2015年12月26日
犧牲的愛 Christmas Sacrifice
读经: 加拉太書4章1-7節
Reading: Galatians 4:1-7
及至時候滿足，上帝就差遣祂的兒子。-加拉太書4章4節
When the set time had fully come, God sent his Son. - Galatians 4:4
全年读经: 哈該書1-2章;啟示錄17章
Bible in a Year: Haggai 1–2; Revelation 17
小說家歐·亨利（O Henry）的經典短篇故事《聖誕禮物》（The Gift of the Magi），描述了一對窮苦的年輕夫妻。聖誕將至，他們都想送對方一件特別的禮物，但因經濟困頓，只好採取比較特別的方式。他們各有一件引以自豪的東西，丈夫有一個家傳的金錶，而妻子則有一頭令人羨慕的美麗長髮。結果，丈夫賣掉他寶貝的金錶，為妻子買了一套可以插在頭髮上的精緻髮梳；而妻子卻賣了一頭秀髮，為丈夫買一條錶鍊以取代原有的破舊皮錶帶。
這個溫馨感人的小故事提醒了我們，犧牲自己就是真愛的核心價值，更是愛的至極表現，以此來形容聖誕節真是再恰當不過了。基督降生就是以犧牲為目的，祂降生是為了受死，更是要為我們捨命。故此天使告訴約瑟：「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。」（馬太福音1章21節）
早在基督降生之前，上帝就已命定祂要將我們從罪惡中拯救出來。唯有看到耶穌在十字架上的犧牲，我們才能真正對馬槽裡的嬰孩心存感恩。聖誕節完全是源於基督的愛，祂為我們的犧牲，正充分表達了祂對我們的愛。
你會用什麼方式來感謝耶穌所做的一切？
試試與人們分享你的想法。
基督信仰的基要真理：
上帝認為全人類都值得祂兒子的犧牲和捨命。–威廉·巴克萊
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O. Henry's classic tale "The Gift of the Magi" tells of Jim and Della, a young married couple who are struggling financially. As Christmas approaches they want to give special gifts to each other, but their lack of money drives them to drastic measures. Jim's prized possession is a gold watch, while Della's is her long, beautiful hair. So Jim sells his watch in order to buy combs for Della's hair, while Della sells her hair to buy a chain for Jim's watch.
The story has deservedly become beloved, for it reminds us that sacrifice is at the heart of true love, and sacrifice is love's truest measure. This idea is particularly appropriate for Christmas, because sacrifice is the heartbeat of the story of the birth of Christ. Jesus Christ was born to die, and He was born to die for us. That is why the angel told Joseph, "You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21).
Long before Christ's birth, it had been determined that He would come to rescue us from our fallenness—which means that we can never fully appreciate the manger unless we see it in the shadow of the cross. Christmas is completely about Christ's love, seen most clearly in His sacrifice for us.
In what ways would you like to say thanks to Jesus for what He has done?
The essential fact of Christianity is that God thought all humanity worth the sacrifice of His Son. William Barclay