“Reflections for the First Sunday of Lent 大齋節期第一個主日的反思”
From March 1st, 2020
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  • 講道題目 / Ser­mon Title: Reflections for the First Sunday of Lent 大齋節期第一個主日的反思
  • 經文 / Scripture: 創世紀 Genesis 2:15-18, 22-25, 3:1-7, 詩篇 Psalm 32, 羅馬書 Romans 3:21-26
  • 語言 / Language: English
  • 講道人 / Preaching: Rev. Aline Russel
  • 翻譯 / Interpreter: 王璽權 Andrew Wang、林子凱 Kevin Lin
English 中文翻譯
[Reflections for Lent] [對大齋節期的思考]
This is the first Sunday of Lent. 這是大齋節期的第一個主日。
Lent is one of the seasons of the Church year. 大齋節期是教會一年中的重要節期之一。
It is a season for reflection, prayer, and preparation before the events of Holy Week, with Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter. 我們在這個神聖的節期應該反思、祈禱、和準備迎接接下來的棕櫚主日、耶穌受難日、和復活節。
It is also a commemoration of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness being tempted by Satan. 這也是紀念耶穌在撒但誘惑下於曠野度過的40天。
In 1973, an American Psychiatrist named Karl Menninger wrote a book titled Whatever Became of Sin? 1973年，一位名叫卡爾·門寧格（Karl Menninger）的美國精神科醫生寫了一本書，名為《罪惡到底是什麼？》
It created quite a sensation, especially among Christians and mental health professionals. 這本書尤其是對一些基督徒和心理健康專家造成了極大的影響。
It was at a time when we were beginning to understand a lot more about the effects of mental health issues, nutrition, childhood experiences, and the social/economic structures of society on the behavior of individuals. 該書發佈時，美國學者剛開始對心理健康、營養、童年經歷、或社會與經濟結構對個人行為的影響有更細緻研究。
Psychiatry and psychotherapy were becoming more acceptable in society and child-raising strategies were changing. 精神科和心理治療在社會上越來越被接受，而撫養子女的方法上也在發生變化。
Some Christians feared these changes, because they seemed to deny the seriousness of sin and remove personal responsibility for one’s actions. 一些基督徒對這些變化感到擔心，因為一些舉措似乎否認了罪的嚴重性，並使個人排除其自我行為上應負的責任。
Others, like myself, sought to understand the new sciences of psychology and family systems theory and see it we could integrate them with our faith. 其他人，例如我自己，則試圖了解心理學和家庭關係的新科學理論，並相信我們可以將這些知識與我們的信仰融合在一起。
They provided some new insights for pastoral counseling of individuals and families. 他們為個人和家庭的牧會輔導提供了一些新見解。
I believed that if I was going to be called upon to help people heal from relationship or emotional problems, it would be helpful to learn about relationship dynamics and the functioning of the brain and the emotions, and the impact of trauma and the values of the society on individual persons and families. 我相信，如果要幫助人們從人際關係或情感問題中恢復過來，那麼了解人際關係的動態變化、大腦和情緒的運作、創傷的影響、以及社會價值觀對個人和家庭的影響等，都將大有幫助。
It was crucial to maintain my spiritual values as I learned these new things, and I was fortunate enough to have a great deal of support from my colleagues in that endeavor. 當我學習這些新事物時，保持我的屬靈價值觀乃至關重要。我很幸運能夠在此過程中得到同事的大力支持。
I worked at Care and Counseling for 25 years. 我在護理和心理諮詢部門工作了25年。
It is an interfaith counseling center begun by Episcopalian and Presbyterian Pastors many years ago. 那是一間許多年前由聖公會和長老會牧師共創的宗教諮詢中心。
When I was a full time pastoral counselor there, we had weekly speakers that included pastors and rabbis as well as other psychotherapists and psychiatrists. 當我在那裏擔任全職教牧輔導時，我們每週演講者包括牧師、拉比、以及心理治療師和精神科醫生。
I found that diversity of thought very helpful for my own professional and spiritual development. 我發現思維的多樣性對我自己的在專業和屬靈上的發展非常有幫助。
[Called Back to the Congregation] [召回會眾]
However, I was called out of there and back into the congregation to do Interim Ministry in 2012. 我在2012年呼召回到會堂擔任代理牧師。
I had seen evidence many times during my years of counseling how membership in a good congregation helped individuals and families to heal. 在我多年的諮詢工作中，我多次見證了良好的教會裡的會眾成員如何幫助有需要的個人和家庭。
Someone once described a congregation as a “hospital for sinners.” At their best, I think they are. 曾經有人將教會描述為“罪人的醫院”。我認為這個說法也算合理。
Dr. Menninger’s book discusses all those developments of the mental health field, but also reaffirms the importance and validity of personal responsibility for our actions. 門寧格(Menninger)博士的書論述了心理健康領域的發展，但也重申了我們個人行為應有效的承擔責任的重要性。
In other words, sin still exists as the result of personal choices we make, as well as the result of trauma, bad parenting, and the destructive forces within society. 換句話說，犯罪仍然是我們個人選擇所造成的，不良的家庭教育、受到創傷和不良社會風氣的影響所造成的結果。
[What Should We Do About Sin?] [我們該如何面對罪？]
I know of a woman who believed that it didn’t matter if she committed sins, as long as she knew what they were. 我認識一位女士，她認為是否認罪並沒有關係，只要她知道這些罪是什麽就好。
She seemed to believe that being aware of her sins was the same thing as being forgiven for them. 她認爲，意識到自己的罪就等同於這些罪行已被原諒了。
Unfortunately, I think God wants a little bit more for us. 可惜的是，我認為上帝的要求的要更多一點。
In 1521 the great reformer Martin Luther said “Sin boldly,” which has led to a lot of controversy. 1521年，偉大的宗教改革家馬丁·路德（Martin Luther）提出“勇敢地犯罪”的說法，這引起了很多爭議。
What a thought! 多麼精闢的思維啊！
As if we should ignore all the commandments and ethical teaching in the Bible and just do what we want! 好像我們應該忽略聖經中的所有誡命和道德教義，而做我們想做的！
But Martin Luther was writing in a time when there were all kinds of manufactured or fictitious sins and manufactured and fictitious remedies for those sins. 但在馬丁·路德（Martin Luther）寫作的時代，其實是存在著各種被制定的或虛構的罪，以及針對這些罪所提出的補救措施。
A particularly destructive practice was the sale of “indulgences” by the church. 一種非常不好的做法是教會出售“贖罪券”。
An indulgence was a practice by which a person could pay money to get a certificate saying he had received absolution for a certain amount of the punishment he was due to receive in purgatory for his sins. 在當時，”贖罪券”是可以藉由支付金錢而獲得認證，證明付款人已為該罪得到一定程度的懲罰。
In the early 1500’s, a Dominican friar in Germany, Johann Tetzel, began advertising indulgences for the dead by saying, “When a penny in the coffer rings,/ A soul from Purgatory springs.” 更有甚者，在1500年初，德國的多米尼加修道士 – 約翰·特策爾（Johann Tetzel）推廣為死者所做得贖罪卷，他的說法是：“銀錢叮噹落銀庫，靈魂即從煉獄出。”
Martin Luther, a young monk, had been tormented for years by feelings of guilt, which he obsessively sought repentance for. 馬丁·路德（Martin Luther）當時是一位年輕的傳道，多年來因為感到罪疚感，心裡而備受折磨，因此他迫切尋求悔改。
Many of these “sins” were minute and ridiculous, were in fact false guilt, and he gradually came to realize that while reading Paul’s letter to the Romans, especially Chapter 3, verses 23 – 25. 這些“罪”中有許多是微小而荒謬，甚至是錯誤的內疚感 ；而在閱讀保羅寫給羅馬人的信時，他逐漸意識到這一點，尤其是在第三章，第23至25節。
(NRSV) （現中修訂版）
23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement[] by his blood, effective through faith” 23因為人人都犯罪，虧欠了上帝的榮耀。24然而，上帝白白地賜恩典，藉著基督耶穌救贖他們，使他們跟他有合宜的關係。25上帝不惜犧牲基督，以他為贖罪祭，藉著他的死，使人由於信他而蒙赦罪。上帝這樣做是要顯明自己的公義。
Martin Luther realized that we are saved by grace, and not by our own works, however good and holy we might believe them to be. 馬丁·路德（Martin Luther）意識到，我們是被上帝的恩典所拯救，無論我們所作所為是多麼的美善和聖潔，我們都不是被自己的行為所救的。
The whole quote is: 他的原文是：
“Be a sinner and sin boldly, but believe and rejoice in Christ even more boldly. “放心大膽作個（真實的）罪人，並且大膽地犯罪；但是要更大膽地相信基督，以祂為樂”
For he is victorious over sin, death, and the world. 因為祂在罪惡，死亡，乃至整個世界上都得到了勝利。
As long as we are here we have to sin. 只要我們在這世上，我們就會一直犯罪。
This life in not the dwelling place of righteousness but, as Peter says, we look for a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 如同彼得所說的，這種生活並不是已處在公義的住所；我們是在不斷尋找公義所在的新天、新地、和新的世界。
Pray boldly– you too are a mighty sinner.” 放膽的祈禱-你同樣也將成一個有大能的罪人。”
(Weimar ed. vol. 2, p. 371; Letters I, “Luther’s Works,” American Ed., Vol 48. p. 281- 282) （魏瑪 (Weimar) 版。 第2卷，第371;字母I，“路德之作品”，美國版，第48卷， 281- 282 頁）
[The Biblical Concept of Sin] [聖經概念裡的罪]
We might want to argue that we don’t HAVE TO sin. 我們會爭辯說我們不一定要犯罪。
However, the biblical concept of sin is failing to fulfill the obligations of ALL our relationships. 但是，根據聖經中的敘述，罪是會隔絕我們所履行的職責上的所有關係。
I wonder how many of us really feel like we fulfill all our obligations for EVERYONE ALL THE TIME. 我想知道我們當中有多少人覺得自己對身邊所有人一直付出所當盡的義務。
And of course, another problem is that sometimes we sin without even realizing it. 當然，另一個問題是有時我們是在沒有意識到的情況下就犯了罪。
Maybe we’re not paying attention, or we are not very sensitive to what is other people are experiencing, or we don’t have the information we need to know our sin. 也許是我們沒有特別注意，或是我們沒有一顆敏感的心去體會他人正在經歷的困境，又或是我們缺乏對罪詮釋的信息。
This world is complicated, chaotic. 這個世界是複雜且混亂的。
The moral issues we face in our time are complicated as well. 現今時代我們所面臨的道德問題也很複雜。
None of us get through this life without sin, unless we die at a very young age. 除非我們在很小的時候就死去，否則我們誰也不會過上沒有罪的生活。
Let’s look for a moment at the First Sin, the one committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. 讓我們看一下我們人類的第一次犯罪，也就是亞當和夏娃在伊甸園中犯下的罪。
That story has always fascinated me, because the tree that God didn’t want them to eat from was The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 這個故事一直很吸引我，因為上帝不希望他們吃的果子的樹是那棵分別善惡之樹。
That’s very confusing to me. 這讓我很困惑。
Why wouldn’t God want us to know the difference between good and evil? 上帝為什麼不希望我們知道善與惡之間的區別呢？
Isn’t that what the whole Bible is about – – to tell us what’s right and what’s wrong? 這難道不是整本聖經所要講述的-告訴我們什麼是對的和什麼是錯的嗎？
Would God really have preferred that we stay innocent — and IGNORANT? 上帝真的會希望我們一直都天真，甚至是無知嗎？
Discerning the differences between things is very important in the world. 分辨事物之間的差異在世上非常重要。
What’s good to eat. 吃什麼是好的。
What’s poisonous or unhealthy. 什麼是有毒的或不健康的。
Which animals are dangerous. 哪些動物很危險。
Which are not. 哪些動物很安全。
Which might be either, depending on how they are trained. 有些危險的定義則須根據被訓練的方式而定。
Which people can we trust with our lives. 哪些人在我們生活裡可以去信任。
Which can we trust a little. 哪些人我們則不可過於相信。
Which people are actually dangerous. 哪些人實際上是很危險的。
And how can we tell. 我們要怎麼知道呢？
What’s a good career for me to have. 甚麼職業對我來說才是好的選擇。
What’s the best way for me to prepare for it. 什麼對我來說才是最好的準備方法？
What’s needed for this church. 這個教會需要什麼。
What things might be left behind. 什麼事被遺留下來尚未完成？
And for so many of you, What country do I want to live in. 對於你們當中的許多人來說，思考著哪裏才是最好的居住國家。
And for all of us, at some point, what do I believe. 以及對於我們所有人來說，在一些時候，我該相信的是什麼。
So it’s interesting, that in the Garden of Eden, the only things Adam and Eve had to decide was what to name things. 有趣的是，在伊甸園中，亞當和夏娃唯一需要決定的事情就是命名。
Oh yes, and they also had to decide whether or not to do as God said, and avoid that tree in the center of the garden. 沒錯，他們還必須決定是否按照神的話去做，並避開園中央的那棵樹。
Or not. 或違背命令。
They chose not. 他們選擇不按神的話去做。
And the first thing that happened to them was that they got very embarrassed, because they had nothing on. 而之後發生的第一件事，就是他們對沒有穿衣服感到很羞愧。
The Consequences of Sin 這就是犯罪的代價
So the first consequence of their sin was embarrassment, or shame. 他們犯罪的第一個後果就是感到尷尬或羞恥。
Imagine! 讓我們想像一下。
If they had not made that choice! 如果他們沒有做出那個選擇！
A world with no shame! 這將是一個沒有恥辱存在的世界！
I think of toddlers, who are quite happy to run around with no clothes! 我目前聯想到的是孩童，因為他們會對沒有穿衣服而來回奔考感到很高興！
And of course, we experience many other things that lead us to feel shame. 當然，隨著年紀的增長，我們因為經歷了許多其他事情，而使我們感到羞恥。
The second consequence was fear. 第二個犯罪的代價是恐懼。
The third consequence was blaming others for one’s own disobedience. 第三個則是責備他人的不順從。
The worst consequence, of course, was being pushed out of the Garden, out of the close, trusting, comfortable relationship with their Creator that they had enjoyed. 當然，最糟糕的代價就是被趕出了伊甸園，失去了與那位創造主之間的親密和信任關係，以及安逸環境。
But then, back to Martin Luther and his “Sin boldly” statement. 讓我們回到馬丁·路德（Martin Luther）和他的“大膽犯罪”理論。
I think he had a point. 我認為他是有道理的。
If we truly know we belong to God and are saved by grace because of Jesus Christ, perhaps we can live our lives more freely, with less shame, less fear. 如果我們真正地了解到我們是屬於上帝，並因為耶穌基督而被恩典拯救了，也許我們將可更自由地生活，感受到較少的羞恥與恐懼。
We can be aware of our sins, but instead of suffering from crippling shame or an obsessive need to confess, we can take it to our Lord, accept the forgiveness, and be free to begin again, taking with us what we have learned from it and hopefully, making better choices. 我們可以意識到自己的罪過，而不必忍受沈重的恥辱或被強迫去認罪；我們可以把這一切帶向我們的主，接受寬恕，自在地重新開始，從犯罪悔改中學習，並期待未來可做出更好的選擇。
But accepting the fact that we will never, this side of the life in the world to come, be totally free of sin. 然而，接受”今生無法完全擺脫罪”這樣一個事實。
On the other hand, God seems to have wanted us originally to live without worrying about good and evil. 另一方面，上帝似乎本來就希望我們不用擔心分辨善與惡的去生活。
That is impossible for us since the Fall, but through the grace of Christ, we can be set free from that in a way. 自從人類墮落以來，這對我們來說是不可能的，但是藉由基督的恩典，我們可以擺脫這種困境。
What God’s Forgiveness Does for Us Here and Now 上帝的寬恕對我們此時此刻的影響
Psalm 32 a lesson in the process of receiving forgiveness and seeing what it does for us. 詩篇32篇是在說明接受及了解寬恕對我們影響的過程。
“Happy are those whose transgression (sin) is forgiven… “1罪惡蒙赦免、過犯被寬恕的人，他是多麼有福啊！
Happy are those…in whose spirit is no deceit.” (Psalm 32: 1 – 2) 2心裏沒有詭詐、不被上主定罪的人，他是多麼有福啊！ ” （詩篇32：1-2）
Forgiveness can and does bring us happiness! 寬恕確實為我們帶來幸福！
Silence before God, on the other hand, does not. 相反的，在上帝面前保持沈默不認罪，就無法達到幸福與快樂。
The Psalmist says “While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. 詩篇說：“ 3我閉口不認罪的時候，終日哭泣，身心疲乏。
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.” (vss 3-4) 上主啊，你日夜懲罰我；
我筋疲力竭，像水氣在盛暑中蒸發。” （詩篇32: 3-4）
Often when we sin, we seek to hide it from ourselves, or try to explain it away or rationalize it to ourselves. 通常，當我們犯罪時，我們試圖將其隱藏起來、試圖將其作辯解、或將它合理化。
Of course we can’t hide anything from God. 當然，我們不能對上帝隱瞞任何東西。
And I think we can’t really hide it from ourselves either. 而且我認為我們也無法對自己隱瞞。
Medical and mental health professionals agree that body, mind, and spirit are interconnected. 醫學和心理健康專家都同意，身體、思想、和精神彼此間是相互聯繫的。
A secret sin eats away at us from the inside, even if we don’t consciously think about it or acknowledge it. 即便我們沒有一直去想起或承認，一個隱瞞的罪會從我們的內心深處吞噬我們。
It may affect our health in some way, or keep us from sleeping, or make us irritable with those around us. 它可能以某種方式影響我們的健康，使我們無法入睡，或者使我們很容易於對周圍的人發怒。
We may occupy ourselves with trying to control others, since we don’t really want to control ourselves. 很多時候我們並非真的可以控制自己，而且我們會順著自己的意願試圖去控制他人。
But for the psalmist, who has confessed his sin to God and received God’s forgiveness, God becomes a hiding place, a sanctuary of peace, a source of hope and renewal. 但是在詩篇裡，對於那位向神認罪並得到神寬恕的人-大衛 來說，神已成為了他的一個藏身之地、一個尋求和平的庇護所、以及一個提供希望和自我更新的源頭。
In the next two verses of the Psalm, God is speaking. 在詩篇32篇後兩節中，上帝對我們說。
God promises, “I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go. 8上帝應許：“我會指導你，教你應該走的路。
I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 我要教導你，時時規勸你。
Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle…”(vss 8 and 9) 不要像騾馬那麼無知，必須用嚼環轡頭管束才馴服。”（詩篇32篇: 8-9）
Wow, what a promise! 哇，真是一個了不起的承諾！
God will give us personal instruction and is always paying attention to us! 上帝會給我們每一個人的指引，並會一直關注我們！
How comforting! 這是多麼欣慰的一件事！
Except maybe in those times when we are wanting to hide from God and from ourselves! 除了在某些我們想對上帝和我們自己隱瞞的時刻！
[Take Advantage of the Season of Lent] [善用大齋節期]
So, as we begin the season of Lent, it is a good time to begin a new spiritual discipline of some kind. 隨著大齋節期的到來，是時候開始某些新的屬靈靈修生活了。
It might just be a few minutes of prayer when you first get up or before you go to bed, if you don’t already do that. 如果您還沒有任何靈修行動，那麼可以嘗試在起床後或睡覺前，用幾分鐘的時間禱告。
It might be trying a new form of prayer, such as meditation, where you simply sit with your thoughts turned toward God and leave behind all your usual thoughts and worries to just listen for what God wants to reveal to you. 也可以是嘗試一些新的祈禱方式，例如默想。你可以靜坐著，把所有屬世的想法和煩惱拋開，進而把思緒轉向上帝，與祂連結，聆聽上帝要給你的啟示。
It might be beginning a study of a book of the Bible. 也可以是開始研讀一本聖經書卷。
It might be a service project, like volunteering at a homeless shelter. 也可以是一個事工服事，例如在街友收容所的當志願者服務。
It is your time, to be used as you feel led. 這是您的時間，請按照自己的意願使用。
Let me also suggest that every member and friend of TPC spend a couple of minutes every day praying for the church. 我同時也建議，在座的每一位成員和朋每天請花幾分鐘來為教會祈禱。
God is in this place! 上帝就在這裡！
Let’s pray that we might discern his will for us as we move into the future! 讓我們祈禱，在我們邁向未來的同時，能夠辨別祂的旨意！
Dr. Menninger is right. 門寧格(Menninger)博士說的對。
We can’t get rid of the concept of sin. 我們不能擺脫罪。
It reminds us that we do have choices, every day, even every moment. 但同時也提醒我們，在每天、甚至每時每刻，我們都有選擇。
We can choose to join our Savior in his mission for this world, or not. 我們可以選擇是否加入我們的救主為這個世界奉行祂的使命。
We can remember that we are forgiven children of God and live with joy in that confidence as we seek to live it out, without constantly needing to take our “spiritual temperature.” We can choose to spend time listening to God as well as giving God our lists of requests, or not. 我們應當記住，我們是上帝的寬恕兒女，我們在尋求實現自我信心的同時，是可以自信而快樂地生活，不必一直重申我們的“屬靈熱誠”。我們可以選擇是否花時間聆聽上帝的話，也可以選擇是否向上帝提出我們的訴求。
Thanks be to God. 感謝上帝。
Amen. 阿們