我仍然记得在我祖父母家中，那从布谷鸟钟中弹出来的小鸟发出的声音。在每一个整时的开始，那只颜色已渐褪去的红色小鸟，便会弹出来报时。我也记得每次在小鸟报时之后，便能听见秒针走动的声音。
人常说你不能取回已逝去的时光，所以最好就是善用你现有的时间。虽然这些话不是传道书作者所写的，但这跟他的思路很相近。在传道书，我们听到一个有机会回顾自己一生的人，回想他所经历过的快乐、忧虑、成功和挫败之后所说的话。我们听到一个在反省人生，每个阶段都是那么重要的人所说的话。
值得留意的是传道书的作者，那位智慧的王所罗门，在结束他这篇反省时，说神造万物，各按其时成为美好，又将永生安置在世人心里（11节）。这又令我想起祖父母家中布谷鸟钟的那些日子，我还记得他们在饭桌上所分享的故事。我是无法重拾那段时光的，但那些美好的回忆却永不会消失，而想到在永恒中，能够与这些家人在神面前团聚，这带给我今时和永远的喜乐。
祷告
主神啊，我们为永恒感谢祢，求祢把对永生的盼望浇灌在我们心里。求祢以祢的灵加力给我们，又帮助我们天天去省察祢的良善。阿们。
传道书 3:1-11
1 凡事都有定期，天下万务都有定时。 2 生有时，死有时。栽种有时，拔出所栽种的也有时。 3 杀戮有时，医治有时。拆毁有时，建造有时。 4 哭有时，笑有时。哀恸有时，跳舞有时。 5 抛掷石头有时，堆聚石头有时。怀抱有时，不怀抱有时。 6 寻找有时，失落有时。保守有时，舍弃有时。 7 撕裂有时，缝补有时。静默有时，言语有时。 8 喜爱有时，恨恶有时。争战有时，和好有时。 9 这样看来，做事的人在他的劳碌上有什么益处呢？ 10 我见神叫世人劳苦，使他们在其中受经练。 11 神造万物，各按其时成为美好，又将永生安置在世人心里，然而神从始至终的作为，人不能参透。
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” -Ecclesiastes 3:1
I can still remember the sound of the little bird that popped out of the old cuckoo clock on the wall at my grandparents’ house. Every hour, on the hour, the red faded bird would announce the time. I also recall that when the bird was quiet, I could hear the second hand ticking away the seconds of the day.
It’s often said that you can’t get time back, so it’s best to make use of the time you have. Though the author of Ecclesiastes didn’t write those words, they sound like something he might have said. In Ecclesiastes we hear the words of a person who has had the opportunity to look back on his life and recall the joys, concerns, victories, and defeats he has experienced. We hear someone who reflects on how important each season was.
Notably, the wise King Solomon, who wrote Ecclesiastes, ends his short reflection by commenting that God makes all things beautiful in their time and sets eternity in the human heart (v. 11). That brings me back to those days in my grandparents’ home with the cuckoo clock, and I remember stories that they shared around the dinner table. I can’t get that time back, but the beauty of the memories lives on, and the thought of reuniting with those family members in God’s presence in eternity brings me joy, both now and forever.
Lord God, thank you for eternity, and please instill in our hearts the hope of everlasting life. Strengthen us by your Spirit, and help us to reflect on your goodness each day. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
