【双语灵修】“小伯利恒” O Little Town Of Bethlehem

“生命在他里头。这生命就是人的光。光照在黑暗里，黑暗却不接受光。” - 约 1:4-5

“小伯利恒”的开头描绘了一个古朴的村庄，安息在睡梦中，不知道在耶稣降生之夜发生了什么。

“在你漆黑的街衢，永恒的光昭启；”约翰福音的序言以类似的方式描述了耶稣的到来：“生命在他里头。这生命就是人的光。”在古朴的村庄伯利恒，“世界的光”（约 8:12）诞生了。

请注意伯利恒黑暗的街道和永恒的光之间形成的对比。耶稣降生进入的世界充满了罪与恶的黑暗。在耶稣到来之前，无人有过走出那片黑暗的指望。

但在一个重要的历史时刻，世界的光在一个婴孩的诞生中发出来了。在这个小孩子身上，正如圣诞歌曲中所唱的，“万世希望，众生忧惊，今宵集中于你”。

在基督的降生中，我们获得了走出世界黑暗的盼望。因着耶稣，我们可以离开罪恶的黑暗，开始新的生活。正如耶稣自己在约翰福音 8:12所说：“跟从我的，就不在黑暗里走，必要得着生命的光。”

今天你是否活在这种盼望中呢？来仰望这光，跟随基督而活吧！

祷告

耶稣，世界的光，请你永远照亮我们心中的黑暗，并引领我们将你的光带进我们周围的世界。阿们。

约翰福音 1:1-5

1太初有道，道与神同在，道就是神。
2这道太初与神同在。
3万物是藉着他造的；凡被造的，没有一样不是藉着他造的。
4生命在他里头，这生命就是人的光。
5光照在黑暗里，黑暗却不接受光。

O Little Town Of Bethlehem

"In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." - John 1:4-5

The beginning of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" pictures a quaint village, peacefully asleep, unaware of what is taking place there on the night of Jesus’ birth.

"Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light. . . ." The prologue to John’s gospel describes Jesus’ coming in a similar way: "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind." In the quaint village of Bethlehem, the "light of the world" (John 8:12) was born.

Notice the contrast between the dark streets of Bethlehem and the everlasting light. The world that Jesus was born into was full of the darkness of sin and evil. Until Jesus came, there was no hope of anyone getting out of that darkness.

But in one significant moment the light of the world comes in the birth of a baby. In that little child, as the Christmas song puts it, "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight."

In the birth of Christ we have the hope of coming out of the world’s darkness. Because of Jesus, we can leave the darkness of sin behind and begin a new life. As Jesus himself says in John 8:12, "Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Are you living in that hope today? Look to the light! Follow Christ and live!

Prayer

Jesus, light of the world, shine forever into the darkness of our hearts, and lead us to bring your light into the world around us. Amen.