MY Sunday Scripture 2010.12.26
The Text: Matthew 2:13-15.19-23.
When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him." Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt I called my son." When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazorean."
----------------------------
My Reading Notes:
In my memory as a child, the song "Silent Night" was always a comfort for me. I would remember the time when I heard it, somewhere near my old primary school, some children singing, the night was so lovely. That moment of (k)uietness is so important that you will expect the life in the coming years will be always like that.
What made you cherish that particular moment was the things coming afterwards. Endless fighting, endless chase. (K)uietness is but a lovely dream. However, hoping that the dream would come true one day, one will keep on going. You search and search. and search.
2010年12月25日 星期六
2010年12月19日 星期日
What is Immanuel?
My Sunday Scritpure 2010.12.19
The text: Matthew 1:18-24
This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her informally.
He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.'
Now all this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:
Look! the virgin is with child and will give birth to a son whom they will call Immanuel, a name which means 'God-is-with-us'.
When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home;
My Reading Notes:
I think of all the scripture, the line to explain what is christianity, is here:
God is with us.
And this idea is so vitally important, that all the cultural activities and all the quest in human kind, including the East and the West, is in such a recognition, know that all life on earth are linked up, and that the link is God himself.
God is with us. So that one can march forward, without fear or any selfishness, on the condition that God is with us, and we are not alone.
The text: Matthew 1:18-24
This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.
Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her informally.
He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit.
She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.'
Now all this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:
Look! the virgin is with child and will give birth to a son whom they will call Immanuel, a name which means 'God-is-with-us'.
When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home;
My Reading Notes:
I think of all the scripture, the line to explain what is christianity, is here:
God is with us.
And this idea is so vitally important, that all the cultural activities and all the quest in human kind, including the East and the West, is in such a recognition, know that all life on earth are linked up, and that the link is God himself.
God is with us. So that one can march forward, without fear or any selfishness, on the condition that God is with us, and we are not alone.
2010年12月11日 星期六
How to deal with the Law or the Prophets?
My Sunday Scripture 2010.12.12.
The texts are here, though a bit long, but there is something hidden inside:
Matthew 5:17-20
17 'Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them.
18 In truth I tell you, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, is to disappear from the Law until all its purpose is achieved.
19 Therefore, anyone who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but the person who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of Heaven.
20 'For I tell you, if your uprightness does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 11:2-11
2 Now John had heard in prison what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him,
3 'Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect someone else?'
4 Jesus answered, 'Go back and tell John what you hear and see;
5 the blind see again, and the lame walk, those suffering from virulent skin-diseases are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and the good news is proclaimed to the poor;
6 and blessed is anyone who does not find me a cause of falling.'
7 As the men were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John, 'What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No?
8 Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces.
9 Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet:
10 he is the one of whom scripture says: Look, I am going to send my messenger in front of you to prepare your way before you.
11 'In truth I tell you, of all the children born to women, there has never been anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.
-------------------
My reading notes:
-------------------
What is the difference between the old and new testament, are always a puzzling thing.
Though Jesus had said, do not expect him to challenge the Law. He said, those who infringes the Law will be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Will you be the "least in the kingdom of Heaven"? It is a praise (or a title) much bigger then John the Baptist. Because Jesus had said, "yet the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he. "
The books in the Old Jews tradition are not perfect, and need reconsideration. But in Jesus day, he is not going to challenge them. Am I right? I am trying to think it again.
And Jesus had said, if you can not go further beyond those of the old Jews, you will not succeed. "For I tell you, if your uprightness does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven."
Jesus had bring us "Love", though in the old time, there was only "Law" prevailed.
Should one challenge the old "Law"? Should we gain an new insight of "Love"??
Please so help me, to think it clearer.
The texts are here, though a bit long, but there is something hidden inside:
Matthew 5:17-20
17 'Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them.
18 In truth I tell you, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, is to disappear from the Law until all its purpose is achieved.
19 Therefore, anyone who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of Heaven; but the person who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of Heaven.
20 'For I tell you, if your uprightness does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 11:2-11
2 Now John had heard in prison what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him,
3 'Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect someone else?'
4 Jesus answered, 'Go back and tell John what you hear and see;
5 the blind see again, and the lame walk, those suffering from virulent skin-diseases are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and the good news is proclaimed to the poor;
6 and blessed is anyone who does not find me a cause of falling.'
7 As the men were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John, 'What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No?
8 Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces.
9 Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet:
10 he is the one of whom scripture says: Look, I am going to send my messenger in front of you to prepare your way before you.
11 'In truth I tell you, of all the children born to women, there has never been anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.
-------------------
My reading notes:
-------------------
What is the difference between the old and new testament, are always a puzzling thing.
Though Jesus had said, do not expect him to challenge the Law. He said, those who infringes the Law will be the least in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Will you be the "least in the kingdom of Heaven"? It is a praise (or a title) much bigger then John the Baptist. Because Jesus had said, "yet the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he. "
The books in the Old Jews tradition are not perfect, and need reconsideration. But in Jesus day, he is not going to challenge them. Am I right? I am trying to think it again.
And Jesus had said, if you can not go further beyond those of the old Jews, you will not succeed. "For I tell you, if your uprightness does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven."
Jesus had bring us "Love", though in the old time, there was only "Law" prevailed.
Should one challenge the old "Law"? Should we gain an new insight of "Love"??
Please so help me, to think it clearer.
2010年12月4日 星期六
Baptise with Holy Spirit and Fire
My Sunday Scripture 2010.12.5.
Matthew 3:1-12
In due course John the Baptist appeared; he proclaimed this message in the desert of Judaea,
'Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.'
This was the man spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said: A voice of one that cries in the desert, 'Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.'
This man John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather loin-cloth round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.
Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him,
and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins.
But when he saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he said to them, 'Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming retribution?
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance, and do not presume to tell yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father," because, I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones. Even now the axe is being laid to the root of the trees, so that any tree failing to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire. I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who comes after me is more powerful than I, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing-fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.'
------------------
My Reading Notes:
------------------
Yes I am afraid of the fire, though I love the Holy Spirit very much. But they are always coming together. Through hardship and wisdom, one can discover God.
Fire is good, wisdom is good. They can bring us to the heavens.
Matthew 3:1-12
In due course John the Baptist appeared; he proclaimed this message in the desert of Judaea,
'Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.'
This was the man spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said: A voice of one that cries in the desert, 'Prepare a way for the Lord, make his paths straight.'
This man John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather loin-cloth round his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.
Then Jerusalem and all Judaea and the whole Jordan district made their way to him,
and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins.
But when he saw a number of Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism he said to them, 'Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming retribution?
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance, and do not presume to tell yourselves, "We have Abraham as our father," because, I tell you, God can raise children for Abraham from these stones. Even now the axe is being laid to the root of the trees, so that any tree failing to produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown on the fire. I baptise you in water for repentance, but the one who comes after me is more powerful than I, and I am not fit to carry his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing-fan is in his hand; he will clear his threshing-floor and gather his wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.'
------------------
My Reading Notes:
------------------
Yes I am afraid of the fire, though I love the Holy Spirit very much. But they are always coming together. Through hardship and wisdom, one can discover God.
Fire is good, wisdom is good. They can bring us to the heavens.
訂閱：
文章 (Atom)