勇氣在不同文化中被視為重要的美德。從柏拉圖到老子：甚至二戰時期英國首相 Winston Churchill 溫斯頓·邱吉爾都曾經這樣評論，說：「勇氣的確是眾美德之首，因為勇氣使其他美德得以展現。」(意譯：“Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities, it is the quality which guarantees all others.” )。廣義上，勇氣可以定義為人在面對困難，未知和恐懼時作出選擇的美德。從吉加美士史詩到日本少年Jump，勇氣都是歷久不衰被歌頌的特質。雖然主角不同，劇情萬變，劇本卻有共通之處：主角往往需要經過死蔭幽谷，憑著一腔熱血和勇氣，並藉著編劇賦予恰到好處的超能力，戰勝困難和恐懼。

我們不難明白為何我們對勇氣的讚美能夠跨越時代。我們生活在充滿未知的世界，我們憧憬那些在書本內，螢幕中，面對恐懼卻能努力生活著的人。但是，紙筆中的勇氣往往好似永遠帶著超能力，主角不是萬年不遇的天才，就是背後有大大的靠山，或者總能在九死一生的場景中翻轉，以絕對的力量消滅邪惡。這種需要有背景，有巧合，以武力敘述的勇氣，反而好像讓我們一面憧憬勇氣，一面覺得這不是我們普通人，平常人可以擁有的品質。

可能就因如此，勇氣彷若逐漸失去它對我們以往的吸引力。一講起「有勇」就想起「無謀」，將勇氣看為無謂的堅持，將堅持統一看為無謂地破壞社會和諧。每當我們的安全感被掀起波瀾時，我們對缺乏的恐懼就轄制了我們。

今日，我想藉著經課的故事，帶大家經歷故事中人物面對的恐懼，看看勇氣的如何幫助他們做出合乎上帝心意的選擇。

第一：與外在環境對抗的勇氣。
大衛和哥利亞的故事相信大家都耳熟能詳。雞蛋與高牆，看似無法戰勝的敵人，在整個民族生死存亡之際，默默無名的年輕牧人挺身而出，戰勝巨人哥利亞。
大衛的勇氣惟獨來自耶和華的名，他知道事情成敗全然在乎耶和華。大衛拒絕了掃羅王的戰衣盔甲和寶刀，手持牧杖和彈弓，到河邊拾了石子，最後一下完成任務。儘管大衛已信靠上帝會領他得勝，作者仍讓我們看到大衛的恐懼和不安：他到河邊時拾起了5顆石子，然而上帝單單用了1顆石子就結束戰鬥。大衛的勇氣在他的恐懼中尤其顯得可貴－勇氣不代表無畏，而是在我們的軟弱中更顯出神的剛強。

我們詮釋這段經文時，總願意看我們自己為大衛，在世界的邪惡和絕望中，靠神的大能與其對抗。但實際上，我們今日更多時候卻更像哥利亞。好像上星期撒母耳挑選新王時一樣，我們習慣依賴我們自己眼所能見，覺得更為可靠的事物作為我們勇氣和信心的來源。我們喜歡閃閃發亮的鎧甲和寶劍，卻不會牢牢抓住神的話語和應許－主的杖。當我們盡力想辦法戴上許多世界認為更光鮮，更有力的裝備，我們反而被這些想法和事情限制了我們的動作。我們開始自我審查，覺得談論某些話題或會讓人不願意進入教會。我們追求更大的規模，更專業的設備，更精美的宣傳和包裝，卻往往放下了牧杖，忘卻我們跟隨的牧人是怎樣的牧人，和我們自己基督徒的身份。我們迷失在對抗世界的道路上。

第二，認清自我，堅持的勇氣。
哥林多教會身處在新舊世俗交替的時代。哥林多被稱為「一個醜聲遠播、奢華淫逸的城市，是東西方罪惡的淵藪」。哥林多後書，保羅的書信是寫給在地已經成為了基督徒的弟兄姊妹。保羅看他們雖然已經被稱為神的用人，但在生活上卻不總是能夠讓人認出，對世界上的榮耀，美名，權貴，階級的嚮往，比對上帝的教導和話語更大。
與哥林多教會相似，我們也正處與不斷和上帝和世界價值觀的衝突和拉扯中。哥林多後書中並列了幾個矛盾，尤其第10節－「似乎憂愁 ， 卻是常常快樂的；似乎貧窮，卻是叫許多人富足的；似乎一無所有，卻是樣樣都有的」。 在金錢和對缺乏的恐懼掛帥的世代，我想和大家分享一位弟兄一家人的見證。

弟兄和太太早年移居英國，在一小鎮開了一家中餐館。他們有三個年幼可愛的小孩。與許多早期移民做生意的人一樣，餐館只收現金－留有些少瞞稅的空間。後來弟兄一家信主，心裡有聖靈催逼，和教會弟兄姊妹分享心裡的掙扎，不知應否報回正價。有的弟兄姊妹對這位弟兄的分享表示大大的不悅，認為他應該馬上改變；有人則明白他作為家中唯一經濟支柱的難處－更何況在當時電子支付尚未普遍，cash only 更是常態，難道清高能治孩子的肚餓？弟兄心中非常掙扎，在團契分享中也不禁流淚，最後，他在困難和不安中做出了勇敢的選擇，不再瞞稅。這決定並沒有讓他大富大貴，但神豐富的供應卻讓他的生活作為見證：「似乎貧窮，卻是叫許多人富足的；似乎一無所有，卻是樣樣都有的」。弟兄抓緊了牧人的杖，認清了自己屬神子民的身份，並在自己內心的掙扎中以堅持的勇氣－不斷作出選擇。他的生命和見證，正參與在神的工作中。

第三，在虛空和痛苦中相信神的勇氣。
不論是第一種外界而來的絕望，和第二種內在自我而生的掙扎，我們似乎都能夠找到方法解釋問題發生的原因。世道無常，唯獨當我們在經歷難以明白的災難，慘劇發生在我們生命中時，如同約伯在塵埃中，如同以利亞在曠野中，如同門徒在風浪中，我們彷彿面對被上帝遺棄，遺忘的孤獨，虛空，和痛苦: 我們不禁會問，父神你在嗎？。神學家田立克(Paul Tillich)稱呼這種，明明生活在虛空無常中，卻相信並努力證明生命有價值的態度為：存在的勇氣 (the courage to be)。我們沒有辦法脫離伴隨存在而來，需要尋找方向和答案的焦慮，空虛和孤獨。我們從哪裡可以找到在苦難中存在，並相信神的勇氣呢？讓我們從主耶穌身上找答案。

可能你會想：耶穌是神，神是全能，怎會面對不安和未知呢？耶穌怎會需要勇氣呢？我們有時在高舉耶穌的神性時，忘記了耶穌全然的人性。耶穌同樣會憤怒，哀傷，流淚，肚餓；同樣需要面對世界，自我，和生命有限的挑戰。無論是在安息日治病，到潔淨聖殿，耶穌並未被宗教傳統所規範，祂無畏法利賽人的逼害，堅持以真理和誠實教導人。耶穌在傳道之始三次被魔鬼引誘，在飢餓，榮華和榮耀前，牢牢緊握自己的身份和責任。在被賣那夜，客西馬尼園，耶穌的痛苦顯而易見，甚至在十字架上經歷與父神分離的孤獨和痛苦，嗟嘆「我的神，我的神，你為何離棄我？」在最無望，與神隔絕的痛苦中，耶穌卻參與在上帝戰勝死亡的聖工和榮耀，在永恆罪債中贖回我們。耶穌在我們還作罪人的時候，獻上自己的身體和寶血，相信我們會在聖靈的引導下，藉祂的死重新和上帝接連，並在祂的復活中與我們一同自由地參與在上帝的榮耀裏。耶穌的勇氣，來自祂知道神和祂同在。

從上帝的角度出發：上帝同樣需要勇氣。在明確的應許和大能的拯救中，人類卻纍纍背棄上帝的慈愛。人的自由讓上帝經歷背叛，失望。永能的神，卻選擇差祂的兒子成為有限的人，受苦而死，成為永恆的救贖－一個讓世人能夠有份參與於上帝榮耀國度的救贖。耶穌是上帝的勇氣。
「你們要常在我裡面，我也常在你們裡面。」我們看到三一，父，子，聖靈相互依賴，同在的勇氣，並選擇看我們為寶貴，和我們同在。我們的勇氣來源於此。

Courage is considered a forerunner among cardinal virtues in many schools of thoughts. From Plato to Laozi (Daoism): Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister during World War II, once commented: “Courage is indeed the first of all virtues, because courage enables other virtues to manifest.” Broadly speaking, courage can be defined as the virtue of making choices in the face of difficulties, unknowns, and fears. From the Epics of Gilgamesh to the Japanese Shōnen Jump Comics, courage is a quality that has been celebrated throughout time. Although the protagonists are different and the plots are ever-changing, the scripts have something in common: the protagonists often need to go through the valley of the shadow of death, and overcome difficulties and fears with passion and courage, and with superpowers given by the screenwriters.

It’s easy to see why our praise for courage transcended time. We live in a world full of uncertainty, and we look up to heroes in comics and screens, who live courageously in the face of fear. However, courage on paper often seems to be always come with unrealistic superpowers. The protagonist is either a rare genius, or has a huge backer behind them, or they can always pull an uno-reverse, survive the narrowest escape, and destroy evil with absolute might. This kind of courage that hinges on power, coincidence, and a portrait of might does make us yearn for courage, but at the same time make us feel like that this is not a quality that ordinary people like us can have.
Perhaps because of this, courage seems to be gradually losing its appeal to us. When we talk about “courage”, we think “no plan” (A Chinese Idiom). We regard courage as meaningless persistence, and regard persistence as meaningless trample of social harmony. Whenever our sense of security is shaken, our fear of scarcity rules us.

Today, I want to use take you through the fears faced by the heroes in our readings today, and observe how courage helps them make choices that are in line with God’s will. Let’s bring courage back to fashion.

First: the courage to confront the world.
Most of us are familiar with the story of David and Goliath. Eggs and high walls; seemingly invincible enemies, when the entire nation is on the verge of destruction, one unknown young shepherd steps up and defeated the giant.

David’s courage in the face of despair came only from the name of God. He knew that the success or failure of everything depended entirely on God. David denied King Saul’s armor and sword, instead armed with his staff and a slingshot. He went to the river to pick up the pebbles, and completed the mission in one go. Although he had trusted God to lead him to victory, the authors showed us David’s fear and uneasiness: when he was at the river, he still picked up 5 pebbles, but God ended the battle with one. David’s courage was especially valuable in the midst of his fear—courage does not mean fearlessness, but rather reveals God’s strength in our weakness.

When we interpret this passage, we are always willing to see ourselves as David, fighting against the evil and despair of the world with the power of God. But most of the times, we are more like Goliath. Just as we saw last week how Samuel fallen back to his old habits in identifying the new king, we are accustomed to relying on what we can see, as a more reliable source of courage and confidence. We love the shining armor and swords, but we don’t hold fast to the Word and promises of God—the staff of the Lord. As we try to find ways to put on what many of the world considers to be flashier, more powerful gear, we have instead limited in our movements by these thoughts. We begin to censor ourselves, feeling that talking about certain topics might make people reluctant to come to church. We pursue larger scale, more professional equipment, more exquisite publicity and packaging, but often dropped the staff and forget what kind of pastor we are following, and more so, our own identity as Christians. We are lost in our fight against the world.

Second, courage to persevere in your true self
The church in Corinth was in an era of alternation between the old and the new secular world. Corinth was called “a city of scandal, luxury and licentiousness, the source of evil in the East and the West.” In Second Corinthians, Paul’s letter was written to brothers and sisters who had become Christians. Paul saw that although they had been called God’s servants, they were not always recognizable from how they in their lives. They yearned for glory, fame, power, and class in the world more than for God’s teachings.

Similar to the church in Corinth, we are in constant conflict and tension with the values of God and the world. There are several contradictions juxtaposed in 2 Corinthians, especially verse 10 – “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” In an age where money and the fear of scarcity rules, I would like to share with you the testimony of a brother and his family.

This gentleman and his wife immigrated to England in early years and opened a Chinese restaurant in a small town. They have three young adorable children. Like many early immigrants doing business, the restaurant only accepted cash – leaving some room for hiding taxes. Later, his whole family believed in the Lord, and they were urged by the Holy Spirit to change, and shared their inner struggles with others at church. They wondered whether they should pay back the full tax. Some brothers and sisters expressed great dissatisfaction with this brother’s sharing and believed that he should change immediately; others understood the difficulty of being the sole breadwinner of the family – not to mention that at that time, electronic payment was not yet common, and cash only was the norm. Can honour quench the children’s thirst? The brother struggled a lot in his heart as he’s tearing through his sharing. In the end, he made a courageous choice amidst the difficulties and uneasiness and stopped hiding taxes. This decision did not make him rich, but God’s abundant provision allowed his life to serve as a testimony: “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.” The brother grasped the shepherd’s staff tightly, recognized his identity as one of God’s people, and used the courage to persevere by constantly making the choices that the Holy Spirit enticed. Their testimony is participating in the work of God.

Third, the courage to be with – and trust God in the midst of emptiness and pain.
Whether it’s the first kind of despair that comes from the outside world, or the second kind of struggle that comes from within, we seem to be able to find a reason for everything. Yet, change is the only constant. When we experience incomprehensible disasters and tragedies, like Job in the dust, like Elijah in the wilderness, like the disciples in the wind and waves, we seem to be experiencing abandonment and forgotten by God. Loneliness, emptiness, and pain: we can’t help but ask, Father God, are you here? Theologian Paul Tillich called this attitude of believing and trying to prove the value of life despite living in emptiness: the courage to be. There is no way for us to escape the anxiety, emptiness and loneliness that accompany life and the need to find directions, reasons and answers. Where do we find the courage to exist in the midst of suffering and trust God? Let us look to Jesus.

You might be thinking: Jesus is God, and God is almighty, so how can he face uneasiness and the unknown? How could Jesus need courage? Sometimes in exalting the divinity of Jesus, we forget the humanity of Jesus – He is wholly God and wholly human. Jesus experienced angry, sadness, he weeps, and he starve; he faced the challenges of the world, himself, and the limitations of human-ess. Whether it was healing on the Sabbath or cleaning the temple, Jesus was not self-censored by religious traditions. He was not afraid of the persecution of the Pharisees and insisted on teaching people with truth and honesty. Jesus was tempted by the devil three times at the beginning of his ministry, and held fast to his identity and responsibility in the face of hunger and glory. On the night of being betrayed, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus’ pain was obvious. He experienced the absolute loneliness and pain of being separated from God the Father on the cross, “My Lord, why have you forsaken me?” In his hopeless isolation from God In suffering, Jesus participated in the glory of God’s victory over death and our redemption from eternal death. Jesus gave His body and blood while we were still sinners, trusting that we would be led by the Holy Spirit to reconnect ourselves to God through His death and to freely participate within God’s work in His resurrection and glory. Jesus’ courage came from knowing that God was with Him.

From God’s perspective: God the Father also requires courage. Despite countless demonstrations of faithfulness, promises and salvation, mankind has repeatedly turned its back on God’s love. Our precious God-given freedom disappointed and betrayed God. But the eternal God chose to send His only Son to become a man, to suffer and die, and become the sacrificial and eternal salvation – a salvation that allows the world to participate in the glorious kingdom of God. Jesus is the courage of God.

“Abide with me, and I with you.” We see courage through the interdependence of Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and choose to see us as valuable and long to be with us. Our courage comes from this.