第六,“黑色星期五”一词指的是用于感恩节后的购物日。这个词是由费城警察局的交通警察们在20世纪50年代创造的。据费城报纸记者约瑟夫·巴雷特(Joseph P. Barrett)说:“这一天,圣诞老人在百货公司坐上了椅子,城里的每个孩子都想见到他。那是圣诞购物季的第一天。”1961年,巴雷特在该市的报纸《晚间公报》(Evening Bulletin)上首次公开使用这个词来指代当天的交通问题。当地商家向警察局长阿尔伯特·布朗(Albert N. Brown)抱怨这个词会带来负面联想,于是布朗发了一份新闻稿,改口这一天称为“大周五”(”Big Friday”)。但为时已晚,媒体已经开始把感恩节后的一天称为“黑色星期五”。
第七,自19世纪70年代以来,总统在感恩节收到选民送来的火鸡的传统一直存在。
1973年,第一夫人帕特里夏·尼克松(Patricia Nixon)开始了把活火鸡捐赠给农场的传统。1989年,乔治·布什总统上任后,正式开始了“赦免火鸡”这个节目。然而,很遗憾火鸡获得的缓刑期相对较短。为总统赦免仪式养育火鸡的全国火鸡联合会(The National Turkey Federation)说,一只火鸡在被总统赦免后能活两年就很幸运了。
与第二种看法相反的,则是“上帝补缺论”(God of the gaps),这种看法基本上把我们目前不理解的所有现象或事件归因于上帝行神迹的权能。不同于纯粹用科学将一切超凡事件解释透彻,“上帝补缺”的看法将科学知识中的缺口缝隙都解释为上帝在那些缺口缝隙处的存在与做工。但随着科学知识的发展,我们知识的缝隙缺口也不断缩小,致使本来填补在这些空缺处的上帝也随之缩小了。
还有另一种对神迹错误的看法,就是把上帝在这个世界上的每个稀松平常的做工都看作非同一般的神迹。迈克尔·霍顿(Michael Horton)在《基督教信仰》(The Christian Faith)这本书中很好地描述了这种观点:
注释1:Michael Horton, The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way(中译:《基督徒的信仰:天路客的系统神学》,美国麦种传道会)(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011)。本文中凡引用霍顿的语句都出自该书。
这个公式的灵感来源于圣经中关于金钱的描述。18 世纪的英国传道士约翰卫斯理( John Wesley )说:“我得到我所能得到的一切(即通过写作),在不伤害灵魂和身体的情况下,尽我所能的节约,不愿浪费任何东西,一张纸,一杯水……然而,通过尽我所能,我已经从‘在地上积蓄财富’中得到了释放。是的,只要尽我所能,我就不需要渴望它,也不会去努力争取它。”(讲章七十七:财富的危险)
爱情之所以有这样神奇的魔力,是因为人心深处两个最重要的需求,可以同时在爱情中得到满足。人生命中两个最基本的心理需求,一个是在所爱的人心中居首位(“The need to be special, to be number one”):每个人都期盼能在所爱的人心中占有最重要的地位。如果一个人在成长时不被珍爱,或因着弟妹的出生被横刀夺爱,使TA再也得不到父母特别的注意力时,TA心底深处可能就一直期盼将来有一个人能把TA当作心上人来爱TA,给TA完全的,不分心的注意力。
另一个最基本的心理需求,是被人无条件接纳的需要(The need to be unconditionally accepted): 不管功课如何,成就高低,长得好不好看,是否可爱,都能被接纳,被爱的需要。这样的需求在爱情中似乎很容易被满足。唯有在恋爱时,当一方五音不全,歌唱得荒腔走板时,TA的爱人却听得津津有味。在这样的爱中,许多过去所受的心灵创伤都能得医治。
我们大可以从启示录第三章十四至二十二节,特别写给老底嘉教会论到“圣灵向众教会所说的话”的那一段学习到这些东西。有一本曾经出版的关于启示录第二、三章的释经书,名为《基督眼里的教会》(What Christ Thinks of the Church)简直好得无法再好了;这正正就是这些写给小亚细亚七个教会的信所要展示我们的。圣灵所说的永远是基督的想法(他把所听见的说出来),在启示录这段经文中,耶稣自己就是发言者,所以我们不可能怀疑对老底嘉教会说的话正是救主自己的讯息。
It is estimated that there are around 10,000 religions in the world, but the truth is they break down into just two categories. The first category of religion is comprised of those who demand performance (on the adherent’s part). Salvation for them is a matter of doing one’s best or obeying a set of rules. For example … ‘Don’t eat this and don’t eat that.’ ‘Pray at this time.’ ’Take part in this ceremony or that sacrament’. ’Perform this or that good work’. This is the religion of ‘DO.’ It is by far the more popular of the two.
The other category of religion is really a non-religion and is summarized by the word DONE. Membership comes about by being given the gift of eternal life by God. Since it is a gift, it cannot be earned or deserved.
As we have said many times, “Without Christ, we can do nothing” (John 15:5). That’s true, but the flip side is also accurate … with Christ, there’s nothing we need to do! Jesus has done and paid all to redeem us. It is Finished!
I don’t know who said this but when they wrote of the two religions they spoke the truth, “One religion is of Cain, the other of Abel. One is of Ishmael, the other of Isaac. One is of Esau, the other of Jacob. One is of Law, the other of Promise. One is of Mount Sinai, the other of Mount Calvary. One condemns, the other finds no fault. One leads to bondage, the other to freedom. One of weakness, the other of power. One of merit, the other of mercy. One of works, the other of grace.” One is by trying, the other is by trusting. Yes indeed, there really are only two types of religion, one is the religion of ‘Do’ the other is the religion of ‘Done.’
我不知道谁说的这点,但他们写到两种宗教时,他们说到了真理,
一种宗教是关于该隐,另一种是亚伯。
一种是以实玛利,另一种是以撒。
一种是以扫,另一种是雅各。
一种是律法,另一种是应许。
一种是西奈山,另一种是加略山。
一种是顶嘴,另一种是视为无罪。
一种带来的是束缚,另一种是自由。
一种是软弱,另一种是力量。
一种是美德,另一种是恩惠。
一种是做工,另一种是恩典。
一种是不断尝试,另一种是只要信靠。
确实,实际上只有两种宗教,一种是“做”,另一种是“已做成。”
DO or DONE? Where do you stand? We either believe that we must DO something to gain heaven or else we rest in the fact that Jesus Christ has DONE it all. He has gained our entire acceptance through His doing, dying and rising again.
The late Scott Richardson said, “The voice from the cross did not summon men to do, but to be satisfied with what was done: “It is finished.” The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only perfect thing which has ever been presented to God on man’s behalf. “It shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein” (Leviticus 22:21).
There’s not a single thing the unbeliever can do to please God for they that are in the flesh cannot please God (see Romans 8:8). All the unbeliever’s trying to get right with and impress God is useless. We are not called to try something, we are called to trust.
Christ ascended into heaven because His work of atonement was finished. It was not partially done; it was and is finished. Of course, He sprinkled His blood on the mercy seat but that was not to achieve redemption. Redemption had already been obtained. This is made clear when we read in the Scriptures, “But by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12).