“巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒从前掳到巴比伦之犹大省的人，现在他们的子孙从被掳到之地回耶路撒冷和犹大，各归本城。” – 拉 2:1
在我们今天读的经文之间，有一长串名字。家谱和其他类似的名单通常不会让人读来有兴趣。毕竟，我们对其中列出的大多数人知之甚少。他们的行为、渴望和梦想——所有这些都已消失在历史中，我们只知道他们的名字。
但圣经中列出了这份名单，因为这有助于后人了解他们与流亡者之间的联系，以及他们在上帝子民中的历史地位。同样，今天，许多人发现追溯自己的家谱很有意义，可以了解到以前从未了解过的祖先的情况。它可以帮助人们了解自己的身份，甚至是祖先的一些故乡。
《圣经》中关于救赎的一幅伟大图画就是我们现在属于神的家。如果你相信基督，你就被收纳为神的儿女（见罗马书 8:14-17；以弗所书 2:19-22）。这对每个人来说都是好消息！如果有人觉得自己过去的行为烧毁了与周围人沟通的桥梁，或者家人拒绝接受他们对基督的信仰，这会给他们带来安慰。在耶稣里，上帝赐给了我们一个归属的地方和一群归属的人。
祷告
天父，基督的教会在你里面找到了自己。感谢你向我们保证，你疼爱照顾我们每一个人，我们属于你。阿们。
以斯拉记 2:1-2, 64-70
1巴比伦王尼布甲尼撒从前掳到巴比伦之犹大省的人，现在他们的子孙从被掳到之地回耶路撒冷和犹大，各归本城。
2他们是同着所罗巴伯、耶书亚、尼希米、西莱雅、利来雅、末底改、必珊、米斯拔、比革瓦伊、利宏、巴拿回来的。
64会众共有四万二千三百六十名。
65此外还有他们的仆婢七千三百三十七名，又有歌唱的男女二百名。
66他们有马七百三十六匹，骡子二百四十五匹，
67骆驼四百三十五只，驴六千七百二十匹。
68有些族长到了耶路撒冷耶和华殿的地方，便为神的殿甘心献上礼物，要重新建造。
69他们量力捐入工程库的，金子六万一千达利克，银子五千弥拿，并祭司的礼服一百件。
70于是，祭司、利未人、民中的一些人、歌唱的、守门的、尼提宁并以色列众人，各住在自己的城里。
Knowing Where You Belong
“These are the people of the province who came up from the captivity of the exiles . . . (they returned to Jerusalem and Judah, each to their own town . . . ).” – Ezra 2:1
In between the verses of our Bible reading today there is a long list of names. Genealogies and other lists like this do not usually make for interesting reading. After all, we know very little about most of the people listed there. Their actions, hopes, and dreams—all of that is lost to history, and we have only their names.
But the Bible includes this list because it would help later generations see how they were connected to the exiles and had a place among God’s people in history. Similarly today, many people have found it meaningful to trace their family tree and learn things about their ancestry that they had never known before. It can help people learn about their identity and even some of the places their ancestors come from.
One of the great pictures of salvation in the Bible is that we now belong to the family of God. If you put your faith in Christ, you are adopted as a child of God (see Romans 8:14-17; Ephesians 2:19-22). This is good news for everyone! It can also give comfort to anyone who may feel that their past actions have burned bridges with the people around them, or whose families reject their faith in Christ. In Jesus, God has given us a place to belong and a people to belong to.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, the whole family of Christ finds its identity in you. Thank you for the assurance that you love and care for each one of us, and that we belong to you. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
