社群是… 跨越年代的
我清楚记得，读中学时我参与两个社群的经历：负责教一班主日学，以及每月一次和当地一位牧者共进早餐。我不肯定别人为什么信任我教主日学，而我也知道我并不总能胜任的，但我记得我与小朋友们分享课程时常与他们一起开怀大笑，我觉得他们教会我的，多过我教会他们的。我也不肯定我怎样和那位牧者和导师建立了关系，但我记得，在那段困难的日子，我们的关系帮助并塑造了我。
基本来说，神子民的社群生活是跨越年代的。年青人从上一代的长者身上学习，而上一代的长者也向小孩子和年青人学习！有话说得好，今天的年青人是“明天的教会，” 然而事实上，他们在一切意义上也是今天的教会。
神很期待以色列民能够向上一代学习，所以，在他们过了约但河后，祂便吩咐他们堆放十二块石头；当年青一代问起这些石头是什么来由时，便可以告诉他们神是谁以及衪为他们作了什么。这是一幅多么完美的跨越年代学习的景象啊！
耶稣也教导神的子民，他们需要学像小孩子那样去信靠神，晓得他们对神的倚赖（路加福音18:16-17）。我们可以从小孩子身上学习，就像他们可以向成年人学习一样。
父啊，求你装备我们去教导小孩子，又向他们学习。奉耶稣祈求，阿们。
约书亚记 4:1-9
1国民尽都过了约旦河，耶和华就对约书亚说：
2“你从民中要拣选十二个人，每支派一人，
3吩咐他们说：‘你们从这里，从约旦河中，祭司脚站定的地方，取十二块石头带过去，放在你们今夜要住宿的地方。’”
4于是，约书亚将他从以色列人中所预备的那十二个人，每支派一人，都召了来，
5对他们说：“你们下约旦河中，过到耶和华你们神的约柜前头，按着以色列人十二支派的数目，每人取一块石头扛在肩上。
6这些石头在你们中间可以作为证据。日后，你们的子孙问你们说：‘这些石头是什么意思？’
7你们就对他们说：‘这是因为约旦河的水在耶和华的约柜前断绝。约柜过约旦河的时候，约旦河的水就断绝了。这些石头要做以色列人永远的纪念。’”
8以色列人就照约书亚所吩咐的，按着以色列人支派的数目，从约旦河中取了十二块石头，都遵耶和华所吩咐约书亚的行了。他们把石头带过去，到他们所住宿的地方，就放在那里。
9约书亚另把十二块石头立在约旦河中，在抬约柜的祭司脚站立的地方，直到今日那石头还在那里。
Community Is . . . Intergenerational
"In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them. . . ." - Joshua 4:6
I have two vivid memories of community from my time in high school: teaching a Sunday school class, and having breakfast once a month with a local pastor. I’m not sure how I was trusted to teach Sunday school, and I’m sure I didn’t always do it right, but I remember being able to share lessons with children and laughing with them a lot. I think they taught me more than I taught them. I’m also not sure how I got connected with that pastor and mentor, but I remember it as a formative time for me during some difficult years.
At its foundation, the community of God’s people is intergenerational. Young people learn from older generations, and older generations learn from children and youth! We are good at talking about today’s youth being the “church of tomorrow,” but the truth is that they are every bit the church of today as well.
God wanted Israel to be able to learn from previous generations, so he told them to pile up twelve stones after crossing the Jordan River. Whenever a younger person asked what those stones meant, someone could tell them who God is and what he had done for them. What a perfect picture of intergenerational learning!
Jesus also taught God’s people that they needed to be like little children, trusting in God and realizing their dependence on him (Luke 18:16-17). We can learn from children just as they can learn from adults.
Father, equip us to teach children and also to learn from them, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
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