As established by the Episcopal Diocese of Taiwan, Jing Zu Zhuri, or Ancestor Remembrance Sunday, is observed on the Sunday nearest the end of the lunar year. On this Sunday, we earnestly thank the Lord for granting us our ancestors and especially pray for them, through whom our lives were made possible according to God’s will.
Today, two days before the Lunar New Year—the Year of the Horse (馬年)—begins, the three of us (who came from Hualien on Friday) joined the congregation at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church in Kaohsiung for the service of Ancestor Remembrance Sunday. Jean and I had a truly wonderful time worshiping God and remembering our ancestors together with our children and grandchildren this morning. We were also delighted to meet new friends, including Ms. Lìlíng Liú (the musician today!) and her husband, Mr. Xìnyī Lín (a professor at Chang Jung Christian University), Ms. Xiùzhì Ōu (the senior warden at St. Timothy's) and her husband, Mr. Wényì Chéng (nicknamed Brother Little Tiger), Ms. Jiāyí Cài (who lit the small candles for us!) and her brother, Mr. Jiāhēng Cài, and others.
To our surprise, Ms. Catherine Lee, a missionary from the UK, came to St. Timothy’s this morning with her nephew Lawrence and his wife, Anja, for a visit. Jean and I had a long and pleasant conversation with the three of them, recalling that Lawrence’s parents, David and Anna, had visited St. James' Church in Taichung in June last year (2025), and that Catherine had served as their tour guide at that time.
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🕀 牧師講道（摘要）
［大綱一］從「祭祖」到「敬祖」：釐清信仰立場
- 華人文化重孝道，但祭祖常混雜迷信與恐懼，許多基督徒掙扎：不拿香是否不孝？
- 1992年三一神學中心舉辦祭祖研討會，制定「敬祖禮」⸺用「敬」而非「祭」。
- 原則：分清「向上帝禱告」與「向祖先祭拜」。
［大綱二］登山變像：祖先在基督裡的新定位
- 耶穌顯出榮光，摩西（律法）與以利亞（先知）顯現，彼得想為三人搭棚。
- 天父宣告：「這是我的愛子......你們要聽他！」摩西、以利亞偉大，但不是救主。
- 祖先值得尊敬，但不是敬拜對象，唯有基督是我們當聽從的。
［大綱三］下山實踐：真正的孝道在生活中
- 耶穌變相後帶門徒下山，信仰不是停留在神聖時刻，而是回到日常生活。
- 敬祖的實踐：在家中尊重父母，過年時主動幫忙，耐心傾聽長輩。
- 用平安與喜樂做見證。
［總結］
- 願那在山上顯現榮光的主，照亮我們的家庭，除去恐懼與迷信，使我們在新的一年裡，既敬祖先，更敬上帝；既承傳文化，更定睛基督。
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🕀 特禱：
全能永生的上帝，祢是生命的根源，一切受造的本體：我們竭誠地感謝祢，因為祢眷愛我們的列祖列宗，使生命延續緜緜；藉著聖靈的引導，叫我們認識祢是道路、真理、生命。我們的祖先在世的時候，敬畏上帝，自強不息。懇求祢使我們能承先啟後、繼往開來，愛主愛人，歸榮耀與祢。這都是靠著我們的主耶穌基督，聖子和聖父、聖靈，一同永生，一同掌權，惟一上帝，永無窮盡。阿們。
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相關文章 (See also)：
1) The Day of Pentecost, 2025 (2025)
2) 聖經常識知多少？ (2025)
