Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2017 @ Taipei

Every year, Taipei has a weekend of activities, organised by the National Council of Churches of Taiwan, to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, starting with a Taizé Service on the Friday night. Last night the service was held in the R. C. Church of Christ the King in Shilin – located on about the busiest crossroads in the city.  Ah yes, a Friday night rush hour oasis of peace and calm! The 2017 theme is ‘Reconciliation ~ The Love of Christ Compels Us’ (2 Cor. 5: 14-20), marking the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and prepared by … Continue reading Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2017 @ Taipei

Welcome to 華人大學校牧協會 FOCUCC Chaplains and Staff!

A big welcome to chaplains and staff members representing the Federation of Chinese University and College Chaplaincies (FOCUCC) 華人大學校牧協會 for their Spring Meeting 2017 @ St. John’s University.   Here they are after last night’s welcome dinner at Advent Church Center, with SJU President Ay and our SJU welcome team! FOCCUC has 14 member institutions, 3 in Hong Kong and 11 in Taiwan, and most of them are represented here.  Welcome to them all! Continue reading Welcome to 華人大學校牧協會 FOCUCC Chaplains and Staff!

Off to the Mission Field! Big Farewell to our beloved Yu-lin 喻璘!

Yes, Yu-lin has finally said goodbye!  This is what sending someone off to the mission field looks like in Taiwan ~ here’s everyone at the airport last night saying goodbye! I wasn’t there, I had to be in Taichung last night – if not, I would have gone to the airport too.  Fortunately our rector, Rev. Lennon Y. R. Chang had hosted a dinner for us all just after Christmas at which we got to say goodbye to Yu-lin, and here we are ~ Yu-lin is the one in the middle… For the last 6+ years at St. John’s University … Continue reading Off to the Mission Field! Big Farewell to our beloved Yu-lin 喻璘!

Advent Word, Day 27 ‘celebrate’

Day 27 #celebrate #慶祝 Saturday December 24, Christmas Eve ‘Christmas is a feast of the senses! It is a celebration of our ability to see and know and taste and touch the power and glory and revelation of God. It is not just about a birth that happened long, long ago and far, far away. It is about the way in which God manifests himself to us in the person of Jesus as friend and food and hope and love. It is a celebration of our ability to grasp God and to sense him with all our being’. 聖誕節是一場「感知之宴」;在這慶典中,你我看見、知悉、品嘗、並觸摸上主的大能、榮耀、和啟示。聖誕節不僅與那久遠的某個生日有關,它跟上帝的自我顯明也息息相關:神,藉著耶穌,成為你我的益友、靈糧、希望與愛。這是我們可以緊緊抱住神,並全心全意來「感知」上帝的一個特殊節慶啊! 聖誕快樂! … Continue reading Advent Word, Day 27 ‘celebrate’

Advent Word, Day 26 ‘live’

Day 26 #live #生活 Friday December 23 ‘We are meant for life in all its fullness. Our getting together for the sheer pleasure of it anticipates the Kingdom and the heavenly banquet. Conviviality and celebration, especially in the face of difficult circumstances, bring light into the world’. 我們都是為了生命之豐盛、圓滿而做準備。你我相聚一起,其樂融融,乃是「預嚐」(提前享受)天國的饗宴。這無比歡樂的慶典,尤其在艱困的情境中舉行,確實為這世界帶來諸多光明! A big Thank You to our new president of St. John’s University, Dr. Peter Herchang Ay for welcoming so many of us from the SJU Chaplaincy and Advent Church to his university home last night to share the good news of Christmas (報佳音), light the Advent Wreath and eat yummy TangYuan 湯圓.  Ah, … Continue reading Advent Word, Day 26 ‘live’

Advent Word, Day 25 ‘animate’

Day 25 #animate #賦予生命 Wednesday December 22 ‘The Spirit of God animates us, but it all happens in the flesh: every deed of kindness, every act of generosity, every word of encouragement happens in the flesh. Every embodiment of Christ’s grace or truth or love happens in the flesh—or it doesn’t happen’. 上主的靈賦予我們生命,但一切都體現於「肉身」之中。[譯者註:此「肉身」令人聯想到「道成肉身」!]舉凡仁慈的行為、慷慨的舉動、鼓勵的話語,都藉由「肉身」來表現;而基督的恩惠、真理、愛的具體顯示,亦是如此,若沒有「道成肉身」,這一切都無法實現! A Fantastic Day ~ a very animated and super-talented Supermaster and his Superfriends from St. John’s University perform their Christmas Show for the very lovely children of LaoMei Elementary School (老梅國小)! Continue reading Advent Word, Day 25 ‘animate’

Advent Word, Day 24 ‘abide’

Day 24 #abide #居住 Wednesday December 21 ‘God’s invitation for us to abide in God as God abides in us is not an invitation to settle down and get comfortable. It is a call to mission, a summons to fruitfulness. We are meant to share the fruits of the divine life with others’. 上帝邀我們住在祂裡面,一如祂住在我們裡面;這邀約,並非要我們安頓自己,坐享清福,而是一種對外傳教,成果可期的召喚。我們蒙呼召,是要去與他人分享聖潔生活的豐碩果實。 Photo taken at the Juming Museum Continue reading Advent Word, Day 24 ‘abide’

Advent Word, Day 23 ‘prune’

Day 23 #prune #修剪 Tuesday December 20 ‘We prune to let go of growth, letting die what is alive but not growing in the best direction. We prune to let go of death, letting go what is dead but still taking up space. Pruning is a form of dying in order for the tree to more fully live and bear more fruit’. 為了樹木長得好,我們修枝剪葉,將那生長茂密,卻四處亂竄的枝椏砍下,拋棄。為了拋開死亡,我們進行修剪,將那已枯萎,卻還佔據空間的枝葉砍下,丟開。原來「修剪」本身也是一種死亡形式,目的是,教植物長得更美好,開花結果,越發豐盛。 Yes it’s a tree! At 華山1914文化創意產業園區 Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei Continue reading Advent Word, Day 23 ‘prune’

Advent Word, Day 22 ‘simplify’

Day 22 #simplify #簡單化 Monday December 19 ‘A simpler lifestyle can be a way to share with those who have less and a way of returning to them what is usurped by unjust social and economic structures. Assuming a stance of under-consumption can be a provocative invitation to others into a conversation about affluence, poverty and social justice’. 簡單的生活模式,可做為一種「分享」,與那些收入低、財產少的人分享;也可以當作「歸還」的方式,把不公平的社經結構所造成的「侵佔所得」歸還遭到剝削的族群。採取低消費的姿態,會是一種有力的邀約,激發他人談論攸關貧富以及社會正義的問題。 Beautiful Advent flowers at St. James’ Church, Taichung (台灣聖公會聖雅各堂) Continue reading Advent Word, Day 22 ‘simplify’