3. Manna issue 91 - Growing Up With The Family Altar 伴隨家庭祭壇成長
Timothy Yeung—Vancouver, Canada 加拿大溫哥華 Timothy Yeung
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;
They shall not be ashamed,
But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.
(Ps 127:3–5)
3兒女是耶和華所賜的產業；所懷的胎是他所給的賞賜。
4少年時所生的兒女好像勇士手中的箭。
5箭袋充滿的人便為有福；他們在城門口和仇敵說話的時候，必不至於羞愧。
(詩 127：3-5)
Children are a spiritual heritage passed down to us by the Lord.
Like any other inheritance,
this blessing has to be cherished and preserved.
Our children have been entrusted to us by the Lord
so that we can raise them in the faith and continue this spiritual legacy.
Now that the True Jesus Church has passed her first centennial,
we need to pass on the faith to the next generation and prepare for the coming of our Lord Jesus.
How can we effectively achieve this goal?
The key is to know the role of children in the family altar
and lay the foundations for spiritual independence from an early age.
孩子是神傳給我們的屬靈遺產。
像任何其他傳承一樣，
必須珍惜保存這種祝福。
我們的孩子是主託付給我們的，
這樣我們才可以於信仰中培養他們，並繼續這一屬靈傳承。
現在真耶穌教會已傳教一百年週年，
我們要將信仰傳給下一代，並為我們主耶穌再來做好準備。
我們要如何，才能有效地實現此一目標呢？
關鍵是要了解，孩子在家庭祭壇的角色，
從小就為靈命獨立自主奠定基礎。
BUILD AS THEY GROW 隨成長建造
Infancy Stage (0–3 years) 嬰兒時期 (0-3 歲)
In 2019, the average Canadian two-parent household consisted of 3.99 individuals (around two children),
and the average lone-parent household consisted of 2.56 (fewer than two children).[1]
Since smaller families have become the norm,
it is understandable that a newborn baby will become the center of his or her parents’ focus.
Once they have kids,
many young families will stop attending evening services
and resign from holy work to concentrate on child-rearing.
However, once we understand that
children are a heritage from God
and that the primary objective of having children
is to maintain and pass on our spiritual legacy to the next generation,
we will return our focus to God.
2019 年，加拿大平均的雙親家庭，由 3.99 人組成（約兩個孩子），
平均單親家庭有 2.56 人（少於兩個孩子）。 [1]
由於小家庭已成為常態，
可以理解，新生兒將成為父母關注的焦點。
一旦有了孩子，
許多年輕家庭將停止參加晚間聚會，
推辭聖工要專心撫養孩子。
然而，一旦我們明白，
孩子是神的產業，
以及生孩子的主要目標，
是要保持並傳遞我們的屬靈傳承給下一代，
我們將把注意力轉回到神身上。
We should not allow our babies to become an excuse for forsaking church services and God’s work.
I have observed some young parents fully committed to attending services,
including a full day of Sabbath worship and additional evening services.
They simply pack everything they need
—spare clothes, nappies, weaning accessories, toys
—and bring their babies in a stroller.
When I ask how they can show such devotion,
they reply that putting Jesus rather than their babies at the center of the family
is the right thing to do.
After all, it is God who has blessed them with children.
我們不應該讓孩子，成為放棄教會聚會和聖工的藉口。
我觀察到有些年輕父母，全心全意地參加聚會，
包括全天安息日聚會，和額外的晚間聚會。
他們不過打包自已需要的一切事物，
—備用衣服、尿布、斷奶配件、玩具，
—把孩子放到嬰兒車裡。
當我問，為何他們會表現這麼虔誠的時候，
他們回答說，把耶穌放在家庭的中心，而不是孩子，
才是正確的做法。
畢竟，是因為神祝福賞賜了孩子。
God bestows the heritage of children on parents
to teach them to have a stronger faith,
to pass on this spiritual legacy.
One day, they will have to give an account to God.
If all parents remember this,
they will become more proactive in their faith
and build up a family altar as soon as their bundle of joy arrives.
Having a newborn should remind us to seek God’s word and pray more, not less.
神將孩子這個產業賜給父母，
教導他們要有更堅強的信心，
傳承這一屬靈產業。
有一天，他們將要向神報告。
如果全部的父母都記得這件事，
他們信仰就會更加積極主動，
一旦他們得到了喜樂，就會建立家庭祭壇。
有新生兒應該會提醒我們，要尋求神的話語，多多禱告，而不是更少屬靈工作。
Preschool Stage (3–5 years) 學齡前時期 (3-5 歲)
Building up the family altar is central to maintaining the faith of the next generation.
Nowadays, relying on church services and religious education classes is not enough to cultivate our children's faith.
Therefore, each family should build their family altar
according to their needs, to worship God, share, and have fellowship at home.
This should begin in early childhood.
建立家庭祭壇，是維持下一代信仰的核心。
如今，僅僅依靠教堂聚會和宗教教育課程，已經不足以教導孩子的信仰。
因此，每個家庭都應該建立自己的家庭祭壇，
根據自己的需要，在家敬拜神、分享、團契。
這應該從幼兒時期開始。
When a child is between three and five years old,
parents should spend time every night reading a Bible story and praying with them.
Many parents know the benefits of reading bedtime stories,
but they stick to fairy tales and popular books.
These precious moments with our children are wasted
when we only read secular stories,
which espouse worldly values and practices.
Instead, parents should spend at least ten to fifteen minutes
reading Bible stories to their children at bedtime.
This could be a story from a children’s picture Bible
or a short passage from the Bible.
Parents can follow their local church’s Bible reading schedule
or choose some more well-known biblical tales.
小孩子三歲到五歲的時候，
父母應該每晚花時間，閱讀聖經故事，並與他們一起禱告。
很多家長都知道，睡前講故事的好處，
但他們偏愛童話故事和暢銷書籍。
當我們只看世俗的故事時，
那與我們孩子相處的寶貴時間，都被浪費了，
而世俗的書藉其實是贊同世俗的價值觀和作法。
相反的，父母應該至少花十到十五分鐘，
睡前給孩子講聖經故事。
這可以是聖經兒童圖畫書的故事，
或是聖經的一小段經文。
家長可以按照當地教會的聖經表，
或者選一些比較知名的聖經故事。
Bedtime is the ideal time for children to wind down,
and naturally, their minds will open up and begin to wonder.
So parents may find their children asking questions about the stories they have just heard.
This is an excellent opportunity for parents to share their thoughts,
and this also encourages parents to be more familiar with the Bible themselves.
This way, both parent and child can grow spiritually.
就寢時間是孩子放鬆身心的理想時間，
自然而然，他們的心思會打開，並且開始思考。
因此，父母可能會發現，自已的孩子會對剛剛聽到的故事，提出問題。
這是父母吐露想法的絕佳機會，
這也鼓勵父母自己可以更加熟悉聖經。
這樣，父母孩子雙方，都可以靈命成長。
The family altar can conclude by reciting the Lord’s Prayer
—bilingual families can recite this in their mother tongue and second language.
This process allows the children to focus on God and share precious time with their parents.
Though young children have a very passive role in the family altar,
this will prepare them for the next stage.
家庭祭壇可以背誦禱告文來結束禱告，
—雙語家庭可以用母語和第二外語背誦。
這樣的過程，可以讓孩子以神為中心，並與父母分享寶貴的時間。
雖然年幼的孩子，在家庭祭壇上扮演著非常被動的角色，
這可以使他們為下一階段做好準備。
Childhood Stage (5–10 years) (3-5 歲)
As the child’s understanding and language skills grow, parents can expand the family altar
by replacing one or two nights of bedtime Bible stories with family services.
These family services can include hymn singing, prayers of understanding, and Bible reading.
While parents lead the services,
they should always encourage the whole family to participate.
They can prompt the children to choose the hymns, read Bible verses aloud, and ask questions.
If a child can play a musical instrument,
they can accompany the hymn singing.
When parents think they are ready,
children can lead the prayer of understanding at the start of the service.
隨著孩子的理解力和語言能力提高，父母可以擴大家庭祭壇，
用家庭聚會取代一兩晚的睡前聖經故事。
家庭聚會可以包括唱讚美詩、悟性祈告和讀經。
父母帶領聚會的時候，
他們應該常常勉勵全家人參與。
他們可以敦促孩子挑選讚美詩，大聲讀聖經，並提出問題。
如果孩子可以演奏樂器，
他們可以為讚美詩伴奏。
當父母認為他們準備好了，
孩子就可以在聚會開始時，帶領悟性禱告。
Family services should be short
—no longer than thirty minutes
—but held regularly.
Children will gradually learn that
they have a role in the spirituality of the family
and the building up of the family altar.
This consistency will allow their little minds to forge a connection with God.
At the same time, family members sharing God’s grace and their testimonies each week
will also build up the family bond and keep everyone’s spirits united despite their busy lives.
家庭服聚會應該是短暫的，
—不超過三十分鐘
—但會定期舉行。
孩子將慢慢學會，
他們對家庭的屬靈生命，建立家庭祭壇，
起了一定的作用。
這種一貫性的原則，將使他們的小小心思與神建立聯繫。
同時，每週家人分享神的恩典和見證，
也將建立家庭的緊密聯繫，讓每個人於忙碌的生活中，保持緊緊連結。
If children start enjoying the family services
because they are more engaged, their hearts will grow close to God and their parents.
如果孩子開始喜歡家庭聚會，
因為他們會很投入，所以他們的心會更加親近神和父母。
Preteen and Adolescent Stage (10+ years) (3-5 歲)
If the family altar has been established
during the previous stages of the children’s development,
there will be a smooth transition into their teenage years.
By now, regular family services will be a time of devotion and testimony sharing,
but will also become a time of training for teenagers.
Since the children are familiar with the routine,
they can start to lead family services.
This is also a safe and relaxed environment
in which teens can practice leading hymns, interpreting, and playing the piano
before the nerve-wracking experience of serving
in these ministries for the first time in front of a packed church hall.
如果在兒童發展的早期階段，
家庭祭壇已經成立，
他們將順利過渡到青少年時期。
到現在為止，定期家庭聚會，將會是一個敬拜神分享見證的時間，
但也可以成為訓練青少年的時間。
因為孩子們都熟悉了流程，
他們就可以開始帶領家庭聚會。
這也是一個安全輕鬆的環境，
青少年可以在練習帶領唱詩、講道翻譯和司琴
以免到時會堂擁擠滿人群，
體驗到第一次聖工事奉的心驚膽戰，。
When teenagers have developed their roles
and responsibilities in this family setting,
they will be equipped to serve God
and put Him in the center of their life as they prepare to enter adulthood.
Families who have established family altars
have witnessed God’s grace continually flowing into the lives of their children
as they weather the emotional storms and spiritual ups and downs of adolescence.
當青少年在這樣家庭環境中，
發展自己的個性時和責任，
他們將有能力事奉神，
在準備進入成年期之時，將以神為他們生活的中心。
有建立家庭祭壇的家庭，
隨著青春期，孩子度過的情緒風暴和靈命波動時
會一直見證神的恩典，不斷流入孩子的生活中。
The family altar also provides a platform for parents
to understand their children's challenges during this period.
Therefore, the family altar at this stage should involve discussion of faith-related issues
such as drugs, dating, purity, marriage, and so on.
Parents should avoid lecturing their teenage children
but let them express their opinions, questions, and concerns.
Sharing Bible verses for enlightenment
and praying with them will reduce their stress
and encourage them to entrust their cares to God,
thus opening the opportunity to experience God’s guidance in their lives.
Giving them these tools is particularly important for
when they enter high school or college, where temptations abound.
家壇也成為父母的平台，
可以了解孩子這段時間的挑戰。
因此，此階段的家庭祭壇，應該多少討論信仰相關問題，
比如毒品、約會、純潔、婚姻等等問題。
父母應避免一直對青少年孩子碎碎唸，
讓他們能表達自己的意見、問題和擔憂。
分享聖經章節希望能給他們啟發，
和他們一起禱告，減輕他們的壓力，
並鼓勵他們將自己的憂慮交託給神，
從而開啟機會，讓他們生活中能體驗神的引導。
當他們進入高中大學的時候，
給予他們這些工具就特別重要，因為誘惑到處皆是。
Once teenagers learn to put God first in their life,
honoring Him above all else,
they will have established their personal altar in their heart.
Their faith is now their own, not just the faith of their parents.
一旦青少年學會把神放在他們生命的首位，
尊崇神高於一切，
他們將在心中建立自己的個人祭壇。
他們的信仰如今就是自己的，而不僅是父母的信仰。
ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES 額外的挑戰
Finding Time for God as a Family 以家為單位，保留時間給神
Nowadays, parents are overwhelmed by the never-ending task list of raising children
and giving them a competitive edge from an early age.
Some may complain that, with the time spent studying to get good grades
and participating in extracurricular activities,
there is no space in their children’s schedule for a family altar.
如今，父母因為養育孩子，並想要從小就給他們有競爭優勢，
所以要面對永無止境的任務清單，讓人應接不暇。
有些人可能會抱怨，花時間學習以獲得好成績
並去參加課外活動，
他們孩子的日程安排，並沒有進行家庭祭壇的空檔。
However, let us remember the words of the Lord Jesus:
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added to you”
(Mt 6:33).
If we do not put God first when we raise our child,
we will miss out on God’s blessing and guidance.
We do not simply have a family altar when we have time
—we have to find time.
Going forward, this is the most important thing
for our children’s spiritual cultivation and their relationship with God.
但是，讓我們記住主耶穌的話：
“33你們要先求他的國和他的義，這些東西都要加給你們了。”
（太 6：33）。
如果我們在培養孩子的時候，不把神放在第一，
就會錯過神的祝福和引導。
當我們有時間的時候，不是自然就會有家庭祭壇，
—而我們得找出時間。
要往前走，這才是最重要的事，
為了培養孩子的靈命，建立他們與神的關係。
How do we find time?
The answer is that we have to make sacrifices
by reducing activities that take up our children’s time and energy.
Some parents, driven by the fear of their child’s losing out,
arrange a packed weekly roster of extracurricular activities for their children
—learning piano, violin, dance, art, sports, languages, and so on
—and even book them into classes on Sabbath mornings.
But such an exhausting schedule means that
neither child nor parent will have the energy
or be in the mood for a conversation at the end of the day,
never mind family altar.
Therefore, parents need to make wise choices regarding their children’s activities.
我們如何找出時間呢？
答案是我們必須有所犧牲，
減少那些會佔用孩子時間和精力的活動。
一些父母會擔心孩子跟不上進度，
每週為小孩安排一份密集的課外活動值勤表，
—學鋼琴、小提琴、舞蹈、美術、體育、外語等等，
—甚至安息日早上，會安排他們去上課。
但是這種令人筋疲力乏的行程表就代表了，
孩子和父母都沒有精神了，
或是一天結束時，再沒有心情進行對話討論，
就此不顧家庭祭壇的事宜。
因此，關於孩子的活動，家長需要做出明智的選擇。
Screen Time 過濾時間表
Another important consideration is the family’s use of digital devices and screens.
It is a familiar scene in many families:
after dinner, everyone goes to their rooms to play with their gadgets.
In such a situation,
it will be challenging to build the family altar as each person’s mind is occupied by the world.
另一個重要的考慮因素是，家庭多種電子數位設備營幕的使用。
這是許多家庭有此熟悉的場景：
晚飯後，每個人都回自已的房間，玩自已的小玩具。
在這樣的情況之下，
由於每個人的心思都被佔滿了世界，因此建立家庭祭壇將很困難。
Sadly, time spent alone with screens often outweighs the time spent together as a family.
If parents grant their children unlimited access to smartphones and tablets from a young age,
they will become addicted.
With such stimulating and time-sucking devices at hand,
it is no wonder that children struggle to find the time and heart to read the Bible and pray at home.
可悲的是，獨自花在電子設備營幕上的時間，往往超過了全家一起共度的時間。
如果父母允許孩子，從小就可以毫無節制使用智慧手機和平板電腦，
他們就會上癮。
手頭有這麼刺激又耗時的設備，
難怪孩子們很難找出時間，能專心在家裡讀經禱告。
Therefore, parents must be strict about the amount of screen time their child can have.
Children under six should have minimal access to screens,
and older children’s screen usage should be limited and closely monitored.
If this restriction is imposed early on,
the family will find it easy to talk about God, share their thoughts,
and have meaningful discussions during their precious family altar time.
因此，父母必須嚴格控制孩子可以使用智慧裝置的時間。
六歲以下的兒童應盡量少接觸這些設備，
年齡較大兒童使用設備，應加以限縮，並且密切監控。
如果早點實施這些措施，
家人會發現易於談論神，分享他們的想法，
並且他們寶貴的家庭祭壇時間裡，能進行有意義的討論。
Independent Bible Reading 獨立閱讀聖經
Some families can hold family services every night.
But even if this is the case,
children must develop a habit of independent daily Bible reading
and prayer to have their own personal time with God.
有些家庭可以每晚舉行家庭聚會。
但即使是這樣，
孩子必須養成每天獨立讀經的習慣，
並且有自己的個人時間，祈求神。
To train a child to read the Bible independently,
the parent must set the example.
If children grow up seeing their parents always using their smartphones,
how will they behave when they have a smartphone of their own?
Children model their behavior on what they observe.
So the most impactful thing that parents can do is to cultivate their own Bible reading routine.
訓練孩子獨立閱讀聖經，
父母必須樹立榜樣。
如果孩子長大後，看到父母總是使用手機，
當他們擁有自己手機的時候，他們會有什麼行為呢？
孩子根據觀察，來形塑自已的行為。
所以父母能做的最有影響力的事情，就是培養自己的讀經習慣。
Babies start to pick up language from the day they are born,
and research has shown that early parental reading
leads to stronger vocabularies and literacy skills later on.[2]
So, before their children reach the age of two,
parents should start reading Bible stories to them
to aid their spiritual development
and help them know God as early as possible.
There are plenty of children’s picture Bibles on the market.
If we promote Bible stories to them over secular and, at times, meaningless books,
they will reap great spiritual benefits.
嬰兒從出生，就開始學習語言，
研究顯示，早期父母的朗讀，
會導致日後孩子更強的詞彙文學的技能。 [2]
所以，在孩子兩歲之前，
父母應該開始讀聖經故事，
幫助他們的靈命的成長，
並幫助他們儘早認識神。
市面上有很多兒童圖畫聖經。
如果我們向他們介紹聖經故事，而不是世俗的故事，有時，毫無意義的書，
他們的靈命將獲得巨大的好處。
When children start reading independently,
at around the age of six, the next step is for parents to give them their first Bible
—again, there are many available versions aimed at children.
The parents’ main task is to encourage them to read it independently,
in much the same way that
parents must teach a child to practice their musical instrument.
Both positive and negative enforcement
—the carrot and the stick
—can be used.
We should not only ask,
“Have you done your homework?”
but also,
“Have you read your daily passage?”
One paragraph, passage, or page a day is good enough.
As they progress in age,
this should increase to a chapter or more.
Once this daily Bible reading habit is firmed up,
it will stay with them for the rest of their life.
當孩子開始獨立讀經時，
在六歲左右，下一步是父母給他們第一本聖經，
—同樣的，有許多針對兒童的聖經版本可以選擇。
父母的主要任務是鼓勵他們獨自閱讀聖經，
同樣的方式，
父母必須教導孩子練習樂器。
可採用積極和消極的強制作法，
—同時有胡蘿蔔和大棒，
—可以使用。
我們不要僅僅詢問，
“你做完功課了嗎？”
但也要問，
“你讀完每日聖經章節了嗎？”
一天一段、一節、或一頁都夠了。
隨著們年齡增長，
讀經內容應該增加到一章或更多章節。
一旦養成了每天閱讀聖經的習慣，
這個習慣就可以伴隨他們一生。
CONCLUSION 結論
As children grow, their role in the family altar moves from passive to active.
The key is to start early in their lives and establish a suitable routine as a family.
Parents should adjust their lifestyle and daily schedule
to free up time and energy for building the family altar.
This will include cutting down on extracurricular activities,
limiting screen time for the whole family,
and having open and humble communication with our children.
Much prayer, time, and effort are needed,
but the reward will be great indeed,
as the whole family draws closer to each other and to God,
preserving the spiritual legacy of faith for the next generation.
隨著孩子成長，他們在家庭祭壇中的角色，從被動化為主動。
他們生活儘早開始家庭祭壇的重點，成為一個適合家庭的日常習慣。
父母應調整生活方式和作息時間，
可以騰出時間和精力來建立家庭祭壇。
這將包括減少課外活動，
限制全家人看電子營幕的時間，
並與孩子進行開放謙虛的交流。
這會需常常禱告、付出時間和努力，
但回報真的很巨大，
由於全家人彼此都更親近，更依賴神，
可以為下一代保存信仰的屬靈遺產。
[1] “User Guide for the Survey of Household Spending 2019,”
Statistics Canada, January 22, 2021,
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/62f0026m/62f0026m2021001-eng.htm.
[1]《2019年家庭支出調查用戶指南》，
加拿大統計局，2021 年 1 月 22 日，
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/62f0026m/62f0026m2021001-eng.htm。
[2] Lydia Denworth, “The Magic of Reading Aloud to Babies,”
Psychology Today, May 5, 2017,
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-waves/201705/the-magic-reading-aloud-babies.
[2] Lydia Denworth，“大聲朗讀給嬰兒聽的魔力”，
今日心理學，2017 年 5 月 5 日，
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/brain-waves/201705/the-magic-reading-aloud-babies。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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