作者Revd Sally Hitchiner 聖馬田堂副主任牧師 對於某些人來説,正確的教會就是成為一個為社會帶來改變的組織的一部分。這可能是一場為了爭取政治變革的運動,也可能是動員組織實際幫助飢餓飢餓的人,經營食品銀行,又或者為那些罹患重病的人提供支援。但是,只做這些的教會很快就會變得筋疲力盡,因為成員們把所有的時間都花在為他人籌辦活動上。 其他教會希望更像機構。機構較少關注解決周圍的社會問題。機構的存在是為了體現一個美好的理念。他們可能擁有雄偉的建築、優美的音樂和深入人心的講道。大部分工作由專業人員完成。你知道,他們擁有經驗的人總會把事情做好,但這種類型的教會可能會讓人感覺太完美,以至於沒有普通人可以發揮作用的地方,存在與否好像沒有分別。無論你在不在,教會都會如常運作。 以普通人為中心的教會將友誼視為真正教會的標誌。這可能很棒,但最終友誼總會讓我們失望。問題是,如果教會中重要友誼已經破裂,我們還能繼續去教會嗎? 為了讓教會能夠掌握更貼常人的生活,我們需要為教會作一個更深入的定義。我們需要一個額外的元素。 今天的新約經課以及福音經課,都指向另一種構建真實和正確敬拜的方式。 儘管友誼、組織和美好的理念都很重要,我希望你在這裏找到它們,但支撐所有這些的,是一樣更強大的事物。我們在這裏是因為耶穌呼召我們成為他的身體。因教會首先是縱向的承諾,而不僅僅是橫向的。 這種縱向承諾是雙向的 如果你想想“基督的身體”這個詞,對上帝來說,給你和我這個稱號是相當勇敢的。我們是上帝在這個世界上唯一可見的標記。當人們看着我們敬拜、禮拜後喝茶、參加團契小組聚會、為我們關懷新移居英國的事工提供食物,假以時日,他們應該能透過我們,看到上帝是什麼樣的。此時此刻,我們就是耶穌活生生的化身。 我們在羅馬書第十二章中看到的第一件事是,加入教會是一個捨棄自己,歸向上帝的邀請。 成為教會不僅僅是我們對這裏其他人的感情,雖然你們都非常可愛。成為教會就是決定將我們的身體獻給上帝作為活祭。「獻祭」這個詞對我們來説已經成為一個比喻,但回想一世紀,大多數禮拜場所都會進行殺牲,作為真正和正確的崇拜的一部分。基督教的不同尋常之處在於不使用武力殺死動物。羅馬書第12章邀請我們填補這一空白。你和我被邀請自願獻出自己作為祭品,儘管是為了得到生命而不是製造死亡,但仍然是奉給上帝的獻祭。加入教會是免費的,但並不廉價。 這不僅僅是縱向從上而下的安排。 羅馬書鼓勵我們每個人將我們個人的身體(複數)獻給上帝作為活祭。我們被召喚與其他人一起作出這種獻祭。 這鼓勵邀請我們不要看自己過於所當看的。作為基督的身體,我們不能自視過高,不願與肢體合作。沒有基督徒堅強得可以單獨成為基督在地上的身體。正如聖保羅在另一卷書信所説,身體需要所有不同類型的元素才能發揮作用。如果我們要成為基督的身體,我們就需要重視那些與我們不同的人。具有不同優點和缺點的人。那些有着不同熱忱和希望的人。儘管你很可愛,但如果每個人都像你一樣,教會就無法運作。 但我們也不應該認為我們的貢獻不重要;我們每個人都有不同的恩賜。我們應該將這些恩賜付諸實踐在教會社區中。保羅列舉了一些例子。如果你的恩賜是講解真理,那就講解真理;如果你的恩賜是在服務他人,那就服務他人;如果你的恩賜是領導、鼓勵灰心者,向他們施予、與他們同坐,那麼就這樣做。不要猶豫向教會社區貢獻你所擁有的、你的熱情、技能、你對生活的不同思考方式、你的經歷,不要猶豫將這些分享給教會。如果我們要像基督一樣,我們就需要你。 九月份,我們將會慶祝中文堂的成立週年紀念。我們將差遣我們的新領導團隊,但我想邀請您也將這視為對您的差遣。將其視為上帝的邀請,帶上你的禮物,在這群體中成為耶穌的身體。我相信上帝的形象被分解成數以百萬計的小碎片,每個人都被賦予了一片。如果我們想在我們中間看到更多上帝的樣子,我們需要你分享你是誰。沒有人可以代替你,並與我們分享你對上帝的看法。 我們被邀進入夥伴關係,然而這不是單向的邀請。在這段經文中,我們看到我們不同的技能被稱為「恩典」——它們本來就是來自上帝的禮物。如果我們的技能和熱忱是上帝賜予我們的,那麼為上帝使用它們將會使它們變得更加生動。當我們全心全意地奉獻自己,成為基督的身體,向上帝敞開自己時,上帝就應許要更新我們的心意,使我們能夠看到上帝為我們所有人所預備的道路。最重要的是,耶穌在另一段經文説,如果兩,三個人奉他的名聚集,主耶穌就與我們同在。 當我們發現成為基督的身體的意義時,我們會看到新的挑戰,也看到了我們早先對這個教會群體的每一個希望的新實踐。耶穌基督(2000年前)在地上的身體作為試圖改變社會的組織,並不總是成功,耶穌基督在地上的身體有時看起來並不美麗或令人嚮往。耶穌基督在地上的身體也有他裡面的友誼失敗的時候 但正如基督的第一個身體一樣,我們今天在這裏耶穌基督身體可以確信,無論發生什麼,即使我們被摧毀,上帝也會再次興起我們。 因為作為教會,基督的身體,不取決於我們,而是取決於耶穌。 阿門。 What does being part of a church mean to you?
For some a proper church is about being part of an organization bringing change in society. This might be campaigning to bring political change or it might be mobilising practical help running foodbanks for the hungry or drop in spaces for those facing life debilitating illnesses. Churches that only do these can quickly become exhausting as members spend all their time organising things for others. Other churches would aspire to be more like institutions. Institutions aren’t so worried about fixing society around them. Institutions exist to be the embodiment of a beautiful idea. They might have a majestic building with beautiful music and impressive preaching. Professional staff do most of the jobs. You know that the experience will always do things properly but these type of churches can feel so perfect that there is no place for the ordinary person to make a difference. They happen whether you are there or not. Churches where ordinary people are central place friendship as the mark of a true church. This can be wonderful but eventually friendships let us down. And then the question is, can we keep going to a church if a key friendship there has broken? For churches to be able to hold the lives of real people, we need a deeper definition. We need an extra element. Our New Testament reading today, as well as our Gospel point towards another way of framing true and proper worship? While friendship and organisation and beautiful ideas are important, and I hope you find them here, undergirding all of those is something stronger. We are here because Jesus has called us to be his body. Church is primarily a vertical commitment not just a horizontal. This vertical commitment goes both ways. If you think about the term body of Christ it is quite a brave label for God to give you and me. We are the only visible mark of God in our world. When people look at us worshipping, having tea after the service, meeting for Fellowship Groups, offering the Food for Our New Home project, if they look long enough, they are supposed to see through us to see something of what God is like. We are the living embodiment of Jesus here and now. The first thing we see in Romans 12 is that church is an invitation to abandon ourselves to God. Being church is not just about our feelings for the other people here, as lovely as you all are. Being church is a decision to present our bodies as living sacrifices to God. That word has become a metaphor to us but think back to the first century where most places of worship involved ending a life for true and proper worship. Christianity was unusual in not killing an animal by force. Romans 12 invites us to fill that gap. You and I are invited to willingly offer ourselves as the sacrifice, for life rather than death, but still to be a sacrifice to God. Joining a church is free but it is not cheap. This isn’t just a vertical arrangement. Romans encourages us, each of us, to present our individual bodies (plural) as one living sacrifice to God. We are called to gather with others to make this sacrifice. This comes with the invitation not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought. To be the body of Christ we can’t think of ourselves as too important to do what it takes to make it work with this group of people. No one is a strong enough Christian that they can individually be the body of Christ on earth. As St Paul says elsewhere, bodies need all different types of elements to function. If we are to be the Body of Christ, we need to value those who are different to us. Those with different strengths and weaknesses. Those with different passions and hopes. As lovely as you are, the church would not function if everyone was like you. But neither should any of us think our contribution is unimportant; we each have different gifts. And we should put them into practice in the church community. Paul lists some examples. If your gift is speaking truth then do that, if it is serving then do that, if it is giving or leading or encouraging or sitting with those who are broken, then do that. Don’t hold back in offering what you have, your passions, skills, the different way you think about life, your experiences, don’t hold back offering these to the church community. We need you if we are to look like Christ. In September we have the anniversary of the foundation of this congregation. We will be commissioning our new leadership team but I want to invite you to see this as a commissioning for you too. See it as God’s invitation to bring your gifts to be the Body of Jesus here in this community. I believe God’s image is broken into millions of tiny pieces and each person is given one. If we are to see more of what God looks like here among us, we need you to share who you are. No one else can be you and share what you see of God with us. This is not a one-way invitation to partnership. In this passage we see that our different skills are called “grace” – they are gifts from God anyway. And if our skills and passions are given to us from God, using them for God would make them become most alive. As we open ourselves up to God through giving ourselves whole heartedly to be the Body of Christ together, God promises to renew our minds so we can see God’s way ahead for us all. Most importantly, Jesus says elsewhere in the Bible that were two are three are gathered in his name, he is with us. As we discover what it means to be the body of Christ, we see a new challenge and a new fulfilment to each of our earlier hopes for what we are together as church. The body of Christ in Jesus walking around was not always successful in organisation for changing his society. There were times when his body did not look beautiful or aspirational. There were times when his friendships failed… But just as with the first body of Christ, we the body of Christ here today can be sure that no matter what happens, even if we are destroyed, that God will raise us up. Because being the church, the Body of Christ, depends, not on us, but on Jesus. Amen.
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