聖誕節 – 無法取消的節日──CHRISTMAS – THE HOLIDAY THAT CANNOT BE CANCELED
2021是多麼特別的一年啊！ COVID-19新冠疫情的新聞持續且無情的報導著，疫情對全球影響也是前所未見。情況糟糕到一些國家最高領導人都警告說需要「取消聖誕節」。一切只為了「阻止疫情擴散」。商品從一個地區或國家運輸到另一個地區或國家的供應鏈中斷，這已引起了人們對作為禮物和慶祝節日活動所需的商品，可能的短缺，感到非常擔憂。
這讓我想起了著名童書－蘇斯博士所寫的「偷走聖誕節的鬼靈精How the Grinch Stole Christmas。」問題是，聖誕節真的能被取消嗎？無論動機或意圖是甚麼，真的有人可以偷走聖誕節嗎？我想答案取決於到底我們指的是哪種聖誕節。 如果聖誕節是那個對零售商來說期待了一整年，並且在很大程度上決定了企業今年是「盈利」或是「虧損」，那麼也許取消說得過去。因為商品不在店裡的貨架上，甚至無法通過線上購物網站出售，當然會影響收入和財務結果。然而，如果我們指的是「真正的聖誕節」，正如聖經中所描述的那樣，那麼將沒有任何政府領導人或零售供應鏈能夠破壞或取消這個特殊的節慶。
在路加福音 2章1-40節 中，我們找到了對上帝兒子耶穌基督誕生的描述，講述了祂在世上的母親馬利亞和她的未婚夫約瑟如何從他們的家鄉拿撒勒到伯利恆，早在幾世紀前的先知已經預言過彌賽亞將誕生於此。聖經也講述了天使如何向不太可能的觀眾、卑微的牧羊人，也是第一群見證人，宣布嬰孩基督獨特且聖潔的誕生。
我們在另一本福音書中找到了類似的記載，從馬太福音第1章18節開始，一直到第二章的23 節。講述了「那位」被稱為以馬內利的，意思是「上帝與我們同在」。在這個故事中，我們看到了幾個博士、遠道而來的智者、就為了見證一個古老先知預言的實現，以及一個害怕這個孩子有一天會推翻他王位的邪惡希律王。但關於耶穌基督道成肉身最令人信服的話語出現在約翰福音的開篇：「太初有道，道與 神同在，道就是 神。這道太初與 神同在。…生命在他裏頭，這生命就是人的光。…光照在黑暗裏，黑暗卻不接受光。」（約翰福音 1章1-5節）。
這個宣告在今天和當時一樣真實。在這個假期裡，我們經常聽到人們 – 從牧師到新聞主播，到政治人物再到娛樂名人 – 對「聖誕節的真正意義」反覆思考並發表各種意見。然而，如果我們相信上面引用的記載和聖經中的其他經文，聖誕節的真正涵義不是多重選擇或各種偏好的問題。它就是簡單而深刻：神成為人的樣式，用肉身來解決一個人類無法克服的問題 – 罪的問題。
正如約翰福音第1章 14 節所說：「道成了肉身，住在我們中間，充充滿滿地有恩典有真理。我們也見過他的榮光，正是父獨生子的榮光。」帶來的是最大的禮物：「凡接待他的，就是信他名的人，他就賜他們權柄作 神的兒女。」（約翰福音 1章12節）。
@ 2021. Robert J. Tamasy 是企業巔峰: 給今日職場從箴言而來永恆的智慧 一書的作者。也與導師之的作者David A. Stoddard 合著Tufting Legacies。編輯多本著作包括Mike Landry. Bob的書: 透過苦難成長。Mike Landry. Bob的網站為www.bobtamasy-readywriterink.com
備註：如果你有聖經，想閱讀更多內容，請考慮以下的經文：
約翰福音 3章3-8、16-18節
3:3 耶穌回答說：「我實實在在地告訴你，人若不重生，就不能見 神的國。」
3:4 尼哥德慕說：「人已經老了，如何能重生呢？豈能再進母腹生出來嗎？」
3:5 耶穌說：「我實實在在地告訴你，人若不是從水和聖靈生的，就不能進 神的國。
3:6 從肉身生的就是肉身；從靈生的就是靈。 3:7 我說：『你們必須重生』，你不要以為希奇。
3:8 風隨著意思吹，你聽見風的響聲，卻不曉得從哪裏來，往哪裏去；凡從聖靈生的，也是如此。」
3:16 「 神愛世人，甚至將他的獨生子賜給他們，叫一切信他的，不致滅亡，反得永生。
3:17 因為 神差他的兒子降世，不是要定世人的罪（或譯：審判世人；下同），乃是要叫世人因他得救。
3:18 信他的人，不被定罪；不信的人，罪已經定了，因為他不信 神獨生子的名。
羅馬書 3章23節
3:23 因為世人都犯了罪，虧缺了 神的榮耀；
羅馬書 5章8節
5:8 惟有基督在我們還作罪人的時候為我們死， 神的愛就在此向我們顯明了。
羅馬書 6章23節
6:23 因為罪的工價乃是死；惟有 神的恩賜，在我們的主基督耶穌裏，乃是永生。
以弗所書 2章8-9節
2:8 你們得救是本乎恩，也因著信；這並不是出於自己，乃是 神所賜的；
2:9 也不是出於行為，免得有人自誇。
提摩太後書 3章16節
3:16 聖經都是 神所默示的（或譯：凡 神所默示的聖經），於教訓、督責、使人歸正、教導人學義都是有益的。
反省與問題討論
- 疫情對你今年聖誕節的計劃和看法會有什麼影響嗎？
- 當你聽到有人以大眾健康和安全的名義說「取消聖誕節」時，你有什麼想法或反應？
- 如果有人問你，你會如何表達或定義「聖誕節的真正意義」？它可能有不止一種涵義嗎？為什麼？請解釋你的答案。
- 你認為疫情的限制，和預期用在聖誕節禮物的商品會短缺，實際上可能是一件好事嗎？請解釋你的答案。
CHRISTMAS – THE HOLIDAY THAT CANNOT BE CANCELED
By Robert J. Tamasy
What a year it has been! The coronavirus/COVID-19 news reports have been relentless, and the pandemic’s global impact has been unlike anything ever seen. It has gotten so bad, there have been warnings by top national leaders of a need to “cancel Christmas.” All in the name of “stopping the spread.” Disruptions in supply chains for transporting merchandise from one region or nation to another have created major concerns of goods wanted for gifts and holiday celebrations may not be available.
It brings to mind the classic book by Dr. Seuss, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. The question is, can Christmas really be canceled? Can someone “steal” Christmas, regardless of their motivations or intentions? The answer, I believe, is that it all depends on to which Christmas we are referring.
If it is the Christmas that retailers anticipate year-round, the one that largely determines whether businesses end the calendar year “in the black” or “in the red,” then maybe so. Because if products are not on the store shelves or even available through online retail sites, that is bound to effect revenues and the fiscal bottom line. However, if we mean the true Christmas, as described in the Bible, no government leaders or retail supply chain could ever disrupt or eliminate that special observance.
In Luke 2:1-40, we find a description of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, telling how His earthly mother, Mary, and her betrothed husband, Joseph, went from their hometown of Nazareth to Bethlehem, where centuries earlier prophets had said the Messiah would be born. It tells how angels declared the unique, holy birth to an unlikely audience, lowly shepherds, the first eyewitnesses to the Christ Child.
We find a similar account in another gospel, starting with Matthew 1:18 and continuing through chapter 2, verse 23. It tells of the one referred to as Immanuel, which means “God with us.” In this account we find a collection of Magi, wisemen who traveled from great distances to see the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy, and an evil King Herod who feared this child would one day depose him from his throne.
But the most compelling words about Jesus Christ’s incarnation are found in the opening chapter of the gospel of John: “In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning…. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it” (John 1:1-5).
This declaration remains as true today as it was then. During this holiday season we often hear people – from preachers to news commentators to politicians to entertainment celebrities – ruminating and giving all manner of opinions about “the true meaning of Christmas.” However, if we believe the accounts cited above, and other passages from the Scriptures, the true meaning of Christmas is not a matter of multiple choice or preference. It is simple yet profound: God becoming man, taking on human flesh to overcome the one problem that has no human cure – the problem of sin.
As John 1:14 declares, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” The result was the greatest gift of all: “Yet to all who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).
© 2021. Robert J. Tamasy has written Marketplace Ambassadors: CBMC’s Continuing Legacy of Evangelism and Discipleship; Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; Pursuing Life With a Shepherd’s Heart, coauthored with Ken Johnson; andThe Heart of Mentoring, coauthored with David A. Stoddard. Bob’s biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com.
Reflection/Discussion Questions
- How has the pandemic affected both your plans and perceptions of Christmas this year?
- What are your thoughts or responses when you hear someone speaking of “canceling Christmas” in the name of public health and safety?
- If someone were to ask you, how would you express or define the “true meaning of Christmas”? Is it possible for it to have more than one meaning? Why or why not?
- Do you think there is a possibility that pandemic restrictions and the predicted scarcity of products intended for Christmas gift-giving might actually be a good thing? Explain your answer.
NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: John 3:3-8,16-18; Romans 3:23, 5-8, 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Timothy 3:16
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