多加
多加总是忙于为他人做衣裳。她死的时候，当地的寡妇围着彼得哭，“拿多加与她们同在时，所做的里衣外衣给他看。”很明显，多加已经把摩西的律法放在心上：“你的弟兄在你那里若渐渐贫穷，手中缺乏，你就要帮补他。”（利 25:35）。
那时候自然没有社会保障和福利。
今天社会上有一些安全措施，以确保穷人不会不小心掉进祸坑里。这很好。但我们今天的系统有些缺点——比如，有钱人往往想不到穷人。很多人根本不认识任何穷人，而穷人总是陷在他们自己的悲惨的境遇里。“眼不见，心不烦。”一些富裕的人甚至说：“让政府去照顾他们吧。”
如果我们没有帮助穷人的心，就很难抓住圣经中对贫困的教导。如果我们自恋，对正在挣扎中的人，或住在贫困地区的人毫不在意，就很难采取任何行动。我们的教会可以帮助饥饿的人，给他们提供食物，为无家可归者提供住宿和职业培训。但这一切都是从一颗有爱的心开始的，就像多加那样。
主啊，感谢你给我们多加这个榜样。求你感动我们像你一样，去遇见、认识和关爱我们周遭的人。奉耶稣的名，阿们。
使徒行传 9:32-43
32彼得周流四方的时候，也到了居住吕大的圣徒那里。
33遇见一个人名叫以尼雅，得了瘫痪，在褥子上躺卧八年。
34彼得对他说：“以尼雅，耶稣基督医好你了。起来，收拾你的褥子！”他就立刻起来了。
35凡住吕大和沙仑的人都看见了他，就归服主。
36在约帕有一个女徒，名叫大比大，翻希腊话就是多加。她广行善事，多施赒济。
37当时，她患病而死，有人把她洗了，停在楼上。
38吕大原与约帕相近，门徒听见彼得在那里，就打发两个人去见他，央求他说：“快到我们那里去，不要耽延！”
39彼得就起身和他们同去。到了，便有人领他上楼。众寡妇都站在彼得旁边哭，拿多加与她们同在时所做的里衣外衣给他看。
40彼得叫她们都出去，就跪下祷告，转身对着死人说：“大比大，起来！”她就睁开眼睛，见了彼得，便坐起来。
41彼得伸手扶她起来，叫众圣徒和寡妇进去，把多加活活地交给他们。
42这事传遍了约帕，就有许多人信了主。
43此后，彼得在约帕一个硝皮匠西门的家里住了多日。
Dorcas
“In Joppa . . . a disciple named . . . Dorcas . . . was always doing good and helping the poor.” — Acts 9:36
Dorcas was often busy making clothing for others to wear. When she died, the local widows stood around Peter, “crying and showing him the robes and other clothing” that Dorcas had made for them. She obviously had taken to heart the Law of Moses that said, “If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them” (Leviticus 25:35).
That was in the days before social security and welfare. It’s good that there are some safety nets in society today to make sure that people who are poor don’t slip through the cracks unnoticed. But there are some downsides to the systems we have today—for example, people who have plenty of their own money are often not even aware of the poor. Many don’t know any poor people, and the poor tend to sink into their own miserable neighborhoods, “out of sight, out of mind.” Some people who are well-off even say, “Let the government take care of them.”
The Bible’s teaching about poverty is hard to grasp if we have no heart to help the poor, and it’s hard to act upon if we are self-absorbed, paying no attention to folks who are struggling, or to people living in the poorer parts of town. Our churches can help with programs to feed the hungry and to give shelter and job training to the homeless. But it all starts with having a heart of love, like Dorcas.
Thank you, Lord, for the example of Dorcas. Move us to meet and know and care about the people around us, as you do. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
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