当我还是加尔文大学敬拜团队的学生带领者的时候，我注意到临近敬拜结束时，有不少在阳台上的学生会悄悄走出去，就在牧师的祝福祷告之前。原因是显而易见的：他们希望赶在其他学生从有着1000个座位的视听大厅出来之前去排队吃午饭。
但这曾经很困扰大学的院牧，他有一次对我说：“你知道吗，如果在整个敬拜中，祝祷是他们唯一要领受的部分，这也值得他们留在这里。”他无法理解这些学生竟会错过这个祝福。
在大部分的书信中，保罗都是以颂赞来结束 – 就如我们两天前思想的（腓 4:20） – 再加上他对收信人深情的祝福。活在全能神的祝福之下 – 听见这些祝福的话语 – 是我们所能经历的最好的一件事了。“恩惠和平安归于你们...” “耶和华赐福给你，保护你...” 赐福祈祷或或祝福，是神对我们永恒之爱的记号，是神提醒我们所有人，祂会赐下平安。我们理应不想错过。
让我们花时间浸泡在这些充满恩典和慈爱的话语中吧，这些话乃是从圣父，恩慈的圣子和安慰我们的圣灵而来。愿恩惠和平安临到你们。阿们！
主啊，我们感谢祢的恩惠和平安。为着保罗对腓立比教会的话感谢祢，这些话藉着祢的灵如今成了对我们所说的话。一切颂赞归给祢！奉基督的名祷告，阿们。
腓立比书 4:23
23 愿主耶稣基督的恩常在你们心里！
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen." — Philippians 4:23
When I was a student worship leader at Calvin College, I noticed that near the end of our worship services a number of students in the balcony would duck out just before the benediction. The reason for that was obvious: they wanted to get in the lunch line before most of the other students filed out of the 1,000-seat auditorium.
But this used to bother the college chaplain. He once said to me, “You know, if the benediction were the only part of the whole service they managed to catch, it would still have been worth their being here.” He could not understand why they would want to miss out on the blessing.
Paul closed many of his letters with a note of doxology—as we saw the other day (Philippians 4:20)—and then also with a lyric blessing pronounced over the people to whom he was writing. To live under the blessing of almighty God—to have such words spoken over us—is among the finest things we will ever experience in life. “Grace to you and peace. . . .” “The Lord bless you and keep you. . . .” The benediction, or blessing, is a sign of God’s abiding love for us, a reminder of all that gives us peace. We should never want to miss it!
Let’s take time to savor these words of grace and love from God the Father, the gracious Son, and the comforting Holy Spirit. Grace to you, and peace. Amen.
Lord, thank you for your grace and peace. Thank you for the words of Paul to the Philippians, which by your Spirit are now your words to us. All praise to you! In Christ, Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
