Hannah最近参加了一个宣教旅程，其间有一件令她印像深刻的事，就是遇见和认识团队里接触到的众多小朋友。起初见到那么多与她不同和来自不熟悉环境的陌生人，她感到有点犹豫，但当她看到小朋友们脸上展露的喜乐、又明白他们当中很多人都想和她交朋友时，Hannah的恐惧便逐渐消失了。另一件更令她惊奇的事，就是与这些小朋友谈论信仰和生命，竟然是如此容易。他们之间的差异并不重要，因为他们在基督里找到超越他们差异的合一。
我们往往让彼此的差异隔开了我们；我们总是害怕其他人或新的环境，以致我们忽略了我们都是神的儿女、是按神的形像被造的。
使徒保罗也希望他的读者知道，他们之间的分别并不重要，最重要的乃是基督耶稣。无论是什么民族背景、性别、经济或社会地位，当我们相信衪时，我们便能合而为一，我们都是属于衪的儿女，在这个尝试分化我们和令我们有所顾忌的世代，谨记着这件事非常重要。我们是在我们的救主和主基督耶稣里合而为一的。
父啊，求你帮助我们，记念那些使我们合而为一的事，又帮助我们寻求彼此合一，在你里面拓展我们的社群。阿们。
加拉太书 3:26-29
26所以，你们因信基督耶稣，都是神的儿子。
27你们受洗归入基督的，都是披戴基督了；
28并不分犹太人、希腊人，自主的、为奴的，或男或女，因为你们在基督耶稣里都成为一了。
29你们既属乎基督，就是亚伯拉罕的后裔，是照着应许承受产业的了。
"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." - Galatians 3:28
One of the things that struck Hannah about a recent mission trip she was on was meeting and getting to know all of the children that her team interacted with. At first she was hesitant about meeting so many new people who were so different from her and lived in unfamiliar surroundings. But as she saw the joy on the children’s faces and realized that so many of them wanted to be friends, Hannah’s fears faded. What amazed her even more was how easily she could talk about faith and life with these children. The differences didn’t matter because they found a unity in Christ that transcended the differences.
All too often we let differences divide us. We tend to be afraid of other people or new situations, and we don’t take the time to see each other as children of God who are created in his image.
The apostle Paul wanted his readers to know that their differences didn’t matter either. What really matters is Christ Jesus. As we believe in him, we are all one, no matter our ethnic background or our gender or our economic or social status. We belong to him as God’s children. That’s an important thing to remember in a world that seeks to divide and frighten us. We find our unity in Christ Jesus, our Savior and Lord.
Father, help us to remember all that unites us, and help us to seek unity as we broaden our community in you. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
