聖誕節是以最冷靜的態度來看待人生的方式Christmasis the most unsentimental way of looking at life
作者：Timothy Keller 譯者：駱鴻銘
在基督教節日當中，聖誕節是唯一一個和世俗社會主要節日重疊的日子。這對雙方來說，都有些許的尷尬。許多基督徒不得不注意到，美國越來越多圍繞著聖誕節的公眾慶祝活動，會故意避免提到其基督信仰的起源。商店裡的背景音樂正在從「普世歡騰」（Joy to the World）轉換到「歡度聖誕」（Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas）。Christmas is the only
Christian holy day that is also a major secular holiday. This brings some
discomfort on both sides. Many Christians can’t help but notice that more and
more of the public festivities surrounding Christmas studiously avoid any
references to its Christian origins. The background music in stores is moving
from “Joy to the World” to “Have a Holly, Jolly Christmas.”
另一方面，不信教的人也忍不住會發現，聖誕節的古老意義一再入侵，即使不受人歡迎。比如說，藉著傳統的聖誕頌歌。要回答小孩的問題，「降生使人得重生」（譯按，這是「聽啊，天使高聲唱HARK! THE HERALD
ANGELS SING」其中一句歌詞）是什麼意思，的確有點惱人。On the other hand,
nonreligious people can’t help but find that the older meaning of Christmas
keeps intruding uninvited, for instance, through the music of traditional
Christmas carols. It can be irritating to have to answer their child’s
question, “What does that music mean —‘born to give them second birth’?”
身為基督徒，我樂意和整個社會分享這個節日的價值。但是我擔心的是，對大部分的人來說，聖誕節真正的根源會越來越不為人知。As a Christian
believer, I am glad to share the virtues of that day with the entirety of
society. My fear is, however, that its true roots will become more and more
hidden to most of the population.
世俗的聖誕節是一個充滿燈光的喜慶，是家庭團聚的日子，也是慷慨送禮物給親人朋友、給那些亟需救助的人的季節。這些行動和這個基督教節日的起源，是真正一致的。強調黑暗中的光來自基督徒的信念，即這個世界的盼望來自世界之外。贈送禮物是對耶穌捨己行動的自然回應——祂將祂的榮耀擱置一旁，降生為人。對窮人的關心使人聯想到神的兒子不是生在王公貴族之家，而是生在一個卑微貧寒的人家。宇宙的主宰與人類最卑微的、最被歧視的人認同。The secular
Christmas is a festival of lights, a time for family gatherings, and a season
to generously give to those closest to us and to those in greatest need. These
practices are genuinely congruent with the Christian origins of the
celebration. The emphasis on light in darkness comes from the Christian belief
that the world’s hope comes from outside of it. The giving of gifts is a
natural response to Jesus’ act of self-giving, when he laid aside his glory
and was born into the human race. The concern for the needy recalls that the
Son of God was born not into an aristocratic family but into a poor one. The
Lord of the universe identified with the least and the most excluded of the
human race.
然而事實上，聖誕節如同上帝，既是奇妙的，也比多數人所了解的更具有威脅性。But the truth is
that Christmas, like God himself, is both more wondrous and more threatening
than most understand.
聖誕節的意義不是得到許多禮物，但是請思想，得到某些禮物會帶來什麼衝擊。有些禮物，就其本質而言，會讓你吞下你的驕傲。想像一下在聖誕節清晨打開一個朋友送的禮物——一本教人如何節食的書。然後你拆開另外一個朋友送的、一本包裝精美的書，書名是：「克服自私」。如果你跟他們說：「多謝」，在某種程度來說，你是在承認，「我的確是個肥胖而討人厭的人。」Christmas is about
receiving presents, but consider how challenging it is to receive certain kinds
of gifts. Some gifts by their very nature make you swallow your pride. Imagine
opening a present on Christmas morning from a friend — and it’s a dieting book.
Then you take off another ribbon and wrapper and you find it is another book
from another friend, “Overcoming Selfishness.” If you say to them, “Thank you
so much,” you are in a sense admitting, “For indeed, I am fat and obnoxious.”
換句話說，有些禮物像燙手山芋，接也不是，不接也不是。因為接了禮物，就是承認自己有缺點和軟弱，承認你需要幫助。也許在某個時候，你有個朋友知道你在經濟上有點拮据，他來拜訪你，給了你一大筆錢，讓你可以脫離困境。如果這件事曾經發生在你身上，你大概就會明白，接受這個禮物意味著要吞下你的驕傲是什麼意思。In other words,
some gifts are hard to receive, because to do so is to admit you have flaws and
weaknesses and you need help. Perhaps on some occasion you had a friend who
figured out you were in financial trouble and came to you and offered a large
sum of money to get you out of your predicament. If that has ever happened to
you, you probably found that to receive the gift meant swallowing your pride.
沒有一個禮物像耶穌基督的禮物一樣，會那麼深刻地要求我們吞下自己的驕傲。聖誕節的意思是，我們如此迷失、如此失喪，無法拯救我們自己，以至於只有神的兒子自己，親自為我們死，才能拯救我們。這意味著你不是那個靠自己就能過一個高尚、美好人生的人。There has never
been a gift offered that makes you swallow your pride to the depths that the
gift of Jesus Christ requires us to do. Christmas means that we are so lost, so
unable to save ourselves, that nothing less than the death of the Son of God
himself could save us. That means you are not somebody who can pull yourself
together and live a moral and good life.
因此，聖誕節是最冷靜的、最實際的看待人生的方式。它不是說，「振作起來！如果我們齊心協力，就能讓這個世界變得更好。」聖經從來沒有要我們對黑暗勢力漠不關心，而是要我們極力抵擋，但是聖經沒有給我們這樣的幻想，以為我們可以靠自己打敗這些勢力。基督信仰並不同意一些樂觀主義者的說法，他們說：「我們如果夠努力、夠認真，我們就可以把事情做好。」聖經也不同意悲觀主義者的說法，他們只看到一個反烏托邦的未來。Christmas,
therefore, is the most unsentimental, realistic way of looking at life. It does
not say, “Cheer up! If we all pull together we can make the world a better
place.” The Bible never counsels indifference to the forces of darkness, only
resistance, but it supports no illusions that we can defeat them ourselves.
Christianity does not agree with the optimistic thinkers who say, “We can fix
things if we try hard enough.” Nor does it agree with the pessimists who see
only a dystopian future.
基督信仰的信息是：「情況險惡，我們無法醫治自己，拯救自己。前途一片黑暗——然而，還是有盼望。」聖誕節的信息是：「住在死亡幽暗之地的人民，有光照亮他們」。The message of
Christianity is, instead, “Things really are this bad, and we can’t heal or
save ourselves. Things really are this dark — nevertheless, there is hope.” The
Christmas message is that “on those living in the land of deep darkness a light
has dawned.”
請注意這節經文不是說，有光從這個世界透射出來，而是說，有一道光芒已經在照亮這世界。這道光芒來自世界之外。這個世界外有一道光芒，而耶穌已經帶來這光，要拯救我們；的確，祂就是那光。Notice that it
doesn’t say from the world a light has sprung, but upon the world a light has
dawned. It has come from outside. There is light outside of this world, and
Jesus has brought that light to save us; indeed, he is the Light.
摘自提姆·凱勒著：
“Hidden
Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ”