Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.1 Peter 3:15

有人问你们心中盼望的缘由，就要常作准备……回答各人。-彼得前书3章15节

The best Christmas gift is Jesus bringing peace and forgiveness to others.

分享耶稣的平安与饶恕，是最棒的圣诞礼物。

At a winter retreat in northern New England, one of the men asked the question, “What was your favorite Christmas gift ever?”

在一个冬季退修会中，有人提出一个问题：“你收到最棒的圣诞节礼物是什么？”

One athletic man seemed eager to answer. “That’s easy,” he said, glancing at his friend next to him. “A few years back, I finished college thinking I was a sure bet to play professional football. When it didn’t happen, I was angry. Bitterness ate at me, and I shared that bitterness with anyone who tried to help me.”

一个爱好运动的成员有点急切地回答：“这很简单！”他看了身边的朋友一眼，继续说：“几年前，我大学毕业，心想我一定能成为职业橄榄球选手。但却事与愿违，我开始怨天尤人，心中充满苦毒，脾气暴躁，令人难以接近。”

“On the second Christmas—and second season without football—I went to a Christmas play at this guy’s church,” he said, gesturing toward his friend. “Not because I wanted Jesus, but just to see my niece in her Christmas pageant. It’s hard to describe what happened because it sounds silly, but right in the middle of that kids’ play, I felt like I needed to be with those shepherds and angels meeting Jesus. When that crowd finished singing ‘Silent Night,’ I just sat there weeping.

“隔年的圣诞节，也是我第二个无球可踢的球季，我去了这人的教会看圣诞剧。”他指了指身边的朋友。“我去不是想要认识耶稣，而是去看侄女的表演。我很难解释那天我怎么了，但就在看孩子们表演的时候，我竟然想要跟那些牧羊人与天使一起遇见耶稣。当众人唱完《平安夜》时，我禁不住哭了。”

“I got my best Christmas present ever that very night,” he said, again pointing to his friend, “when this guy sent his family home without him so he could tell me how to meet Jesus.”It was then that his friend piped up: “And that, guys, was my best Christmas present ever.”

“那天晚上，我收到了最棒的圣诞礼物！”他再次指着他的朋友说，“他没和他的家人一起回家，而是留下来告诉我如何认识耶稣。”接着，他身边的朋友也大声说：“各位，那天我也收到了最棒的圣诞礼物。”

This Christmas, may the joyful simplicity of the story of Jesus’s birth be the story we tell to others.

在今年圣诞节，愿我们把握机会对人述说耶稣降生的故事，分享平安与喜乐。

天父，求祢让我们看见人们需要救主，
并给我们传福音的勇气。求祢帮助我们记得，
听见并诉说救主降生，才是圣诞节真正的意义。

1 Peter 3:8-16New International Version (NIV)

Suffering for Doing Good

8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another,be compassionate and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For,

“Whoever would love life
    and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
    and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good;
    they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
    and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”[a]

13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats[b]; do not be frightened.”[c] 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.