2022 年 2 月 26 日／27 日
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預苦期——更貼主心
伍銘懿牧師
今天，生活變得很不一樣，我們即使沒有刻意放慢腳步，也不會像往日般四處匆忙走動；在應付各方需要之時，還要適應很多不得已的限制；我們多了要面對的忙亂或艱難，心靈無法安靜。預苦期將近，或許我們需要貼近主，在祂裡面安定下來，聽聽祂對我們說的話，體貼祂的心腸。耶穌應許：「你們所有勞苦擔重擔的人哪，到我這裡來吧！我必使你們得安息。」（太十一 28，新譯本）
下週三（3 月 2 日）將是預苦期的首日。過去，教牧同工也曾在預苦期首日的週三早上祈禱會中，學效歷代教會的傳統，為前來的弟兄姊妹塗上以棕樹枝燒成的灰，作為悔罪的象徵（參尼九 1）。這個上前接受塗灰的過程是沉重的，我們需要謙卑自己，在主前省察，並求主憐憫；然而，這行動卻又是讓心靈輕省和滿足的，因為越深的省察，越能幫助我們體會主的愛和祂深重的恩典，叫我們得蒙赦罪，可以手潔心清的親近神，迎接和記念的主復活。塗灰是一個悔罪的象徵，在現今不一樣的日子裡，會否有不一樣的表達？
預苦期的 40 天，叫我們想到耶穌在曠野禁食禱告 40 晝夜，之後面對魔鬼的試探，並且得勝。耶穌去到曠野，禁食禱告，為要專心親近神，深信祂知道必須緊靠父神，才能走上十架的路。預苦期正是學習耶穌生命榜樣的好機會，願我們按著聖靈的感動，或禁食、或放下某些喜好，以幫助我們專心禱告親近神，讓祂開闊我們心靈的眼睛，更新我們的視野，叫我們看見祂的工作。須知祂是我們惟一的依靠。
主捨己的愛，不單給予「我」，也給予所有屬祂的人，甚至未認識祂的人。或許，當我們願意貼近耶穌的心腸，便會發現祂所憐惜的人群，就在我們身旁。讓我們在這段預苦期的日子，更深體會如何效法基督，以謙卑捨己的行動，去服事身邊有需要的人。
「你們當以基督耶穌的心為心：他本有神的形像，不以自己與神同等為強奪的；反倒虛己，取了奴僕的形像，成為人的樣式；既有人的樣子，就自己卑微，存心順服，以至於死，且死在十字架上。」（腓二 5-8，和合本）
Pastor's Sharing Lent: Draw Ever Nearer to the Heart of God
Rev Ming-Yee Ng
These days, life has become very different. We don’t need to slow down deliberately and we no longer move about freely like we used to. When meeting needs of all kinds, we have to adapt to various new restrictions. We are faced with a lot more chaos and difficulties and our hearts cannot have peace. With Lent just round the corner, perhaps we need to draw near to the Lord, be still in Him, listen to Him speak to us, and seek His heart. Jesus has promised: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
The coming Wednesday (Mar 2) is the first day of Lent. During the Wednesday morning prayers in the past, pastoral staff have followed the church tradition to administer ashes from burnt palm branches to participating brothers and sisters as a symbol of penitence (Nehemiah 9:1). The process of coming forward to receive ashes is a solemn one. We need to humble ourselves, reflect before the Lord and seek His mercy. Meanwhile, the act also brings relief and satisfaction to our hearts because the deeper the reflection, the more we can experience the Lord’s love and the depth of His grace that grants us forgiveness so that we can draw near to God with a pure heart and clean hands, and to prepare for and commemorate the Lord’s resurrection. Wearing ashes is a symbol of repentance. In such a time as this, would this be expressed in a different way?
The 40 days of Lent remind us of Jesus’ 40 days of fasting and prayer in the wilderness and His victory over the devil’s temptation after. Jesus went to the wilderness to fast and pray to draw near to God single-mindedly. He knew that He must stay close to the Father in taking the path of the cross. Lent is a good opportunity to learn from Jesus’ life example. May we follow the Holy Spirit’s leading to fast or lay aside some favorite things to help us focus on praying and drawing near to God, to let Him open our spiritual eyes and renew our vision so that we can see His work. He indeed is the only One we can depend on.
The Lord’s sacrificial love is not just for “me” but for all who belong to Him and even those who do not yet know Him. Perhaps when we are willing to get close to Jesus’ heart, we will be able to see that the people He cares about are right around us. This Lent season, may we better learn how to imitate Christ and to serve the needy around us with acts of humility and self-sacrifice.
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:5-8).
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