牧者心聲
青＋社區
曾敬宗牧師
2023 年 7 月 8 日 / 9 日
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「青＋社區」，令你想到甚麼？青年和社區？還是再豐富一點，青年家庭在社區見證主？我們都關心社會，但有社福機構提出，光是有心夠不夠呢？與社區的親身接觸足夠嗎？了解和思考不同社區人士的需要，這不是信徒該多去思索的問題嗎？北宣家青年群體一向熱心關注社會需要，疫情間他們風雨不改地探訪社區的弱勢社群。可是一提到青年家庭，當年曾熱心過的信徒，卻會突然一靜。青年夫婦就如 slash 斜槓族一樣，身兼職青/事奉領袖/父母/子女等多個角色，正處於人生探索與掙扎的巨大壓力中，再加上社會對父母有超高期望，試問他們怎會有時間心力呢？但這也不是必然！
關心的開始是看見和動心，就如路加福音十章的好撒瑪利亞人「看見了，就動了憐憫的心」，然後就「上前、包裹、扶上、帶到，拿出銀幣」（新譯本），更願意日後償還額外的開支。耶穌將律法師「誰是我的鄰舍」這問題轉化為「誰是那落在強盜手中的人的鄰舍」，叫律法師明白主動憐憫人的才成為鄰舍，耶穌繼而吩咐：「你去，照樣作吧！」有一晚我在商場關門前急需購置一些用品，幾位年長的售貨員不單沒有趕著下班，更為我積極介紹產品，耐心查找貨品的差異。天父提醒我，最基本的關心是從身處的社區和生活圈開始。
青年家庭每天都活在社區中，但社會壓力叫人累積了不少情緒，在忙碌急迫、弱肉強食、消費主義的生活中，我們難免會缺乏耐性、甚至不友善。但若能靠著主稍稍放鬆鎖緊的眉頭，以寬容對待每日遇上的——大廈看更、清潔工、外賣員、茶記侍應，這會是多麼美的一幅圖畫！多一分體諒、多一個笑容，可叫社區感受到天國的不同。最近我與兩個孩子出外午飯，老闆娘主動分享她兩個孩子的種種，於是就成了讓我關心她的機會。青年家庭大可仿照平安夜報佳音的方式，帶同孩子參與教會社區見證部的社區探訪，如此既能一起服事，又能讓孩子了解不同階層的需要，全家若能一起「看見」，就不必等待數年一次的親子短宣。
有青年夫婦特意和新來港的少年人同行，忙碌中抽出額外時間跨區作生命師傅，關心引導他們。也有夫婦善用自己的家庭，與孩子一同接待在港的留學生，讓他們在異鄉中感受到家庭溫暖，甚至得著生命中至寶貴的禮物！誰說青年家庭會難有心力？青年家庭總能善用神的賜予，靠著主憑著創意，為主多走一步，讓人在社區中遇見主！
What does "Youth + Community" make you think of? Youth and community? Or young families testifying the Lord in the community? We all care about society. But is it good enough just to care with the heart? Is there enough direct contact with the community? Shouldn’t believers give more thoughts to understanding and considering the needs of different people in the community? All along, the young adults of the NPAC family have the needs of society at heart. Rain or sunshine, they have visited the underprivileged in the community during the pandemic! Nevertheless, at the mention of young families, many previously dedicated believers would suddenly become silent. Young couples are like the slashie. They play various roles as working young adults/ministry leaders/parents/children, etc. They are subject to immense pressure in life explorations and struggles. Moreover, society has extremely high expectations for parents. How then could these young couples have time and energy? Still, this is not necessarily so!
Care begins with seeing and empathizing. It is just like the good Samaritan in Luke 10 who "when he saw him, he took pity on him." After that, he "went…bandaged…put…brought…took out denarii…." He also promised to reimburse the innkeeper for any extra expense he might have. Jesus turned the question from the expert in the law "Who is my neighbor?" into "Who was the neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" That was to help the expert in the law understand that the one who takes the initiative to be merciful to others is a neighbor. Then, Jesus told him: "Go and do likewise." One night, I went to buy something just before the mall closed. Not only did several aged salespeople not rush to close the shop but they even proactively introduced the products to me and patiently found out the differences among the products. The Heavenly Father reminded me that the most basic care begins with one’s own community or circle.
Young families live in their community every day of their lives but the pressure from society causes the accumulation of a lot of emotions. In busy, pressing lives where survival of the fittest and consumerism is everywhere, we easily lose patience or even become unfriendly. But if we slightly relax with the Lord’s help and treat those we meet every day with benevolence – the building’s security guard, the cleaner, the delivery man, the waiter, what a beautiful picture it would be! A little more understanding and a little more smile would enable the community to feel the difference of the Heavenly Kingdom. During a recent lunch out with my two children, the lady owner told us a lot of stories about her two children. That gave us an opportunity to care for her. Just like caroling on Christmas Eve, young families can bring their children to participate in the community visits of the Community Witness Department. In doing so, the whole family will be serving together, and the children will learn about the needs of various sectors. The entire family will "see" and there will be no need to wait for short-term missions for the family once every few years.
Some young couples intentionally walk with the young people who newly arrive. They take time from their busy life to serve as their mentors in another district to care for them and guide them. Some other couples make good use of their homes and receive visiting students together with their children, giving them the warmth of a family in a foreign land, even receiving the most precious gift of life. How precious this gift is! Who says young families can hardly have the heart or capacity to do something? They can somehow put God-given gifts to good use. Counting on God and with creativity, they can go the extra mile and let others encounter the Lord in the community!
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