“他 …渐渐 …到了伯特利和艾的中间,…也是他起先筑坛的地方。” – 创 13:3-4
在1990年间,我在芝加哥郊区参与了一所新兴教会的植堂。我们的教会没有属于自己的建筑物,所以我们敬拜的场地是流动的。结果,五年之内,我们曾经在六个不同的地点敬拜。亚伯拉罕则是把他的敬拜带到他迁移的旅途中,从这个角度来看,我们的敬拜也与亚伯拉罕有些相仿。
在创世记12-13章中,我们多次看到亚伯拉罕筑坛敬拜主 - 他把一个普通的地标变为圣所。这件事显示,无论身在何处,亚伯拉罕可以随处敬拜神。它也显示真神和外邦人的假神完全不同,外邦人相信他们的神只在他们特定的地点或特定的事物上才具有能力。事实上,神是独一的真神,是天地的主宰。神是无所不在的,衪掌管着万有。可悲的是,当亚伯拉罕寄居在埃及时,我们却看不到他在那里敬拜神;然而,无论怎样,神在那里仍然保护着他和撒莱(创世记 12:10-20)。
从埃及回来后,亚伯拉罕重新把敬拜列为优先事务。透过敬拜,他的信心增强了,他的眼光也拓宽了。
敬拜对我们也可以产生同样的影响力。除了仅仅星期日当天在教会有短短的敬拜时间之外,我们也可以把敬拜带到我们每天的生活中,无论我们身在何处,正在做何事,都可以把荣耀归给神。
祷告
主神啊,惟愿我们常常赞美你,惟愿我们一切所言所行,都能反映出你的荣耀。求主保守我们忠心敬拜你。阿们。
创世记 13:1-4
1亚伯兰带着他的妻子与罗得并一切所有的,都从埃及上南地去。
2亚伯兰的金银、牲畜极多。
3他从南地渐渐往伯特利去,到了伯特利和艾的中间,就是从前支搭帐篷的地方,
4也是他起先筑坛的地方,他又在那里求告耶和华的名。
Taking Your Worship With You
“He went from place to place until he came . . . to the place between Bethel and Ai . . . where he had first built an altar.” – Genesis 13:3-4
In the 1990s I was involved in planting a new church in a suburb of Chicago. We had no church building of our own, so we had to be portable. As a result, we ended up worshiping in six different locations within five years. In that way we were something like Abraham, who took his worship with him as he moved around.
Several times in Genesis 12-13 we read that Abraham built an altar to the Lord—turning ordinary places into sacred spaces. This showed that wherever he went, Abraham could worship God. It also showed that God is totally different from the false gods of other nations, who believed their gods had power only in their area or over certain things. In fact, God is the one true God, the Lord of heaven and earth. God is everywhere, and he rules over all things. Sadly, we do not read of Abraham worshiping God while he was in Egypt, but God was there anyway, protecting him and Sarai (Genesis 12:10-20).
Having come back from Egypt, Abraham made worship a priority. Through worship his faith was strengthened and his vision expanded.
Worship can have the same effect on us. And instead of only having a brief time of worship in a church on Sunday, we can take our worship with us every day, giving God glory wherever we go and in everything we do.
Prayer
Lord God, may we praise you always. May your glory be reflected in all we say and do. Keep us faithful in worshiping you, Lord. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳