Marking as the traditional Chinese Qingming Festival, April 4, which this year also happens to be a Sunday, was a day for believers to celebrate Easter. On that day, I went to Linyi, Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, and visited churches in the county and several surrounding towns to celebrate Easter Sunday.
Linyi County is located in the southwest of Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, with a total area of more than 1,339 square kilometers (0.33 acres) and a population of more than 600,000. In ancient times, it was known as Xiuyang, and the state of Yi was established in the Xia Dynasty. During Spring and Autumn, the great merchant Yidun raised flocks of sheep here and became the originator of commerce by dealing in jewelry. The name of the county, Linyi, was formed in 1954 from the former towns of Linjin and Yishi.
According to Elder Yue Yinshan, head of Linyi Christian Church, the county chapel, built in 1996, has more than 660 square meters, with a congregation of more than 4,000 believers. During the pandemic, the church stuck to uninterrupted live online worship, and this Sunday and Easter service was the first congregational service since Christmas. On the same day, the church in Linyi also held a cultural performance to celebrate Easter. Since then, services have resumed in all the urban and rural activity venues in the Linyi area after Easter.
Brothers and sisters from all over the county arrived at the church for morning prayers at 6 am on Sunday, before the daybreak. In the church, many believers knelt down to pray and sobs were heard from time to time. Afterward, everyone took to the stage to sing hymns, some in solo, some in groups of three or five, and some of the church canteen workers dressed in chef's aprons, sang hymns together.
The Easter Sunday service started at 8 am with a full house in the chapel. Pastor Yang preached a sermon titled “The Morning of Resurrection”, using scriptures from Matthew 28:1-7. He said that the world was shocked by what happened on that morning, when the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, defeating the power of Satan's death and accomplishing a great work of salvation.
After the service, Pastor Yang led the author to drive more than 40 miles to the Christian Church in Miao Shang Township in the county. After an hour's trek, I finally arrived at Miao Shang Church, which is situated in a corner of the township. The believers of the church performed a number of wonderful programs such as "The Most Beautiful Heaven" and "Mary of Bethany". On the stage, traditional flowery clothes from the Jinnan region and Xinjiang and Tibetan-style costumes were presented one after another.
One playlet, "Mother-in-law is also a mother", written and performed by the church's elderly sisters, tells the story of a daughter-in-law who treats her in-laws differently from her own mother, which once brought her family to a break up; but she later repents in time after her believing mother preaches the Gospel to her, and finally lived in harmony with her mother-in-law. The performance ended at around 1 pm, with many elderly believers in their sixties and seventies continuing to rehearse and perform, even though they had missed lunch. According to Pastor Yang, the performances were written and performed by local believers, the majority of whom are farmers working in the countryside and have taken time out of their busy schedules to rehearse their programs.
After that, I travelled by car to Linjin township, some 20 miles away from Miao Shang township, where the church also held an Easter service with over 200 believers attending and performing a cultural program. Elder Yue Yinshan from the Linyi church came all the way from the county to baptize the catechumens.
(The original article is published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Wylie Sun
4月4日，是清明节，也是主日，更是神的儿女欢庆复活节的日子。当日，笔者前往山西运城临猗，走访了县城及周边数个乡镇教会欢度复活日。
临猗县位于山西省运城市西南部，总面积1339余平方公里，人口六十余万人。古称郇阳，夏朝曾建立猗国。春秋时大商人猗顿在此畜牧羊群，经营珠宝成为商业鼻祖，县名系1954年由原临晋、猗氏两镇组成现在的临猗。
据临猗基督教会负责人岳银善长老介绍，县城礼拜堂建筑面积660余平米，建于1996年。该堂现有信徒4000余人。疫情期间，该堂坚持网上崇拜直播不间断，此次主日暨复活节崇拜是自圣诞节以后的首次聚会礼拜，当天，临猗教堂还举行了庆祝复活节文艺演出。自此，复活节之后，临猗地区城乡活动点全部恢复礼拜。
主日清晨6点，天还未亮，已经有弟兄姊妹从全县各地赶到教堂参加晨祷活动，在教堂里，许多信徒跪在地上祷告，时听见有人啜泣以及声泪俱下的祷告。
之后，大家纷纷登台赞美献唱，有的独唱，有的三五组合，还有的是教会食堂服侍的同工，她们身着厨师围裙，一同唱响赞美诗。
早上8点，复活节主日崇拜正式开始，礼拜堂内座无虚席。
杨牧师以马太福音28:1—7的经文，做了题为《复活的清晨》的分享。他说，当年这个清晨发生的事情震撼了世界，主耶稣从死里复活，败坏了魔鬼撒旦的死亡权势，成就了救赎大工，是惊天动地的大事，我们得到这宝贵救恩，也要立志为主而活，为主广传福音，拯救灵魂，做主荣耀的见证。
崇拜结束后，杨牧师带领笔者驱车四十余里来到了该县的庙上乡基督教会。经过近一个小时的跋涉，笔者终于到达了坐落在乡镇角落的庙上教堂，一下车，一座造型别致的小礼拜堂便映入了眼帘。
该堂信徒先后表演了“天国最美”“伯大尼的马利亚”等多个精彩的节目。舞台上，晋南地区传统的花衣裳、新疆、西藏风情的表演服装接连亮相。
该堂中老年姊妹自编自演的福音题材小品《婆婆也是妈》，讲述了一个儿媳对自己公婆与亲生母亲的区别对待，一度让家庭濒临破碎，后经过信主的母亲传福音，及时悔改，与婆婆消除恩怨，全家和睦的故事。
整场演出直到下午1点左右才圆满结束，许多六七十岁的老年信徒宁可错过午餐时间也坚持排练以及演出。
据杨牧师介绍，这些节目都是当地信徒们自编自演的，他们中的绝大多数都是劳作于乡间田野的的农民，为了排练节目，他们在农忙之余抽出时间多次排演。
此后，笔者又乘车前往了距庙上乡二十多里外的临晋镇，这里的教会也举行了复活节礼拜，有200余名信徒参加，表演了文艺节目。临猗教会的岳银善长老还专程从县城赶来为慕道友施洗。
（文/张晓华 张蒙悦 图/张蒙悦）
山西运城市临猗县城乡基督教会欢庆复活节实录
Marking as the traditional Chinese Qingming Festival, April 4, which this year also happens to be a Sunday, was a day for believers to celebrate Easter. On that day, I went to Linyi, Yuncheng, Shanxi Province, and visited churches in the county and several surrounding towns to celebrate Easter Sunday.
Linyi County is located in the southwest of Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, with a total area of more than 1,339 square kilometers (0.33 acres) and a population of more than 600,000. In ancient times, it was known as Xiuyang, and the state of Yi was established in the Xia Dynasty. During Spring and Autumn, the great merchant Yidun raised flocks of sheep here and became the originator of commerce by dealing in jewelry. The name of the county, Linyi, was formed in 1954 from the former towns of Linjin and Yishi.
According to Elder Yue Yinshan, head of Linyi Christian Church, the county chapel, built in 1996, has more than 660 square meters, with a congregation of more than 4,000 believers. During the pandemic, the church stuck to uninterrupted live online worship, and this Sunday and Easter service was the first congregational service since Christmas. On the same day, the church in Linyi also held a cultural performance to celebrate Easter. Since then, services have resumed in all the urban and rural activity venues in the Linyi area after Easter.
Brothers and sisters from all over the county arrived at the church for morning prayers at 6 am on Sunday, before the daybreak. In the church, many believers knelt down to pray and sobs were heard from time to time. Afterward, everyone took to the stage to sing hymns, some in solo, some in groups of three or five, and some of the church canteen workers dressed in chef's aprons, sang hymns together.
The Easter Sunday service started at 8 am with a full house in the chapel. Pastor Yang preached a sermon titled “The Morning of Resurrection”, using scriptures from Matthew 28:1-7. He said that the world was shocked by what happened on that morning, when the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, defeating the power of Satan's death and accomplishing a great work of salvation.
After the service, Pastor Yang led the author to drive more than 40 miles to the Christian Church in Miao Shang Township in the county. After an hour's trek, I finally arrived at Miao Shang Church, which is situated in a corner of the township. The believers of the church performed a number of wonderful programs such as "The Most Beautiful Heaven" and "Mary of Bethany". On the stage, traditional flowery clothes from the Jinnan region and Xinjiang and Tibetan-style costumes were presented one after another.
One playlet, "Mother-in-law is also a mother", written and performed by the church's elderly sisters, tells the story of a daughter-in-law who treats her in-laws differently from her own mother, which once brought her family to a break up; but she later repents in time after her believing mother preaches the Gospel to her, and finally lived in harmony with her mother-in-law. The performance ended at around 1 pm, with many elderly believers in their sixties and seventies continuing to rehearse and perform, even though they had missed lunch. According to Pastor Yang, the performances were written and performed by local believers, the majority of whom are farmers working in the countryside and have taken time out of their busy schedules to rehearse their programs.
After that, I travelled by car to Linjin township, some 20 miles away from Miao Shang township, where the church also held an Easter service with over 200 believers attending and performing a cultural program. Elder Yue Yinshan from the Linyi church came all the way from the county to baptize the catechumens.
(The original article is published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Wylie Sun
Easter Celebration in Shanxi Church
