Scriptures (經節): Isaiah 60: 1-6 (NRSV),以賽亞書 60:1~6
Arise, shine; for your light has come,and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.
Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
1 興 起 ， 發 光 ！ 因 為 你 的 光 已 經 來 到 ！ 耶 和 華 的 榮 耀 發 現 照 耀 你。
2 看 哪 ， 黑 暗 遮 蓋 大 地 ， 幽 暗 遮 蓋 萬 民 ， 耶 和 華 卻 要 顯 現 照 耀 你 ； 他 的 榮 耀 要 現 在 你 身 上。
3 萬 國 要 來 就 你 的 光 ， 君 王 要 來 就 你 發 現 的 光 輝。
4 你 舉 目 向 四 方 觀 看 ； 眾 人 都 聚 集 來 到 你 這 裡 。 你 的 眾 子 從 遠 方 而 來 ； 你 的 眾 女 也 被 懷 抱 而 來。
5 那 時 ， 你 看 見 就 有 光 榮 ； 你 心 又 跳 動 又 寬 暢 ； 因 為 大 海 豐 盛 的 貨 物 必 轉 來 歸 你 ； 列 國 的 財 寶 也 必 來 歸 你。
6 成 群 的 駱 駝 ， 並 米 甸 和 以 法 的 獨 峰 駝 必 遮 滿 你 ； 示 巴 的 眾 人 都 必 來 到 ； 要 奉 上 黃 金 乳 香 ， 又 要 傳 說 耶 和 華 的 讚 美。
Scripture (經文) : Matthew 2:1-12 (NRSV), 馬太福音 2: 1-12
1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ 3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ 9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
1 當 希 律 王 的 時 候 ， 耶 穌 生 在 猶 太 的 伯 利 恆 。 有 幾 個 博 士 從 東 方 來 到 耶 路 撒 冷 ， 說 ：
2 那 生 下 來 作 猶 太 人 之 王 的 在 那 裡 ？ 我 們 在 東 方 看 見 他 的 星 ， 特 來 拜 他 。
3 希 律 王 聽 見 了 ， 就 心 裡 不 安 ； 耶 路 撒 冷 合 城 的 人 也 都 不 安 。
4 他 就 召 齊 了 祭 司 長 和 民 間 的 文 士 ， 問 他 們 說 ： 基 督 當 生 在 何 處 ？
5 他 們 回 答 說 ： 在 猶 太 的 伯 利 恆 。 因 為 有 先 知 記 著 ， 說 ：
6 猶 大 地 的 伯 利 恆 阿 ， 你 在 猶 大 諸 城 中 並 不 是 最 小 的 ； 因 為 將 來 有 一 位 君 王 要 從 你 那 裡 出 來 ， 牧 養 我 以 色 列 民。
7 當 下 ， 希 律 暗 暗 的 召 了 博 士 來 ， 細 問 那 星 是 甚 麼 時 候 出 現 的 ，
8 就 差 他 們 往 伯 利 恆 去 ， 說 ： 你 們 去 仔 細 尋 訪 那 小 孩 子 ， 尋 到 了 ， 就 來 報 信 ， 我 也 好 去 拜 他 。
9 他 們 聽 見 王 的 話 就 去 了 。 在 東 方 所 看 見 的 那 星 忽 然 在 他 們 前 頭 行 ， 直 行 到 小 孩 子 的 地 方 ， 就 在 上 頭 停 住 了 。
10 他 們 看 見 那 星 ， 就 大 大 的 歡 喜 ；
11 進 了 房 子 ， 看 見 小 孩 子 和 他 母 親 馬 利 亞 ， 就 俯 伏 拜 那 小 孩 子 ， 揭 開 寶 盒 ， 拿 黃 金 、 乳 香 、 沒 藥 為 禮 物 獻 給 他。
12 博 士 因 為 在 夢 中 被 主 指 示 不 要 回 去 見 希 律 ， 就 從 別 的 路 回 本 地 去 了 。
- High Hope, High Expectation (大的希望，高的期待)
The hit movie “Matrix” describes a futuristic world where humanity was enslaved by machines of advanced artificial intelligence. For the purpose of farming human body for electrical power, the machines created a fantastical world called the “matrix”, in order to placate the collective human mind.
有一部很賣座的電影 “駭客任務” ，是演在一個虛擬的末來世界裡；整個世界由先進的人工智能機器所
A small group of rebels, however, had held on to an ancient prophecy of the arrival of “the one” who was to alter the matrix, to defeat the machines, and ultimately to free humanity. When the leader of the rebel group, Morpheus, who had discovered Neo, a computer hacker living inside the matrix, they believed that they had found “the one”. They contacted Neo, freed him from the machine’s control, informed him of the true reality, and were in the process of preparing him for his eventual role.
然而，有一小群反抗者，他們握有一份古老預言；有一位救世主(
。
During a training simulation called the “jump” program, Neo was asked to leap from the top of one skyscraper to another, as if altering gravity was as simple as changing a line of computer codes.
在模擬訓練中，有一個訓練計畫叫飛跳，
The expectation of his audience was high, Neo was beginning to believe that he could be the one, he took a deep breath, said, “Oky Doh!” and jumped. For those who had seen the movie would know that he leapt a clumsily few feet out of the building before gravity in his mind took over, and plunged him all the way to the ground, however, unharmed. One of the audience who had his hoped dashed, blurted out in desperation, “What does it mean?”
觀看尼歐模擬訓練的人，對他有很深很大的期待，
Reflection: What does it mean? When the reality failed to match our hope, and the fulfilment of a promise failed to meet our expectations? Can you think of an example of that in the Scripture?
問題探索：我們要如何解釋，當現實未能與我們所希望的情境相配，
- Movement from Major to Minor (從大調到小調)
This tension between hope and reality was very much evident between the Scriptural passages of Isaiah and Matthew’s community, which sought to interpret the coming of Jesus Christ according to that passage.
在源自於聖經裏所描述馬太和以賽亞的兩個群體，
There are enough similarities and linkages between Isaiah chapter 60 and Matthew chapter 2 that we can say the author of Matthew saw the birth of Jesus as fulfilling God’s promise as written in Isaiah.
在以賽亞第六十章和馬太第二章裏有夠多的相似處及有關係的聯結點
But if God’s promise can be described as a major chord, using a musical metaphor, then its fulfilment in the eyes of Matthew carried a minor chord. This movement from major to minor can be seen in several places.
假如上帝的應許可以用一個音樂性的音符來形容比喻，那是一個Ma
The Isaiah passages begin with a command, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1) This light in Isaiah was to be a bright light dawning, a light that overtakes darkness. As in verse 2, “For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. “ But the light in Matthew was merely a star, shining brightly at night, but night nevertheless.
以賽亞書中以命令為始 “興 起 ， 發 光 ！ 因 為 你 的 光 已 經 來 到 ！ 耶 和 華 的 榮 耀 發 現 照 耀 你。”（以賽亞書60:1）以賽亞書中的 光是指黑暗中黎明前的 曙光，這曙光要遮蓋黑暗。如第二節經文，“看 哪 ， 黑 暗 遮 蓋 大 地 ， 幽 暗 遮 蓋 萬 民 ， 耶 和 華 卻 要 顯 現 照 耀 你 ； 他 的 榮 耀 要 現 在 你 身 上。”
但在馬太福音所說的光只是講夜晚在空中閃爍發亮的星星，然而夜晚
The distinctive use of second person feminine pronoun in Hebrew, as in “your light”, suggests that the city of Jerusalem was the subject. However, in Matthew, the subject was not Jerusalem; rather it was a newborn boy.
在希伯來文中女性第二人稱代名詞有一個特殊用法，”妳的亮光”，
In the Isaiah passage of verse 3, “Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” This gathering of the gentiles, of nations and kings was represented in Matthew by a few Magi, or wise men from the east. There is a popular misconception that there were three of them, but the Scripture never said that – we often said ‘three wise men’ simply because of the number of gifts they brought.
在以賽亞書第三節經文說“萬 國 要 來 就 你 的 光 ， 君 王 要 來 就 你 發 現 的 光 輝。”外邦人、萬國和萬王的齊聚來就上帝的光，
The riches of the nations, of gold and frankincense, in verse 6 of Isaiah was represented by the three gifts from the Magi in gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold was a gift fitting for a king. Frankincense was an ingredient for temple incense, which was a gift fitting for God. But Myrrh? Myrrh was for the burial of the dead! How was that fitting for a newborn? It’s like bringing a legal will kit’ as a gift to a baby shower – “I know it is a party for a newborn, a joyful occasion but hay, it’s good to be prepared, --- just in case!”
萬國中富有的財寶是黃金和乳香，
Reflection: Most people have a tendency to ‘over-promise’ and ‘under-deliver’. Why do you think that is the case? What are the consequences of such tendency?
問題探索：
- The Glory of God in the Minor Key 榮耀上帝的小調
This movement from major to minor can be seen not only in these passages, it can be seen elsewhere in the Scripture, in our lives, and in ministry as well. As we survey the Christian landscape, both Protestants and Catholics, in the city of Montreal, it may seem like a disappointment to many. It may even seem like God’s failure to live up to his promise. The promise to “Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.” (Isaiah 60:4)
從大調到小調的動向不只在這些經節上可看到。無論是在其他聖經的
However, when we look at God more carefully, when we come to understand God more fully, this movement from major to minor may be precisely how God chooses to work in the world.
無論如何，當我們更用心定睛於上帝，當我們更多更深認識上帝，
Just like Prophet Elijah who witnessed God not in a great wind, not in earthquake nor in fire, but in a gentle whisper. Perhaps we are also called to witness the Spirit of God in ways that are much more hidden, subtle, and mysterious.
誠如 以利亞(希伯來先知)他不是在烈風中、地震後、
Just like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, who uttered to a complete stranger, “we had hoped he was the one…”. Perhaps, we are also called to testify to everyone that “Indeed, Jesus is the One.” And in the crucified Christ, we come to see the true extend of God’s love for humanity and for the creation.
就如同兩位門徒在以馬忤斯的路上，
This world is full of disappointment. The rise of secularism and atheism, dwindling pews, never ending conflicts, never ending bickering in church, out of control consumerism, economical injustice in the global scale the list goes on and on. Perhaps I am too young in age and too inexperienced in ministry to understand the depth and scope of these disappointments. Perhaps that one day, God will indeed revive His churches in this city, in this country.
現今世界充滿了令人失望沮喪的事。相信政教分離制度，
But I also know that if we could simply stop pursuing the glory of the major notes, then we may yet discover the dwelling place of God, in the minor key, through carrying our own cross, were true beauty, true glory resides.
但是我知道假如我們能夠單純地停止追求大調的榮耀，
Reflection: What are some of the ‘not-so-glorious-things’ that you are called to do by God in your lives? In what way can you do them so to bring glory to God?
問題探索：在我們的生命裡，什麼是所謂不太光彩的事而你被 神呼
你用什麼方式去做帶出榮耀歸於 神？
Translated into Chinese by Teresa Yang on December 18, 2009
2009/12/11 週五 大專、青少年聚會
點擊程序可以聽到錄音
-- 敬拜讚美 Aaron 帶領
1.詩歌12. One pure and holy passion3. 展開清晨的翅膀2009/12/13 週日 主日崇拜
前奏 Prelude--- Shirley C.
1. 詩歌讚美 Praise 領詩: Michael Y.
2. 讚美 Praise “The Invisible Hand”
3. 證道 Sermon 「我們應當做什麼？」 Rev. Paul Wu 翻譯: Aaron T.
4. 默禱,後奏 --- Shirley C. / 獨唱 李凱平
活動佈告欄
-- 12月17日(週四)晚上7：30將在教會會議室「問道理」，請要幼兒洗禮者的父母、洗禮者及小會會員參加。On Dec. 17th, at 7:30 pm. Session members will meet with those who participate in baptismal class .
為教會
-- 為本教會吳柏翰牧師的牧會
-- 為教會的青少年事工禱告
-- 求神復興我們同工開始 求神復興同工禱告的心（TRC禱告部落格）
-- 為12月20日預備的慕道受洗的朋友---高美秀，Melody，Hilary Chen, Jessica 蔡，11月8日截止報名
-- 請多鼓勵您身旁的年輕人來加入靈修默想禱告的行列！
-- 為新一年度各團契新的輔導服事禱告
-- 為聖誕節的許多節慶事工計畫
-- 為將要參加 Urbana 靈休會的青年們禱告 Pray for Urbana participants: Michael Yen, Joseph Tai, Yo-Sheng Chen, Irene Hsin, Hilary Chen, Chantal Chen, Janet Ho, Timmy Tsay, Melanie Ho, Aaron Tsay.
為肢體
-- 為社青面對事業上和工作上的壓力
-- 為大專團契許多契友這幾天要面對考試禱告
-- 為H1N1的病情可以得以控制，請大家勤洗手注意衛生
-- 為因為工作或學業壓力大，而晚上不能好好睡覺的人禱告
-- 為吳醫師 感冒身體欠安，求主醫治
No comments:
Post a Comment