becoming

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

各位同道，互勉之。

An Epiphany Prayer

Father, we thank you for revealing yourself to us in Jesus the Christ, we who once were not your people but whom you chose to adopt as your people. As ancient Israel confessed long ago, we realize that it was not because of our own righteousness, or our own superior wisdom, or strength, or power, or numbers. It was simply because you loved us, and chose to show us that love in Jesus.

As you have accepted us when we did not deserve your love, will you help us to accept those whom we find it hard to love? Forgive us, O Lord, for any attitude that we harbor that on any level sees ourselves as better or more righteous than others.  Will you help us to remove the barriers of prejudice and to tear down the walls of bigotry, religious or social?  O Lord, help us realize that the walls that we erect for others only form our own prisons!

Will you fill us so full of your love that there is no more room for intolerance. As you have forgiven us much, will you enable us with your strength to forgive others even more? Will you enable us through your abiding Presence among us, communally and individually, to live our lives in a manner worthy of the Name we bear?

May we, through your guidance and our faithful obedience, find new avenues in ways that we have not imagined of holding the Light of your love so that it may be a Light of revelation for all people.

We thank you for your love, praise you for your Gift, ask for your continued Presence with us, and bring these petitions in the name of your Son, who has truly revealed your heart. 

Amen.

I agree that the Bible is Christocentric: the gospel as the center of the Bible is a story of how Jesus as Israel’s Messiah has come to restore the world through is death and resurrection.  However, how can we understand the New Covenant work of the God-sent Messiah without understanding his Spirit-anointing which brings about a transformation of believers’ hearts as a fulfillment of the New Covenant?

I couldn’t agree more. Read the whole thing here.

有人年年立願都係得個立字；有人就索性放棄，甚麼也不作，自我安慰：沒有期望，就沒有失望。

2013年，不妨試試今個新年不立願，改為「新年堅信」。

原理很簡單：作為信徒，我們實在聽過、知道很多聖經真理，或是信仰原則。試試在新的一年，將一兩個這樣的原則落實：認真看待，堅持不論生命逆順也堅信到底，絕不退讓。

以下是給你的一些參考：

• 將自己每日的生活，連於神的偉大故事。
• 看重神和我、我和自己、我和別人、我和世界的關係（按優先次序）。
• 作決定前先問自己：「做這事能反映我是本於耶穌，藉著耶穌，歸於耶穌」嗎？
• 我得著祝福，因為我需要成為別人的祝福。
• 每天對自己說一次：「我和所有信徒都是蒙揀選的族類、君尊的祭司、聖潔的國民、屬神的子民。」
• 敬拜甚麼/誰，我就變得像甚麼/誰。
• 有合神心意的人，才有合神心意的事。
• 我的生活，說明神國來臨確實是Good News。
• 因著耶穌、靠著耶穌，我已經是神的新創造。
• 我的信仰生活，必需包括學習、敬拜、相顧和傳道，缺一不可。
• 我期待主耶穌再來，因此我能有喜樂與忍耐過這一天。

試試看！與其「新年立願」，不如「新年堅信」。

The Top Seven Regrets of Pastors

I recently interviewed more than twenty pastors who had been in ministry for at least 25 years. All of these men were over 55 years old. A few of them were retired, but most of them were still active in fulltime vocational ministry.

The interview was simple. I asked one open-ended question: “What regrets do you have about the years you have served as a pastor?” Each of the men could provide as many responses as they desired. They could make the answers succinct, or they could elaborate upon them.

Three pastors had as few as two responses; one pastor had nine. Most of the pastors noted three or four regrets. As a researcher, I typically see patterns develop in this type of subjective research. When it concluded, I was able to see seven definitive patterns, and I was able to see the frequency they occurred.
Below are the top seven regrets noted in order of frequency. I received a total of 17 different responses, but only these seven occurred with any degree of repetition. After each regret, I provide a representative direct quote from one of the interviewees.

[Read them here]

About NA28

The 28th edition of the Nestle-Aland had to accomplish two different tasks. First, the apparatus had to be revised thoroughly to give it more clarity and make it easier to use. Secondly, the text-critical in-sights and decisions resulting from work on the Editio Critica Maior of the Greek New Testament had to be incorporated. As a consequence of these alterations, which so far concern only the Catholic Letters, the Nestle-Aland has for the first time in its history a different presentation for different parts of the text. The Catholic Letters were revised according to a fundamentally new concept which in the long run will be adopted for the entire edition. The revision of the remaining texts was confined to a thorough inspection and rearrangement of the apparatus, while the basic structure was left untouched. Another important innovation is that from now on the Nestle-Aland will not appear only as a printed book, but also in digital form.

[Read here]

My favorite remains ASMF’s 1992 live recording, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner. But since that’s not available online, I tried to find my second choice — the Choir of King’s College and the Brandenburg Consort’s 1993 live recording, under Stephen Cleobury. But unfortunately, neither was that available in full version. So on this Christmas Eve, I settled with Cleobury’s 2009 instead:

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11, ESV)

Merry Christmas to you all.

「小伯利恆」的最後兩節，或者是世人需要在這年聖誕聽清楚的聲音。

凡有聖潔活潑兒童，快樂頌拜聖嬰；
凡有困苦顛沛流離，呼籲人子之名；
凡有信德與善心，大開仁愛之門；
黑夜消亡，榮光破曉，便是聖誕重經。
Where children pure and happy pray to the blessed Child,
Where misery cries out to Thee, Son of the mother mild;
Where charity stands watching and faith holds wide the door,
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks, and Christmas comes once more.

我們大家同心祈求，聖嬰再臨人間；
求主今日臨格人心，驅除一切罪愆；
欣聞天軍傳消息，群生快樂無涯，
以馬內利，神人團契，千秋萬古永偕！
O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel!

O Little Town of (Modern Day) Bethlehem:

Mary and Joseph, if they were coming today? No way, because the big wall is close to Bethlehem.

He will want a permit from Israel.