2018.11.18 青年主日

Our Lives testimony
Our Lives 這齣話劇事實上就是 My Life，是一個敘述我如何遠離 神，也敘述 神如何把我找回來、回到祂溫暖的懷抱中的故事。Our Lives的由來是浪子回頭的故事，而這齣話劇最終也把基督與教會的關係比喻成新郎和新娘。

所以Our Lives，事實上也就是 everyone’s lives.

神給了我這個靈感，讓我用一個年輕人高中時代的愛情故事來敘述祂的真理，讓現代的觀眾比較容易連結。

有了這個靈感以後我也看見這個話劇有許多的目的：首先它象徵 神愛的偉大。沒有什麼事能讓我們與神的愛隔絕，神是信實的，祂永遠等待著我們悔改。我們的 神也垂聽禱告，祂的回應時常超乎我們所求所想。我覺得 神這樣的特質非常適合當作一個主日崇拜的主題。

我也看到這齣話劇擁有可以吸引年輕人的力量，讓他們有合一的團契，也讓他們用 神所給的恩賜來服事。讓他們在演戲的過程感受到 神大家庭的溫暖，也讓參與的孩子們在故事中看到他們的生命也像這齣戲裡面的劇情一樣的發生。我期許這齣戲能夠啟發年輕人不做讓自己後悔的決定，或者即使他們後悔了，也知道要回到神的懷抱中。

最後，相信大家都體會過一首歌曲可以觸動人心的力量。相信大家也知道一首歌曲裡面要是有了一個故事，它的含意就更深，它所能傳遞的訊息也就更值得讓人細細思量。我也因此在這齣戲裡面看見一個用歌曲、用故事傳福音的機會。

就在今年初，神讓我看到了這麼多、給了我這麼多靈感。雖然我什麼都不懂，但我只知道要忠心的順服、決心完成這個事工， 神必為我們預備眼前的道路。我相信我們主內親愛的Casie姊妹和她創作音樂的恩賜。我相信我們年輕人的創意和演出。我也深深地相信我們的主，正如馬太福音19:26裡耶穌看著門徒說的：「在人這是不能的，在 神凡事都能。」

從這個時候開始，我就向神禱告，祈求祂讓我這一個不會寫劇本、也不會當導演的一個人，能夠完成 神的事工。祈求祂大能的雙手托住我們，好讓祂的能力是在人的軟弱上顯得完全，好讓祂的聖名得到最大的榮耀。

事情就這麼戲劇性的發生了！整齣戲從劇本完成、編劇、排練到正式上台演出，我們時間緊湊地只有三週的時間。但是我們的 神果真垂聽禱告！雖然練習的時間不多，但青年主日當天學青契的孩子們都表演得很好。雖然總是有進步的空間，但成果已經比我們預想的還要好很多。

不只如此。在青年主日之後有一位主內的姊妹來找我談話。她以前在中國當高中老師。她說以她的經驗，中國缺乏年輕人的故事和電影，也說這個故事非常能夠激勵年輕人，因為這個故事不只談到課業、工作，不只談到男女關係，也講到基督的奇異恩典。她也因此鼓勵我們或許可以把這個故事拍成一部電影，更加傳播福音、傳播神的大愛！願 神所願，若這事成了，那真的是超乎我和任何人的意料之外！

但是我們要記得，我們的神就是這麼的偉大！
我還能說什麼呢？我們一起同心為這事禱告吧！

The play ‘Our Lives’ is really a play of my life, how I distanced myself from God, and how God actually came to find me back into His arms. The story is based on the story of the prodigal son, in the book of Luke. It is also an analogy comparing Jesus to the church as the groom and a bride. So our lives is also everyone’s lives.

God gave me this idea, to illustrate His truth in a love story, set in a highschool, so that the concept is more relatable to a modern day audience.
I saw many purposes that the play fulfills

– it remind us of the greatness of God’s love, how He never leaves us and is waiting for us to repent, and also He does answer prayers. I thought this made it a suitable theme for a Sunday worship for the congregation.

– the play is a great way of engaging our youths, not only for them to unite/fellowship, not only for them to use their gifts to serve, but also for them to know and to feel this story, this Love of God. For them to know that my life, ‘our lives’, is their lives. So that they don’t end up making a regrettable decision to distance themselves from God, but even if so, for them to run back into His arms.

– I believe in the power of a song to speak into people’s minds and hearts, I believe a song is most powerful when it has a story. Therefore I believe we can use the song to disperse this story, and use the story to disperse God’s love.

So at the beginning of this year when God instilled these ideas into my mind, so all I knew was to obey, to work until it’s fruition. I believed in our beloved sister Casie, I believed in the youths in our youth group. And of course I believe in God, who reminds us that

(馬太福音 19:26) 耶穌看著他們，說：「在人這是不能的，在　神凡事都能。」
I prayed to the Lord at this time, that since I had never written a story or directed a play, that His mighty hands would carry us through, so that we could bring glory to His name. For
(哥林多後書 12:9) 他對我說：「我的恩典夠你用的，因為我的能力是在人的軟弱上顯得完全。」所以，我更喜歡誇自己的軟弱，好叫基督的能力覆庇我。
And what can I say, The Lord our Father answers our prayers!

But wait there’s more! A testimony I must give, is that a church sister who used to be a highschool teacher in China, found me after the play to tell me that the Chinese cinemas is in need for stories about youths, and that there is a real market for this story because it touches on school and work, friendship and relationships, and of course yes it demonstrates God’s amazing grace. If this does succeed, then it would fulfil the last objective far exceeding that I had ever imagined. But our God is this great! If only we are willing to believe.

So what else can I say. Let us continue to pray!