Mandarin Sermon Translations

  • EASTER 5B-2024: Rev. Dr. Kimberlynn McNabb (Halifax, NS)

    复活节5B-2024：Rev. Dr. Kimberlynn McNabb（加拿大新斯科舍省哈利法克斯）


    I AM the vine. You are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.


    我是葡萄树，你们是枝子。那些与我同在，我也与他们同在的人，必然多结果子，因为离了我，你们什么也不能作。

     

    The Season of Easter is a time filled with excitement. We have witnessed the disciples, now apostles, preaching and healing; and the Gospels have shared resurrection appearances of Jesus. With resurrection fresh in our minds, we turn back to reflect on Jesus’ final words of wisdom given to the disciples. Jesus’ final words sound different and take on new meaning on this side of Easter. Karoline Lewis, professor at Luther Seminary, St. Paul Minnesota writes, “The Farewell Discourse is Jesus at his pastoral best.” Jesus shared much in his final intimate talk with the disciples, giving them what they would need to grieve, to understand what God had done, and the words to spread the story of Jesus Christ. Through the Gospel of John, Jesus proclaims a variety of I AM statements: I AM the Bread of Life, I AM the Light of the world, I AM the Door, I AM the Resurrection and the Life. I AM the Good Shepherd. I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The final I AM appears in the farewell discourse, “I AM the Vine.” Lewis asks, “What difference does this image make as the last I AM revelation from Jesus?”

     

    复活节季节充满了兴奋。我们目睹了门徒们，现在是使徒，传道和医治；福音书也分享了耶稣的复活显现。在我们的心中仍然记忆犹新的复活之时，我们回顾耶稣对门徒所说的最后智慧之言。耶稣的最后话语听起来与复活节之前不同，也有了新的意义。卡罗琳刘易斯，圣保罗明尼苏达州路德学院的教授写道：“告别的论述是耶稣在牧者最佳状态下的表现。”耶稣在最后与门徒亲密交谈时分享了很多，给了他们他们需要的来悲伤，理解上帝所做的事情，并传播耶稣基督故事的话语。透过约翰福音，耶稣宣称了多种“我是”言论：我是生命的粮，我是世界的光，我是门，我是复活与生命。我是好牧人。我是道路、真理和生命。最后一个“我是”出现在告别的论述中，“我是葡萄树。”刘易斯问：“这个形象的差异对于耶稣的最后一个“我是”启示有何影响？”

     

    My initial thought of the image’s meaning is:

    I AM the Vine. Rooted. Grounded. Living. Growing. Lifegiving.

    But what difference does the image make and why is it revealed last?

     

    我对这个形象意义的最初想法是：我是葡萄树。根植。扎根。生长。赋予生命。但这个形象有何不同之处，为什么最后才揭示出来？

     

    Recently a beautiful living practice was shared with me that has helped me reflect on the question. It is a living practice that expresses a vine and branches idea. It expands the ‘I AM the vine’ into our context and speaks hope and resurrection to a people living in a world that is experiencing climate crisis. The living practice speaks to the heart and spirit of those trying to live faithfully in a sustainable way and taking seriously the stewardship of creation.  

     

    最近有人与我分享了一种美丽的活动实践，这帮助我思考这个问题。这是一种生活实践，表达了葡萄树和枝子的想法。它将“我是葡萄树”扩展到我们的背景中，并对生活在正经历气候危机的世界中的人们说出希望和复活的话语。这种生活实践对于那些试图以可持续的方式忠实地生活，并认真对待创造的管理的人的内心和精神具有深刻的意义。

     

    I AM the vine – resurrected in DAISUGI.


    我是葡萄树——在代杉中复活。

     

    Daisugi is an ancient Japanese forestry technique developed in the 14th century in the Kitayama region of Japan. It is an example of silviculture; the science and art of growing and cultivating forest.

    The practice chooses an established old growth tree, usually a variety of Japanese cypress. This mother tree is cropped straight across, removing its top canopy. Cedar shoots are grafted onto the cropped branches of the mother tree. These shoots are pruned every few years to ensure straight and knot free lumber come harvest time.

     

    代杉是一种古老的日本林业技术，起源于日本北山地区的14世纪。它是森林经营学的一个例子；种植和培育森林的科学和艺术。

    这种做法选择一棵已经成熟的老树，通常是各种日本柏树。这棵母树被直接截断，去掉了顶部的树冠。雪松嫩芽被嫁接到母树的截断树枝上。这些嫩芽每隔几年修剪一次，以确保在收获时期能获得笔直而无节点的木材。

     

    So the picture is a large tree trunk with strong branches reaching up, from what would be the middle of the tree there is a straight line – from here a whole forest grows on top of the other tree.

    The cultivated forest takes 20 years to mature. At harvest time the strong established mother tree remains ready to grow the next forest.

    Forests that are nourished from Mother Tree mature quicker and produce more wood than other cedar forests. The wood is more flexile, denser, and stronger than standard cedar. This process has created a sustainable supply of raw material for over 700 years.

     

    因此，图片上是一棵巨大的树干，有着向上延伸的强壮树枝，从树的中间开始有一条笔直的线——从这里开始，整个森林生长在另一棵树上。

    培育的森林需要20年才能成熟。在收获时，强壮的母树依然准备着为下一片森林生长。与其他雪松林相比，从母树得到滋养的森林生长更快，产量更多。这种木材比普通的雪松更加柔韧、更加密实、更加坚固。这个过程已经创造了700多年的可持续原材料供应。

     

    Revisiting Jesus’ statement, I AM the Vine, during the season of Easter, brings forward the promises Jesus spoke before his death and brings them into the realm of resurrection. This opens a myriad of possibilities for life, for resurrection appearances amid whatever the suffering and crisis of the day.  The All Creation Sings hymnbook concludes one of its creation prayers:

    “In the name of the one who from a wounded tree birthed a new creation”—pg 47ACS

    Here is the answer to the question, “What difference does this image make as the last I AM revelation of Jesus?” From a wounded tree – from the cross- I AM did not die. I AM rooted in all that was, and is, and is to come, is resurrected – I AM alive!  I AM a vivacious hearty vine with energy and love and wisdom to cultivate a forest of branches to produce abundant fruit.

     

    在复活节季节重新审视耶稣的声明，“我是葡萄树”，带出了耶稣在死前所说的应许，并将它们带入了复活的境界。这为生命、为复活显现开启了无数可能性，不管当下的苦难和危机是什么。《全创造歌唱》圣歌书总结了其中一个创造祈祷：

    “以那位从受伤的树上诞生了新的创造之名”——第47页

    这就是回答这个问题的答案，“耶稣的最后一个‘我是’启示有何不同之处？”从一棵受伤的树——从十字架——我是没有死去。我根植于已有的一切，并在复活中得以根植——我活着！我是一棵生机勃勃的葡萄树，充满活力、爱和智慧，培育着一片丰盛的果实树林。

     

    Canadian forest ecologist, Suzanne Simard, in her book “Finding the Mother Tree” discusses the interconnectedness of trees and how -rather than competing for resources- they share nutrients and resources with each other. Mother Trees are relational, with vast underground networks connected over the centuries. They are energy and the source of ancient life.

    Jesus saying, “I AM the Vine,” takes us back to Genesis with I AM moving over the waters in creation and the Word creating by speaking “let there be.” In the garden was the Tree of Life, a Mother Tree, connecting all the way through to I AM the Vine; connecting all the way to today.

     

    加拿大森林生态学家苏珊西马德在她的书《寻找母树》中讨论了树木之间的相互联系，以及它们如何与彼此共享养分和资源，而不是争夺资源。母树是具有关联性的，拥有庞大的地下网络，跨越了几个世纪。它们是能量的来源和古老生命的源泉。

    耶稣说：“我是葡萄树”，让我们回到了《创世记》，在那里，上帝以“我是”的身份在创造中穿行，以言语创造“要有”的世界。在园中有生命树，即母树，一直连接到“我是葡萄树”；一直连接到今天。

     

    The Tree of Life - Mother Tree, to the tree of the cross, to a rooted vine, to a faithful forest.

     

    生命树——母树，到十字架之树，到有根的藤蔓，到忠实的森林。

     

    When I heard about the living practice of daisugi I was excited. I am a lover of trees. When I think about growing a whole forest on top of one tree, I am filled with so much hope for the earth’s future and its health. The abundance of this practice is astonishing. And to know that that forest matures faster, stronger, more flexible and durable, because of the sustenance flowing from the Mother Tree – amazing! And to know that the growing of a new forest can be done continually. Wow!

     

    当我听到代杉这种生活实践时，我感到兴奋。我是树木的爱好者。当我想象在一棵树上种植整个森林时，我对地球未来和其健康充满了希望。这种实践的丰富多彩令人惊讶。知道那片森林成熟得更快、更强大、更灵活、更耐用，是因为来自母树的养分——令人惊叹！而且知道可以持续地种植新的森林。哇！

     

    When I hear about the living practice of daisugi I am excited. I am a lover of Jesus. When I think about baptism and being grafted into God’s family, I never considered being grafted onto the vine as being that which has roots to the Mother Tree. Because of Jesus rootedness, the disciples matured – strong, durable, flexible- as they shared Jesus’ story with others. The early church grew quickly by their witness.

     

    当我听到代杉这种生活实践时，我感到兴奋。我是耶稣的爱好者。当我想到受洗并被嫁接到上帝的家庭中时，我从未考虑过被嫁接到藤蔓上意味着被嫁接到有根的母树上。由于耶稣的根深蒂固，门徒们成熟了——强壮、耐用、灵活——因为他们与他人分享了耶稣的故事。早期教会通过他们的见证迅速增长。

     

    In our context, consider the living practice of daisugi as one to be practiced in the church. Would we be less fretful of what is and more hopeful of what will be, if we understood and experienced rootedness? If we considered our present congregation as one forest, in a line of consecutively cultivated faith forests on the vine, the Mother Tree, I AM? Can we wrap our heads and hearts around the living practice of every 20 years the beautiful straight and knot-free trees bearing fruit? Meaning cut into lumber; fruit is distributed and used, as the next forest begins to grow. It means that every 20 years we let go, in some way we let the church of the day give up its life to be resurrected again; resurrected strong, durable, and flexible.

     

    在我们的背景下，考虑代杉这种生活实践作为教会中的一种实践。如果我们理解并经历了根植，我们会不会对现状更少担忧，对未来更充满希望？如果我们将我们当前的教会看作是一片森林，在藤蔓、母树、“我是”连续培育的信仰森林中的一部分，我们能否理解和体验？我们是否能理解每隔20年美丽的笔直无节点的树木结果？这意味着将其切成木材；果实被分发和使用，而下一片森林开始生长。这意味着每隔20年，我们放手，以某种方式，我们让当天的教会放弃它的生命，再次复活；再次复活，强壮、耐用和灵活。

     

    Suzanne Simard wrote: When Mother Trees---the majestic hubs at the center of forest communication, protection, and sentience ---die, they pass their wisdom to their kin, generation after generation, sharing the knowledge of what helps and what harms, who is friend or foe, and how to adapt and survive in an ever-changing landscape. It’s what all parents do.

    It is what we do as congregations as faith passes from one generation, or one gathering of people, to the next.

    Sometimes we get stuck trying to keep the old forest growing, rather than harvesting the forest, sharing the fruits and letting the next forest grow. We forget that the forest was never meant to be permanent, only the trunk – the Source of Life- which continues rooted and ground and full of life.

    The I AM the Vine is spoken as the final I AM because it is Jesus’ proclamation that branches will come, bear fruit, and die, but the Vine remains, as does the life that comes from the Vine – for it has a deep ancient source, the Mother Tree.

     

    苏珊西马德写道：“当母树——森林沟通、保护和感知的雄伟中心——死去时，它们将智慧传给他们的亲人，一代又一代，分享关于什么有益、什么有害、谁是朋友或敌人、如何适应和在不断变化的景观中生存的知识。这是所有父母所做的。”

    这就是我们作为教会所做的，因为信仰从一代人，或一群人聚集，传递到下一代。

    有时候，我们被困在试图使旧森林生长的过程中，而不是收获森林、分享果实和让下一片森林生长。我们忘记了森林本来不是永久的，只有树干——生命的源泉——是永恒的，它仍然扎根、稳固和充满生命。

    “我是葡萄树”被说成是最后一个“我是”，因为这是耶稣宣告说，枝子会来，结果子会结，但葡萄树仍然存在，生命也是来自葡萄树的——因为它有一个深古老的来源，母树。

     

    As Easter people we bear witness to resurrection appearances. We have witnessed life and death and life.

    On this side of Easter, 2000 years later, we bear witness to the millions of forests that have grown from Mother Tree. The forests have embraced, believed, and lived the promises of Jesus brought forward into the resurrection. Jesus proclaims I AM! To each forest, Jesus proclaims I AM the Vine, therefore, YOU ARE!

     

    在复活节的这一面，2000年后，我们见证了从母树生长出来的数百万片森林。这些森林拥抱、相信并生活在耶稣带来的复活中的承诺中。耶稣宣告我是！对于每一片森林，耶稣宣告我是葡萄树，因此，你们是！

     

    Thanks be God. Amen.

     

    感谢上帝。阿门。

                  


     






Past Sermon Translations

LOADING PLAYER…