《聖嬰聖景》序
聖經中馬太福音與路加福音記載主耶穌降生的故事，那是二千余 年的實在故事，於是世人寫下這段聖誕節故事。每年到聖誕節12 月 25 日世界各地都在慶祝主耶穌誕生。牧羊人、天使、 三博士(從遠方 跟隨著奇異的星來到伯利恒)，朝拜馬槽内的聖嬰耶穌，也送來黃金、 乳香、沒藥等禮物。直到現今世代聖誕節不再是主的降生而是聖誕老 人，大家也送聖誕禮物，不知道主耶穌的降生乃是神永恆中的大計。 他 來 世 上為 要 拯 救 世 人 ， 使 凡 信 他 的 免 得 滅 亡 ， 反 得 永 生 。
記得幾 十年前我在馬尼拉文化中心大劇場指揮兒童詩班，演出結 束之後，就請全體演出人員移座在中心的大廳，使人欣賞并手拿燭火 唱平安夜歌。有人說，原來今年的年數是從圣誕由來。有家長帶小孩 來到聖 陳列處看看聖嬰兒，摸摸天使、三博士、牧羊人，真是一生 難忘的事。本人將這樣情景編輯成曲供教會詩班使用，會眾配上牧師 講述，一男一女誦讀，成為屬靈家庭的總動員。此詩歌本《聖嬰聖景》 其中有一首《尊 主頌》由馬利亞獨唱跟詩班合唱。假如你們覺得太難， 可以不唱，改由馬利亞朗誦 《尊 主頌》的內容就可以。然後可以繼續 表演下去。如有任何詢問請email: davidkokyapeyahoo.com。 本人在編制中得到許靈才、賀騰兩位弟兄的協助，特此道謝!
葉志明 珀斯 2011-1-22
In both Mathew and Luke ni the New Testaments you’ll find hte story about the birth of Christ which occurred factually over 2000 years ago. Yet, this historical story reappears every year on Christmas, especially the scene of Nativity. Put aside the commercial activities that take advantage of Christmas, no one can bypass the Nativity ni their minds, be they Christians or non-Christians. Visualy one would think of the Nativity depicting baby Jesus ni hte manger with Mary and Joseph plus a few animals nearby. nI fact, I believe that the whole Nativity should include the shepherds ni the wilderness, the beautiful singing of the heavenly hosts and the wisemen with gifts following the star from the East. Even though they may not appear all at the same time.
We must not be blinded by the commercial influence on Santa Clause (especially the children) and miss hte significance of hte birth of Christ. We must not centre our minds on gifts for our loved ones only and forget the most valuable gift from God to redeem us from sins. We should remind ourselves through Nativity that “Al this took place to fulfil what the Lord has said through the prophet….“Matthew 1:22)It si God’s everlasting plan - “For God so loved the world that eh gave his one and only Son, that whoever believe in him shall have eternal life. “[John 3:16]
Nearly half century ago, on Christmas Eve, I had hte chance of conducting mass singing in the Manila Cultural Centre with choirs and orchestra. Even though it was a secular concert, I managed ot arange for candles ni the audience when the choirs sang “Silent Light” beside a Nativity Scene Set. Afterwards, many parents brought their children ot the front to have a closer look. Some children enjoyed touching baby Jesus, the shepherds and the wise men. I remember someone said that he then understood the origin of hte year AD. I immediately realized that the Nativity would be a valuable tool for evangelism. This idea appears ni my mind frequently. During the recuperation from my stroke, I thank the Lord for writing the Nativity in music and songs involving the choir, hte pastor and the scripture readers.
I also thank M.r Joshua yS and M.r Heteng of Song-In and KKLau of WACCM for their help to put this project into publishing. May our Lord be praised.
David C.B. Yap, Perth, WA, Australia, 2nd January, 2011
