Be & Live in Favor with God 蒙神恩典 – Pastor Jade Yi

Psalm 23

Ephesians 2:11-22

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

Our Story: 

We can all agree that learning never ends, even for the people of God. The most valuable asset we’ll ever have is what is invested into our faith journey, namely, everything we invest in our hearts and minds through learning. After all, we want to be and live in favor with God in this world, don’t we? 

我們絕對都會認同：學習是永無止境的, 即使對神的子民來說，也是一樣的。我們所擁有最寶貴的資產，就是我們藉著學習，在信仰上的投資，也既是在我們的心思意念裡所投資的一切。終歸、不就是為了在這世間，我們能活出蒙神恩典的生命，不是嗎？

Our investments can be done consciously or unconsciously; they may occur strategically or spontaneously. We may discover that everything we invest is constantly filtered by God’s will and precepts. We may also notice that God only withholds whatever is intended for the ultimate fulfillment of God’s kingdom. 

我們對信仰的投資，可以是有意識性地去做、或者是在無意識性中發生。也有可能是在策略中來執行，也可能是自然而然的就發生了。我們也許發現了，我們所投入的一切，必定會在神的準則和旨意下，經過不斷的過濾和篩選。因為，最終神的國度完全實現的這件事，是最重要的。自然而然，神只會留住，對神國有幫助且有意義的一切的信仰投資。

What are your experiences of being and living in favor with God? One of my personal experiences happened between 1999 to 2001. Several unexpected things happened. First, my husband and I lost our second child while we were serving on a mission in Mexico. Then my father got scammed and lost all he had, including the house where my mom lived in Taiwan. After that, my dad got into a car accident and his brain was severely damaged. In the midst of all this, my husband got a new call from the States, which means we had to move again.

在過去，您曾有過哪些蒙神恩典的經歷呢？想與您們分享的，是我個人的經驗之一，在1999年到2001年的那段其間，發生了一連串的事情。首先，我先生和我在墨西哥牧會時，失去了我們的第二個孩子。然後我的父親被詐騙了，失去了他所有的一切，包括我媽媽在台灣住的房子。後來，我爸爸出了車禍，大腦受到嚴重的傷害。就在這一切事件發生的當下，我先生接到了從美國信義會總部的呼召，這意味著我們必須再次搬家。

In order to manage the chaos, my husband responded to his call and moved back to the States. We asked our parents-in-law and my sister-in-law to take care of Sofia, our daughter, who stayed in Mexico. Then, I found jobs in Taiwan and got our house back with a loan so that my mom had a place to stay. For more than a year, we were living apart in three different countries.

面臨這種種的複雜情況，我先生接受了這個新的呼召，搬回了美國牧會。我們請公婆和嫂嫂照顧我們的女兒索菲亞，將她先留在墨西哥。然後我在台灣找到了工作，用貸款把房子再買回來，讓我媽媽有地方住。接下來一年多的時間，我們三人分別住在三個不同的國家。

I talked to God daily, or precisely speaking, I talked to God any break I got while juggling multiple jobs at the same time. In my prayers, I was making sure that God heard my cry, “O, God, please snap me out of this messiness.”  What really comforted me was savoring the moment with God fully among all believers on Sunday at church. That kept me going. And the response I got each week from God was that this messiness was precisely the reason God wanted me to be in. And what did staying in the messiness have to do with being in favor with God?  Did I really get it at the time? No!

我每天都與上帝談話，或者更準確地說，在處理多項工作之餘，我每天幾乎都在祈禱。在我的禱告中，我確保上帝，一定得聽到我的呼求：「哦，上帝，請讓我擺脫這些處理不完的複雜情況。」真正能安慰我的是，每周日在教堂，與所有信徒們一起，充分享受與上帝在一起的時刻。是這些時刻使我有動力繼續往前走。我每週從上帝那裡得到的回應是：就因為這種複雜的情況，正是上帝要我待在台灣的原因。那麼，我留在這複雜的狀況與蒙神恩典，有什麼關係呢？ 我當時，真的明白了上帝的意念嗎？不！還真沒有。

God’s Story: 

I don’t know about you, but I wonder occasionally what Jesus’ disciples were feeling each day being with Jesus, walking from town to town, healing the sick, casting out the demons, caring for the lost souls, urging people to repent by turning back to God wholeheartedly, and teaching the kingdom of God that is before their own eyes already. But what they saw was the endless needs, the messiness in lives. Had they ever hoped that the fulfillment of God’s kingdom could come sooner, or hoped that God could just snap them out of the messiness?

我不知道，您們是否和我一樣，我偶爾想著，當時門徒們的感受，是如何呢？他們每天與耶穌在一起，從一個城鎮步行到另一個城鎮，醫治無數的病人，驅趕各種的惡靈，關懷迷失的靈魂，敦促人們悔改，全心全意的歸向神，並教導神的國已經在他們當中了。但他們所見的，是無盡的需求，複雜的生活狀況。門徒是否迫切希望著，神的國度能早些完全實現，或是期盼神能否將他們從這複雜的生活狀況中解救出來呢？

The texts that are assigned for today are from Mark 6:30-34 and 53-56. IF we read all of chapter six and the last story of chapter five, we see, first, that having faith in Jesus was lived out by a woman and a foreigner who were sinners in the eyes of the Jews. And we see that Jesus wasn’t welcomed and trusted not just by the religious leaders at the time but also the people from his hometown. Then the messiness continues: the head of John the Baptist was asked as the prize for the sinful lives of the Herod royal family. 

今日所指定的經文，是來自馬可福音 6:30-34 和 53-56。如果我們讀了整個第六章和第五章的最後一個故事，我們首先看到，一個女人和一個外邦人在猶太人眼中都是罪人，卻活出了對耶穌的信靠。我們也看到了，耶穌不僅不受當時宗教領袖的歡迎和信任，也不受他家鄉人民的歡迎和信任。然後複雜的狀況繼續持續著：施洗約翰的頭，因希律王室的罪惡，居然被要求作為獎賞。

And then we arrive at today’s texts, when Jesus took his disciples to a deserted place to rest. The story skips the feeding of the five thousand. After feeding them, Jesus excused himself to pray alone. Meanwhile, the disciples witnessed how Jesus calmed the storm on the sea. Ironically, the hearts of Jesus’ disciples were hardened. Did Jesus postpone the mission trip just because of their lack of comprehension of what the mission was about?  No!  And what did Jesus’ disciples living in the messiness have to do with being in favor with God?  Did they really get it at the time? No, they didn’t.

接下來，就是我們今日的經文。耶穌帶著祂的門徒，到一個荒涼的地方，好好的休息。從今日指定經文中，跳過的一個故事，也就是餵飽五千人的故事。耶穌餵飽他們之後，為了祈禱，便藉口獨自離去。接著，門徒們目睹了耶穌是如何平息海上的風暴。諷刺的是，耶穌門徒的心，卻變得剛硬。耶穌並沒有因為他們對宣教缺乏領悟，來推遲宣教之旅。 那麼，耶穌的門徒處在這複雜的情況和他們是否蒙神恩典，有什麼關係呢？ 他們當時真的明白上帝的意念了嗎？不！他們還真不明白

Challenge:

Our challenge is our limited understanding of being and living in favor with God. It’s beyond confessing our own faith, beyond the ministries we do from our end, beyond obliging to either the Ten Commandments stated in the Old Testament or the Great Commandments from Jesus.   

我們面臨的挑戰是，我們對蒙神恩典的理解，是有限的。蒙神恩典不止於我們自己對信仰的承認，蒙神恩典也不止於我們單方面認定該做的事工，蒙神恩典也不止於我們自身遵守舊約中的十誡或耶穌的大誡命。

Being in favor with God has to do with how God’s saving grace is experienced in communion with God. I think that most of us have no problem understanding the meaning of God’s saving grace. Whenever we experience the reconciliation between the old-self without God and the new-self that Jesus Christ has redeemed and restored, we experience God’s saving grace. It’s like an old-self actualizes that a new-self is available to be claimed and to have because of Jesus Christ. It’s time to say goodbye to the old-self and welcome the new-self on board.

蒙神恩典是在於，與神相交中，如何來經歷神的拯救恩典。我認為大多數的人，毫無疑問地，都能理解神拯救恩典的意思。每當沒有神的【舊的自己】與經過耶穌基督救贖和復蘇的【新的自己】之間，經歷到和解時，我們就經歷了神的拯救恩典。就像似，由於耶穌基督的緣故，【舊的自己】意識到，有一個【新的自己】是可以被擁有的。也既是，我們告別【舊的自己】並歡迎【新的自己】的時刻。

And how about in communion with God? The concept of our partaking in the Holy Communion as a faith community might be helpful.  When we are in communion with God, we are like vessels, through which God’s saving action is flowing through us back and forth from God to any beneficiaries. 

那麼，與神相交，是甚麼意思呢？也許，引用信仰會眾領取聖餐的概念，可以幫助我們對與神相交的理解。 當我們與神相交時，我們每一個信徒，就像一個器皿一樣，神的拯救行動，會透過我們每一個器皿，來來回回，為了把救恩傳達到需要的受益人。

When a good deed is carried out, either feeding the hungry or comforting the sick or teaching God’s Word to others, there is an interaction between a doer and a beneficiary in communion with God. If God’s saving grace through such an interaction is experienced by both the doer and the beneficiary, then both of them are in favor with God and also live in favor with God. 

當行善時，無論是餵飽飢餓者、安慰病痛者、或是教導他人上帝的話語時，上帝會藉著行善者和受益者，兩者之間產生相交的互動。如果行善者和受益者都經歷到與神相交的互動，接而感受到神的救贖恩典，那麼他們兩者都是蒙神恩典的人，也活在神的恩典當中。

As you can see, it’s not upon us to decide whether we are in favor with God or live in favor with God, it is entirely determined by the grace of God and the faith of Jesus. No one can impose on anyone; no one can plan when and how such blessings can happen. 

正如你所看到的，我們是否蒙神恩典，並不是由我們來決定的，這完全是由神的恩典和耶穌的信心來決定的。任何人都不能強加於任何人；沒有人能夠計劃這種祝福何時發生以及要如何才能發生。

If there isn’t messiness in lives, then there isn’t need for God’s saving grace. As a result, there wouldn’t be stories of someone who is and lives in favor with God each day.    

如果沒有複雜的生活情況，就不需要上帝的拯救恩典。那麼，蒙神恩典的故事，就不會每日發生在我們當中了。

Back to my story! During the time when I was alone, many unbelievers asked me why I was by myself in Taiwan.  I shared my faith stories and made many new friends including Mormons who came to learn about Christian faith. There were many A-ha moments about how God works in our lives together. Yes, the messiness was the reason God wanted me to stay and made His name known. 

回到我剛分享的故事，當我一個人在台灣的時候，很多不信主的人，質疑我為什麼一個人在台灣。我便開始分享了我的信仰故事，和他們探討上帝是如何在我們的生活中作工，因此結識了許多新朋友，包括前來學習基督教信仰的摩門教徒，我們分享了許多令人驚嘆的時刻。是的，複雜的狀況正是上帝要我留在台灣的原因，是為了是使祂的名為人所知。

Good News:

What good news can we take away today? God knows better than whatever answers we think we have. Let us entreat God to enable us to walk in any messiness for God is with us all of time. May we be open to new possibilities that generate new stories of God’s saving grace each day. May we be in favor with God and live in favor with God.

今天我們得到的福音好消息，是甚麼呢？比起我們所認知的一切，上帝更清楚。讓我們祈求上帝使我們能夠在任何複雜的狀況中，向前行走，因為上帝一直都與我們同在。願我們對新的可能性持有開放態度，每天都有上帝救贖恩典的新故事。願我們都能蒙神恩典，並且活出蒙神恩典的　生命。

Amen. 阿們。答案是：當然喽！感謝主的救恩! 阿們。