Tuesday, August 28, 2018

A sermon digested 審視人生—為你的人生把脈? 聖路易台灣基督長老教會週日講道! 紀元訓牧師 digested by Su-mei Wu


希臘哲學家柏拉圖(Plato)曾說:「未經審視的人生是不值得活的。」柏拉圖的智慧告訴我們,人生在世不應只是追逐名利地位,掛慮每日的衣食住行和著重個人的需要與享受。我們更應當努力去思考審視,人活在這世界上的目的和意義·耶穌曾語重心長的對信徒們說:【所以我告訴你們,不要為了生活上所需的飲食,或是身上所穿的衣服擔心。難道生命不比飲食重要?身體不比衣服重要嗎?】(馬太6:2幼而我們應該怎樣看待思考我們的人生呢?

1)憂愁的人生~

古人說:「人生不滿百,常懷千歲憂」,如果在奧林匹克的比賽中有一項是「憂慮比賽:,那麼我們一定很輕易的就會獲得金牌獎。

想像我們生活在富足的現代社會中,我們憂慮的根源卻在於『缺乏、不夠完美』。我們擔心自己擁有的不夠多,做得不夠好,或是不夠被人尊重;總是覺得有不安全、不滿足的戚覺。於是我們一面想要獲得更多,同時又害怕失去了我們所擁有的?因此我們一直生活在焦慮、恐慌中!

看看聖經詩人如何處理他的焦慮恐慌呢?〔上帝是我們的避難所和力量,是我們患難中隨時的幫助〕因此【縱使大地震動,高山崩坍,墜人大洋,縱使怒濤澎湃,群山震撼,我們也不驚惶】(詩篇46:1∼3)耶穌說:【你看天空的飛鳥,牠們不種不收,也不存糧在倉裡,你們的天父尚且飼養牠們。你們豈不比鳥兒而更貴重嗎?】(馬太6:26)耶穌又說:【所以不要為我們吃的、喝的或穿的操心,這些事是不信的人所追逐的·你們天父知道你們需要這一切東西】(馬太6:31-32)。

先知以賽亞呼籲以色列人要回歸於神,他們的心才能獲得真正的滿足。雖然我們所屬的世界有可能遭受天災人禍、地動山搖,但是聖經告訴我們有一座『上帝的城』在神掌管統治之下的城牢固安穩,永不動搖,那城裡的居民都必平安喜樂,滿足祥和。

2)人生的再思~

所羅門王是有史以來擁有最多財富,最深智慧以及最高權力的王。所羅門王創作了三千句箴言,一千零五首詩歌。他每年收到兩萬三千公斤以上的黃金。他的屬國從包括幼發拉底河到非立士和埃及邊境所有的國家。

所羅門王運用他的智慧獲得了許多的財富,他也利用他的權力建立了強大興盛的國度。但是後來以色列被巴比倫帝國滅亡了,所羅門王也消逝在歷史的洪流中。

正如耶穌所說〔我告訴你們,甚至像所羅門王那樣的容華,他衣飾也比不上一朵野花那樣的美麗。〕(馬太6:29)細想在每一朵野花的背後是有一位創造生命,主宰萬物的上帝。我們要信靠這位神,因為祂才是永世擁有一切智慧、能力和財富的神。

【人若要誇耀,應該誇耀認識我,明白我。因為我是上主,我有不變的愛。我執行公道,伸張正義;我喜愛的就是這些。我上主這樣宣佈了。】(耶9:24

人存在的目的,更重要的是要親近認識這位創造宇宙,給予我們生命的上帝。

3)活出有意義的人生~

約拿單愛德華滋(Jonathan Edwards17031758)是普林斯頓第三任校長,至今他仍然被公認是美國最出色的神學家。

他最為世人懷念的是當初天花疫苗還在初期試驗期問,他不忍心看著天花病毒摧殘蹂躪當時還是英國殖民地的美國。愛德華滋自願接受疫苗病毒注射的實驗,結果在1758322日在他被注射天花疫苗的幾天後,因而發病過世了。

在他注射疫苗病毒之前,有許多朋友勸他不要冒這個生命的危險。但是他一口拒絕了,因為他憐憫那些因天花而受苦死亡的同胞們。愛德華滋為了愛人的緣故,竟然自願犧牲自己的生命。他在最後斷氣之前還交代他的女兒,將他一部分的財產捐贈給窮人。愛德華滋留下戚人的話:『一個活出來的生命,不是以我們擁有多少的職位來衡量,乃是以我們幫助過多少人來衡量。』(A life lived is not measured in how many positions we've held, but in how many people we've helped)。愛德華滋的這番話與他實際的愛心,不正是見證了耶穌基督的愛嗎?

耶穌教導我們活在世上不只是為每日物質上的生活而操心,我們應該追求更崇高的目的和意義,我們要能活出上帝的公義、聖潔、憐憫與慈愛。〔你們要先追求上帝主權的實現,遵行祂的旨意,祂就會把這一切都供給你們。〕(馬太6:33

當我們大家共同去努力與實現,活出精采有意義的人生,那麼神的國度就臨到這地上有如在天上一般。

生命短暫,人生不能重來。你願意挪走你的憂慮?依靠全能愛你的上帝,過一個充實有意義的人生嗎?(08/12/2018)吳淑梅整理

Monday, August 13, 2018

First guided tour at STLTPC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDHhQZR-UQU&list=PLgcznScNc5egLWhKVG2D8wRuS9tY6PTo6
01 For the first time, trying to introduce the church and the church building to a small group of visitors, from the 223th General Assembly of PCUSA in St. Louis. 我們首度嘗試向一小群來自第23屆總會議場的訪客介紹教會跟禮拜堂 This is an experiment that expores the situations, the senarios, and the potential responses in a churchseeing and starts a baseline for continuous improvements. 這是個實驗,用來探尋參觀教會時的情境、情景、跟潛在反應。這個實驗是「開始一個永續求進步」的基礎點。Che sī ti̍t-ê teh thàm-thó chham-koan kàu-hōe ê sî khó-lêng chhut-hiān ê chêng-kéng, chōng-thāi, kap hoán-èng, ê si̍t-giām. Ēng án-ne chò kè-sio̍k chìn-pō͘ ê ki-chhó͘ tiám. We will make new videos with caption, multiple languages, avoiding background noise, etc. 我們打算另造新片,採用字幕、多語言、減噪音,等等。Goán ū siūⁿ-beh koh-chài têng phah-phìⁿ, chhái-iōng jī-bō͘, to-chióng gú-giân, kiám-chió cha̍p-im, téng-téng.

This tour starts from the Fellowship Hall which is designed for people to meet and be connected, before and after worshiping in the sanctuary / worship hall. 這個觀覽行程從交誼廳出發。這個交誼廳是為了讓人們在參加禮拜廳裡面的禮拜儀式之前跟之後相遇、互聯而設計的。Chit-ê chham-koan ê hêng-thêng tùi kau-gî thiaⁿ chhut-hoat. Chit-ê kau-gî thiaⁿ sī ūi-tio̍h hō͘ lâng tī chham-kai lé-pài thiaⁿ lāi-bīn ê lée-pài sek í-chêng kap í-āu saⁿ-tú, saⁿ-liân-hē siat-kè ê. Meeting face-to-face is a keyword in the Fellowship Hall. We hope that nobody feels lonely and neglected in this hall where the scene of the sanctuary as a giant picture, reminding the source of inspiration, is always visible as a background. 當面相見是這個交誼廳的關鍵字之一。在這個有禮拜廳景觀像是一大片隨時看得見,一直在提醒著我們靈感的來源,的圖畫,在陪襯的交誼廳裡我們不希望有人覺得孤單、被忽略。Tng-bīn saⁿ-kìⁿ sī chit-ê kau-gî thiaⁿ ê koan-kiàn-jī. Lé-pài thiaⁿ ê kéng-koan ná-chhiūⁿ chi̍t tōa-pak-tô͘ sûi-sî khòaⁿ-ē-thio̍h, it-ti̍t teh thê-séng lán lêng-kám ê lǎi-goân, ê tô͘-ōe, chò pōe-kéng, teh kap kau-gî-thiaⁿ lāi-bīn ê lâng chò-phōaⁿ. Goán ǹg-bāng bô lâng tī chit-ê thiaⁿ lāi-bīn kám-kak tio̍h ko͘-toaⁿ, siū hut-lio̍k.

02 a Presbyterian tree
This is a special tree, or two, in the front/side yard of the church property illuminating one of the basic principles of Presbyterianism -- let people of different types and levels grow and live together. 在禮拜堂前/側院的一棵(或兩棵)樹展現出長老會精神的一個重要原則 -- 讓不同類型、層次的人一起成長、生活。

03 Entrance
This unconventional entrance of a church building reverses the tradition of church building with theology from Jesus. Traditionally a church building has a small space between the entrance and the woship hall, the sanctuary. That means that the visitors are expected to enter the worship place immediately, assuming that everybody goest to a church building for worshiping God. The entrance of the TPCSTL lead the visitors to the largest open space of the building, the fellowship hall, where they have chances to turn to many other options than participating in a worship service or a quiet meditation alone in the sanctuary. This is designed based on the following words from the Sripture. Matthew 5: …23 Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. 25 Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.…

04 stained glass in the fellowship hall
Stained glasses that won't distract while adding the visual effect in the sanctuary. The stained glassed windows that multiply throughout the church building.

05 in the sactuary (worship hall)
The off-hour of the sanctuary is great for meditation.


06 legacy of how we handle the pastor

We take a special need of the pastor very seriously and reflect it in the hardware leaving a legacy. 我們很認真地處理牧師的特殊需求,並在硬體上呈現出來,留下典範。

Our first pastor spent a lot time working at the church building. He sweats frequently and needs to show and change clothing frequently, especially when he needs to meet others at the church or leaving fromt eh church site. We include a shower room for him and for other special occasions where showering is necessary.

We include a restroom right there in the pastor's office to make it easy for the pastor, especially at the moment right before the preaching. This is very unusual everywhere.

In the fellowship hall, there is a special room for collection the sanitary related items. On each side of the door, there is a line showing that the drywall is different from the ordinary wall. That is a monument of how we treat the opinions of two extremes. Some people want to build a movable partition to make part of the fellowship hall an extension of the sanctuary while others believe that the whole fellowship is part of the sanctuary when there is activity going on in the sanctuary. We ended up reserving the room for storing the movable partition with the drywall easily changed for the special remodeling, without actually building the partition. This is a testimony of Presbyterianism at work.
07 trailer