming. [00:43:19] (25 seconds)  #BecomingMature

I came across this article on on CNBC's website of all pages, but here's what it says. Perfectionists have higher levels of motivation than non perfectionist research shows. So if you're a perfectionist, which all of us are in some area, right on, you're motivated, which can make you feel like your relentless pursuit of perfection alone is keeping you on track. So maybe we're on track. Perfectionists are staying on track. But, it says, the benefits stop right there. The motivation is it. That's where it stops. The research continues. Perfectionism also leads to low self worth, high stress, and depression and anxiety disorders. [00:32:16] (33 seconds)  #PerfectionismHarms