38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. (Mark 1:38-39)
From his reply, we know Jesus is consistently moving because His mission is to share the Good News and care for the needs of others. I wonder if we asked Jesus what we should do during this pandemic, He might say “keep moving” or “keep doing what I do.”
As His followers, we should follow His footsteps.
With the pandemic, traveling physically from towns to towns, houses to houses may not be a preferred way. Dr. Fauci predicted the COVID cases will heighten after the holidays. But we can reach out to others through other means.
Personally, I did more video conferencing in 2020 than I did in all the previous years added up. It can take a while to learn how to use Zoom or Google Meet, but once you learn it you can connect with a lot of people. Many of us joined different chat groups. Perhaps you can “travel” through your chat group and share the faith with them individually. I joined my high school’s old boys’ group in 2020. I was able to connect with my friends and share my faith with some.
Now, how do you know if a person in the group has interest in talking to you? Very simple, send them a message. You and the other person probably have something in common and that’s why both of you are in the group. If they reply, carry on a conversation. If they don’t, send one more message and move on. It doesn’t cost you any money, but you could gain a friend and make an impact in His kingdom. You will be surprised how many people are interested in a faith conversation during this pandemic.
Dear brothers and sisters, have you connected with those who have not come to church for a long time? Have you reached out to your long-time friends? Do you know anyone who is in need and the Spirit is urging you to reach out? Let’s “keep moving” in 2021!
38 耶穌對他們說：「我們可以往別處去，到鄰近的鄉村，我也好在那裡傳道，因為我是為這事出來的。」39於是在加利利全地，進了會堂，傳道，趕鬼。（馬可福音1:38-39）
從耶穌的答覆中，我們知道祂一直在前行，因為祂的使命是分享好消息，並關心他人的需要。我在想，如果問耶穌在疫情大流行期間我們該怎麼辦，祂可能會說：「繼續前行」或「繼續做我所做的事」。
作為跟隨者，我們應該效法祂的腳蹤。
在疫情大流行期間可能不適宜旅遊與探訪。 科西博士（Dr. Fauci）預測假期後新冠狀病例會遽增，但是我們可以透過其他方式與人聯繫。
就個人而言，我在2020年視訊會議比往幾年的總和還多。學習如何使用Zoom或Google Meet需要花一些時間，但是一旦學會了便可以與許多人建立聯繫。許多人加入了不同的聊天組，也許你可以安排聊天「行程」，與他們單獨分享信仰。我於2020年加入了高中時期的弟兄小組，這樣就夠與朋友聯絡，分享我的信仰。
如何知道小組中的誰是否有興趣交談？很簡單，只要發送簡訊，你和那人可能有些共同之處，因此你們兩個都在某個群組中。如果收到回覆就可以進行對話；如果對方未回覆，可再發送一條簡，訊繼續前行。這不會花費任何金錢，但可以結交朋友，並在神的國度中產生影響。在此疫情大流行期間，你會意外地發現有那麼多人對信仰感到興趣。
親愛的兄弟姐妹們，你是否與那些長時間未來教會的人建立聯繫？你是否聯絡你的老朋友？你是否認識有需要的人，聖靈會催促你伸出援手？讓我們在2021年「繼續前行」！
～ Rev. Clement Woo 胡嘉明牧師～
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