如星照耀夜空
好的传道人都知道画面的价值。隐喻和明喻会在我们脑海中描绘出精彩的画面。在这段经文中，保罗有两个比喻，一个很愉快，一个很痛苦。
一方面，当我们像保罗在腓立比书2章中所敦促的那样以基督的方式行事时，就会像星星一样在空中照耀。尽管我们周围的世界常常看起来像道德上很黑暗的地方，但靠着神的能力，我们可以像夜空中的星那样穿透黑暗，闪烁美丽。
另一方面，保罗提出了他可能活不了多久的可能性。他说，他可以像一杯献祭的酒一样被浇奠，来完成腓立比人透过基督徒生活所要献的祭。如果星星的比喻温暖了腓立比信徒的心，那么这个献祭的图画恐怕让他们感到了寒意。他们一定不愿意他们的建堂牧师死去。
但保罗并不想让他们伤心。他把为基督而死的可能看作喜乐的理由！耶稣说仆人不会大过主人。如果世界恶待耶稣，那么跟随祂的人也会经历同样的事。
所以，像星星一样照耀夜空吧，这世上有些人可能不喜欢，你不要感到惊讶。如果他们不喜欢，不要绝望。仰望十架上的耶稣，并且要喜乐！
亲爱的神，求祢增加我们的信心，好使我们也确信，无论我们以生命还是死亡来见证祢，都能在祢的里面找到无尽的喜乐的缘由。阿们。
腓立比书 2:14-18
14 凡所行的，都不要发怨言、起争论，
15 使你们无可指摘，诚实无伪，在这弯曲悖谬的世代做神无瑕疵的儿女。你们显在这世代中，好像明光照耀，
16 将生命的道表明出来，叫我在基督的日子好夸我没有空跑，也没有徒劳。
17 我以你们的信心为供献的祭物，我若被浇奠在其上，也是喜乐，并且与你们众人一同喜乐。
18 你们也要照样喜乐，并且与我一同喜乐。
Stars In The Sky
"Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life." — Philippians 2:15-16
Good preachers know the value of strong imagery. Metaphors and similes paint word pictures in our minds. In this passage Paul has two similes, one lovely and the other painful.
On the one hand, when we behave in Christlike ways as Paul has been urging throughout Philippians 2, we can shine like stars in the sky. Though the world around us may often seem like a morally dark place, in God’s strength we can be like nighttime stars that pierce the darkness and twinkle in beauty.
On the other hand, Paul raises the possibility that he might not live much longer. He says he could be poured out like a drink offering to complete the sacrifice of service the Philippians were engaged in through their Christian living. If the star imagery warmed the hearts of the Christians in Philippi, this drink-offering image probably gave them a chill. They would not want their founding pastor to die.
But Paul does not want them to feel sad. He sees the possibility of dying for Christ as a reason to rejoice! Jesus said that the servant is not greater than the master. If the world mistreated Jesus, his followers may experience the same.
So shine like stars, but don’t be surprised if some people in the world do not like that. And if they don’t, do not despair. Look to Jesus on his cross and rejoice.
Increase our faith, dear God, so that we too can be confident that whether we witness to you by our lives or by our deaths, we can find endless reason to rejoice in you. Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
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