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圣诞名曲《普世欢腾》

2025-12-12 in , /by

路加福音 2:28-32  西面就用手接过祂来，称颂神，说：29 「主啊，如今可以照你的话，释放仆人安然去世！ 30 因为我的眼睛已经看见祢的救恩， 31 就是祢在万民面前所预备的， 32 是照亮外邦人的光，又是祢民以色列的荣耀。」

英国“圣诗之父”的艾萨克.华兹出生在英格兰南安普敦的一个虔诚的清教徒家庭。父亲当年曾经是一家清教徒教会的执事，因为那时的清教徒为代表国教的圣公会教会所不容，故他曾经两次为此被送进监狱；甚至在华兹出生时他还在狱中，母亲只得抱着他到狱中去看父亲。可是父亲依然坚定持守自己的信仰，即使到了华兹九岁那年，他还因为不意屈服当局的迫害而一度被迫离开家人到外地流浪。父亲对真理的坚持和信守，从小就给华兹就留下了深刻的烙印，并对他的一生都产生了重大的影响。

在圣诗创作中，华兹有自己鲜明的风格，具体表现在: 经文的取材将新约与旧约结合起来; 在赞美对象上突出主耶稣和十字架; 关于信徒与主关系方面更多的强调和体现信心的重要性以及信徒与主的亲密关系; 在诗歌的文字结构上，采用更接近体现当代生活的语言风格; 同时注重拉近诗人与敬拜者之间的情感距离，充分激发诗歌对信徒个人灵性成长的激励作用。

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.

圣诞名曲《哦，圣善夜》

2025-12-11 in , /by

路加福音 2:10-14   那天使对他们说：「不要惧怕，我报给你们大喜的信息，是关乎万民的。11 因今天在大卫的城里，为你们生了救主，就是主基督。 12 你们要看见一个婴孩，包著布，卧在马槽里，那就是记号了。」 13 忽然有一大队天兵，同那天使赞美神说： 14 「在至高之处荣耀归于神！在地上平安归于祂所喜悦的人！」

1847年圣诞节快来临的时候，洛克摩尔镇的圣母教堂刚修复了一架十七世纪留下来的管风琴，准备借举办圣诞节弥撒敬拜之际正式使用；同时教堂还计划在那天请一名知名女歌手前来演唱。在这个时候神父又想到了卡普，想再做一次最后的努力把他拉回到教会。于是他想出一个办法，很慎重地出面请卡普这位洛克摩尔的「著名诗人」来为全镇信徒写一首庆祝圣诞的新圣诗以便在这次隆重的弥撒敬拜时演唱。这下子卡普被「将军」住了，如此慎重被神父委以重任不仅让他再难以找借口推脱，同时他也觉得这是他个人的很大荣幸，于是就欣然接受了。

那天是12月3日，他正好要去巴黎办事，就在他搭乘马车在通向巴黎长途旅途的一路颠簸中，他通过默想路加福音有关耶稣诞生的有关经文，想像自己在伯利恒的马槽前，见证耶稣诞生的各个神圣情景，又联想到对主耶稣降世对世界重大影响，圣灵开始充满了他的心，创作灵感不断涌现….；当马车进入巴黎时，一首优美的赞美诗已在他心中成形。

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.

圣诞名曲《小伯利恒》

2025-12-10 in , /by

弥迦书 5:2 「伯利恒以法他啊，你在犹大诸城中为小，将来必有一位从你那里出来，在以色列中为我做掌权的。祂的根源从亘古，从太初就有。」 

在众多经典圣诞歌曲的诗人中，菲利普斯可能是唯一一位因亲自到过耶稣诞生之地而写出圣诞赞美诗篇的作者。1865年的冬天，正在费城担任圣三一教堂牧师的菲利普斯安排了一次去欧洲和中东巴勒斯坦地区的旅游；就在耶诞节平安夜那天，他和同行者一起骑着马从耶路撒冷出发前往伯利恒。在后来写给父亲和教会的信上他大致描述了那天的经历和感受：

「我们大约只花了两个小时就到了伯利恒这个小镇，它坐落在一座山的东边山脊上，周围是梯田式的花园，比我在巴勒斯坦见过的任何其它城镇都要漂亮。小镇最突出的标志是《耶稣诞生教堂》（Church of the Ativity，建于在西元四世纪三十年代的君士坦丁大帝时期）。这个古老的教堂目前由希腊人、拉丁人和亚美尼亚人教会共同拥有，他们各自拥有自己的修道院。

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?

圣诞名曲《以马内利恳求降临》

2025-12-09 in , /by

以赛亚书7:14   因此，主自己要给你们一个兆头，必有童女怀孕生子，给祂起名叫以马内利。 

马太福音 1:21-24  她将要生一个儿子，你要给祂起名叫耶稣，因祂要将自己的百姓从罪恶里救出来。」 22 这一切的事成就，是要应验主藉先知所说的话说： 23 「必有童女怀孕生子，人要称祂的名为以马内利。」（「以马内利」翻出来就是「神与我们同在」。）

这首诗歌有一个显著特点，就是在英文的歌词中它的每一节开始都是从“O”开始，这就涉及到早期基督教诗歌吟唱风格中的“对唱”或“轮唱”，英文叫“O Antiphon”。据说还是保罗和巴拿巴曾经事奉过的那个安提阿教会，它的第三任主教圣依格那修（Saint Ignatius of Antioch）有一天看到两个天使唱诗班对唱的异象，接着他就将这种方式引入到自己教堂的崇拜仪式之中，用于诗篇的颂唱。之后这种唱法逐渐传开，先进入犹太社区的教堂，再传入拜占庭和亚美尼亚教会，成为教堂敬拜礼仪中不可或缺的一部分；两个多世纪之后又被罗马教廷的教会接受，广泛地应用在《格列高利圣咏》的制定之中。而《以马内利恳求来临》这首歌正是这种背景下的产物。

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).

圣诞名曲《东方三博士》

2025-12-08 in , /by

马太福音 2:1-3  当希律王的时候，耶稣生在犹太的伯利恒。有几个博士从东方来到耶路撒冷，说： 2 「那生下来做犹太人之王的在哪里？我们在东方看见祂的星，特来拜祂。」 3 希律王听见了，就心里不安，耶路撒冷合城的人也都不安。

马太福音 2:9-11  他们听见王的话就去了。在东方所看见的那星忽然在他们前头行，直行到小孩子的地方，就在上头停住了。 10 他们看见那星，就大大地欢喜。 11 进了房子，看见小孩子和他母亲马利亚，就俯伏拜那小孩子，揭开宝盒，拿黄金、乳香、没药为礼物献给他。

老约翰家有一个传统，即无论子女身在何处，结婚与否，每到耶诞节必要回到位于佛蒙特的父母家，大家一起欢度佳节，并要在节日中按圣经中的圣诞记载表演一个节目。而设计节目的这个任务往往又是非长子约翰莫属。

1857年较早的日子里，约翰就开始考虑今年圣诞节家里要表演的节目。他想到自己的几个侄子每年这个时刻就跃跃欲试，争着想要扮演一个角色的需求，于是就根据马太福音第二章来自东方的几位博士在那颗星的指引下寻找及朝见新生圣婴耶稣的记载，创作了一首即有三人分别独唱又有众人参与合唱的表演诗歌。

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).