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St. John’s Day @ Advent Church ~ and our Christmas Party!

Catherine Lee

Yes, a big day for Advent Church!  On the first Sunday after Christmas, we always celebrate St. John’s Day ~ and as this is St. John’s University, all our students past and present from the St. John’s University Student Fellowship – plus church members past and present – are always invited back. And today was the day!  Part of the theme of Advent is to ‘return’, and returning home to our home church is one of the things we’ve encouraged everyone to do this month.  And as it’s the last Sunday of 2015, it also seems a great way to … Continue reading St. John’s Day @ Advent Church ~ and our Christmas Party!

St. John's University, TaiwanLeave a comment

Christmas Day Early Morning @ 正德國中賢孝校區 Xian-Xiao School Assembly !

Catherine Lee

7:45am Friday School Assembly at our local Junior High School, Xian-Xiao, on Christmas Day ~ and we were there ~ in the rain ~ but YES, we were there! Not only were we there, but we were all dressed up in our Christmas outfits, and all awake and smiling!  Xian-Xiao (or Hsien-Hsiao) is a wonderful neighbour to us at St. John’s University and Advent Church ~ and we love ’em all very much, teachers, staff and children!  They’re actually a branch of Zheng-De Junior High School 正德國中 in Tamsui, with one school principal, Mr. Lin, in charge of both ~ and … Continue reading Christmas Day Early Morning @ 正德國中賢孝校區 Xian-Xiao School Assembly !

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Advent Word, Day 26 ‘receive’

Catherine Lee

Day 26: #receive #領受 Thursday December 24, Christmas Eve ‘It doesn’t matter that our lives, or our families or world are not perfect. What matters is that we make a space, no matter how small, for God in our hearts. When we do that, God will do the rest, and Christ will once more be born in the Bethlehem of our lives and the mangers of our hearts’. 我們的生命、家庭、或世界不完美，並不打緊；重要的是，要在心中開啟一個空間，讓神進駐。我們這麼做，上帝就會成全，而基督也會再次降臨，來到生命中的伯利恆，降生於你我心裡的馬槽中。 Today, the photo and the Advent Word meditation above match perfectly!  This was taken last night as we went with our students from the St. John’s University Student Fellowship around the dormitories … Continue reading Advent Word, Day 26 ‘receive’

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Advent Word, Day 25 ‘reflect’

Catherine Lee

Day 25: #reflect #反映 Wednesday December 23 ‘Mary has much to teach us. Mary’s experience gives us the message that all is sacred, all creation is redeemed, all is a reflection of the glory of God’. 馬利亞值得我們多多學習。她的經歷，提供我們饒富意義的信息，那就是：一切都屬聖潔，所有受造者都已被［創造者］贖回；所有一切，都是上帝榮耀的反映。 Advent Church reflected in the windows of the new Advent Church Center this morning! Continue reading Advent Word, Day 25 ‘reflect’

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Advent Word, Day 24 ‘pray’

Catherine Lee

Day 24: #pray #祈禱 Tuesday December 23 ‘Anyone who prays struggles with self-censorship. One of the best pieces of spiritual advice I ever received was to pray for anything that I desired, even if that desire seemed sinful – to begin integrating prayer with life as we actually experience it, rather than as we might wish it to be’. 祈禱的人自會努力自我檢視。我所領受的最佳屬靈建言之一，乃是為「心之所欲」而祈禱，哪怕那「心之所欲」看似不應該—唯願祈禱與生活相結合，一如人生最真實的體驗，而不是心中異想天開的奢望！ Busy busy busy today at ‪SJU Chaplaincy ‪‎聖約翰科技大學校牧室! 900 Christmas cookies in 6 different flavours, 2 each for 360 SJU faculty & staff, 150 for ‪Advent Church‬, all wrapped in ribbon with these Christmas greetings: ‘Glory to God in the highest … Continue reading Advent Word, Day 24 ‘pray’

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Advent Word, Day 23 ‘experience’

Catherine Lee

Day 23: #experience #體會 Monday December 21 ‘Second-hand information about God is not enough. We need to be able to touch and know and undeniably experience Jesus at work in our world and in our lives to be able to believe God, to be able to believe in God’. 關於上帝，僅有二手資訊實在不夠。我們須要接觸、知悉，而且真實地體會耶穌在世上、以及在我們生命中的聖工，才有可能相信上帝、信仰真神。 Until you experience it for yourself, how could you know that the stump of a ‪‎banana tree‬ could be just sooooooo delicious?! Our church members, the Tan family ponies! Continue reading Advent Word, Day 23 ‘experience’

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Advent Word, Day 22 ‘look’

Catherine Lee

Day 22: #look #注視 Sunday December 20, Fourth Sunday of Advent ‘Every moment is teeming with God’s presence. We can know the real presence of Jesus by being really present to life – to live our lives with a kind of attentiveness like when someone grabs your arm and then, pointing at something says, “Look!” And you’re all eyes to take it all in. That’s real living: being really present to Jesus’ real presence, now’. 每一分每一秒都有上帝同在。如果分秒都認真生活，我們就可明白耶穌的真實臨在。讓我們過一種專注的生活，好比有人一手抓住你的手臂，一手指向某物，對你說「你看！」—這時，我們必會定睛注視、全神關注。這就是真正的生活：與耶穌真實同在，把握當下！ Dawn is breaking over Sanzhi  三芝 ~ look! Continue reading Advent Word, Day 22 ‘look’

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Advent Word, Day 21 ‘hope’

Catherine Lee

Day 21: #hope #希望 Saturday December 19 ‘Life has more meaning when we have hope. Life has more meaning when we understand that we are the builders of something much larger than our own lives and concerns, if we know our place on the long trajectory into God’s future’. 有了希望，生命就更有意義。當我們瞭解，除了關懷自己，還可以推己及人，做出更大的建樹，或者，當我們確知，在進入上帝未來的長遠軌跡中，我們占有一席之地，這時，生命的意義就越發豐富了。 ‪Advent Church Thanksgiving Service today celebrating the coming 90th birthdays of some of our beloved church members, and supported by Tan Mama & Tan Baba (already 94 & 97!) ~ CONGRATULATIONS to them all! ‘The Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love’. … Continue reading Advent Word, Day 21 ‘hope’

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Advent Word, Day 20 ‘prepare’

Catherine Lee

Day 20: #prepare #預備 Friday December 18 ‘We have just days to get ready for Christmas and there is a lot to do. But the most important thing is that only you can say ‘yes’ to God. Only you can build that temple in your heart where the one whom the heavens cannot contain may dwell’. 聖誕佳節，我們有好多天可先行預備，卻有好多事要做。其中，最重要的就是，親自向上帝說：「是！」唯有你本人，才能在自己心中建立起聖殿，讓「天地之大，猶不足以容納」的那位，可進來住。 ‪‎Thanks be to God ~ the occupancy permit for our new Advent Church Centre has finally been granted!  The next step is all the interior fittings.  Lots and lots to prepare ~ ‪‎pray 4 us‬! Continue reading Advent Word, Day 20 ‘prepare’