下午茶 Afternoon Tea

好嚮往同耶穌基督面對面，食下甜品傾下計 

讓我暫時遠離繁囂，感受從祂而來簡單的幸福 

How I long for time with Jesus -- to share a good, fulfilling meal (with something sweet!), and simply sit and talk with Him. I often long to rest, even for a moment, from the busyness of life, and experience little quiet moments of joy with Him.

我想起聖經不同地方提及赴神設的筵席：I reflected upon communion with God in the bible as follows:

1.        從神為以色列人設的嗎哪，及至五餅二魚、餵飽五千人，以及最後晚餐，從頭到尾都是神主動為祂愛的人所預備的。I noticed a beautiful pattern: God has always been the One preparing food for those He loves. He nourishes and provides from the time of exodus with manna, to Jesus feeding the five thousand, to the last supper.

2.        祂在出埃及記 24章召摩西及領袖長老們上了山，與祂面對面。神沒有因他們見了祂的面而責打或擊殺他們，反讓他們在祂跟前吃喝。華人經常透過一起吃飯建立友誼，同樣，當時會幕及聖所純金桌子上的陳設餅，代表著神的同在、供應和眷顧。我聯想到最後晚餐，延伸至現今的聖餐，和新天新地的筵席，神很看重與我們的交往的過程，其中的甘甜讓我心溫暖。

In Exodus 24, God called Moses and the Jewish leaders to meet Him face to face on the Mount, where they ate and drank. I resonate personally from my culture where love and friendship are expressed and strengthened through sharing meals. The same theme appears in the Passover, in communion as we remember Jesus, and in the banquet when His Kingdom comes. Bread of the Presence, set continually before the Lord, represents God’s togetherness, provision and care (exodus 25:24). All these rich symbolics surrounding bread brings a sense of warmth in my heart.

3.        耶穌是生命的糧 （參約 6:35）。我最近參加了逾越節晚餐：猶太宣教士講解到無酵餅的細節，預言基督的受苦特別感動我。餅上的焦黑代表基督身上的瘀青，滿滿的洞代表祂身上被刺的小孔，一條一條的紋路是祂所受的鞭傷。原來神與人中間的橋樑 – 那塊「餅」，便是耶穌基督，祂為我們而捨、被擘開破碎了的身體。宣教士說縱使人生很苦，就像逾越節中嘗到的苦菜，仍然要找到甜味的調和（蘋果蓉），而這份甜美就是在耶穌裏找到的。

Jesus, the Bread of life (John 6:35) is the culmination of it all and brings all these meanings together. After recently participated in a Passover demonstration, I was particularly touched by how the metaphors of unleavened bread, Matzah, alludes to the suffering of Christ. The scorched marks remind us of His bruises; the holes reflected the many punctured injuries He endured; the lines symbolize the stripes He bore. In this way, the bread becomes a powerful picture of Jesus’ body, broken for us. The preacher commented something meaningful: that although life is hard, as represented by bitter herbs, he encouraged us to always seek and hold onto sweetness, symbolized by the apple salad. And Ultimately, that sweetness is found in Jesus.