It was the Lunar/Chinese New Year in the past week and brothers and sisters who live outside Asian countries would not experience the same lively atmosphere as those living in Asian. In addition, the severity of Covid situation in Sydney has also contributed to the reduction of meeting and celebrations with others. Nevertheless, most brothers and sisters still celebrate Chinese New Year in various ways, be it a small dinner gathering with a few friends; or watching the New Year celebration program via internet; or to exchange “new year greetings” through social media to bless each other with peace. Exchanging “new year greetings” may just be a few words of blessings but saying these words in this season will still make people feel that the meaning is different. Similarly for the New Year's Eve dinner on New Year's Eve, what people look forward to and enjoy is not just a sumptuous meal, but a wonderful atmosphere where a family or a group of friends get together to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. Enjoying New Year’s Eve dinner and sending greetings to each other have become a “ritual” in celebrating Chinese New Year, and this “sense of ritual” has brought to people a feeling of solemnity and meaning of life.
Even though there are times that people feel that “rituals” are not so important, “rituals” are still beneficial to our lives. “Rituals” can help us differentiate a particular date or time, and add some special experiences to our daily routine.
There are quite a few rituals in our religious lives. The most familiar one will be our Sunday worship. In a particular time on a Sunday, believers would gather together and worship God through singing hymns, reading the Bible and listening to sermons, etc. Our Church consists of various language groups, and our Sunday worship falls on different times of the day. Each service has its own format. No matter how free a worship service is, there will be some certain liturgy because if there is no ritual at all, it is difficult to be called a worship service. Through a worship service, all God’s children gather together as a united group to show respect to God, and to develop their awe and love towards God. Each and every time we are part of a worship service, we are being reminded that we are differentiated from the world as a group of people belonging to the Kingdom of God. Sunday worship is a significant part of Christian life and it deserves our sincere attitude towards it. If the New Year’s ritual can bring us joy and anticipation, a Sunday worship should bring us even more satisfaction deep down in our hearts through worshiping God. Let us practise this very ritual in worshiping God whether it is physical or online.
剛剛過去的這一周適逢中國農曆新年，在海外生活的弟兄姐妹，不比在華人聚集的亞洲地區過年那麼熱鬧，又因為悉尼的疫情嚴重，聚會和慶祝活動減少很多。即便如此，大多數的弟兄姐妹仍然以各種方式來祝賀農曆新年，或許是約幾個朋友一起吃飯糰聚；或者通過網絡觀看中國的春節晚會；抑或在社交平台上互相發送“拜年”的訊息，祝福彼此平安。 “拜年”說起來只是講幾句恭敬祝福的話，但是在這個季節說這些話，仍然會讓人覺得意義不同。同樣，除夕之夜的年夜飯，人們期待和享受的也不僅僅是一頓豐盛的美餐，而是一家人或一群朋友聚在一起辭舊迎新的美好氣氛。吃年夜飯，發送拜年訊息，成為一種慶祝中國新年的“儀式”，這樣的“儀式感”帶給人莊重，有意義的生活感受。
雖然有時候，人們會覺得“儀式”沒有那麼重要，但是“儀式”對我們的生活是有好處的。 “儀式”幫助我們把某個日子或某個時刻分別出來，在柴米油鹽的日常生活中增加一些特殊的生活體驗。
在我們的信仰生活中有不少的儀式。最熟悉的，莫過於主日的崇拜。在星期天的某段時間裡，信徒們一起聚集，通過詩歌，讀經，證道等活動來敬拜神。我們教會有不同語言，不同時間段的主日崇拜，每個崇拜，都有一定的禮儀。其實再自由的敬拜，也是有一些儀式的，沒有禮儀，恐怕就不能稱為敬拜了。因著主日崇拜，屬神兒女以一個群體的方式，表達對於神的尊崇，也培養對神的敬畏和愛慕。每一次崇拜，都提醒我們，作為一群屬於天國的子民，我們是從這世界上被分別出來的。主日崇拜，是基督徒生活中一個重要的儀式，它值得我們以認真的態度對待，若過年的儀式帶給我們歡喜和期盼，主日崇拜的禮儀則更帶給我們心靈深處敬拜神的滿足。讓我們無論在實體，還是通過網絡，都認認真真實踐這一個敬拜神的儀式。
