Mandarin Sermon Translations

  • Matthew 20:1-16, Jonah 3:10-4:11,

    Sept 24, 2023 TLC

    Economics of Discipleship

     

    马太福音 20:1-16, 约拿书 3:10-4:11

    2023年9月24日，TLC

    门徒的经济学


    Driving home recently, my daughter Eva said, “You know what, Mom….some grandmother of a NWSS student gave her granddaughter $20,000 on her 16th birthday, so that she could buy a car. And she couldn’t even drive yet! The granddaughter did nothing to earn this gift; perhaps it’s more than she deserved. But this gal is no slouch; she wisely invested it for a year, and it earned interest, so she by the time she bought a car, she could still keep some invested. “Huhhhh! It’s not fair!” Eva says. I bet that a lot of teens who are learning to drive are envious because that grandmother was so generous. I’ve become a middle-aged parent because my response was something like: “Money won’t make you happy. You are rich in love. That is what matters (picture the eye roll (;” And then… “My dear, I rode my bike to get to my first job in high school: 7am prep cook at Pizza Hut several miles from home. That same bike, I brought to university and rode to all my jobs during university. I was probably the last among my college graduate friends to get a car, bumming rides from friends, walking or biking, until I had saved enough money from working fulltime at a publishing company. The last will be first and the first will be last.” Another, “Huhhhh…with an eye roll.”

     

    最近开车回家的时候，我的女儿伊娃说：“妈妈，你知道吗...一个新西敏中学的学生的祖母在她16岁生日的时候送她$20,000，好让她能买辆车。而且她甚至还不会开车！这个孙女没有为这份礼物做任何事情；也许这比她应得的还多。但这个姑娘也不是个懒虫；她明智地把它投资了一年，赚了些利息，所以她买车的时候还能保持一些投资。”“哼！这真不公平！”伊娃说。我敢打赌，很多正在学开车的青少年都会嫉妒，因为那位祖母如此慷慨。我已经成为一个中年父母了，因为我的回应差不多是：“金钱不能让你幸福。你在爱情上富有。这才是最重要的（想象一下眼睛转动的表情；）"然后...“亲爱的，我曾经骑自行车去上我的高中第一份工作：早上7点在离家几英里远的必胜客做厨师。同一辆自行车，我带到大学，大学期间骑去上所有的工作。我可能是我大学毕业的朋友中最后一个买车的人，总是向朋友搭车，步行或骑自行车，直到我从一家出版公司全职工作中存了足够的钱。最后的将成为第一，第一的将成为最后的。”还有一个“哼...带着眼睛转动。”

     

     

    In Matthew’s gospel just before today’s reading begins, Peter says to Jesus, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?” Jesus responds to Peter by telling a story that is a church treasurer’s nightmare…am I right, Lucy?

     

    在今天的阅读开始之前，在马太福音中，彼得对耶稣说：“看哪，我们抛弃一切跟随了你。我们能得到什么？”耶稣回应彼得，讲了一个对教会财务管理员来说是噩梦的故事...对吧，露西？

     

    After hiring all of these laborers at various times of day, the landowner starts to go crazy…

    they throw out the budget, abandon any prudent business sense, and start giving paychecks to people who laid around all day and barely lifted a finger. Those laborers didn’t earn that paycheck; they end up getting WAY MORE than they deserve. I mean, it’s ridiculous and irresponsible…those who only worked a couple hours are paid the same amount as those who put in a full day’s work.

     

    在不同时间雇佣了所有这些劳工之后，地主开始变得疯狂...他们放弃了预算，抛弃了任何谨慎的商业常识，开始给那些整天懒散，几乎没有费力的人发工资。那些劳工没有赚到那份工资；他们最后得到的远远超过了他们应得的。我是说，这太荒谬和不负责了...那些只工作了几个小时的人获得的报酬与那些整天工作的人一样多。

     

    Maybe the landowner is just trying to stir up trouble. Those who started working before dawn see what’s happening and start to complain: “Hey, That’s not fair!” The manager says “Friend, I am doing you no wrong. We agreed on your day’s wage, didn’t we? So, take it and go. I choose to give to this last the same as I gave to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Can’t I do what I want with my money? Or are you envious because I am generous? It’s the Great Reversal; the last will be first and the first will be last.”

     

    也许地主只是想搞点麻烦。那些从黎明开始工作的人看到发生的事情开始抱怨：“嘿，这不公平！”经理说：“朋友，我没有冤枉你。我们都同意了你一天的工资，不是吗？那就拿着走吧。我选择给最后来的人和给你一样多。我不能用属于我的东西做我想做的事吗？你难道因为我慷慨大方而嫉妒吗？这是伟大的逆转；最后的将成为第一，第一的将成为最后的。”

     

    Last month, the council voted to invite one of you to share a faith story one Sunday a month; this allows us to grow in faith together and gives me a chance to coach and encourage each person as they discover connections between their life and God’s mending of the world. Our first storyteller is Kenneth Kwan.  As you know, Kenneth stepped up in January to assist Brenda with worship leadership. But did you know that he prepared by studying the last YouTube video in which I had led worship, then told Brenda he thought he could help. Kenneth has the spiritual gift of service in spades, where he first notices the gaps around him. He believes in stepping up to fill in those gaps. For many years, working with young cadets, being involved in Toast Masters and caring for his dearly departed life partner, Sylvia, of whom he says: “We were a team…if one fell, the other came along to pick them up. Without her, I’m learning to figure things out as I go along.”

     

    上个月，教会议会投票决定每月邀请其中一位分享信仰故事的人，这让我们能一起在信仰中成长，并给我一个机会来指导和鼓励每个人，在他们的生活与上帝对世界的医治之间发现联系。我们的第一个讲述者是肯尼斯关。正如你所知，肯尼斯在一月份 stepped起来协助布伦达领导崇拜。但你知道吗，他通过研究我领导崇拜的最后一个YouTube视频来做好了准备，然后告诉布伦达他认为自己可以帮助。肯尼斯在服务方面有着非凡的属灵恩赐，他首先注意到周围的空缺。他相信要站出来填补这些空缺。多年来，他一直与年轻的学员合作，参与了演讲大师和照顾他亲爱的已故生命伴侣席尔维亚，他说：“我们是一个团队...如果一个人跌倒了，另一个人就会过来帮助他们站起来。没有她，我正在学着边走边想办法。”

     

    In some ways, Kenneth was one of  the last regular worship guests to start worshipping at TLC and he was one of the first to step up and help when I was injured. The last shall be first…But he seemed to come out of nowhere. How did Kenneth end up here anyway?

     

    在某些方面，肯尼斯是最后一个开始在TLC教堂崇拜的常客之一，但当我受伤时，他却是第一个站出来提供帮助的人。末后的将成为首先的......但他似乎突然出现了。肯尼斯到底是怎么来到这里的呢？

     

     

    Kenneth’s Faith Story:

    肯尼斯的信仰故事:

     

    A few weeks ago Pastor Jennifer asked me to share with you “What lead me to this church.”

    几周前，詹妮弗牧师要求我与大家分享“是什么引领我来到这个教堂”。

     

    So that day while riding on the bus, my mind was thinking “What lead me to this church”, “What lead me to this church.”

    那一天，当我坐在公交车上时，我的脑海中一直在思考“是什么引领我来到这个教堂”，“是什么引领我来到这个教堂”。

     

    Then I got an Aaaaahhhhh moment (#1 – Light bulb slide). Transit.

    然后我有了一个“啊哈”的时刻（#1 – 灯泡亮了的幻灯片）。公交。

     

    Transit lead me to this church.

    公交将我带到了这个教堂。

     

    I take a trolley bus (#2 – Trolley bus slide) then skytrain (#3 – Skytrain slide) to Scott Road station follow by another bus (#4 – Diesel bus slide) which drops me off at the front of the church.

    我搭乘有轨电车（#2 – 有轨电车的幻灯片），然后搭乘天空列车（#3 – 天空列车的幻灯片），再搭乘另一辆巴士（#4 – 柴油巴士的幻灯片），将我送到教堂前面。

     

    This is part of my story.

    这是我的一部分故事

     

    Some of you have heard me mention the name Sylvia but have never seen her before. You may be asking does she really exist or is he just making this up.

    你们中的一些人可能听过我提到西尔维亚的名字，但从未见过她。你们可能会问她是否真的存在，还是我在编造。

     

    Let me show you a picture (#5 – Military Dinner). In this picture on my right is a red hair lady in a red shawl. This was my Sylvia.

    让我给你们看一张照片（#5 – 军事晚宴）。在这张照片上，我右边是一个戴红披肩的红发女士。这就是我的西尔维亚。

     

    How did we meet?

    我们是如何认识的？

     

    Let me take you back in time.

    让我带你回到过去。

     

    The year was 1998, I was a junior officer at the Navy League Cadet Corps located at the Naval Reserve Base in Stanley Park.

    那年是1998年，我是位于斯坦利公园海军后备基地的海军少年团军官。

     

    I was the Commanding Officer at that time.

    那时我是指挥官。

     

    One Friday evening of Sept 1998 I was down at the base doing paperwork.

    1998年9月的一个星期五晚上，我在基地做文件工作。

     

    When I was finish with the paperwork and was returning the keys to the gate house I hear a voice calling out “Excuse me, sir!!”, “excuse me, sir!!”, “excuse me, sir!!”.

    当我完成文件工作并要把钥匙还给门卫室时，我听到有个声音在喊“对不起，先生！！”，“对不起，先生！！”，“对不起，先生！！”。

     

    I did not pay much attention as I thought she was calling to someone else.

    我没有太在意，因为我以为她在叫别人。

     

    After I dropped off the keys and went back to my car I still hear “Excuse me, sir!!”, “excuse me, sir!!”, “excuse me, sir!!”.

    在我放下钥匙返回汽车时，我仍然听到“对不起，先生！！”，“对不起，先生！！”，“对不起，先生！！”。

     

    By this time my curiosity got to me. I looked around did not see any other person, so I asked her “Are you talking to me?”.

    这时我的好奇心被激起。我四处看了看，没有看到其他人，所以我问她：“你在叫我吗？”。

     

    She replied “Are you leaving the park, can I get a ride with you?”.

    她回答说：“您要离开公园吗？我可以搭您的车吗？”。

     

    As we were leaving the park, I asked her where she was going.

    当我们离开公园时，我问她要去哪里。

     

    She asked me to drop her off at Main St skytrain station, which was not a good place to be at night.

    她要求我把她送到Main St天空列车站，那里晚上不是个好地方。

     

    I dropped her off at the Nanaimo station.

    我把她送到了Nanaimo站。

     

    That evening Sylvia along with other navy reservists were celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Naval Reserve (#6 – Sylvia in uniform slide).

    那天晚上，西尔维亚和其他海军后备一起庆祝海军后备的75周年（#6 – 西尔维亚穿制服的幻灯片）。

     

    Our path crossed a few times at the base and I got her phone number.

    我们在基地的路径多次交汇，我得到了她的电话号码。

     

    One late afternoon we met for coffee after work and that was how our friendship began.

    有一天下午下班后，我们一起喝咖啡，友情就这样开始了。

     

    To make a long story short, our friendship evolved and we became supper buddy.

    简化一下，我们的友情发展了，我们成了晚餐伙伴。

     

    Sylvia used to enjoy going to the flea market in Surrey.

    西尔维亚曾经喜欢去萨里的跳蚤市场。

     

    There she met Connie who is a member of TLC.

    在那里，她遇到了康妮，康妮是TLC的成员。

     

    Connie told her about this church.

    康妮告诉她这个教堂的事情。

     

    Sylvia being a former army person, made a recce (reconnaissance) on her own to find this church.

    西尔维亚作为一名前军人，决定自己侦察一下，找到这个教堂。

     

    That day when she came back home, she told me it is white church located near the river. She was head over heels about finding this church.

    那天她回家后，告诉我那是一个靠近河边的白色教堂。她为找到这个教堂而激动不已。

     

    In Dec 2017 we came to this church to meet Pastor Jennifer the Sunday after Christmas.

    2017年12月，我们来到这个教堂，与圣诞节后的周日会见了詹妮弗牧师。这是我们第一次搭乘公交车来到教堂。在公交车上，西尔维亚告诉我公交车将沿着的路线行驶。

     

    This was our first trip to the church taking the bus. While on the bus Sylvia was telling me the route the bus would take.

     

    She would say “the bus will go up a slight incline then a bend and then another incline and another bend. When you see the church is where we get off the bus.”

    她会说“公交车将上一个轻微的坡，然后是一个弯道，接着是另一个坡和另一个弯道。当你看到教堂时，我们就在公交车上下车。”

     

    We watch as the bus move along the route, then Sylvia see the church and she got excited saying “ring the bell, ring the bell.”

    我们看着公交车沿着路线行驶，然后西尔维亚看到了教堂，她兴奋地说“按铃，按铃”。

     

    We did not know Pastor Jennifer was away that day.

    我们不知道詹妮弗牧师那天不在。

     

    We stay for the service.

    我们参加了崇拜

     

    After service we had coffee, snacks, and talked to people.

    崇拜结束后，我们喝咖啡，吃点心，和人们交谈。

     

    As we were waiting for the bus, Sylvia said “Did you notice how friendly the people are and they have coffee!!”.

    当我们等待公交车时，西尔维亚说：“你注意到人们有多友好了吗，而且还有咖啡！！”。

     

    We came back to the church a few times but our path with Pastor Jennifer did not cross.

    我们几次回到教堂，但与詹妮弗牧师的机会并没有交汇。

     

    Then one day Sylvia got to meet and talk with Pastor Jennifer.

    然后有一天，西尔维亚终于有机会与詹妮弗牧师见面并交谈。

     

    She came home with a big smile on her face and said “guess what, I got to meet Pastor Jennifer and we talked. She is a wonderful lady. You need to meet her.”

    她带着灿烂的微笑回家，说：“猜猜，我见到了詹妮弗牧师，我们聊了一会。她是一个很棒的女士。你需要见见她。”

     

    My chance did not come. Instead, I caught Covid-19 and did not even know.

    我的机会没有来。相反，我感染了新冠病毒，而且我甚至不知道。

     

    Going to a medical clinic was how I learn about my symptom. Sylvia came with me.

    我去医疗诊所是因为我了解到了我的症状。西尔维亚陪着我。

     

    I got to go on an ambulance ride to a hospital. At the same time, I scare the heck out of Sylvia cause she did not know what was happening and I did not have much time to explain to her. The paramedics wanted to get me to the hospital as soon as possible.

    我坐上了救护车，前往医院。与此同时，我吓坏了西尔维亚，因为她不知道发生了什么，而我没有多少时间向她解释。医护人员希望尽快把我送到医院。

     

    We said our goodbyes, told her I will be okay and will be home soon.

    我们告别了，告诉她我会没事的，很快就能回家

     

    During my stay at the hospital is when I learn how sick I was. The doctors perform an x-ray of my chest and told me I lost 1/4 of my upper lung tissue in each lung from the Covid virus.

    在医院的时候，我才了解到我有多么病重。医生给我做了胸部X光，告诉我由于新冠病毒，我失去了每个肺部上部组织的四分之一。

     

    The doctors told me that I needed to be on a ventilator. They would put a tube down my windpipe and I fear I may try to yank it out while I am conscious.

    医生告诉我需要使用呼吸机。他们会把管子放入我的气管，我担心在清醒状态下会试图拔出来。

     

    Told the doctors I will agree to the ventilator if they will sedate me during my time on the ventilator.

    我告诉医生，如果他们在我使用呼吸机的时候给我镇静剂，我会同意使用呼吸机。

     

    In the end we made an agreement. The doctors was able to put a ventilator down my lungs and I had a great sleep from sedation.

    最后我们达成了协议。医生成功地将呼吸机放入我的肺部，我因为镇静剂而睡得很香。

     

    While at the hospital, Sylvia was scare that I may die.

    在医院期间，西尔维亚害怕我可能会死去。

     

    During my hospital stay, I did not know that Sylvia asked Pastor Jennifer and everyone at the

    congregation to pray for me. I learn about this when I came back home.

    在我住院期间，我不知道西尔维亚请求詹妮弗牧师和所有教会成员为我祈祷。我是在回家后才知道的。

     

    I am grateful and thankful to each and everyone.

    我感到非常感激和感谢每一个人。

     

    Now we move forward in time to the year 2022.

    现在，让我们前进到2022年。

     

    In early Feb 2022, I came home to find Sylvia fallen at home.

    在2022年2月初，我回家发现西尔维亚在家里摔倒了。

     

    Paramedics came and took her to VGH.

    医护人员来了，把她送到了温哥华总医院。

     

    Every day after work I went to see her, assisted her with feeding and any other needs (#7 – Sylvia at VGH slide).

    每天下班后，我都去看望她，帮助她喂食和满足其他需要（#7 – 在VGH的西尔维亚幻灯片）。

     

    Doctors diagnosed her with brain cancer. After consulting with the doctors she made the decision to let the cancer take its course.

    医生诊断她患有脑癌。在与医生咨询后，她决定让癌症自然进程发展。

     

    In March 2022, Sylvia was moved to a hospice.

    2022年3月，西尔维亚被转移到了一家临终关怀中心。

     

    One evening when I went to see Sylvia after work, there was Pastor Jennifer visiting my Sylvia. This was my first time meeting Pastor Jennifer in person.

    一天下班后，我去看望西尔维亚，发现詹妮弗牧师正在探望她。这是我第一次亲自见到詹妮弗牧师。

     

    On May 13,2022 Sylvia became an angel (#8 – Angel slide).

    2022年5月13日，西尔维亚成为了一位天使（#8 – 天使幻灯片）。

     

    I contacted Pastor Jennifer with Sylvia’s outcome and we made arrangements.

    我联系了詹妮弗牧师，我们做了安排。

     

    On July 30,2022 I said my final good bye. With the help from Pastor Jennifer we held a Celebration of Life for Sylvia (#9 – Celebration of Life – 3 slides) at Trinity Lutheran Church.

    2022年7月30日，我告别了西尔维亚。在詹妮弗牧师的帮助下，我们在三一路德教堂举行了西尔维亚的生命庆典（#9 – 生命庆典 – 3张幻灯片）。

     

    To this day I still struggle with my lost.

    直到今天，我仍然为失去她而苦苦挣扎。

     

    After the service Pastor Jennifer invited me to come for Sunday service.

    庆典后，詹妮弗牧师邀请我参加周日的教堂崇拜。

     

    In October 2022, I started to come to TLC thinking I will sit in the back row and listen and learn.

    2022年10月，我开始来到TLC，本以为我会坐在后排，静静地听和学习。

     

    However, I now think God had other plans for me.

    然而，我现在认为上帝对我有其他的计划。

     

    It started with helping out with communion.

    一切始于协助分发圣餐。

     

    Then when I learn that Pastor Jennifer was injured and seeing Brenda leading a few Sunday service by herself, I decided to step up to the plate.

    然后，当我得知詹妮弗牧师受伤，看到布伦达独自领导几次周日崇拜时，我决定站出来。

     

    These are the events that lead me to this church, along with the transit ride.

    这些事件引领我来到这个教堂，还有乘坐公交车的经历。

     

     

    We wouldn’t have met Kenneth if Sylvia hadn’t randomly called the church a few days before Christmas in 2017. Honestly, I wasn’t sure about meeting Sylvia for the first time. It felt risky, a bit like I was being set-up for a scam. Picture this:  a pastor a bit worried about a possible church deficit a few days before Christmas in 2017 and this woman calls and offers to give money to the church…a total stranger asking me to meet her in person at the food court at Central City Mall…I chatted with her a bit on the phone, trying to get a read on her motives. In the end, decided to go meet her. Told Jenn my office admin. where I was going and what I was doing, just so that someone knew my whereabouts if the police need to be called. Waiting near the A & W at the food court, after 20 minutes, I thought, it’s a scam and I should’ve brought my notes and computer to work on my Christmas sermon. Then my cell rang, Jenn said, “Sylvia’s at RBC bank…go find her there.” Starting to feel like a wild goose chase, but I found the bank and Sylvia in the teller’s line…getting her cheque for TLC, a $5000 cheque that cleared the bank…and she called a few days later, when I was visiting family in Minnesota, wanting to give more. Her generosity continued every Christmas until her last breath.

     

    如果不是在2017年圣诞前几天，西尔维亚没有突然给教堂打电话，我们就不会遇到肯尼斯。老实说，第一次见到西尔维亚时，我对此心存疑虑。这感觉有些冒险，有点像我被设局陷入了骗局中。想象一下：2017年圣诞前几天，一位牧师有些担心教堂可能出现赤字，然后这个陌生女人打电话并提出要捐款给教堂...一个完全陌生的人要求我亲自在Central City购物中心的美食广场见面...我在电话中与她聊了一会，试图了解她的动机。最后，我决定去见她。我告诉了我的办公室管理员詹妮我要去哪里和我在做什么，只是为了如果需要叫警察的话，有人知道我的行踪。在美食广场的A&W附近等待了20分钟后，我想，这是个骗局，我应该带上我的笔记本和电脑来准备圣诞讲道。然后我的手机响了，詹妮说：“西尔维亚在RBC银行...去那里找她。”开始感觉自己像在追逐野鹅，但我找到了银行，也找到了银行柜台上的西尔维亚...拿着一张给TLC的支票，一张5000美元的支票，银行已经兑现了...她在几天后打电话来，当时我正在明尼苏达州探访家人，她想再捐款。她的慷慨一直持续到她的最后一刻。

     

    In preparing for today,  I also asked Kenneth: In what ways, if at all, have you met God through TLC?  He said, “I honestly could not tell you that. But I’ve always been directed in some way in my life. When I was sick in ICU with COVID19, one day I found myself hovering above my physical body, but I didn’t go far. It wasn’t like other people who follow a light. I was just thinking to myself, this is really cool. Then, I thought, ‘Oh, I better get myself back into my body or I’ll get in trouble. If I did meet God, that’s the closest I’ve gotten.’”

     

    为了今天的准备，我还问了肯尼斯：在什么情况下，如果有的话，您是如何通过TLC遇到上帝的？他说：“老实说，我无法告诉你。但在我的生活中，我总是以某种方式被引导着。当我在重症监护室因COVID19生病时，有一天我发现自己悬浮在我的生理身体之上，但我没有远行。不像其他人那样跟随着一束光。我只是在想，这真是太酷了。然后，我想，‘哦，我最好把自己重新放回我的身体，否则我会惹麻烦。如果我确实遇到了上帝，那就是我最接近上帝的时刻了。”

     

    At a certain point during Kenneth’s hospitalization, Sylvia was beside herself, afraid of losing him…she called me. We prayed on the phone that day. Then we asked the prayer chain and all of you to pray. Was this when Kenneth was hovering above his body? It’s a mystery, known only to God. But somehow Kenneth, through all this, ended up here with us.

     

    在肯尼斯住院期间的某个时刻，西尔维亚非常担心，担心失去他...她给我打电话。那天我们在电话里一起祷告。然后我们请求祷告链和大家一起祷告。是不是在肯尼斯悬浮在自己的身体上的时候呢？这是一个只有上帝知道的神秘。但不知何故，肯尼斯通过这一切，最终来到了我们这里。

     

    Having a degree in biology and business, Kenneth says, “I was telling Jeff Han recently, who also has a degree in science, ‘For sometime now I’ve believed science and religion are linked, I just don’t know how. So, is it coincidence or as pastor says, is it God working behind the scenes?”

     

    肯尼斯拥有生物学和商业学位，他说：“我最近告诉杰夫韩，他也有科学学位，‘我有段时间以来一直相信科学和宗教是相互关联的，只是我不知道如何关联起来。所以，这是巧合还是正如牧师说的，是上帝在幕后工作？”

     

    Last October, I told Kenneth that he was a very big asset to the TLC community because I could see his willing servant’s heart, his ability to notice and quickly befriend strangers and I’d seen his compassionate heart caring for Sylvia as she was dying. Kenneth says, he didn’t understand what I meant about him being an asset; he couldn’t see the full picture. But reflecting back, he’s starting to understand. He says, “I don’t know if God directed me here, but, it is possible.”

     

    去年十月，我告诉肯尼斯，他对TLC社区来说是一个非常重要的财富，因为我能看到他愿意为人服务的心，他能迅速注意到并结交陌生人，我也看到他在西尔维亚临终时怀有同情之心。肯尼斯说，他不明白我所说的他是一个财富；他看不到整个画面。但回想过去，他开始理解了。他说：“我不知道是不是上帝引导我来到这里，但这是可能的。”

     

    It’s not fair that the last will be first. It’s also not prudent business practice to pay people for work they don’t complete. Am I right? No church treasurer would agree to throw money away like this landowner, right? Though we may worry about church finances, we know that the church is not a business. God’s grace is not a transaction that any of us earn. God’s amazing grace comes without a price tag, giving us more mercy and hopeful possibilities than we deserve. The church is a not-for-profit community that exists not only for those of you who are listening right now, but for those like Kenneth, whom we have yet to meet. Those who long to know God’s amazing grace in the midst of life’s troubles. It’s not our job to decide how much grace people need. Jesus poured out ALL he had been given in the face of total rejection, letting go of the right to get even, humbling himself to the point of death, trusting that the Holy One would never let go. The cross shows us that God is not keeping some divine ledger; God would rather die than keep a ledger of who deserves what. We are here to receive the grace God offers right now and to lavishly share it, not calculate how much we or anyone else deserves. Maybe even go a little crazy as we give grace away, trusting we will have ALL we need as we let go.

     

    最后的将成为第一"这并不公平。同样，给那些没有完成工作的人付钱也不是明智的商业做法。我说得对吗？没有教会财务主管会同意像这个地主一样把钱白白扔出去，对吧？尽管我们可能担心教会的财务状况，但我们知道教会不是一家企业。上帝的恩典不是我们中的任何人可以赚取的交易。上帝的惊人恩典没有价格标签，给予我们比我们应得的更多的怜悯和充满希望的可能性。教会是一个非营利性社区，它存在不仅仅是为了你们现在正在倾听的人，还为了那些像肯尼斯一样，我们尚未见面的人。那些渴望在生活的困境中体验上帝惊人恩典的人。我们的任务不是决定人们需要多少恩典。在面对彻底的拒绝时，耶稣把他所得到的一切都倾注出来，放下了追求报复的权利，甚至谦卑到了死亡的地步，相信至圣者永远不会放手。十字架向我们展示了上帝不会保留某种神圣的分类账；上帝宁愿死也不愿保留谁应得什么的分类账。我们在这里是为了接受上帝现在提供的恩典，并慷慷给予，而不是计算我们或任何其他人应得多少。也许我们会在施予恩典时变得有些疯狂，相信当我们放手时，我们将拥有我们所需要的一切。

Past Sermon Translations

LOADING PLAYER…