上周於社交媒體得悉提摩太·凱勒牧師（Rev. Timothy Keller, 1950 – 2023)主懷安息，實在令人深感懷念。過去，從他的 Facebook 專頁及 Church Leaders，除了閱讀到他的一些分享之外，也有他的病情消息；如今噩耗已成事實，願主安慰他家人和各方友人。
近年，筆者有閱讀過他好幾本著作，特別是有七百多頁的《21世紀教會成長學》（Center church: doing balanced, Gospel-centered ministry in your city）。每當筆者撰寫有關教會、運動、城市與使命等課題文章時，不時也會引用這本巨著的論述。在上兩周剛撰寫的〈踏出教會轉型與使命更新的一步〉便有引述書中的一些分享。此際，想起過往數篇文章亦曾引用過，包括〈寒風中思索怎樣前行〉、〈神聖想像、共塑前路〉及〈時代宣講的挑戰〉等等，謝謝這位可敬牧者的教導！
早前從朋友的臉書中，讀一篇由楊腓力 (Philip Yancep) 撰寫的有力分享，希望將其中一段「原汁」英文引用如下，讀者可以從中看到提摩太‧凱勒牧師竭力帶領救贖主長老教會(Redeemer Presbyterian Church)的發展，乃是一位忠於回應上主呼喚，至死忠心，活出召命的牧者，令人敬佩。
“Tim’s legacy will be carried on at Redeemer Church and in City to City, a movement he founded to foster urban churches around the world. I’ll most remember the heroic way he battled pancreatic cancer over his last three years. Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, worked tirelessly in search of new treatments for Tim, and each one took its toll. Throughout, Tim showed up on our Zoom screens every week that he possibly could, sometimes from the back of a car on the way to the emergency room and sometimes from a hospital bed. He was faithful to his calling, and I can’t think of a better spokesperson for the faith before New York media.”
– Philip Yancep Facebook
其實，筆者對提摩太‧凱勒牧師及其著作的認識十分粗淺，借此想推薦大家參閱德慧文化陳培德牧師曾經執筆為他所寫的介紹〈提摩太‧凱勒和他的重要著作〉，必有更多認識和啓發。而筆者撰此短文只想些微表達，感謝他的教導和榜樣。並且，深感在時勢昏暗的世途上，仍有如此良牧，實在值得我們學習和尊敬。
作者為香港教會更新運動總幹事
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