牧者心聲
堂慶的禱願
譚廣海牧師
2024 年 10 月 12 日 / 13 日
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每逢參加家人親友的慶生聚會，我們都會安排為生命許願、分切蛋糕、和共享美食的環節。北宣家的堂慶沒有糕餅美食，我們當用怎樣的意念及志向，參加堂慶的崇拜，投入教會一年一度的生日會？
首先，我想起詩人的話：人們都在等候頌讚神，他們也要向主償還所許的願（詩六十五1）。許願與還願，猶如錢幣上的圖案與幣值，是一體兩面、兩者不可或缺的。因此，我們參加堂慶崇拜的時候，不應單為過去個人及教會所得著的向神感恩，更應為當下跟隨基督的信心及挑戰向神求恩。我們要藉著堂慶的機會，為整個群體的信仰生命繪畫一幅成長藍圖，並憑著信心呈獻給主；我們也要為所定的志向，同心仰賴主恩，攜手邁步向前。如此，我們就能期盼在下一週年的堂慶中繼續數算主恩、述說神美善的作為。我們深信北宣家內的不同群體，若能以感恩為祭，就著曾有的許諾和今刻的所得向神還願（詩五十14，五十六12），便是投入堂慶的最佳方法了。這是一項重要的信仰操練，能幫助我們不致好像那十個痲瘋病人，被主潔淨後將祂的恩惠忘記得一乾二淨，最後只有一人懂得回來頌讚神恩（路十七11-19）。
我們又聽到詩人立志說：在你院子裡住一日，勝過在別處住千日，寧願在我神殿中看門，也不願住在惡人的帳棚裡；詩人又用築巢的鳥兒和燕子作喻，表達自己渴望能住在聖殿中（詩八十四4、10）。這樣的表述，如同我們在崇拜中向主禱願說：願你的國降臨！願意藉著事奉讓人看見基督耶穌的掌權及施恩。
記得我在康澤走廊等候進入禮堂崇拜的時候，一位弟兄總會急步前來，握著我的手，以懇切的語調問我：「今天你會在這堂崇拜講道嗎？是你負責聖餐、家事報告或祝福嗎？」即使我回答「不是」，他仍會繼續問：「下一次是甚麼時候在崇拜有服事？我可以怎樣為你及你的事奉代禱？」許多時候，我都會因他的行動受感動，我看到他很為教會的事奉上心，他不但看事奉神是一件理所當然的事，也會念記及關愛在不同區域承擔不同崗位的同工。
親愛的弟兄姊妹，願我們都能謹記：住在神的居所中，領受聖殿的美福，才能心滿意足（詩六十五4）。為此，我們今年的堂慶禱願是：願北宣家的弟兄姊妹都能得著在神面前「敬拜與服事」的恩福，願大家只要看見神所賜的恩就歡喜，並能持續向神許願及還願，也能立定心志、繼續靠主（徒十一23）。
Whenever we attend a birthday party for family and friends, we will arrange a time to make a wish, cut cake and share delicious food. There are no cakes and delicacies as when celebrate the anniversary of the NPAC family, so what thoughts and commitments should we bring to the anniversary worship service to participate in our church's annual birthday celebration?
First, I am reminded of the words of the psalmist: "Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion; to you our vows will be fulfilled" (Psalm 65:1). The making of a vow and its fulfilment are like the two sides of a coin. They are one piece, and each cannot go without the other. Therefore, at the anniversary worship service, we should not only give thanks to God for what He has blessed us with individually and as a church. We should all the more seek God for His grace for our faith to follow Christ and to meet the challenges we face. We should take the opportunity of the anniversary to come up with a blueprint of growth for the spiritual life of the entire community and, by faith, dedicate it to the Lord. We need to pray for God's grace for our commitments together and move forward hand in hand. This way, we can look forward to counting the Lord's blessings and recounting His good works again at the next anniversary. We firmly believe that the best way to participate in the church's anniversary celebration is for all the different groups in the NPAC family to sacrifice thank offerings to God and fulfill our vows to Him (Psalm 50:14; 56:12) regarding past promises and what we have already received. This is an important training on our faith. It helps prevent us from being like the ten men with leprosy who, after being cleansed by the Lord, forgot His grace completely. In the end, only one came back to thank and praise God (Luke 17:11-19).
We also can hear the psalmist's commitment: "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked" (Psalm 84:10). The psalmist also made use of the sparrow's home and the swallow's nest to express his desire to live in the temple (Psalm 84:4, 10). Such expression will be like our prayer at worship services when we say: May Your Kingdom come! May our ministry let others see the sovereignty and grace of Christ Jesus.
I remember that when I waited in the corridor to enter the worship hall of the Main Church for the worship service, a brother came up to me quickly. Holding my hands, he sincerely asked: "Are you preaching at this worship service? Are you taking care of the holy communion, family news or benediction?" Even if I replied "no", he would continue to ask: "When is the next time you will serve in the worship service? How can I pray for you and your ministry?" I am often touched by what he does. I can see that he very much takes church ministries to heart. Not only does he consider serving God a must but he also remembers and cares about those serving in different roles and areas.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us remember this: Only those who live in the courts of God and who are filled with the good things of His holy temple would be contented (Psalm 65:4). For this reason, our prayer for the church's anniversary this year is this: May brothers and sisters of the NPAC family receive the blessing of "worship and ministry" before God. May we all be glad when we see what the grace of God has done. May we continue to make pledges to God and fulfil our promises, and be committed to be true to the Lord with all our hearts (Acts 11:23).
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