During the 30th reopening anniversary in China’s southern-coastal Guangdong Province, Shamian Church hosted a speech on spiritual meditation in the Chinese context.
On June 25, Rev. Xu Jieping, president of Guangdong Union Theological Seminary, was invited to conduct a seminar covering four aspects as follows.
Meditation in the Bible
Rev. Xu first shared that an important mode of spiritual practice is meditation. Besides recounting that Isaac was meditating in the field when he met Rebekah, the Bible also mentions Jesus’ mother Mary, Peter, and Jesus himself who often dwelled on the word of God.
The role of meditation
Through meditation, believers could reflect on God's work, practice applying God's words, and reflect on God's laws, the pastor added. To meditate well, Xu said Christians should have a pure heart with gratitude and repeatedly read or recite a passage of scriptures, especially when reading some inspiring scriptures. If they were full of miscellaneous thoughts and felt that God or others owed them, they couldn’t immerse themselves in the word of God.
"Meditating can open the door to experience the presence of God," said the pastor.
Forms of spiritual meditation in the Chinese context
Meditation should also be sinicized for Chinese Christians who are born in China. In addition to the traditional forms of reading the Bible, praying, and singing, Rev. Xu shared six forms of spiritual practice.
1. Calligraphy meditation. Believers can copy scriptures and write up listening notes with pens or brush pens to meditate on God’s words.
2. Meditating while painting or doing paper cutting. People can cut paper to show the scenes of the Bible stories. And they can also think about the greatness of God’s creation of the universe by appreciating art including Chinese paintings.
3. Spiritual meditation while making food. Christians can meditate on the power and actions of God in the process of making food or eating, with a saying in China that "food is the heaven for the people." Pastors can also prepare spiritual food for church members by dwelling on scriptures.
4. Spiritual practice in traditional music. Believers can listen to hymns and traditional music to meditate on the revelation of God rather than play with mobile phones or watch short videos.
5. Meditate on the word of God during tea tasting.
6. Meditation during the practice of Chinese medicine. People can get close to God while following the principle of health preservation.
Rev. Xu said, “the rich cultural resources of the Chinese nation were an important condition for the sinicization of Christian spirituality and believers could meditate on Chinese philosophy and socialist core values same or similar to the Bible”.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
6月25-26日，广州基督教沙面会堂举办复堂30周年系列纪念活动。6月25日下午，广东协和神学院院长许洁平牧师受邀，以《从形式内涵探讨灵修默想中国化》为主题做基督教中国化专题讲座。许牧师从“圣经中的默想”“默想的作用”“灵修默想的中国化”三个方面进行了分享。
一、圣经中的默想
许牧师首先介绍了灵修的重要性，而灵修一个非常重要的模式是默想。
许牧师带领会众进入圣经中的默想。“天将晚，以撒出来在田间默想。”圣经中还记载了很多人的默想。耶稣的母亲马利亚和使徒彼得，还有耶稣本身等等，他们都是常常默想神话语的人。
二、默想的作用
默想会带来怎样的作用？许牧师接着分享了默想的意义：聆听神的话语，反省神的事工，演习神的作为，沉思神的律法等等。
具体我们该如何默想？许牧师在这里提出了三个心。
第一、要存清洁的心。如果心里装着很多杂念去默想，想到的也是很多杂念。 第二、要有感恩的心。如果总是觉得上帝欠我太多，别人欠我太多，没有感恩的心，是没有办法进行更好的默想的。
第三、要有祈祷的心。重复去念或背诵一段经文，特别是读到一段经文特别有感动时，要反复思考，细细品味。
“默想就是把门打开，进入与神同在的圣所中。”牧师总结到。
三、默想灵修的中国化
中国的基督徒生于中国，默想也应该中国化。许牧师从形式与内涵两个方面进行分享，探讨如何实现中国化灵修的默想。
a、默想形式的中国化
灵修形式是很多样的，除了一般的读经、祈祷、唱诗等传统形式外，还可以创新其他灵修方式，许牧师分享了以下六种形式。
1、书法灵修默想。通过钢笔字，毛笔字这一中国传统文化，来抄写经文，整理听道笔记，做书法灵修。
2、国画、剪纸艺术的默想。根据圣经故事剪出那些场面，也可以通过欣赏艺术、国画去思考上帝创造宇宙的伟大，藉着艺术亲近神。
3、美食中的灵修默想。“民以食为天”，许牧师比喻传道人分享神的话语，也要像做菜那样，做出美味佳肴给信徒品尝。上帝很注重人的饮食，因此在制作和享用的过程我们可以默想神的大能和作为。
4、传统音乐灵修。将玩手机、刷小视频的时间来听听赞美诗，传统诗歌。在音乐中思考，默想神的启示。
5、茶灵修。在品茶中默想神的话语，通过品茶的甘美思想神话语的甘美。
6、中医灵修。中医、中药是我们中国才有的，可以通过养生的理念来亲近神。当我们形成了默想的习惯，我们就可以常常经历到神，与祂有更深的相交。
b、默想内涵的中国化
许牧师提出，中华民族具有丰富多彩的文化资源，为基督教灵修提供了肥沃的文化土壤，是基督教灵修得以中国化的重要条件，我们可以用凝聚中国思想内涵的中国哲学，以及社会主义核心价值观，与圣经相同或相近观念进行默想。
https://www.gospeltimes.cn/article/index/id/63596
广州沙面会堂复堂30周年基督教中国化专题讲座：《从形式内涵探讨灵修默想中国化》
During the 30th reopening anniversary in China’s southern-coastal Guangdong Province, Shamian Church hosted a speech on spiritual meditation in the Chinese context.
On June 25, Rev. Xu Jieping, president of Guangdong Union Theological Seminary, was invited to conduct a seminar covering four aspects as follows.
Meditation in the Bible
Rev. Xu first shared that an important mode of spiritual practice is meditation. Besides recounting that Isaac was meditating in the field when he met Rebekah, the Bible also mentions Jesus’ mother Mary, Peter, and Jesus himself who often dwelled on the word of God.
The role of meditation
Through meditation, believers could reflect on God's work, practice applying God's words, and reflect on God's laws, the pastor added. To meditate well, Xu said Christians should have a pure heart with gratitude and repeatedly read or recite a passage of scriptures, especially when reading some inspiring scriptures. If they were full of miscellaneous thoughts and felt that God or others owed them, they couldn’t immerse themselves in the word of God.
"Meditating can open the door to experience the presence of God," said the pastor.
Forms of spiritual meditation in the Chinese context
Meditation should also be sinicized for Chinese Christians who are born in China. In addition to the traditional forms of reading the Bible, praying, and singing, Rev. Xu shared six forms of spiritual practice.
1. Calligraphy meditation. Believers can copy scriptures and write up listening notes with pens or brush pens to meditate on God’s words.
2. Meditating while painting or doing paper cutting. People can cut paper to show the scenes of the Bible stories. And they can also think about the greatness of God’s creation of the universe by appreciating art including Chinese paintings.
3. Spiritual meditation while making food. Christians can meditate on the power and actions of God in the process of making food or eating, with a saying in China that "food is the heaven for the people." Pastors can also prepare spiritual food for church members by dwelling on scriptures.
4. Spiritual practice in traditional music. Believers can listen to hymns and traditional music to meditate on the revelation of God rather than play with mobile phones or watch short videos.
5. Meditate on the word of God during tea tasting.
6. Meditation during the practice of Chinese medicine. People can get close to God while following the principle of health preservation.
Rev. Xu said, “the rich cultural resources of the Chinese nation were an important condition for the sinicization of Christian spirituality and believers could meditate on Chinese philosophy and socialist core values same or similar to the Bible”.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Seminar on Sinicization of Christian Spirituality Delivered in Guangdong Church
