About 230 families and individuals live at MacPherson Gardens, Block 72 in my neighborhood. Each person has his or her own life story. On the tenth floor resides an elderly woman whose children have grown up, gotten married, and moved out. She lives by herself now. Just a few doors away from her is a young couple with two kids—a boy and a girl. And a few floors below lives a young man serving in the army. He has been to church before; maybe he will visit again on Christmas Day. I met these people last Christmas when our church went caroling in the neighborhood to spread Christmas cheer.

在我教会附近的麦波申花园，有一个住家大楼，里面大约有230个住户。他们都有自己的生命故事。在十楼有位年长的女士，她的孩子结了婚就搬出去住，现在她是一个人独居。隔几家是一对年轻夫妻，他们有一个儿子和一个女儿。楼下则有个正在服兵役的年轻人，他以前去过教会，也许圣诞节那天，他还会再去教会。去年圣诞节，我遇到这些人，因为我们教会到那里唱诗歌、报佳音。

Every Christmas—as on the first Christmas—there are many people who do not know that God has entered into our world as a baby whose name is Jesus (Luke 1:68; 2:21). Or they do not know the significance of that event—it is “good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (2:10). Yes, all people! Regardless of our nationality, culture, gender, or financial status, Jesus came to die for us and offer us complete forgiveness so that we can be reconciled with Him and enjoy His love, joy, peace, and hope. All people, from the woman next door to the colleagues we have lunch with, need to hear this wonderful news!

每年的圣诞节就像第一个圣诞节一样，有许多人不知道上帝成为了婴孩耶稣，来到我们的世界（路加福音1章68节，2章21节）。或者他们不了解这件事的重要性，不知道这是“大喜的信息，是关乎万民的”（2章10节），是与所有人密切相关的！耶稣为全人类、为所有人而死，不在于我们的国籍、文化、性别或财务状况，祂赐给我们完全的赦免，让我们与祂和好，享受祂的慈爱、喜乐、平安和盼望。所有的人，包括隔壁的妇女，一同吃饭的同事，所有人都需要听到这奇妙的信息！

On the first Christmas, the angels were the bearers of this joyous news. Today, God desires to work through us to take the story to others.

在第一个圣诞节，上帝让天使向世人传递这大喜的信息。今天，上帝要让我们成为传福音的使者，去向其他人述说圣诞佳音！

Lord, use me to touch the lives of others with the news of Your coming.

Luke 1:68-75New International Version (NIV)

68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David
70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
71 salvation from our enemies
    and from the hand of all who hate us—
72 to show mercy to our ancestors
    and to remember his holy covenant,
73     the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
74 to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
    and to enable us to serve him without fear
75     in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

路加福音 1:68-75Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified) (CUVMPS)

68 “主以色列的神是应当称颂的！因他眷顾他的百姓，为他们施行救赎， 69 在他仆人大卫家中，为我们兴起了拯救的角， 70 正如主借着从创世以来圣先知的口所说的话， 71 拯救我们脱离仇敌和一切恨我们之人的手； 72 向我们列祖施怜悯、记念他的圣约， 73 就是他对我们祖宗亚伯拉罕所起的誓， 74 叫我们既从仇敌手中被救出来，75 就可以终身在他面前，坦然无惧地用圣洁、公义侍奉他。

INSIGHT

One of the great themes of Luke’s gospel record is that it continually affirms that the message of Jesus’s death and resurrection is for everyone—not just for Israel. Today’s devotional declares that Christ’s coming would “cause great joy for all the people” (2:10). This important message continues later in this chapter when Simeon says that salvation is prepared in the “sight of all nations” and that Israel’s Messiah is both “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel” (vv. 30–32). At the conclusion of Luke’s account, the risen Christ tells the two disciples on the Emmaus road that “repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (24:47). This message was not intended for Israel alone, nor are we to keep it to ourselves. The entire world is the object of God’s love.

For more on sharing your faith, see the Discovery Series booklet Truth with Love: Sharing the Story of Jesus.

灵粮透视

在路加福音的记述中，其中一个重要的主题就是一再强调和肯定耶稣的受死和复活是为了每一个人，而不仅是为了以色列人。今天阅读的经文宣称，基督的降临是“大喜的信息，是关乎万民的”（2章10节）。在本章的后半段仍继续提到这个重要的信息，西面说救恩是“在万民面前所预备的”，又说以色列的弥赛亚“是照亮外邦人的光，又是祢民以色列的荣耀”（30-32节）。在路加福音结尾的部分，记载了复活的基督对两个前往以马忤斯的门徒说：“人要奉祂的名传悔改、赦罪的道，从耶路撒冷起直传到万邦”（24章47节）。这信息不是单单为以色列民，也不是要留给我们自己，而是给全世界，因为全世界的人都是上帝爱的对象。

整理：于姊妹