Family Month
This past March was “Family Month” at church. Several pastors shared from the pulpit on biblical teachings about family, as well as our own struggles and how we put these teachings into practice.
From late March to early April is also “Family Month” for my wife and me. At the end of March and the beginning of April, my older brother, sister-in-law, and niece came from Hong Kong to visit us in Sydney and travelled to Cairns. They spent six days in Sydney, and my wife and I arranged two Saturdays and the Monday after Easter to take them around.
On the first Saturday, we had yum cha in Chinatown in the city, then went to Darling Harbour to see the waterfront, and visited the newly renovated Sydney Fish Market. After enjoying some ice cream and coffee, we had dinner at a Japanese restaurant in the CBD, ending a very pleasant day.
On the second Saturday, we went on a road trip to several spots in the Blue Mountains: Leura, Katoomba, and the Three Sisters. Thank God, it was rainy and foggy in the mountains that day. Although we could not see the Three Sisters at all, it felt like we were in a fairyland. In Katoomba, we saw many shops having sales, and as we browsed around, each of us bought some new clothes and had a great time. In the evening, we went to Hurstville to enjoy Chinese cuisine.
On the Monday after Easter, we continued our road trip and went down to Wollongong to see the beautiful coastline and enjoy some good food. The highlight of the day was skydiving. Of course, it was not my brother, sister-in-law, my wife, or me who went skydiving, but my brave niece (with an instructor jumping together with her). As spectators, we were very excited to film her. It was sunny in the morning but started to rain at noon, so we prayed about the weather. Thank the Lord, the rain suddenly stopped at 3 p.m., and an hour later, my niece was finally able to skydive, fulfilling one of the items on her bucket list.
During these three days, another highlight was the time we spent together in the car during our road trips—we listened to and sang Cantonese, Mandarin, and English hymns together in worship to God.
In addition to worship in the car, how could we miss worship at church? Back in Hong Kong, my brother’s family and my wife and I attend different churches. But during their visit to Sydney, I was able to worship together with them at CPC for two consecutive Sundays, which I am truly thankful for.
On Tuesday, they flew back to Hong Kong, and I felt very reluctant to see them go. On that day, God brought two passages of Scripture to my mind.
In the Psalms, the psalmist says:
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” (Psalm 133:1, ESV)
It has been a long time since I last lived with my brother. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to dwell in unity with his family.
Another passage is the words of the Lord Jesus:
“If anyone comes to me and does not love me more than father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26–27)
This passage reminds me that, although it is hard to part from them, as a disciple of the Lord serving God in Sydney, putting God first and loving Him above all is what matters most.
Brothers and sisters, my wife and I have had a memorable time with our family. We will soon be travelling to Melbourne to visit my father-in-law and sister-in-law. We pray that all brothers and sisters in the church will enjoy a blessed family life and the joy of being with their loved ones.
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家庭月
剛過去的三月是教會的「家庭月」，我們幾位牧者都在講台上分享聖經中有關家庭的教導，也分享我們的掙扎和實踐。
在三月尾至四月尾，就是我和太太的「家庭月」。在三月尾至四月頭，我的哥哥、嫂嫂和姪女從香港來到雪梨探望我們，又往凱因斯(Cairns)旅遊。他們有六天行程在雪梨遊玩，我和太太安排了兩個週六和復活節後的週一，跟他們一起週圍逛逛。
第一個週六，我們在市中心唐人街飲茶，之後去達令港看海，再去全新的雪梨魚市場，吃雪糕、喝咖啡，晚上就在市中心享受日本餐廳，渡過愉快的一天。
第二個週六，我們去了一趟公路旅行，我們去了藍山的幾個景點：羅拉 (Leura)、卡通巴 (Katoomba) 和三姊妹峰 (Three Sisters)。感謝神，那天在藍山山上又雨又霧，我們雖然完全看不到那三姊妹峰，卻感到似是置身仙境之中。而在卡通巴，我們四週都看到正在減價的店舖，我們遊走這些店舖，每人都買到新的衣服，非常開心。晚上我們去了好市圍享用中菜。
復活節後的週一，我們繼續公路旅行，我們下到臥龍崗，去看那美麗的海岸線和享受美食，而重點節目就是跳傘。當然，不是哥哥、嫂嫂、太太或我去跳傘，而是勇敢的姪女一個人跳(其實是跳傘員跟她一起跳)，但作為觀眾的我們為她拍片也很興奮。那天早上放晴，但中午卻下雨，我們為天氣祈禱。感謝主，祂叫雨水在三點中突然停下來，一個鐘後，姪女終於可以跳傘，完成了她願望清單的其中一項。
這三天的遊玩，另一個亮點就是公路旅行中、一起在車上的時間 - 我們一起聽著唱著粵語的、國語的、英文的詩歌去敬拜神。
除了車上的詩歌敬拜，又怎能缺少教會中的敬拜？在香港，哥哥一家跟我和太太是去不同的地方教會崇拜。但在他們這次雪梨之旅，我有連續兩個禮拜日在教會跟他們一起敬拜，實在感恩。
在星期二，他們乘坐飛機回港，我心中實在不捨。在那天，神讓我想起兩段經文。
在詩篇中，詩人說：看哪，弟兄和睦同居是何等地善，何等地美！詩篇 133:1
我實在很久沒有和哥哥住在一起，感謝神讓我可以跟他一家和睦同居。
另一段經文，就是主耶穌的說話：
人到我這裏來，若不愛我勝過愛自己的父母、妻子、兒女、弟兄、姊妹，和自己的性命，就不能作我的門徒。凡不背着自己十字架跟從我的，也不能作我的門徒。路加福音 14:26-27
這段經文提醒我，縱然不捨和他們分離，作主門徒，在雪梨服事神，將神放在首位、愛祂，才是最重要的。
弟兄姊妹，我和太太經歷了一段和家人一起、令人難忘的時間。我們也即將往墨爾本探望我的外父和姨妹。祈願教會眾弟兄姊妹都有美好的家庭生活，可以享受天倫之樂。
