去量一量

“有一根苇子赐给我，当作量度的杖，且有话说：‘起来，将神的殿和祭坛，并在殿中礼拜的人都量一量。’” - 启 11:1

在这里，使徒约翰被吩咐去量度神的殿和点数在殿中礼拜的人。这件差事的目的或许与衡量圣殿能容纳多少人来礼拜有关；耶路撒冷这所古旧的圣殿，是否有足够地方，让来自世界各地神的子民在那里敬拜呢？

这件事令我想到我所居住的小村庄里的教会建筑物。假若我要去量度那些建筑物和点数在那里礼拜的人，得出的报告会是怎样的呢？我或许会指出那些优雅的建筑风格和美丽的彩色玻璃窗，还有相当宽敞的建筑物，但是，如果我点数近期参加礼拜的人，两个教会出席的会众人数都一样：人数为零。原因是为了避免传播新冠病毒，我们这个区域的教会最近已停止实体聚集敬拜了。

然而，神的教会岂是真的在乎建筑物吗？其实最重要的不是教会建筑物的大小、或有多少人聚集在那里礼拜；神看重的，乃是我们在衪指派的地方作忠心的见证人。

在我以前所牧养的其中一间教会中，有一个小孩曾对她在毒瘾中挣扎的邻居讲了一句满有智慧的话，她说：“Jane，你需要耶稣。”她微小的声音就是她忠心的见证，神使用她的见证来让生命的光照亮Jane内心的黑暗。

主啊，无论我们身在何处，感谢你让我们为你作见证，求你帮助我们成为忠心见证人。阿们。

1有一根苇子赐给我当做量度的杖，且有话说：“起来，将神的殿和祭坛并在殿中礼拜的人都量一量。
2只是殿外的院子要留下不用量，因为这是给了外邦人的，他们要践踏圣城四十二个月。
3我要使我那两个见证人穿着毛衣，传道一千二百六十天。”
4他们就是那两棵橄榄树，两个灯台，立在世界之主面前的。

Go And Measure

"I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, 'Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers.'" - Revelation 11:1

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Here the apostle John is told to measure the temple of God and to count the worshipers. Perhaps the point of this exercise had to do with how many people could come into the temple courts to worship. Would the old temple in Jerusalem be big enough so that the people of God from all nations could worship there?

This got me thinking about the church buildings in the little village where I live. If I were to measure those buildings and count the worshipers who attended there, what would the report look like? I could probably point out the fine architecture and beautiful stained-glass windows, as well as the comfortable dimensions of the buildings. But if I counted the worshipers lately, both congregations would have the same number attending services: zero. That’s because the churches in our area stopped gathering for worship recently to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

But God’s church is not really about buildings, is it? What counts is not the size of our church buildings or how many worshipers gather there. What matters to God is that we are faithful witnesses where he plants us.

A child in one of my former congregations once said some wise words to her neighbor who struggled with addiction. She said, "Jane, you need Jesus." Her small voice was a faithful witness that God used to shine his life-giving light into Jane’s darkness.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for letting us be your witnesses wherever we are. Help us to be faithful. Amen.