2016年3月16日
深深被愛 Deeply Loved
读经: 馬太福音6章25-34節
Reading: Matthew 6:25-34
你們看那天上的飛鳥⋯⋯你們的天父尚且養活牠。你們不比飛鳥貴重得多嗎？-馬太福音6章26節
Your heavenly Father feeds [the birds of the air]. Are you not much more valuable than they?- Matthew 6:26
全年读经: 申命記28-29章;馬可福音14章54-72節
Bible in a Year: Deuteronomy 28–29; Mark 14: 54-72
多年前，我的辦公室位於波士頓，在那裡可以眺望安葬諸多美國民族英雄的「穀倉墓園」。墓園裡可以找到簽署美國獨立宣言的約翰·漢考克和山繆·亞當斯的墓碑，而愛國志士保羅·列維爾的墓碑也豎立在幾呎之外。
不過，每具遺體確實的埋葬位置因年代久遠早已不可考。多年以來，有時為了美化墓園，有時為了騰出空間讓除草機通過，人們曾多次挪動墓碑。此外，這座墓園只有約兩千三百座墓碑，卻有將近五千人長眠於此！看來，有些人甚至在死後仍鮮為人知。
也許，有時我們也會覺得自己像那些葬在墓園裡，卻沒有墓碑的無名氏一般，沒有人認識，也沒有人看見。孤單會讓我們感到好像被上帝或周遭的人忽視。但我們必須時時提醒自己，即使我們有被創造主遺忘的感覺，但事實絕非如此。上帝不僅以祂的形象創造我們（創世記1章26-27節） ，祂更看每一個人為寶貴，且差派祂的愛子拯救我們（約翰福音3章16節） 。
在最黑暗的時刻，我們的心仍能得安寧，因慈愛的上帝與我們同在，我們永不孤單。
主啊，我感謝祢，因祢總不撇下我且全然了解我。
求祢使我知道祢必同在，好讓我能安慰那些同感孤單的人。
因上帝愛我們，使我們彌足珍貴。
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Years ago I had an office in Boston that looked out on the Granary Burying Ground where many prominent American heroes are buried. There one can find the gravestones for John Hancock and Samuel Adams, two signers of the Declaration of Independence, and just a few feet beyond that is Paul Revere's marker.
But no one really knows where in this burial ground each body is buried because the stones have been moved many times—sometimes to make the grounds more picturesque and other times so lawn mowers could fit between them. And while the Granary features approximately 2,300 markers, closer to 5,000 people are buried there! Even in death, it seems, some people are not fully known.
There may be times when we feel as if we are like those unmarked residents of the Granary, unknown and unseen. Loneliness can make us feel unseen by others—and maybe even by God. But we must remind ourselves that even though we may feel forgotten by our Creator God, we are not. God not only made us in His image (Gen. 1:26-27), but He also values each of us individually and sent His Son to save us (John 3:16).
Even in our darkest hours, we can rest in the knowledge we are never alone, for our loving God is with us.
Thank You, Lord, that You never leave me alone and that You know all about me. Make me aware of Your presence so I may share that comfort with others who are feeling alone too.
We are important because God loves us.