Redeeming the Season 感恩与盼望
Dexu Xia
He made the moon to mark the seasons. Psalm 104:19
Leisa wanted a way to redeem the season. So many of the autumn decorations she saw seemed to celebrate death, sometimes in gruesome and macabre ways.
Determined to counter the darkness in some small way, Leisa began to write things she was grateful for with a permanent marker on a large pumpkin. “Sunshine” was the first item. Soon visitors were adding to her list. Some entries were whimsical: “doodling,” for instance. Others were practical: “a warm house”; “a working car.” Still others were poignant, like the name of a departed loved one. A chain of gratitude began to wind its way around the pumpkin.
Psalm 104 offers a litany of praise to God for things we easily overlook. “[God] makes springs pour water into the ravines,” sang the poet (v. 10). “He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate” (v. 14). Even the night is seen as good and fitting. “You bring darkness, it becomes night, and all the beasts of the forest prowl” (v. 20). But then, “The sun rises . . . . People go out to their work, to their labor until evening” (vv. 22–23). For all these things, the psalmist concluded, “I will sing praise to my God as long as I live” (v. 33).
In a world that doesn’t know how to deal with death, even the smallest offering of praise to our Creator can become a shining contrast of hope.
How do you and your friends deal with the idea of death? What are some ways you might make the world curious about the hope you have in Jesus?
Thank You, Father, for the multiple good things You’ve placed on this earth. Make my life a grateful offering of praise to You.
祢安置月亮为定节令。—诗篇104篇19节
莉莎看到许多秋季的装饰都带着死亡的气息，有时甚至看似阴森，令人毛骨悚然。因此，她想方设法要改变这晦暗的季节，为人们带来盼望！
莉莎决定以微小的举动来对抗黑暗的氛围。她在一个大南瓜上，用不易褪色的马克笔写下感恩事项，第一件事就是“阳光”。不久之后，有人也来添加几笔。有人随意地在大南瓜上写下“画画”，有人则很实际地写上“温暖的房屋”和“工作车”，也有人写了令人痛心的事，如一个已故亲人的名字。最后，那个大南瓜上写满了各种感恩事项。
诗篇104篇也列出一连串容易被人忽略，却应当要称颂上帝的事。诗人赞美道：“耶和华使泉源涌在山谷”（10节），“祂使草生长，给六畜吃，使菜蔬发长，供给人用”（14节）。诗人甚至认为夜晚也是美好适宜的，正如他说上帝“造黑暗为夜，林中的百兽就都爬出来”（20节），“日头一出，……人出去作工，劳碌直到晚上”（22-23节）。因为这一切美好的事，诗人总结说﹕“我还活的时候，要向我上帝歌颂！”（33节）
世人普遍不知如何面对死亡，因此当我们对造物主献上最微小的赞美，就能为这个世界带来光辉耀眼的盼望。
你和你的朋友如何看待死亡？
你如何让人们关注于耶稣带来的盼望？