Jun 24, 2012
憂愁，你並不是無限大。
腓立比書，人稱是以「喜樂」為鑰匙的保羅書信。當我們歌頌使徒在患難、牢獄的境況中，仍然綻放喜樂的人生，我們卻讀到這一段話：
2:27他實在是病了，幾乎要死；然而神憐恤他，不但憐恤他，也憐恤我，免得我憂上加憂。28 所以我越發急速打發他去，叫你們再見他，就可以喜樂，我也可以少些憂愁。
那麼，到底保羅是喜樂還是憂愁？不是說他靠主喜樂、大大喜樂，並且勉勵腓立比的信徒與他一同喜樂嗎？是失憶乎？謊話乎？
我在想，為什麼信徒不可以憂愁？耶穌沒有憂愁嗎？誰說這是要不得的情感？沒有憂愁，只有喜樂的還算人嗎？保羅勸人喜樂的命令，是衝著甚麼而發的？是憂愁作為負面的情緒？是憂愁的對象與內容？甚或，是根本與憂愁沒有關係？
當我們還未攪清這點，就匆匆「揮春化」了所謂「要常常喜樂」的命令，甚至將它視為信徒生活的指標，對號入座，只顧喜樂/快樂/安樂的追逐，這是極度危險的。
或者Gordon Fee 詮釋2:27的一句，能作我們開路的提醒：
Joy does not mean the absence of sorrow, but the capacity to rejoice in the midst of it. （喜樂不代表無愁，它卻是憂愁中歡愉的能耐）
如此，我們既肯定生命中叫人憂愁的無常，卻以主裡喜樂的能耐，拒絕它把我們騎劫。
生命確會叫我憂愁，
但你並不是無限大。
靠主喜樂，
這是我的選擇。
Filed by edmund at 2.11 pm under Faith,Philippians |
3 Comments
Anson
Yeah, another common misunderstanding of this epistle is to think that the Phillipians are always full of joy and happiness. (I wonder how many preachers have propagated this false impression.)
When I actually looked up all the verbs associated with the word “joy”, they are mostly Paul saying that he rejoices for them, or imperatives from Paul telling them to be joyful in the midst of difficulty, or Paul telling them to do such and such so that it will increase his joy. Never was it used to describe the Phillipians as joyful. I believe it is precisely that they are very unhappy, joyless, and filled with conflict and disunity (2:1-4) that Paul is commanding them to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” (4:4)
Jun 24th, 2012
edmund
Good point, Anson. The problem is that we have mistakenly put joy against sorrow, which leads to our denial of all things sorrowful in life. Yet Jesus and Paul continues to be sorrowful for varies reasons and occasions. And with that misconception in mind, those “Be Joyful” imperatives will make no sense at all, or that we can only conclude they were never practiced (or meant to be practiced) by those who said them.
Jun 24th, 2012
Anson
Agree. In Alan Yu’s words:
教會有問題！有乜問題？
我們不懂得按著聖經的原則表達憤怒、哀傷、不滿或其他情緒，成日谷住谷住；
我們成日「起晒槓」，不敢表露自己的軟弱；
我們最怕有異議，「懶」係要和和氣氣；
我們勁熱心事奉，其他乜都唔理，包括家人和自己；
我們一有衝突就會扮無事，收埋收埋
You know he taught a course on the book The Emotionally Healthy Church, which targets this sort of evangelical fear of approaching emotions.
http://speakingarchive.blogspot.ca/2012/05/blog-post_9676.html
Jun 25th, 2012
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