崇拜新視野 The Wonder of Worship

諸聖日（11月1日）是為紀念教會歷世歷代的聖者而設。在大公教會的信仰傳統裏，我們信聖徒相通、我們信身體死後復活、我們信永生，這就是我們慶祝諸聖日的原因。   保羅在羅馬書8章11節說：「使耶穌從死人中復活的上帝的靈若住在你們裏面，那使基督從死人中復活的，也必藉着住在你們裏面的聖靈使你們必死的身體又活過來。」信主之人已有這使耶穌從死人中復活的上帝之靈住在我們心內，我們無需等到死後才經歷復活，我們活著的時候，已能藉聖靈得享基督復活所帶給我們的能力、平安及盼望。 基督徒因著一主、一信、一洗，我們同感一靈，有同一指望，與所有已安息主懷的信眾在上帝的愛中享受著同一的團契。諸聖日是一個讓我們追思及效法先賢的日子，教會歷代的信徒，持守著信仰的真道，努力見證福音，留下了佳美的腳蹤。基督徒也是天國群體的一員，理當竭誠盡忠，堅守教會的使命，秉承諸聖的見證，將主復活的盼望薪火相傳，活出在地如在天的生活。 All Saints' Day is also known as All Hallows' Day. Hallow simply means holy, as the Lord’s Prayer suggests (“hallowed be thy name”), so a “hallow” is a holy person—a saint. This is the day the church remembers all the women and men who have modeled holiness for us throughout the history of the church. For over a century, churches hold special services dedicated to honoring the saints and remembering departed loved ones. On this day, Christians come to affirm their historic faith and worship the God of their ancestors.  

What is a hallow? Hallow simply means holy, as the Lord’s Prayer suggests (“hallowed be thy name”), so a “hallow” is a holy person—a saint. All Hallows’ Eve, then, is the eve of All Saints’ Day—the day the church remembers all the women and men who have modeled holiness for us throughout the history of the church. All Saints’ Day is followed by All Souls’ Day on November 2, the day the church recognizes all the faithful departed—that is, every person who has ever lived and died in Christ, whether the church officially recognizes them as a saint or not.   For over a century, the Church has observed All Hallow’s Eve as an evening vigil to watch and wait for these two holy days that honor the friends, family, and heroic saints who are now part of the “cloud of witnesses” spoken of in Hebrews 12:1, cheering us on from heaven as we run the race set before us. All Hallows’ Eve is similar to Christmas Eve in that we are eagerly and festively anticipating the holy day that follows.

Ordinary time begins the Monday after Pentecost and stretches until Advent. It is the longest season of the church year. Ordinary Time is a time for growth and maturation, a time in which the mystery of Christ is called to penetrate ever more deeply into history until all things are finally caught up in Christ. Let’s walk the faithful and steady path of discipleship. Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost, which celebrates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The feast of Corpus Christi was proposed by Thomas Aquinas, and being recognized in 1264, in order to create a feast focused solely on the Holy Eucharist. Corpus Christi is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. Thursday was chosen because it was the day on which the Last Supper was celebrated. The birth of John the Baptist on June 24 comes three months after the celebration on March 25 of the Annunciation, and six months before the Christm

Trinitarian theology speaks to all of life, art included. A wonderful example of a trinitarian artistic vision is the work of artist Farid De La Ossa Arrieta of Columbia. Above is one of his works which gives a contemporary, evocative presentation of the union of all creation with the Triune God. ——  Trinitarian art by Ted Johnson, June 22, 2010. While every Christian worship service is a celebration of the Trinity, Trinity Sunday focuses explicitly on the mystery, power, and beauty of the triune God. Our Christian identity and mission are given to us as we are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19). Our worship is not only directed to the triune God but is also enabled by the prompting of the Holy Spirit and the mediation of Jesus Christ. At its best, our worship is also an expression of the unity and common purpose of the church, which Jesus prayed would reflect the unity between himself and God (John 17:20-21). Trinity Sunday, which

When the Day of Pentecost Came by Mark A Hewitt, Pastel & Pen, 26 May 2012. Ten days after the ascension of Christ and fifty days after his resurrection, the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples on the day of Pentecost. Pentecost was an established Jewish festival also known as the Feast of Weeks, which drew people from many nations back to Jerusalem (Lev. 23:15-21; Deut. 16:16). Pentecost symbolizes a new beginning. It celebrates the unleashing of the Holy Spirit on the world and the empowering of the church to reach the world with the gospel. In celebrating Pentecost, the church expresses its gratitude for the faithfulness of Christ in fulfilling his promise to send “another counselor” (John 14:16); celebrates the work of the Spirit in renewing all of creation; professes its confidence and security in knowing the Spirit’s power is available for its mission; and grows in awareness of the immensity of its calling to reach the world with the gospel. The traditional co

The Ascension, by Dosso Dossi, 16th century.  Ascension Day, the fortieth day after Easter, marks the day on which Jesus went to the Mount of Olives with his disciples and ascended to heaven before their eyes (Acts 1:1-12). Though often overlooked, the ascension of Christ is filled with theological significance. Christ’s ascension means that in heaven there is one who, knowing firsthand the experience of suffering and temptation, prays for us and perfects our prayers. The ascension is a witness and guarantee of our own bodily resurrection, as well as an invitation for us to set our hearts and minds “on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1-2) to rule over all things in heaven and throughout the universe (Eph. 1:10, 20-23). Finally, the ascension of Jesus serves as the prelude to Pentecost, when the power of the risen Christ came upon all believers through the Holy Spirit. Some churches observe Ascension Day with a service on the actual day of