来吧！让我们于2024年1月2日开始教会的晨祷会！

2. 教会始于群体同心合意的祷告会（徒1:14；2:42）。

1.  为什么是晨祷会？

• 诗63:1神啊，你是我的神，我要切切的寻求你。“切切的”（earnestly）原文是早晨（early）。同时，晨更祷告最能体现出我们寻求主的迫切心情。
• 诗90:14 求你使我们早早饱得你的慈愛，好叫我们一生一世欢呼喜乐。“早早”原文是“早晨”。NIV的翻译是：“Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,” 直译：“求你在清晨以你永不失败的慈愛满足我们。”
• 主耶稣是我们作晨更祷告最好的榜样。可1: 35  次日早晨，天未亮的时候，耶稣起来到旷野地方去，在那里祷告。
• 中国人有一句谚语是：“一年之计在于春，一天之计在于晨，一生之计在于勤”。另一句是：“早起的鸟儿有虫吃”。早晨是人精力最充沛的时刻，经过一夜的休息调整，状态应该达到最佳。当我们将最好的时间当作祭物藉晨祷献给神时，神非常喜悦，他定会赐予我们充足的力量和智慧，使我们一天都满怀信心和盼望，并且在凡事上大大得胜。

桑迪的圣诞信Sandi’s Christmas Letter

在美国寄圣诞信是一个美好的传统。在圣诞信中，通常会有家人的照片，也有人喜欢将一年的总结写出来与亲朋好友分享。在这个网络发达邮件、微信及手机短信主导交流媒介的时代，圣诞信成了失落的艺术。我和莎莎婚后开始写圣诞信，今年我们写了第十封圣诞信。我们也收到许多朋友们的圣诞信。

有一封邮件圣诞信非常独特，它来自一对传教士夫妇。他们年轻时曾到新加波宣教，与我们教会的魏牧师师母是同事。这封信是由诗体写成的，合辙押韵。信中讲到，牧师师母十月份分别庆祝了他们89和90岁生日。他们身体健壮，依然积极参与当地华人教会的福音事工。两位长辈生命不息、侍奉不止的见证实在令人感动！

另一封独特的圣诞信是桑迪（Sandi）姐妹寄来的。她是我们在奥克拉荷马的老朋友。桑迪是一个响亮的名字，展现艳冠群芳艳若桃李充满热情的品格特点。这位桑迪的生命像她的名字一样真诚愛主，积极服侍，关愛身边的每个人。她每年都会寄给我们圣诞信，每次都是一篇精彩美文。今年的题目是：““金发碧眼”，以下是全文：

正如你们中的许多人每天晚上和孩子们所做的那样，我和我们的儿子雷特（Rett，注：实际上，雷特是她的孙子。桑迪和丈夫领养孙子作为儿子）一起作睡前祷告。我们和他一起背“现在我躺下睡觉” （Now I lay me down to sleep）的祷文，直到他五岁左右。然后我觉得我应该教他如何发自内心即兴祷告，而不是背诵祷告文。我们为一切事祷告！我们每晚轮流祷告。轮到我的时候，我祷告上帝为雷特在世界上创造的一个 “小女孩”，有一天能成为他的妻子。我祷告她会成为一名坚强的基督徒，全心全意愛他。当他九岁左右时，在我们的睡前祷告中，我提到了有一天会成为他妻子那个小女孩。他拦住我说：“如果我们祈求上帝让这个小女孩是“金发碧眼”可以吗？我告诉他，你可以向上帝祈求任何事情；但她有“金发碧眼”并不重要；她可以有像他一样的黑头发和黑眼睛，只要她是基督徒并且全心愛他就好了。这才是上帝所希望的。

第二天晚上轮到雷特祷告了。他为他所有的家人、朋友和学校祷告；你知道，所有小时候祷告的事情都是例行公事。他提到了关于他未来妻子的部分，他祷告那个女孩能是基督徒并愛小孩子，就像他愛小孩子那样，结束时他说：“我知道她外表长什么样并不重要，因为只要她是个好人并且愛我就好了。但如果你同意的话，我真的希望她有“金发碧眼”，谢谢上帝。 阿门。”我强忍笑声，只是淡淡一笑。我知道随着岁月的流逝，他对“金发碧眼女孩”的渴望会改变。我们小时候认为什么是重要的，这不是很有趣吗？事实上，即使一个成年人也会这样。你听过加思·布鲁克斯（Garth Brooks）的歌曲《未回应的祷告》(“Unanswered Prayers”)吗？你所求的一切都取决于你当下的内心渴望，但从长远来看，这可能不是对我们最好的。最重要的是……你真的想要上帝给你的东西。他知道我们的“需要”比我们的“想要”更重要。

当你收到这张圣诞卡时，我们将为你祷告，愿上帝赐予你所需的一切，使你在地上的生活和足迹拥有“永远的”美善和持久的价值。顺便说一句，我们的儿子现在已经18岁了，他仍然想要一个“金发碧眼”的妻子。哦，我的天啊……

圣经是天父上帝赐给我们每个罪人的一封救恩之信，告诉我们如何可以借着他儿子在十字架上的受死而得着拯救。保罗也说，我们就是“基督的信”（a letter from Christ，林后3：3），为世人作见证。在这个圣诞节，也许你不会像桑迪姐妹那样写出优美的圣诞信，但你依然可以给朋友写邮件、发手机短信或微信来传递问候，将主的愛分享给人。一句良言，使三冬都温暖！求主赐福给您和家人拥有一个温馨和蒙福的圣诞节！

以下是桑迪的圣诞信原文，欢迎参考：

“Blonde Hair & Blue Eyes”

As many of you do, or did, each night with your little ones, I said night-time prayers with our son, Rett.  We prayed the “Now I lay me down to sleep” prayer with him until he reached around the age of 5 years old.  Then I felt I should teach him how to pray from his heart, instead of his memorized prayer.  We prayed about everything!  We would take turns praying each night. When it was my turn, I prayed for the “little girl” out there in the world that God had created just for Rett, to be his wife, someday.  I prayed she would be a strong Christian woman that would love him with all her heart.  When he reached about the age of 9, at our bedtime prayers, I came to the part about the little girl that would someday be his wife.  He stopped me & said, “would it be alright if we asked God for the little girl to have “blonde hair & blue eyes?”  I told him that you could ask God for anything; but it really wasn’t important that she had “blonde hair & blue eyes”; she could have dark hair & dark eyes like his, as long as she is a Christian & would love him with all her heart, the way that God intended.

The next night it was Rett’s turn to pray.  He prayed for all his     family, friends & school; you know, all the things that are routine to pray for as a child.  He came to the part about his future wife & he prayed for her to be a Christian & love children, like he did & then in closing he said,  “I know it really doesn’t matter what she looks like on the outside, as long as she is a good person & loves me, but if it is okay with You, I really want her to have ‘blonde hair & blue eyes,’ thank you God. Amen.” I held back my laughter & I just smiled & knew that as the years went by, his desire for a “blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl” would change.  Isn’t it funny what we think is important as a child; actually, even as an adult. Have you ever heard that Garth Brooks song, “Unanswered Prayers?”  If you haven’t, it all comes down to our heart’s desire, in the moment, but it may not be what is best for us in the long run. The bottom line is…. you really want what God gives you. He knows what we “need” is more important than what we “want.”

We will be praying for you as you receive this card, that God will give you what you need to make your life & footprint here on earth, an “eternally” good & lasting one. By the way, our son is 18 years old now, he still wants a wife with “blonde hair & blue eyes.” Oh, dear……   

Merry Christmas from our hearts to yours!

“Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

Genesis 2:24 ESV