Message from the Pastor for Second Sunday after Trinity
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” Matthew 18:35
While we live amongst people, inevitably we encounter people that wrong us, persecute and hurt us. Sometimes we wrong them first. Other times both have wronged each other. But even when others are completely wrong, according to the Lord’s teaching we should still forgive. Do not remember other’s wrong. Do not bear grudges or try to revenge. The reason is very clear. It is because the number of times we wrong God, and sin against God, exceeds the number of times others wrong us and do injustice to us. Just like the parable in Matthew 18:23-35. Comparing the ten thousand talents with a hundred denarii is the difference of one million times. The Lord has forgiven us thousands of wrongs, cancelled us thousands of debts. We should do like wise to others. God forgives us not just seven times, or seventy times seven, but countless of times. As such we should not count the number of times we forgive others.
If we do not forgive others God will not forgive us. The consequence is like what is said in the parable. His master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. Since the ten thousand talents can never be re-paid we have to forgive all those who owe us so that our Father in heaven will forgive us. This way our prayers will be heard. Often times our prayers are not heard. It is because when we do not forgive others, God also do not forgive us and do not listen to our prayers. On the one hand we bear grudges; remember other’s wrongs and refuse to forgive. But on the other hand we ask God to forgive our wrongs, cancel our debts, have mercy and listen to our prayers. Something obviously absurd and contradictory is going on here. Proverb 19:11 says, “A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offence.”
牧者信息分享
“你們各人若不從心裏饒恕你的弟兄，我天父也要這樣待你們了。”馬太18：35.
我們活在世上人們中間，難免有人得罪我們，對不起我們，甚至逼迫，傷害我們。雖然有時是我們先得罪人，對不起人，又或者互相都有錯。但就算完全是對方的錯，按主的教訓，也應該饒恕人。不可記住人的惡，懷恨人，甚至報復人。這原因很清楚，因為我們得罪神，對不起神，遠超過人得罪我們，對不起我們。正如馬太福音18：23-35 的比喻說，一千萬銀子和十兩銀子相比，是差一百萬倍，神既饒恕了我們一千罪過，赦免了我們一千虧損，我們也當照樣饒恕人。神饒恕我們不止七次，或七十個七次，而是無數次。所以我們也不當計較饒恕人的次數。
如果我們不饒恕人，神也不饒恕我們的過犯。那結果就像這比喻所說的，要被交給掌刑的，等還清所欠的債，那一千萬銀子是無法歸還的。所以要饒恕一切得罪我們的人，好叫天父也饒恕我們。這樣我們的禱告才蒙垂聽。許多禱告不蒙主應允，是因為不饒恕人。因此神也不肯饒恕我們，不肯聽我們的禱告了。我們一方面恨人，紀念人的惡，不肯饒恕人。另一方面卻到神面前求赦免，饒恕，求神施恩，應允所求，顯然是有矛盾的，不相配的。箴言19：11說“人有見識，就不輕易發怒，寬恕人的過失，便是自己的榮耀。”
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Message From The Pastor for May 25
Message from the Pastor for First Sunday after Trinity
Once a sweet young thing going out of church said to me, “Doctor, you make me feel like a worm.” Well, who knows, perhaps she needed to feel like a worm! My sermons often make me feel like a worm, too. Partly because I know my life does not measure up to them. But if I could practice everything I preach, it would not be worth the preaching. It is not the church’s job to make sinful men and women feel cocksure and self-satisfied in the presence of the eternal God. The minister seeks to love people, to respect them as individuals, but not to pamper their prejudices or coddle them or tell them they are right when they deny God’s truth. His business is to see people as they really are, and to put them in vital touch with God in Christ.—William H. Hudnut, Jr.
牧者信息分享
一次一個小家伙在聚集後對我說，“博士，你令我覺得自己像條蟲那麼沒用。”或者她真的需要有這個感覺才成呢！我的講道有時也令我自己覺得像條蟲一樣。部分原因是因為我知道我的生活還達不到講道要求的標準。但如果我能完全做得到它要求的標準，那麼講道就是多餘的了。教會的責任不是去令有罪的人在永生的神面前自豪和自義。牧師是要愛人，尊重人，但不是去奉承人，嬌縱人，或當人否定了神的真理時仍說他是對的。他的職責是看見人的本相，把人帶到基督的面前得到神的接觸。--作者William H. Hudnut, Jr.是一位堂會牧師。
Once a sweet young thing going out of church said to me, “Doctor, you make me feel like a worm.” Well, who knows, perhaps she needed to feel like a worm! My sermons often make me feel like a worm, too. Partly because I know my life does not measure up to them. But if I could practice everything I preach, it would not be worth the preaching. It is not the church’s job to make sinful men and women feel cocksure and self-satisfied in the presence of the eternal God. The minister seeks to love people, to respect them as individuals, but not to pamper their prejudices or coddle them or tell them they are right when they deny God’s truth. His business is to see people as they really are, and to put them in vital touch with God in Christ.—William H. Hudnut, Jr.
牧者信息分享
一次一個小家伙在聚集後對我說，“博士，你令我覺得自己像條蟲那麼沒用。”或者她真的需要有這個感覺才成呢！我的講道有時也令我自己覺得像條蟲一樣。部分原因是因為我知道我的生活還達不到講道要求的標準。但如果我能完全做得到它要求的標準，那麼講道就是多餘的了。教會的責任不是去令有罪的人在永生的神面前自豪和自義。牧師是要愛人，尊重人，但不是去奉承人，嬌縱人，或當人否定了神的真理時仍說他是對的。他的職責是看見人的本相，把人帶到基督的面前得到神的接觸。--作者William H. Hudnut, Jr.是一位堂會牧師。
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Message From The Pastor for May 18
Message from the Pastor for Trinity Sunday
Today is Trinity Sunday. It reminds us the God we believe in is a triune God. In fact every Sunday at the end of worship we hear the threefold blessing from our triune God:
1. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The first Christians realized that the world needed saving, changing, and being made right with God. They began with God going out to meet men in love, in redemption, God trying to establish reconciliation and personal relationship. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is the Eternal breaking into time, the Supernatural intersecting history, Heaven coming down to earth, God living, suffering, dying, and triumphing over sin and evil.
2. “The love of God.” If you have experienced god’s active, living love getting hold of you, then you are certain of the love of God. If you had never heard of Jesus Christ and his grace, would you have thought for certain that God is a God of love? The grace of Christ guarantees the love of God beyond all shadow of doubt.
3. “The fellowship of the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is discovered best in fellowship. Just as God is a relationship of love—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a kind of triangular personal relationship—so we not only discover God’s love in our own hearts by the Holy Spirit but we are united by that same Holy Spirit to other people who call Christ Lord. Christianity is a shared fellowship of believers, all of whom are certain that they know God’s love in Jesus.
牧者信息分享
今天是三一主日，提醒我們所信的是三位一體的上帝。其實每次崇拜結束時我們都接受著三一真神的祝福：
（一）“我主耶穌基督的恩惠”初期基督徒都知道這世界需要拯救，改變和與神和好。 他們一開始就記得是神首先出去和人建立復合的關系。是主耶穌基督的恩典把永恒的，超自然的，屬神的天堂，帶進這個痛苦的，死亡的，有罪的世界。
（二）“上帝的慈愛”倘若沒有耶穌的恩典，我們可能永遠也不知道神是愛。凡經歷過神的愛而認定神是愛的人，一定是因為透過耶穌的恩典，使他確實的相信這位又真又活的神是這麼的慈愛。
（三）“聖靈的團契”聖靈是在團契中被感受到的—聖父，聖子，聖靈，就是一個團契。凡在自己心裏相信耶穌的人，靠著聖靈的聯合，在別的有同樣信仰耶穌為主的人心裏也結成團契。基督徒的團契就是一群信耶穌的人，他們確實知道神在基督裏將愛表現出來。
Today is Trinity Sunday. It reminds us the God we believe in is a triune God. In fact every Sunday at the end of worship we hear the threefold blessing from our triune God:
1. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The first Christians realized that the world needed saving, changing, and being made right with God. They began with God going out to meet men in love, in redemption, God trying to establish reconciliation and personal relationship. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is the Eternal breaking into time, the Supernatural intersecting history, Heaven coming down to earth, God living, suffering, dying, and triumphing over sin and evil.
2. “The love of God.” If you have experienced god’s active, living love getting hold of you, then you are certain of the love of God. If you had never heard of Jesus Christ and his grace, would you have thought for certain that God is a God of love? The grace of Christ guarantees the love of God beyond all shadow of doubt.
3. “The fellowship of the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is discovered best in fellowship. Just as God is a relationship of love—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a kind of triangular personal relationship—so we not only discover God’s love in our own hearts by the Holy Spirit but we are united by that same Holy Spirit to other people who call Christ Lord. Christianity is a shared fellowship of believers, all of whom are certain that they know God’s love in Jesus.
牧者信息分享
今天是三一主日，提醒我們所信的是三位一體的上帝。其實每次崇拜結束時我們都接受著三一真神的祝福：
（一）“我主耶穌基督的恩惠”初期基督徒都知道這世界需要拯救，改變和與神和好。 他們一開始就記得是神首先出去和人建立復合的關系。是主耶穌基督的恩典把永恒的，超自然的，屬神的天堂，帶進這個痛苦的，死亡的，有罪的世界。
（二）“上帝的慈愛”倘若沒有耶穌的恩典，我們可能永遠也不知道神是愛。凡經歷過神的愛而認定神是愛的人，一定是因為透過耶穌的恩典，使他確實的相信這位又真又活的神是這麼的慈愛。
（三）“聖靈的團契”聖靈是在團契中被感受到的—聖父，聖子，聖靈，就是一個團契。凡在自己心裏相信耶穌的人，靠著聖靈的聯合，在別的有同樣信仰耶穌為主的人心裏也結成團契。基督徒的團契就是一群信耶穌的人，他們確實知道神在基督裏將愛表現出來。
Friday, May 9, 2008
Message From The Pastor for May 11
Message from the Pastor Pentecost Sunday and Mother's Day
Today is Mother’s Day. We salute to all mothers. Do you know who makes a mother great besides her children? The answer is her husband. On the occasion of his retirement from the Riverside Church, Harry Emerson Fosdick said he had been puzzled all his life by the fact that, on the whole, women have not accomplished as much in a public way as has been accomplished by men. Why is this true? Obviously the brains of women are as good and perhaps better than the brains of men. Yet the sober truth is that there have been relatively few women in the list of composers, artists, scientists, and statesmen. “At last,” said Dr. Fosdick, “I know the answer. No woman ever had a wife!” On this Mother’s Day let us fathers and husbands salute to our wives.
牧者信息分享
今天是母親節。我們向母親致敬！你可知道除了她的兒女之外誰令母親這麼偉大嗎？答案是她的丈夫。Harry Emerson Fosdick牧師在他從Riverside Church退休時於感恩宴會上說，他一生感困惑的是為甚麼女人在公職上通常都比男人遜色呢？女人的腦袋與男人有過之無不及，為甚麼在傑出的作家，藝術家，科學家，和政治家名人榜上還是男多於女的呢？“最後，”他說，“我終於明白了。因為女人少了一位太太。”在母親節的今天讓我們做父親的和做丈夫的向我們的太太致敬！
Today is Mother’s Day. We salute to all mothers. Do you know who makes a mother great besides her children? The answer is her husband. On the occasion of his retirement from the Riverside Church, Harry Emerson Fosdick said he had been puzzled all his life by the fact that, on the whole, women have not accomplished as much in a public way as has been accomplished by men. Why is this true? Obviously the brains of women are as good and perhaps better than the brains of men. Yet the sober truth is that there have been relatively few women in the list of composers, artists, scientists, and statesmen. “At last,” said Dr. Fosdick, “I know the answer. No woman ever had a wife!” On this Mother’s Day let us fathers and husbands salute to our wives.
牧者信息分享
今天是母親節。我們向母親致敬！你可知道除了她的兒女之外誰令母親這麼偉大嗎？答案是她的丈夫。Harry Emerson Fosdick牧師在他從Riverside Church退休時於感恩宴會上說，他一生感困惑的是為甚麼女人在公職上通常都比男人遜色呢？女人的腦袋與男人有過之無不及，為甚麼在傑出的作家，藝術家，科學家，和政治家名人榜上還是男多於女的呢？“最後，”他說，“我終於明白了。因為女人少了一位太太。”在母親節的今天讓我們做父親的和做丈夫的向我們的太太致敬！
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Message From The Pastor for May 4
Message from the Pastor Seventh Sunday of Easter
What is Easter? Easter is God telling us He is living and is present with us. When a man is desperate he cries to God. But sometimes God seems so far away He does not hear. Theologian Paul Tillich said, “It is the spirit of God that removes God from our sight.” But if we cry to Him in faith, He will return and take the empty space within us which is His space. On the first Easter day the disciples were scared and afraid. They locked themselves up in the upper room. But Jesus appeared and pronounced peace to be with them. He broke bread and shared Holy Communion with them. Their eyes were opened and their hearts were filled with joy. This is only one part of the story. The other part consists of all those other times in between when God seems to have evaporated from our lives. We find ourselves insecure and sometimes afraid. We sense the uneasiness like that of a child who suddenly has lost her mother in the crowded super-market. We are tempted to panic. Jesus understands. He finds it necessary to explain, “A little while and ye shall not see me, and again, a little while and ye shall see me.” No parent, including God can pamper his child if the youngster is to develop. God is never far away from us. Our loving parents who have left us at home alone for the first time have not abandoned us. He still loves us and cares for us, and underneath are his everlasting arms. What is Easter? Easter is the promise that God will never leave us and his promise has been fulfilled.
牧者信息分享
復活節是做甚麼的？復活節是告訴我們上帝活著並且離我們不遠。古語有云：人窮則呼天，痛則呼父母。但有時候，上帝好像離我們很遠聽不見我們的呼聲。神學家保羅田立克說：神的靈令我們見不到祂。若我們肯在靈裏呼求祂，祂會回來填補我們的空虛。復活節證實了耶穌沒有拋棄門徒。他們躲在樓房瑟縮懼怕，復活主來到他們中間，賜他們平安並與他們擘餅分享聖餐。但在此之前和之後，覺得上帝離開我們的感受還是常有的。好像小孩在超級市場失去了媽媽一樣。這個時候我們就要知道，我們並不孤單。耶穌了解，所以祂說：等不多時，你們就不得見我；再等不多時，你們還要見我。神暫時離開我們是要叫我們學習獨立。沒有父母終日抱著孩子可以叫他成長的。第一次父母離家留下孩子時，孩子要知道父母保護的手還是一直在托著他們。有時候上帝暫時離開我們，不愉快的事發生，我們就以為是不是自己做錯事，或者是上帝對我們不好，形成自咎，自責或自憐。這都是不必要的。我們應該用喜樂和信心來渡過這些日子。復活節是甚麼？復活節就是上帝答應我們，祂必不離開我們的事實，已經得到證明了。
What is Easter? Easter is God telling us He is living and is present with us. When a man is desperate he cries to God. But sometimes God seems so far away He does not hear. Theologian Paul Tillich said, “It is the spirit of God that removes God from our sight.” But if we cry to Him in faith, He will return and take the empty space within us which is His space. On the first Easter day the disciples were scared and afraid. They locked themselves up in the upper room. But Jesus appeared and pronounced peace to be with them. He broke bread and shared Holy Communion with them. Their eyes were opened and their hearts were filled with joy. This is only one part of the story. The other part consists of all those other times in between when God seems to have evaporated from our lives. We find ourselves insecure and sometimes afraid. We sense the uneasiness like that of a child who suddenly has lost her mother in the crowded super-market. We are tempted to panic. Jesus understands. He finds it necessary to explain, “A little while and ye shall not see me, and again, a little while and ye shall see me.” No parent, including God can pamper his child if the youngster is to develop. God is never far away from us. Our loving parents who have left us at home alone for the first time have not abandoned us. He still loves us and cares for us, and underneath are his everlasting arms. What is Easter? Easter is the promise that God will never leave us and his promise has been fulfilled.
牧者信息分享
復活節是做甚麼的？復活節是告訴我們上帝活著並且離我們不遠。古語有云：人窮則呼天，痛則呼父母。但有時候，上帝好像離我們很遠聽不見我們的呼聲。神學家保羅田立克說：神的靈令我們見不到祂。若我們肯在靈裏呼求祂，祂會回來填補我們的空虛。復活節證實了耶穌沒有拋棄門徒。他們躲在樓房瑟縮懼怕，復活主來到他們中間，賜他們平安並與他們擘餅分享聖餐。但在此之前和之後，覺得上帝離開我們的感受還是常有的。好像小孩在超級市場失去了媽媽一樣。這個時候我們就要知道，我們並不孤單。耶穌了解，所以祂說：等不多時，你們就不得見我；再等不多時，你們還要見我。神暫時離開我們是要叫我們學習獨立。沒有父母終日抱著孩子可以叫他成長的。第一次父母離家留下孩子時，孩子要知道父母保護的手還是一直在托著他們。有時候上帝暫時離開我們，不愉快的事發生，我們就以為是不是自己做錯事，或者是上帝對我們不好，形成自咎，自責或自憐。這都是不必要的。我們應該用喜樂和信心來渡過這些日子。復活節是甚麼？復活節就是上帝答應我們，祂必不離開我們的事實，已經得到證明了。
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