有福
我经常在附近的星巴克咖啡室研习和预备讲章，有时我也会留意观察一下往来的人；在这类型的咖啡室，你会见到时髦人士向有品味的咖啡师购买昂贵的饮品和油酥糕点。不过，有时也会有些超乎常理的事情发生。在今天，一个无家可归的男士进来要了一杯水，顿时每一个人都因此显得有点不自在，这人拿了水，在店里溜跶了一回儿后便离开了。然后，一切都回复“正常”了。
在教导群众时，耶稣也时常会不照常规讲说和做出一些意料之外的事。“虚心的人有福了”？“哀恸的人有福了”？“受逼迫的人有福了”？根据我们“正常”的想法，这些话没有道理可言，而大部份的话也令我们感到不安。
然而，信心不是在安逸中成长的。当我们受到挑战，不能再自鸣得意地以先入为主的观念来看周围的人和世界时，我们的信心就得到建立了。当耶稣在群众中指出谁是有福的人——就是知道自己不足、乃要完全靠赖神的人时，我们的信心也得到建立了。当我们苏醒和明白过来后，我们就因此得福呢。
纵使我们不配得，然而神的祝福却是我们每一个人都可以得到的。亲爱的读者，你知道你倚赖神，你便是有福的，因为祂的慈爱必定会带领你经过一切的。
耶稣啊，感谢祢，纵使我们不配得，祢仍然爱我们和祝福我们。阿们。
马太福音 5:3-12
3 “虚心的人有福了！因为天国是他们的。
4 哀恸的人有福了！因为他们必得安慰。
5 温柔的人有福了！因为他们必承受地土。
6 饥渴慕义的人有福了！因为他们必得饱足。
7 怜恤人的人有福了！因为他们必蒙怜恤。
8 清心的人有福了！因为他们必得见神。
9 使人和睦的人有福了！因为他们必称为神的儿子。
10 为义受逼迫的人有福了！因为天国是他们的。
11 人若因我辱骂你们，逼迫你们，捏造各样坏话毁谤你们，你们就有福了。
12 应当欢喜快乐，因为你们在天上的赏赐是大的。在你们以前的先知，人也是这样逼迫他们。
Blessed
“Blessed are…” — Matthew 5:3
I often do my studying and sermon writing at a local Starbucks, and every once in a while I take a moment to watch people. In a coffee shop like this, one often sees hip-looking people buying expensive drinks and pastries from Millennial baristas. But sometimes something happens that sort of flips the script a bit. A homeless man walked in today and asked for some water. Everyone looked uncomfortable. He got his water, meandered around for a bit, and left. Then everything went back to “normal.”
In his teaching to the crowds, Jesus often flipped the script, saying and doing things that were not expected. “Blessed are the poor in spirit”? “Blessed are those who mourn”? “Blessed are those who are persecuted . . .”? This makes no sense to our “normal” way of thinking, and most of it makes us uncomfortable.
But faith isn’t formed in comfort. It is formed when challenged and when we aren’t allowed to sit smugly in our preconceived notions about people and the world around us. Faith is formed when Jesus looks at a crowd of people and points out that the ones who are blessed are those who realize they are not self-sufficient but depend totally on God. When we wake up to that realization, we are blessed as well.
Though we don’t deserve it, God’s blessing is available to all of us. Blessed are you, dear reader, when you know you depend on God, because his love will see you through.
Jesus, thank you for loving and blessing us, though we don’t deserve it. Amen.
诵读: 楚云
片头: 张妙阳
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