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聖誕名曲《普世歡騰》

2025-12-12 in , /by

路加福音 2:28-32  西面就用手接過祂來，稱頌神，說：29 「主啊，如今可以照你的話，釋放僕人安然去世！ 30 因為我的眼睛已經看見祢的救恩， 31 就是祢在萬民面前所預備的， 32 是照亮外邦人的光，又是祢民以色列的榮耀。」

英國“聖詩之父”的艾薩克.華茲出生在英格蘭南安普敦的一個虔誠的清教徒家庭。父親當年曾經是一家清教徒教會的執事，因為那時的清教徒為代表國教的聖公會教會所不容，故他曾經兩次為此被送進監獄；甚至在華茲出生時他還在獄中，母親只得抱著他到獄中去看父親。可是父親依然堅定持守自己的信仰，即使到了華茲九歲那年，他還因為不意屈服當局的迫害而一度被迫離開家人到外地流浪。父親對真理的堅持和信守，從小就給華茲就留下了深刻的烙印，並對他的一生都產生了重大的影響。

在聖詩創作中，華茲有自己鮮明的風格，具體表現在: 經文的取材將新約與舊約結合起來; 在讚美對象上突出主耶穌和十字架; 關於信徒與主關係方面更多的強調和體現信心的重要性以及信徒與主的親密關係; 在詩歌的文字結構上，採用更接近體現當代生活的語言風格; 同時注重拉近詩人與敬拜者之間的情感距離，充分激發詩歌對信徒個人靈性成長的激勵作用。

Go Boldly to Jesus

2025-12-12 in /by

A friend of mine asked her students to make a list of questions they would like to ask Mary. “What was Jesus’ first word?” “Did he ever get sick?” “Did Jesus ever misbehave?” All legitimate questions. And the fact that we can ask them raises a greater one: Why did God go so far? Why did he become a human being? A chief reason? He wants you to know that he gets you.

The Bible says in the book of Hebrews he understands how you feel and has faced what you face. “[Jesus] has been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin! So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help” (Hebrews 4:15-16 MSG). Because of Bethlehem, you can boldly go to him.

聖誕名曲《哦，聖善夜》

2025-12-11 in , /by

路加福音 2:10-14   那天使對他們說：「不要懼怕，我報給你們大喜的信息，是關乎萬民的。11 因今天在大衛的城裡，為你們生了救主，就是主基督。 12 你們要看見一個嬰孩，包著布，臥在馬槽裡，那就是記號了。」 13 忽然有一大隊天兵，同那天使讚美神說： 14 「在至高之處榮耀歸於神！在地上平安歸於祂所喜悅的人！」

1847年聖誕節快來臨的時候，洛克摩爾鎮的聖母教堂剛修復了一架十七世紀留下來的管風琴，準備借舉辦聖誕節彌撒敬拜之際正式使用；同時教堂還計劃在那天請一名知名女歌手前來演唱。在這個時候神父又想到了卡普，想再做一次最後的努力把他拉回到教會。於是他想出一個辦法，很慎重地出面請卡普這位洛克摩爾的「著名詩人」來為全鎮信徒寫一首慶祝聖誕的新聖詩以便在這次隆重的彌撒敬拜時演唱。這下子卡普被「將軍」住了，如此慎重被神父委以重任不僅讓他再難以找藉口推脫，同時他也覺得這是他個人的很大榮幸，於是就欣然接受了。

那天是12月3日，他正好要去巴黎辦事，就在他搭乘馬車在通向巴黎長途旅途的一路顛簸中，他通過默想路加福音有關耶穌誕生的有關經文，想像自己在伯利恆的馬槽前，見證耶穌誕生的各個神聖情景，又聯想到對主耶穌降世對世界重大影響，聖靈開始充滿了他的心，創作靈感不斷湧現….；當馬車進入巴黎時，一首優美的讚美詩已在他心中成形。

The Story of a Baby

2025-12-11 in /by

If you want to see people on the edge of insanity, just watch the way families treat their babies at Christmastime. The poor child has no warning. Red furry stocking cap, goofy elfish shoes that curl at the toes. And the pictures we take! Baby snoozing under the tree. Baby on Santa’s lap. Santa with wet spot on lap.

Is not Christmas the story of a baby? The moment that shaped all others? Mary’s eyes falling on the face of her just-born son. The first to whisper, “So this is what God looks like!” Never in mankind’s wildest imaginings did we consider that God would enter the world as an infant. John 1:14 (NKJV) says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Would you like to see God? Well then take a look at the baby Jesus.

聖誕名曲《小伯利恒》

2025-12-10 in , /by

彌迦書 5:2 「伯利恆以法他啊，你在猶大諸城中為小，將來必有一位從你那裡出來，在以色列中為我做掌權的。祂的根源從亙古，從太初就有。」 

在眾多經典聖誕歌曲的詩人中，菲利普斯可能是唯一一位因親自到過耶穌誕生之地而寫出聖誕讚美詩篇的作者。1865年的冬天，正在費城擔任聖三一教堂牧師的菲利普斯安排了一次去歐洲和中東巴勒斯坦地區的旅遊；就在耶誕節平安夜那天，他和同行者一起騎著馬從耶路撒冷出發前往伯利恒。在後來寫給父親和教會的信上他大致描述了那天的經歷和感受：

「我們大約只花了兩個小時就到了伯利恒這個小鎮，它坐落在一座山的東邊山脊上，周圍是梯田式的花園，比我在巴勒斯坦見過的任何其它城鎮都要漂亮。小鎮最突出的標誌是《耶穌誕生教堂》（Church of the Ativity，建於在西元四世紀三十年代的君士坦丁大帝時期）。這個古老的教堂目前由希臘人、拉丁人和亞美尼亞人教會共同擁有，他們各自擁有自己的修道院。

Heart-Shaping Promises

2025-12-10 in /by

No day is accidental or incidental. No acts are random or wasted. Look at Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem. A king ordered a census. Joseph was forced to travel. Mary, round as a ladybug, bounced on a donkey’s back. The hotel was full, the hour was late. The event was one big hassle. Yet out of the hassle, hope was born. It still is.

I don’t like hassles. But I love Christmas because it reminds us of the heart-shaping promises of Christmas. Long after the guests have left, and the carolers have gone home, and the lights have come down, these promises endure: God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God. Perhaps you could use some Christmas this Christmas?

聖誕名曲《以馬內利懇求降臨》

2025-12-09 in , /by

以賽亞書7:14   因此，主自己要給你們一個兆頭，必有童女懷孕生子，給祂起名叫以馬內利。 

馬太福音 1:21-24  她將要生一個兒子，你要給祂起名叫耶穌，因祂要將自己的百姓從罪惡裡救出來。」 22 這一切的事成就，是要應驗主藉先知所說的話說： 23 「必有童女懷孕生子，人要稱祂的名為以馬內利。」（「以馬內利」翻出來就是「神與我們同在」。）

這首詩歌有一個顯著特點，就是在英文的歌詞中它的每一節開始都是從“O”開始，這就涉及到早期基督教詩歌吟唱風格中的“對唱”或“輪唱”，英文叫“O Antiphon”。據說還是保羅和巴拿巴曾經事奉過的那個安提阿教會，它的第三任主教聖依格那修（Saint Ignatius of Antioch）有一天看到兩個天使唱詩班對唱的異象，接著他就將這種方式引入到自己教堂的崇拜儀式之中，用於詩篇的頌唱。之後這種唱法逐漸傳開，先進入猶太社區的教堂，再傳入拜占庭和亞美尼亞教會，成為教堂敬拜禮儀中不可或缺的一部分；兩個多世紀之後又被羅馬教廷的教會接受，廣泛地應用在《格列高利聖詠》的制定之中。而《以馬內利懇求來臨》這首歌正是這種背景下的產物。

The Best Is Yet to Be

2025-12-09 in /by

In Matthew 1:23, God called himself Immanuel, which means God with us. Not just God made us. Not just God thinks about us. Not just God above us. But God with us. God where we are. He breathed our air and walked this earth. God…with…us!

Bethlehem was just the beginning. Jesus has promised a repeat performance. Bethlehem, Act 2. No silent night this time, however. The skies will open, and trumpets will blast, and a new kingdom will begin. He will empty the tombs and melt the winter of death. Death, you die! Life, you reign! The manger dares us to believe the best is yet to be. I love Christmas because it reminds us how “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God” (Romans 8:28).

聖誕名曲《東方三博士》

2025-12-08 in , /by

馬太福音 2:1-3  當希律王的時候，耶穌生在猶太的伯利恆。有幾個博士從東方來到耶路撒冷，說： 2 「那生下來做猶太人之王的在哪裡？我們在東方看見祂的星，特來拜祂。」 3 希律王聽見了，就心裡不安，耶路撒冷合城的人也都不安。

馬太福音 2:9-11  他們聽見王的話就去了。在東方所看見的那星忽然在他們前頭行，直行到小孩子的地方，就在上頭停住了。 10 他們看見那星，就大大地歡喜。 11 進了房子，看見小孩子和他母親馬利亞，就俯伏拜那小孩子，揭開寶盒，拿黃金、乳香、沒藥為禮物獻給他。

老約翰家有一個傳統，即無論子女身在何處，結婚與否，每到耶誕節必要回到位於佛蒙特的父母家，大家一起歡度佳節，並要在節日中按聖經中的聖誕記載表演一個節目。而設計節目的這個任務往往又是非長子約翰莫屬。

1857年較早的日子裏，約翰就開始考慮今年聖誕節家裏要表演的節目。他想到自己的幾個侄子每年這個時刻就躍躍欲試，爭著想要扮演一個角色的需求，於是就根據馬太福音第二章來自東方的幾位博士在那顆星的指引下尋找及朝見新生聖嬰耶穌的記載，創作了一首即有三人分別獨唱又有眾人參與合唱的表演詩歌。

Joy and Hope

2025-12-08 in /by

Dear Friend,

‘Tis the season, so we say. And so we sing. Joy to the world! Families gathering, wassail warming, presents stacking… joy everywhere. The holidays are meant for joy.

But sometimes joy is out of arm’s reach. For a few weeks this past summer, it was literally out of reach for me, as I spent a few weeks recovering from shoulder surgery. Ouch! (I’m fine now, thankfully.) Perhaps you can relate. If joy has seemed distant this year, here’s a reminder: God wants his children to be joy-filled. His joy is not a shallow, easily extinguished mood, not a naïve view of life’s challenges.

Our Savior knew storms and struggles; he went face to face with the devil himself. He saw sickness and hunger. But he never lost his deeply rooted joy. Despite what he faced, Jesus enjoyed resilient joy: “for the joy set before him he endured the cross” (Heb.12:2).