Read: Ezra 3:7–13

Both tears and smiles bring God praise.

在眼泪或欢笑中，都能赞美主！

No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping. Ezra 3:13

甚至百姓不能分辨欢呼的声音，和哭号的声音。-以斯拉记3章13节

Last year at a retreat I reconnected with some friends I hadn’t seen in a long time. I laughed with them as we enjoyed the reunion, but I also cried because I knew how much I had missed them.

去年，我参加了一个退修会，见到了好些许久未见的朋友。我们都开心地彼此拥抱，为再次相聚而欢笑，但我也忍不住喜极而泣，因为我实在太想念她们了。

On the last day of our time together we celebrated the Lord’s Supper. More smiles and tears! I rejoiced over the grace of God, who had given me eternal life and these beautiful days with my friends. But again I cried as I was sobered by what it had cost Jesus to deliver me from my sin. 在退修会的最后一天，我们在一起领圣餐，带来了更多的欢笑与眼泪。我为着上帝赐我永生，赐给我与好友相聚的美丽时光而感到喜悦；然而，当我想到耶稣为了我的罪所付上的代价，我也忍不住掉下了眼泪。

I thought about Ezra and that wonderful day in Jerusalem. The exiles had returned from captivity and had just completed rebuilding the foundation of the Lord’s temple. The people sang for joy, but some of the older priests cried (Ezra 3:10–12). They were likely remembering Solomon’s temple and its former glory. Or were they grieving over their sins that had led to the captivity in the first place?

这让我想到以斯拉在耶路撒冷那难忘的一天：被掳归回的以色列人完成了建圣殿的根基，唱着喜乐的歌，但有些年长的祭司却哭了 (以斯拉记3章10-12节) 。很可能是因为他们想起了昔日所罗门所建之圣殿，以及这殿先前的荣耀；抑或是他们为着导致亡国被掳的罪而感到悲伤？

Sometimes when we see God at work we experience a wide range of emotions, including joy when we see God’s wonders and sorrow as we remember our sins and the need for His sacrifice.

有时，当我们看见上帝做工的时候，心里会喜忧交加。那是因为我们看见上帝奇妙作为而满心喜悦，但想起主为我们的罪所做的牺牲便感到忧伤。

The Israelites were singing and weeping, the noise was heard far away (v. 13). May our emotions be expressions of our love and worship to our Lord, and may they touch those around us. 

以色列人一面歌唱一面哭泣，声音之大，从远处就可以听见（13节）。愿我们都能尽情表达对上帝的爱与崇敬，愿这也能感动我们周围的人。

Pray:

Lord, You welcome our sorrow and our joy, our tears and our laughter. We bring all of our emotions in their raw honesty to You. May we praise You with our whole being.

上帝啊！祢欣然接受我们的忧伤和喜乐，眼泪与欢笑。我们也将自己最真实的情绪，毫不隐藏地带到祢面前。愿我们能敞开心怀来赞美祢。

Read: Ezra 3:7–13

7 Then they gave money to the masons and carpenters, and gave food and drink and olive oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre, so that they would bring cedar logs by sea from Lebanon to Joppa, as authorized by Cyrus king of Persia.8 In the second month of the second year after their arrival at the house of God in Jerusalem, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak and the rest of the people (the priests and the Levites and all who had returned from the captivity to Jerusalem) began the work. They appointed Levites twenty years old and older to supervise the building of the house of the Lord. 9 Joshua and his sons and brothers and Kadmiel and his sons (descendants of Hodaviah[a]) and the sons of Henadad and their sons and brothers—all Levites—joined together in supervising those working on the house of God.10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the Lord, as prescribed by David king of Israel. 11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the Lord:“He is good; his love toward Israel endures forever.”And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. 12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.

整理：于姊妹