In the Christmas Carol “O Holy Night” we sing the words, “Long lay the world, in sin and error pinning, till he appeared and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope- the weary world rejoices, For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!”

在聖誕頌歌《聖善夜》中，我們唱道：「迷茫大地，罪惡虛空中嘆息，直到晨曦顯現，帶來黎明真光顯現, 恩典照亮世人揮別長夜, 迎接榮耀早晨」

It is easy to rest in the comfort and innocence of Christmas imagery. The gift giving Santa Claus, dressed up Christmas trees, hot cocoa and familiar music – all of it the soft blessings of Christmas time. It is easy to forget what it means to hope for anything when you already have everything.

人們很容易在聖誕節舒適和純粹的氛圍中休息，聖誕老人和禮物、精心點綴的聖誕樹、熱可可和熟悉的音樂——這一切都是聖誕節的溫柔祝福。當你已經擁有一切時，很容易忘記對事情抱有盼望意味著什麼。

The message of advent and of the Christmas season is of waiting and anticipation. It is a time of hope that something new will come and transform the world. It is the hope that a little baby born in a manger can change the world.

降臨期和聖誕節所傳遞的訊息是等待和期盼，我們希望新事物將會到來並改變世界；我們期盼那個在馬槽裡誕生的小嬰兒能夠改變世界。

That baby came for one reason – to solve the problem of sin. Sin is a word not familiar to many of us anymore. We often know it by other names: evil, wrongdoing, brokenness. As unwilling as we often are to admit to sin, we cannot ignore the brokenness is brings into the world. And if we want healing, we must start at the source.

那位嬰兒的誕生只為一個目的──解決罪的問題。罪，這個詞彙對我們許多人來說已不再熟悉，我們常常用其他名字來認識它：邪惡、不法行為、破碎。儘管我們常常不願意承認罪，但我們不能忽視它帶給世界的破碎；如果我們想要得到醫治，一切必須從源頭開始。

That little baby in the manger, the Christ child, is the hope of healing. And every year during Advent, we remember that the hope of a new morning is here and that freedom from sin – from brokenness and despair – is possible.

馬槽裡的小嬰兒，是基督，是醫治的希望。每年降臨節期間，我們會記得每日早晨的新希望就在眼前，擺脫罪惡、破碎和絕望的自由是可能的。

So I want to wish you all a happy Advent season and a very merry Christmas.

所以我想祝福大家有一個快樂的降臨節，和聖誕快樂。