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About 12 years ago, I was completing some research. The research included reading thousands of pages of early 20th-century Western Canadian Baptist records. Most of these records were only available on microfilm.

Since I was unable to spend weeks in a library reading these records on microfilm viewers, I had permission to copy the microfilm at home. Once copied, I could return it to the library and then spend weeks reading the records at home. But to copy microfilm required specialist equipment: a digital camera with a high-resolution sensor, a macro-photography lens, a backlight to illuminate the film, and a way to stabilize the camera to photograph the microfilm with absolute clarity.

The device I used is very clever. The camera is positioned perfectly horizontally. The camera can be raised or lowered. Microfilm is fed underneath the lens. Clear photos are taken. Now I have a set of Western Canadian Baptist records second to none. Today, I use this device to produce close-up photos of objects at resolutions that push the limits of what we see with our naked eyes.

At one of his most dramatic moments in Romans, Paul writes in Romans 11:33-36: “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them? For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”

Paul has just explained how God’s mercy is available to everyone who believes. Now Paul is lost in worship as he considers how stunning God’s mercy is. You see, God sees you and me in the minutest detail – he knows the flow of our thoughts, the inmost attitude of our hearts, the truth about us in every way. He has the highest resolution sensor to see into our lives. And yet, knowing the deceitfulness of our hearts, he loves us. Jesus dies for us, and by his shed blood makes it possible for us to be right with him. Truly, this is cause for worship – the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God meant Jesus would die and be raised for us.

The device I used photographed details we cannot see with our eyes. God sees us in detail and with unparalleled clarity. He knows us. And he loves us. There’s nothing we can hide from God; there’s nothing we need hide from him. Let’s allow him to survey our lives, shine the light of his grace upon us, and bring us to this place of worship, forgiveness, and grace. “For from him and through him and for him are all things” – including you.

視頻大意翻譯(video Chinese translation):

大家早。

大約12年前，我正在完成一些研究生學位的初步研究。該研究包括閱讀數千頁20世紀早期加拿大西部浸信會的記錄。這些記錄大多只能透過閱讀微縮膠片取得。

由於我無法花幾周時間在圖書館閱讀縮微膠片，我獲准將縮微膠片帶回家複製。複製後，我就可以把它歸還給圖書館，然後花幾個星期在家裡閱讀記錄。但是複製縮微膠片需要一些專業設備，包括高解析度的數位相機，微距攝影鏡頭，用於照亮膠片的背光，以及能穩定相機以便能絕對清晰拍攝縮微膠片的方法。 

這就是我用的設備。這是非常聰明的。相機完美地放好，可以升高或降低。縮微膠片在鏡頭下方送入。接著拍攝出清晰的照片。現在我有一套首屈一指的加拿大西部浸信會記錄了。

今天，我使用這個設備拍攝特寫照片，它的分辨率突破了我們肉眼所能見的極限。

保羅在羅馬書11：33-36中寫道：“深哉、　神豐富的智慧和知識。他的判斷、何其難測、他的蹤跡何其難尋、誰知道主的心、誰作過他的謀士呢、誰是先給了他、使他後來償還呢。因為萬有都是本於他、倚靠他、歸於他．願榮耀歸給他、直到永遠。阿們。”

保羅剛剛解釋了神的憐憫是如何給每個相信的人。現在保羅迷失在敬拜中，因為他想到神的憐憫是多麼令人驚歎。你看，神看到你和我最微小的細節—他知道我們的思想，我們內心最深處的態度，我們各方面的真相。他擁有最高解析度的感測器，可以看到我們的生活。然而，明知道我們內心的詭詐，他還是愛我們。在耶穌里，他來了，為我們而死，藉著基督的寶血使我們能與他和好。這確實是敬拜的原因 – 神的智慧和知識何等豐富，以至於耶穌為我們而死並復活。

這設備甚至可以拍攝縮微膠片，就是我們肉眼無法看到的細節。它讓這些細節栩栩如生。神看到我們的細節，無比清晰，他了解你。他仍然愛我們。這是神在基督里的恩典。

我們沒有什麼可以向神隱瞞的;我們不需要對他隱瞞什麼。讓我們讓他審視我們的生活，將他恩典的光照在我們身上，並帶我們到這個充滿敬拜、饒恕和恩典的地方。“因為萬物都是從他而來的，通過他而來的，又為他而來的”—包括你。

 

讓我們一起禱告。 

Grace and peace

Pastor Callum