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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作者Revd Angela Sheard, 聖馬田助理牧師 幾個月前,我從聖馬田回家,沿著基爾本大街向我的家走去。 那街道很擠逼,當我穿過忙碌的人群時,見到一位在路邊徘徊的男士,我與他相對而視。 他沒有剃鬍子,眼神疲乏並帶著絕望。 我也許察覺他可能想從我這裡得到什麼,所以我幾乎立即移開視線,繼續前行。 沿著大街走了幾步,聽到身後有聲音叫我。 「小姐! 牧師!」 我突然一震,才記起自己戴著牧師衣領。 我想,現在我不能置之不理了。 「你能給我們買點食物嗎? 我們已經兩天沒吃東西了。」 他向他的女同伴招手,女同伴離街上較遠,望著我,眼神恐懼。 我同意給他們買食物,我們一起沿著大街走,我的眼睛掃視商店尋找超市。我細聲說: 「我想再往前一點,那裡有一家Sainsbury’s。」 我躊躇地想:也許我可以給他們買一些三文治?這時他的女伴已經跟上來了,並對我說: 「但是我想要熱食——我可以吃熱食嗎?」 她看著我們面前的咖啡店和餐廳。 我猶豫了,想知道這整件事是否好主意。 晚上我要開 Zoom 會議,我夠時間幫助他們嗎? 那位男士看著行人道上擺放的特餐牌,問: 「我們可以吃一份全套愛爾蘭早餐嗎?我們二人吃一份。」 我同意了,當我們等待食物時,他告訴我他的故事。 他也想了解我的背景,我們最後談了很久。 我向他介紹了聖馬田的無家者慈善機構 the Connection,他說他會去那裡看看,以了解他們是否可以提供幫助。 最後,食物到了,我將食物交給他們。他們離開時,他說道: 「謝謝妳——我不會忘記這件事。」 我也沒有忘記這件事。 我們剛讀到的福音書, 同樣講述耶穌和他的門徒在路上不情願地與某人相遇的故事。 最初,他們的反應不僅是懷疑,而且是徹底拒絕。 耶穌根本沒有回答她,門徒敦促耶穌打發她走。 當時,耶穌在公開傳道期間在路上遇到很多人,他幾乎都會留意到他們,並與他們交往。 那麼他為什麼沒有理會這個婦人呢? 為了更好地回答這個問題,讓我們稍微回帶。 我們讀這福音書之前的部份時,耶穌教導他的門徒說,歸根結底,污穢人的不是某人是否用未洗手的手吃飯,也不是他們吃的東西,而是他們嘴裡和心裡發出的東西。 耶穌隨後進入了外邦人的地土,似乎是要強調這一觀點。 不僅如此,他還前往推羅和西頓的地土,這些地土代表了以色列歷史上具威脅力的敵人。馬太也把這個婦人描述為迦南人,這是希伯來聖經中識別以色列敵人的傳統方式。 所有這些都凸顯了耶穌和他在路上遇到的這個婦人之間的對比。 什麼是污穢人和什麼不污穢人的問題,已經到了緊要關頭,不是用言語,而是用現實生活的情況把問題帶出來。 這樣的話,耶穌的反應就更加令人費解。 耶穌為什麼不把他的教導付諸實踐呢? 如果我們想想這故事的真正中心人物是誰,就會更容易明白耶穌所說的和所做的。 在他公開傳道的大多數福音故事中,耶穌無疑處於中心位置——正是他的行動,以各種方式,帶來了天國。 但在這故事中,耶穌不是中心人物,迦南婦人才是。 當耶穌到達推羅和西頓時,迦南婦人大聲喊叫以引起他的注意。 正是她的大聲和引人注目的表現促使門徒向耶穌談論她,要求將她打發走。 當耶穌回答這個婦人,但沒有答應她的請求時,她跪在耶穌面前,用身體擋住了他的路。 她拒絕接受「不」作為回答! 這一次,被耶穌兩次拒絕之後,她成功引起耶穌與她談話。 迦南婦人在呼喊中直接命令耶穌說:「可憐我!」和「幫助我!」 這些話可能會讓我們想起聖經的其他部分——哀歌詩篇。 在哀歌詩篇中,詩人直接向上帝說話,表達詩人的怨憤,並請求上帝糾正這種情況,有時會給上帝理由,以激發上帝採取行動。 迦南婦人與耶穌相遇時,直接稱他為「大衛的子孫」,告訴耶穌她的女兒被鬼附,並請求耶穌直接提供幫助。當耶穌沒有答應她的請求時,婦人的回應是給耶穌一個理由,以激發他採取行動:「是的,主啊,但連狗也吃主人桌子上掉下來的麵包碎」。 因此,在馬太福音中,迦南婦人是哀歌詩篇的化身。她的話與這些詩篇互相呼應,更甚的是她整個人也與這些詩篇互相和應。 這個婦人勇敢而誠實地把自己和女兒的憂傷帶到上帝面前,並堅持要求上帝解決這個問題。 哀歌詩篇還有一個共通點:詩人在說出他們的痛苦和他們被遺棄之後,他們會讚美上帝,因為上帝回應了他們的祈禱。 在迦南婦人不斷地催迫耶穌之後,耶穌答應了她的請求,說:「照你所要的,給你成全了吧」,並醫治了她的女兒。 這就是由哀嘆轉為讚美;是她祈禱所得的答案。 這個故事極為令人驚訝的諷刺,就是這個迦南婦人,她表明自己是以色列哀歌傳統的完美繼承人,她實際上不僅是一個女人和一個外邦人,而且是一個迦南人,是以色列的敵人! 事實上,她比耶穌自己的門徒更充分地體現了猶太傳統,而耶穌的門徒試圖打發她走。 她大膽而有力的信仰,將她與以色列所有堅守上帝信實應許的人聯繫在一起。 她不是猶太人,但是,馬太將她描繪成一個完全的猶太人。 但迦南婦人還有更令人驚訝的地方——就是她對耶穌的影響。 她知道耶穌到底是誰——耶穌帶來天國——她的堅持讓耶穌得以完全地成為耶穌自己。 在這個故事中,迦南婦人是解放者。 在這個故事中,耶穌拒絕醫治她的女兒,也拒絕給她吃「兒女的食物」——即是以色列的食物。 然而,在這個故事之後,耶穌立即醫治了許多病人,並餵飽了 4000 名男人、女人和兒童。 當我向你們講述我在基爾本大街與那兩個人相遇的整個故事時,我基本上是從自己的角度出發去講述這個故事。 但我認為我所遇到的這兩個人,才是這故事的核心。 起初我不願意答應他們的要求——也許我內心有些害怕,他們太大膽,也太絕望。 但通過他們的堅持,他們促使我變得比我預想的更加慷慨,在金錢上,在時間上都更慷慨。也許這個故事邀請我們思考,我們如何像耶穌一樣,通過那些我們很容易忽視或忘記的人的大膽請求來改變自己。 耶穌被召為救主,而迦南婦人那種堅持和熱切的信心將耶穌轉變成為救主。 同樣,我們被召為聖徒,而也許我們與那些可能是局外人的人的互動,真的可以將我們轉變為聖徒——上帝的聖潔子民。 Several months ago, I was on my way home from St Martin’s, walking up Kilburn High Street towards my flat. It was a crowded street and as I weaved my way through streams of busy people, I locked eyes with someone else in the crowd, who lingered by the side of the road. He was unshaven and had a certain tired and desperate look in his eyes. Perhaps sensing that he might want something from me, I almost immediately looked away and kept moving. A few paces further up the high street, I heard a voice behind me.
“Miss! Reverend!” With a jolt, I realized that I had forgotten I was wearing my clerical collar. No turning back now, I thought. “Can you buy us some food? We haven’t eaten for two days.” He gestured to his companion who was further away down the street and who looked at me with fear in her eyes. I agreed and we walked together down the high street, my eyes scanning the shops for a supermarket. “I think there’s a Sainsbury’s a bit further down” I mumbled. Perhaps I could get them some sandwiches? I thought anxiously. “But I want something hot – can I have something hot?” replied his companion, who had by this point caught up with us. She surveyed the cafes and restaurants in front of us. I hesitated, wondering whether this whole thing was a good idea. Did I have time for this before my evening Zoom meeting? The man who spoke to me initially looked at a specials board out on the pavement. “Could we get a full Irish breakfast – to share?” he asked. I agreed, and as we waited for the food, he told me his story. He wanted to know about me as well, and we ended up having an extended conversation. I told him about the Connection, the homelessness charity at St Martin’s, and he said that he would visit and see if they could help. Eventually, I collected their order and handed it over. “Thank you – I won’t forget this” he said, as they walked away. I haven’t forgotten it either. Our Gospel reading tells a story of Jesus and his disciples also being reluctantly dragged into an encounter with someone on the road. Initially, they respond not only with suspicion but with outright rejection. Jesus doesn’t answer her at all, and his disciples urge him to send her away. Now, during his public ministry Jesus meets a lot of people on the road, and he almost invariably notices them and engages with them. So why does he ignore this particular woman? In order to better answer this question, let’s rewind a little. In the earlier part of our Gospel reading, Jesus teaches his disciples that ultimately, what defiles is not whether someone eats with unwashed hands, or what they eat, but rather what proceeds from their mouth and their heart. As if to underline his point, Jesus then travels into Gentile territory. More than this, he travels into the territory of Tyre and Sidon, regions which represented Israel’s historic and threatening enemies. The woman is also described by Matthew as a Canaanite, the traditional way that Israel’s enemy is identified in the Hebrew Bible. All this accentuates the contrast between Jesus and this woman that he encounters on the road. The question of what defiles and what does not defile has been brought to a head, not in words but through a real-life situation. But if anything, this makes Jesus’s reaction even more puzzling. Why hasn’t he put his teaching into practice? I think that what Jesus says and does makes more sense if we consider who is really at the centre of this story. In most of the Gospel stories from his public ministry, Jesus is undoubtedly at the centre – it is his action that, in various ways, brings about the kingdom of God. But in this story it is not Jesus but the Canaanite woman who is at the centre. When Jesus arrives in Tyre and Sidon, it is the Canaanite woman who shouts to get his attention. It is her loud and provocative presence that then prompts the disciples to speak to Jesus about her, asking that she be sent away. When Jesus answers the woman but does not grant her request, she physically places herself in his way by kneeling before him. She will not take ‘no’ for an answer! And this time, after two rejections from Jesus, she succeeds in drawing him into conversation. In her outcry the Canaanite woman commands Jesus directly saying, ‘Have mercy on me!’ and ‘Help me!’ These words might remind us of another part of our scriptures – the psalms of lament. In these psalms, the psalmist addresses God directly, makes known their complaint and asks God to rectify the situation, sometimes by giving God motivating reasons to act. In her encounter with Jesus, the Canaanite woman addresses him directly as ‘Son of David’, tells him of her demon-possessed daughter, and asks him directly to help. When Jesus fails to grant her request, the woman responds by giving him a motivating reason to act: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table”. The Canaanite woman is therefore, in Matthew’s Gospel, the embodiment of a psalm of lament. It is not just her words that resonate with these psalms – it is her very being. This woman courageously and honestly places the brokenness of herself and her daughter before God and insists that God fix the situation. The psalms of lament have one other common feature: after naming their distress and abandonment, the Psalmist praises God for having answered their prayer. After the Canaanite woman’s persistent impinging upon him, Jesus grants her request with the words, “Let it be done for you as you wish”, and with the healing of her daughter. This is the lament turning to praise; the answer to her prayer. There is a surprising and rich irony in this story – this person, who has shown herself to be the full heir to Israel’s tradition of lament, is in fact not only a woman and a Gentile but a Canaanite, an enemy of Israel! Indeed, she is a fuller embodiment of Jewish traditions than Jesus’s own disciples, who try to dismiss her. Her bold and vigorous faith links her to all in Israel who cling to God’s promises of faithfulness. She is not a Jew; nevertheless, Matthew portrays her as fully Jewish. But there is something even more astonishing about the Canaanite woman - the effect she has on Jesus. She knows who Jesus really is – the bringer of the kingdom of God – and her insistence frees Jesus to be fully who he is. In this story it is the Canaanite woman who is the liberator. In this story, Jesus resists healing her daughter and feeding her with “the children’s food” – the food of Israel. And yet, immediately after this story Jesus goes on to heal many people who are sick and to feed 4000 men, women and children. As I told you all the story of my encounter with two others on Kilburn High Street, I narrated the events very much from my own perspective. But I think the two people that I met should be at the centre of the story. I had been initially reluctant to grant their request – perhaps something in me was afraid of their boldness and their desperation. But through their persistence, they pushed me into becoming far more generous than I had intended to be, both with my money and with my time. Perhaps this story invites us to consider how we, like Jesus, can be transformed through the bold petitions of people who we might easily ignore or dismiss. The persistent and vigorous faith of the Canaanite woman transformed Jesus into the saviour he is called to be. Likewise, perhaps our own interactions with those who we consider outsiders can transform us into the saints – the holy people of God – that we are called to become. 作者Revd. Simon Tsang 曾偉樑會吏 很榮幸今天可以和大家一起崇拜。我在這教會長大,在這裡有很多美好回憶:例如周末教堂聚會活動、主日學、功夫班;也有一些不算美好的回憶,例如中文補習班。 我在教堂的經驗,與人生的經驗何其相似。我們的日子有時順遂、有時困難(就像中文補習班);有時開心、有時憂愁。人生就如過山車,有高有低,車速超快,左衝右轉,有時把你整個人都反轉過來。 不論大家的靈性歷程處於甚麼光景,不論信主多年或者初信,或者重新回到上帝懷抱,或者正在考慮接受基督教信仰,都可以從今天的經課,學習如何應對人生的風暴。 太14:22-24 耶穌隨即催門徒上船,先渡到那邊去,等他叫眾人散開。散了眾人以後,他就獨自上山去禱告。那時船在海中,離岸邊甚遠。就在最黑暗的時刻,海面開始湧起大浪。 你若跟從上帝的計劃,人生的風暴仍會來臨。人若遭逢禍患,很自然會怪責上帝,因為我們相信上帝掌管一切,理應阻止禍患發生;上帝既是全能,理應可以改變我們的現況。然而,我們也該明白,人生出現苦難與問題,根源可能是我們犯錯,或者別人犯錯、作了錯誤的人生決定;有時我們更應明白,我們活在一個犯罪墮落、支離破碎的世界裡,只有回到天堂,苦難與憂愁才會完全消失。 至於目前,只要我們仍然活在世上,苦難就無可避免。藉著今天的經課,我相信上帝正在教導我們,如何面對人生的風暴。就此我希望和大家作三點分享。 第一、聆聽耶穌的話 門徒處於最黑暗的時刻,害怕得不知所措。耶穌在水面走過來,說了一句簡單的話,鼓勵、安慰他們。 第27節這樣記載:耶穌連忙對他們說:「你們放心,是我,不要怕!」 耶穌在風暴中走向他們,在黑暗惶恐之中,向他們發出鼓勵之言。 我的人生也曾遭遇風暴,衝擊非同小可。那時我在倫敦地鐵任職,一次當值期間,一名醉酒乘客出言謾罵職員,語帶威嚇。在場職員要他離開,他卻拒絕,甚至試圖襲擊那位職員。我和他發生糾纏,大家倒在地上。最後他在警察來到之前逃之夭夭,我也不再把事情放在心上。豈料一個月後,警方與我聯絡,隨後以「對他人造成實質身體傷害」(Actual Bodily Harm)的涉嫌罪名拘捕了我,要我接受警誡問話,假若罪成最高可判囚5年。那時太太正在懷孕,我則面臨被公司革職。我的律師甚至建議我及早另覓工作,以防官司不利令我職位不保。法院制度運作非常緩慢,那位醉酒乘客兩次缺席法庭聆訊,結果整個審訊過程歷時18個月才告結束。這段期間我身心交瘁,內心全無平安,經常擔心將會失掉一切。 耶穌在水面上走過來,並沒有將問題挪走。事實上,耶穌反而叫彼得在風暴中踏出信心之步,從船中出來,在水面上行走。在風雨飄搖的日子,上帝呼召我們憑信踏出前步,聆聽祂的聲音。倫敦地鐵事件的那段日子,我在禱告中聽到上帝安寧的聲音,叫我單單需要信靠祂。這段期間我依靠讀經,在上帝帶領下查考相關經文,學習信靠上帝,而非依靠自己的智慧。 舊約聖經記載,先知以利亞也曾陷入一場人生風暴。他被仇敵追殺,四面楚歌,自知能力已到盡頭,便禱告上帝說:「耶和華啊,罷了!求你取我的性命」。然而,上主的話臨到以利亞。聖經說:上主不在風中、不在地震之中、不在火中,而是在火後發出微小聲音。正是這微小聲音所發之言,給予以利亞堅持下去的力量。 當日助我克服困境的,也是上帝叫我信靠祂的溫柔慈聲。 讓彼得生出信心,克服恐懼,踏上水面行走的,也是耶穌鼓勵彼得的說話:「你們放心,不要怕」。 風暴來臨之時,我們感到不願再活下去的時候,可以聆聽上帝微小的聲音。上帝的溫柔慈聲,今天也可能對你說話:或者叫你寬恕某人,或者叫你不要害怕眼前風暴,或者叫你憑著信心,在當前困境中踏出前步。Richard 牧師成立的拿撒勒團體(The Nazareth Community),鼓勵成員每星期舉行三次一小時靜修聚會。在此靜修時刻,我們仰望上帝,將我們的擔子、憂慮、生活中的風暴,全部交託給祂,聆聽上主微小聲音。我們每天花點時間讀經,就可以聆聽上帝要對我們說的話。大家可以想像一下,在安靜中讀經祈禱,猶如鍛練肌肉,需要時間慢慢培養。你若放下個人讀經祈禱已有一段時間,而希望重拾靈修習慣,可以先行嘗試每天靈修5分鐘。我個人喜歡清晨讀經,也有人喜歡午飯時間或晚間靈修。一星期後,嘗試將時段延長至10分鐘,如此類推,直至你每天三次靈修與主親近,每次為時30分鐘。在聖公會傳統裡,我們稱之為早禱、晚禱、寢前禱。若用手機程式,還可以每天播放。就在這些時刻之中,你必會察覺上主的微小聲音,賜你信心度過風暴。 第二、定睛仰望耶穌 彼得邁出信心一步,開始在水面行走。起初他的信心堅強,然而後來他的目光離開耶穌,轉而注視身邊環境,便開始害怕起來。 第29節這樣記載:彼得從船上下去,在水面上走,要到耶穌那裏去,但見風甚大就害怕,將要沉下去,便喊著說:「主啊,救我!」 幾個月前,我們前往離家不遠一個小湖釣魚。要釣到這湖裡的小魚,關鍵是定睛看著魚竿末端。假如是大魚的話,眼睛不看也能感覺得到;小魚卻不一樣,必須看到竿末向下微微顫動,才知道是否有魚上釣。整天坐著注視魚竿末端,當然難免沉悶。周圍的事物隨時讓你分神:樹上的小鳥、旁人的交談、當然少不了要看看手機。而小魚總是在你剛好沒有留神看著竿末的時候出沒,這樣你就會錯失良機。在你身邊那位訓練有素的釣魚翁,這時會對你說:專注一點,你又錯失魚穫了! 目光離開耶穌、轉而注意周圍環境,就是彼得的信心開始動搖之時,如此便會錯失上帝要在風暴中向你顯明的事情。我們的目光應該專注於,為我們信心創始成終的耶穌。耶穌進入我們的生命,以生活的場景磨練我們、加添我們的信心;我們信心動搖之時,耶穌又進入我們的風暴之中,幫助我們安然度過。正如一條橡筋,拉長之後收回,韌度將與之前不同,下次可以拉得更長。我們的人生風暴也會磨練我們,挑戰我們的信心極限,但若定睛仰望耶穌,他將賜我們力量克勝困難。風暴過後,我們的信心將會變得更加堅定,更有力量應付逆境。 基督徒作家Max Lucado牧師曾經如此說:「助長恐懼則信心枯竭;助長信心則恐懼枯竭。」 也許你正受病患困擾、也許工作出現問題、與家人或朋友關係欠佳,波浪洶湧有如海嘯。果若如此,我鼓勵你定睛仰望耶穌,信靠他帶領你越過風暴,在水面行走。有時,孤單一人實在難以面對。我釣魚的時候,有一位專業釣魚翁陪伴,幫助我定睛專注魚竿末端。教會有許多經驗豐富的出色領袖,可以幫助大家專注,定睛仰望耶穌。大家可以參加聖馬田中文堂逢星期四晚舉行的網上團契,在一周之中得著鼓勵,定睛仰望耶穌。 一是聆聽耶穌的話; 二是定睛仰望耶穌; 最後是耶穌與你同在。 耶穌為你守護,與你同在。 第31節:耶穌趕緊伸手拉住他,說:「你這小信的人哪,為甚麼疑惑呢?」 我的孩子,還有我的姐姐和外甥,都很害怕那種體積較大的綠頭蒼蠅。事實上,除了爸爸媽媽外,我們全家都怕蒼蠅。幾星期前,我們在父母家裡同吃晚飯,這時約有5隻蒼蠅飛進房子。孩子們開始尖叫,亂作一團,情景有點像小說《蒼蠅王》的情節。我拿著餐碗便想跑出飯廳。就是媽媽也在大叫,呼喊大家別再大叫。只有爸爸氣定神閒,拿起電動蠅拍,不出半分鐘便捉掉所有蒼蠅,大家都鼓掌歡呼。爸爸十分冷靜,他說「有我在此,我有蠅拍。」 我們在天上的父親,也對我們每一人說:你們為何害怕?為何憂慮?為何不信任我?有我在此與你同在,可以趕走你的恐懼,能力當然勝過電動蠅拍。與你同在的,是擁有權能掌管自然、從無到有創造萬物的上帝。而且,你還有耶穌。 耶穌的死亡和復活提醒我們,耶穌的手向我們伸出,我們可以緊緊抓住,他也永遠不會放手讓我們跌倒。 所以,人生風暴臨到的時候,要聆聽耶穌的話;定睛仰望耶穌;知道上帝與你同在。 It’s a privilege to be with you all today. This is the church I grew up in and I’ve had so many fond memories of my time growing up here - parish weekends, Sunday school, kung fu classes and some not so fond memories of having chinese lessons here.
My experience of church is a lot like life. We have great moments, difficult times (like Chinese school) and happy and sad moments. Life is a lot like a rollercoaster. There are ups and downs. It moves fast and spins you around and life events can even turn you upside down. Whatever stage we are at in our spiritual walk, whether you’ve been a Christian for many years or you are just at the beginning, you’ve just returned back into a relationship with God, or you may be considering Christianity, we can all learn something from this passage today about how to navigate the storms of life Matthew 14:22-24 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. Jesus went up to the mountainside by himself to pray The boat was a considerable distance from the land and then the waves came when it was at its darkest moment. When you follow God’s plan, The storms of life will come. There is a natural tendency to blame God when bad things happen because we believe God is in control of everything, he should have stopped what happened, he is all powerful so he could have changed the situation. However we also need to understand that suffering and problems in life can come because of the things we have done wrong, or because of other people’s errors or Wrong decisions in life or sometimes its understanding we live in a fallen and broken world and suffering and sadness will only fully end when we are in heaven. For now, we are on this earth, and suffering is inevitable, I would like to share with you three things I believe God wants to teach us today as we face the storms of life. Firstly, Listen to Jesus’ words As the disciples were in their darkest moments and were overcome by fear. Jesus comes along walking on water and gives some simple words of encouragement and comfort. In verse 27 Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid Jesus went to them in the midst of the storm, in their moment of fear and darkness and gave them an encouraging word. There was a time when the storm came into my life and the waves were in full force. I used to work for London Underground and during one of my shifts at work, a drunk passenger was abusing staff. He was threatening, and all the staff asked him to leave which he refused. He tried to attack the Staff and I ended up wrestling on the floor. He ran away before the police came and I thought nothing more of it. it wasn’t until a month later I was contacted by police, arrested and interviewed under caution for Actual Bodily Harm which carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison. During this time my wife was pregnant and I was on the verge of losing my job. My lawyer actually told me to look for another job just in case it doesn’t work out. The court system was so slow, the guy didn’t show up to court two times so the whole process took 18 months. During this time I was devastated, I had no peace, I was so fearful of losing everything, When Jesus came on the water, he didn’t take the problem away. Jesus actually called Peter to take a step of faith during the storm and come out of the boat and walk on water. In these stormy moments, God is calling us to take a step of faith and listen to his voice. In my situation at London underground, during my prayer times, I would hear the quiet voice of God to trust him. I would turn to the bible and god would lead me to read scripture that called me to trust him and not lean on my own understanding. There was a prophet in the Old Testament called Elijah who was in the thick of a stormy situation and was chased by his enemies who wanted to kill him. Elijah reached the end of himself and prayed to God that he might die because things were really bad. Then the word of the lord came to Elijah, not in wind, nor the earthquake or the fire, but the Lord came in a still, small voice, a gentle whisper. It was these words that gave Elijah the strength to continue. And it was the gentle whisper of God saying trust me that enabled me to overcome my situation. It was the encouraging words of Jesus to Peter saying ‘take courage, do not be afraid’ which gave Peter the faith to overcome his fear in the storm and walk on water. When the stormy moments come and we feel like we don’t want to continue in life, you can listen to God in the still small voice. Maybe the gentle voice of God is speaking to you today to forgive someone, to not fear what you are going through or to take a step of faith in your current situation. The Nazareth community set up by Father Richard encourages members to meet for an hour of silence three times a week. In these moments, we lift up to God our burdens, worries, storms of life and listen to the still small voice of the lord. You can take time each day to hear what God has to say to us through the bible. I would like you to imagine reading the bible or praying in silence is like a muscle, it takes time to grow, so if you haven’t read or prayed on your own for a while, start with 5 minutes a day. I like to read in the morning, some prefer lunchtime or even the night time. Increase it to 10 minutes the following week and keep increasing until you have a good 30 minutes with the Lord 3 times a day. In the Anglican Church, we call this morning prayer, evening prayer and compline. And you can play this on your phone through the app everyday. It’s in these moments that you will discover the still small voice of the lord which will give you the faith to walk through the storms. Secondly – fix your eyes on Jesus Peter takes a step of faith and begins to walk on water. Initially his faith is strong but then he takes his eyes of Jesus and focuses on his circumstances and then fear takes over. In verse 29, we read Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” A couple months ago, we went fishing to catch some tiny fish in a small lake near my home. The key to catching these small fishes is to keep your eyes fixed on the tip of the fishing rod. If the fish was big you can feel it but these are tiny fishes and the only way you know if you’ve caught something in your hook, is when the end of the rod pulls down very slightly. As you sit there watching the end of your rod, it can get very boring. There are so many distractions. You notice the birds, you start to listen to other people’s conversation, you check your phone. And everytime you take your gaze off the end of the rod, a fish would come along and you would miss the catch. The trained fisherman would be next to you and say concentrate you just missed another one. When you take your gaze off Jesus and focus on the surroundings, that’s when Peter’s faith started to falter and you miss what God wants to show you in the storm. Our focus should be on Jesus. The author and perfector of our faith. Jesus comes into our lives and uses life circumstances to stretch us, to increase our faith and Jesus enters into our storms to help us through it when our faith falters. It’s like an elastic band that stretches but when it goes back its not the same as before as it can stretch even more. Our stormy situation stretches us, pulls us to the limit of our faith but when you focus on Jesus, he will give you the strength to overcome it and after the storm your faith and capacity to deal with the storms of life will be even greater. Author and priest, Max lucado said “Feed your fears, and your faith will starve. Feed your faith, and your fears will starve.” You may be struggling with your health, with a work situation, with a family member or friend and the waves feel like a tsunami, I encourage you to fix your eyes upon Jesus and place our faith in him which will enable you to rise above the storm and walk on water. Sometimes it can be difficult to do it on your own. When I was fishing I had an expert fisherman to help me keep focus on the end of my rod. The church has so many great and experienced leaders to help you to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. You can join the St martins Chinese congregation Thursday evening zoom fellowship to give you a midweek encouragement to fix your eyes on Jesus. Firstly, listen to Jesus’ words Secondly, fix your eyes on Jesus And Finally, Jesus is with you – Jesus is for you and is with you. Verse 31, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” My kids are scared of these huge bluebottle flies, my sister and my nieces are scared too. Actually the whole family are scared of flies except my mum and dad. A few weeks ago, we had dinner at my mum and dad and about 5 flies enters into the room. Chaos begins with all the children screaming. It’s like lord of the flies. I try to run out the room with my rice bowl. Even my mum is screaming telling us all to stop screaming. But Dad is calm and steady and picks up the electric bat, In less than 30 seconds, he catches all the flies and we all clap. My dad is calm, and he says I am here, I have the bat. Our father in heaven says to each one of us why are you all scared, why do you worry, why are you not trusting in me. I am here with you, you have something greater than an electric bat to get rid of your fears, you have with you the one who has power over nature, the one who called creation into existence. You have Jesus. Jesus’ death and resurrection reminds us that Jesus’ hand is stretched out towards us and we can grab hold of it and he will never let go of us. When the storms of life come, listen to Jesus’ words, fix your eyes on Jesus and know that God is with you. |
講道分享輯錄在聖馬田中文堂分享和講道的文字稿,讓弟兄姊妹能在日常重溫,咀嚼講員所分享的話。 類別
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