Pulpit Message Introduction for Jan.27

Pulpit Message Introduction for 3rd Sunday after Epiphany
This Sunday we meditate on Jesus’ miracle of feeding the five thousand with five loaves and two fish. After people had all had enough to eat, the disciples gathered the pieces. They filled 12 baskets with the left over. This was Jesus’ fourth miracle as recorded in the Gospel of John. It was the time of the Jewish Passover Feast. The theme of the feast has to do with life and salvation. The angel of the Lord “passed over” the Jewish household but entered the Egyptian household to kill their first born. Thus Pharaoh had to let the Israelite go. The Jews were then set free from the land of slavery. This story involves our understanding on the meaning of sacrifice and deliverance. That day a little boy sacrificed his small meal and the whole multitude had enough to eat. Later Jesus sacrificed His life and the whole mankind was saved. The multiplying of loaves and fish is still happening today. There is more than enough food to feed everyone who hungers in the world. The problem is that are we willing to sacrifice and distribute God’s abundance to the world?
Jesus steps into our lives and brings the Old Testament past to present life situations. He is the Law and Prophets incarnate. When Jesus knows that people want to make him king by force, he withdraws. His crown is not made of gold but thorns. What we learn from Jesus is that at times we are confronted with small resources, but God can turn a small fact into a big miracle. He does this because he is the real messiah, God’s anointed One to save us.
講壇信息介紹
本主日我們思想的，是環繞著約翰福音所記載，耶穌所行的第四個神蹟—以五餅二魚餵飽五千人，而且所剩下的零碎還裝滿了十二個籃子。耶穌行這神蹟時正值逾越節。逾越節的主題乃生命與救贖。耶和華的使者【逾越】以色列的家戶，保存他們兒子的生命，因耶和華擊殺埃及家庭的長子，令法老王准許以色列人離開埃及為奴之地。因此逾越節包含了犧牲和拯救的意義。現在，耶穌以一位小孩所犧牲和奉獻的餅和魚，餵飽五千人；日後，祂更犧牲自己的生命，拯救全人類。
五餅二魚是小孩子的一個小午餐，但當耶穌把它祝謝之後，卻成了五千人的食糧。我們日常所享受的都比這小午餐豐富，我們可曾以感恩和信靠的心懷去回應上帝這麼豐盛的賜予呢？耶穌在餵飽五千人後，因為知道群眾要強迫祂作王，他便退到山上去。耶穌知道祂作王的冠冕不是用金造成的，而是用荊棘編作成的。祂來世界的目的是要完成舊約預言彌賽亞的工作。祂確實是我們的救主。