#AdventWord #Truth #真理

‘Truth shall spring up from the earth, and righteousness shall look down from heaven.’ Psalm 85:11

‘There are, in the Psalter, over a dozen references to emet (“truth”), and I believe they are all associated with three parts of the body: the heart, the mouth, and the feet. Take, for example, Psalm 15:1-2.

Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle?
who may abide upon your holy hill?
Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right,
who speaks the truth from his heart.

I think the Psalmist is trying to tell us that our heart can be the receptacle of truths; that we need to use our mouths to declare truths; and that God can guide our steps into paths of truth–that is, into living righteous lives.

What truths are you going to treasure, declare, and follow during this Advent?’ (Hugo Olaiz)

During the Japanese Era (1895-1945), the Taipei riverside at Machangding was a place for horse riding and later for airport training. In the White Terror Era (1947–1987), the area became an execution ground. It is now a memorial park, overlooked by high-rise apartments. 

Beautiful places in Taiwan sometimes hide terrible secrets, and the truth of what really happened in some of those places, while necessary to know, is often too terrible to contemplate. Machangding is one such place. 

‘True reconciliation is never cheap, for it is based on forgiveness which is costly. Forgiveness in turn depends on repentance, which has to be based on an acknowledgment of what was done wrong, and therefore on disclosure of the truth. You cannot forgive what you do not know.’ (Desmond Tutu)

Taipei Grand Trail 臺北大縱走 Section 8: Machangding Memorial Park 馬場町紀念公園