Jean and I spent Easter at St. Luke's Church in Hualien this year (2023).
We already attended the Easter Vigil service at St. Luke's last night, and then we joined in the Easter celebrations today:
- the Easter Day service starting at 10:30 a.m., with our bishop the Rt. Rev. Lennon Yuan-rung Chang as celebrant and preacher;
- potluck lunch as a "love meal" with church members sharing food and drinks, plus a fun game, Easter Egg Hunt.
O Easter! Easter is the time to "get up"! Get up after falling asleep -- with the help of the Lord. May the Lord's resurrection make each of us understand the meaning of Easter, the truth of Jesus Christ's glorious victory over death, and also the true meaning of Eternal Life* (永生) revealed in the Bible! Amen.
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* Note: The following material was taken from BibleVersionStudy.com (For informational purpose only):
John 17:3 -- "And this is everlasting life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."
What is meant by "everlasting life" (John 17:3)?
"Everlasting life" involves but does not equal everlasting existence, which takes place also in hell. "Everlasting life" in the Bible refers to life that begins at salvation and lasts forever in heaven with God.
Is everlasting life the same as eternal life?
Everlasting life has a beginning but no end, while eternal life has no beginning and no end. Only God has eternal life. Christians have everlasting life, which lasts for the rest of eternity.
[Mookoo's Note: I was surprised to read the difference between "everlasting life" and "eternal life," so I checked different translations of the Bible and found that in John 17:3 the term is translated into English as "everlasting life" only in VOICE (The Voice) ... but as "eternal life" or "life eternal" in GNT (Good News Translation), NIV (New International Version), KJV (King James Version), HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible), MEV (Modern English Version), NASB (New American Standard Bible), WEB (World English Bible), TLV (Living Bible), ERV (Easy-to-Read Version), NRSVUE (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition). Therefore, for me, everlasting is equal to eternal, both being the synonyms for the word permanent and the like.]
What leads to everlasting life?
"Know ... the only true God" (John 17:3). Jesus isn't praying for people to know "about" God but to "know" God in a personal relationship with Him.
What does Jesus' statement about "the only true God" imply?
All other gods are false.
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相關文章：
1) Potluck Lunch plus an Egg Hunt (2023)
2) Confirmation (新主教來堂主禮) (2020)
3) Easter Day + Holy Baptism (2019)
4) 好友照片 ： Photos of Easter Day (2019)
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