So often we use the words "baby steps" to describe some small incremental step forward in a certain direction. However, if you have ever seen a child take their first steps, they are anything but small.  A baby learning to take their first steps is often taking a large lunge forward, letting go of what is comfortable and steady to take a bold new adventure into the world beyond crawling.

In his account of the good news of Jesus, Matthew provides us a glimpse into the core teachings of Jesus in what is called the sermon on the mount.  Matthew sets the scene, the great teacher on the hillside sharing with his followers what it truly means to follow him. Jesus starts by sharing a list of the people who are truly living the good life, and it sounds nothing like we would think of when talking about the good life.  As a result of these upside-down revelations, we find an invitation to take our own lunge forward into this life of following Jesus.