阅读经文 

在今天的经文中，使徒彼得提到了挪亚和方舟，我们在10月4日讨论过相关问题。你还记得本月有另一个同样指向方舟的故事吗？那是记载在《出埃及记》二章中，你可能还记得，摩西的母亲把尚是婴孩的摩西放在一个“箱子”里，希伯来语的“箱子”也有“方舟”的意思。摩西的母亲这样做是出于信心，希望她的小儿子能躲过埃及法老的杀戮。（参出 1:22）

在《新约》圣经中，使徒兼渔夫彼得说，正如神“藉着水”拯救了挪亚和他的家人，而其他人则在审判中被卷走，基督徒也藉着基督的死和复活，从审判中被拯救出来，这层意义在洗礼中被体现出来。如果基督徒象征性地“藉着水”（洗礼）得救（就像挪亚和他的家人），那么“方舟”对于基督徒是什么？神拯救我们乃至整个受造界的器皿是什么？看来这就是教会，信仰基督的群体。请记住，洗礼将我们置于神子民的养育群体中，有敬拜、祷告、圣礼和团契。在这座“方舟”里，我们将进入神更新的世界，走向复活和整全的生命。

In our reading for today, the apostle Peter mentions Noah and the ark, which we discussed on October 4. Do you remember another story this month that also pointed to the ark? In Exodus 2 (Oct. 5), as you may recall, Moses' mother places him as a baby in a "basket," and the Hebrew word for that can also mean "ark." Moses' mother did this, in faith, hoping that her little boy would escape the murderous reach of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. (see Exodus 1:22)

In the New Testament, the apostle and fisherman Peter states that just as God rescued Noah and his family "through water" while other people were swept away in judgment, Christians are rescued from judgment by Christ's death and resurrection, which is symbolized in baptism. If believers in Christ are symbolically rescued (like Noah and his family) "through water" (baptism), then what is the "ark"? What is the vessel of God's rescue for us and indeed for the whole creation? It seems that this would be the church, the community of faith. Remember, baptism places us in the nurturing community of the people of God with its worship, prayers, sacraments, and fellowship. In this "ark" we are on the way to the resurrection and full life in God's renewed world.