Christmas in 2020 arrived under the "normal" coronavirus prevention circumstances. Most churches in urban and rural areas across the country held various celebrations based on the actual situation and local conditions, taking strict prevention measures and limiting the number of people entering the church at the same time. In the past few days after I went to church for Christmas, I interviewed eight Christians over the phone on how they spent Christmas…
Sister Chai: On recalling the preparations for the Christmas performance in October, she got excited on one hand and uneasy on the other hand. The exciting part was that God entrusted this important work to her, as the leader of the choir. The difficult part was that she lacked knowledge of how to organize programs. She was afraid that she would offend God if she couldn't do it well, and that she would be ridiculed if the show didn't succeed.
During the first few days, her mind was blank for several days, and she didn't know where to start; then she knelt and prayed to God. The LORD listened to her prayer, leading her to draw each choreographed action as a foreshortened shape on a piece of white paper, and then connect it with the lyrics.
Then, after nearly two months of intermittent rehearsal with the sisters in the choir, the three performances of the choir achieved unprecedented success in the church's two-day Christmas worship celebration. Seeing the smiles on the face of the sisters in the choir during the performance and listening to the constant applause of the audience, she was so happy and excited.
Brother Chen: He spent Christmas in Shaanxi Bible School. Before the big day, the school began intensive preparation. After undergoing planning and direction by the school music teacher Xue Yan, as well as more pre-selection and rehearsals that lasted for over two months, the performance was successfully carried out on Christmas Eve.
Chen remembered that during preparation and rehearsal, on the one hand, the students had to devote themselves to the intensive study of the Bible and theological culture; on the other hand, they had to take time to rehearse various Biblical dramas, dances, poetry recitations, and other programs.
After lunch at 12:30 on December 19, all the teachers and students gathered in the small auditorium on the fourth floor of the school to set up the stage and adjust the lighting. Around 2:00 p.m., the recording of the Christmas program began. First was the intercession of teacher Dang Gaiqin, and then the four male and female students, who were the hosts, appeared on stage. It was followed by an impassioned opening dance by 12 brothers, followed by a sequence of other programs. It was not until 7:00 p.m. that the Christmas program of Shaanxi Bible School ended.
Sister Chen: As a member of the choir, Chen went all out to attend her church's two-day Christmas worship for the year. In addition to participating in the choir and acting as an extra in some performances, she also participated in the rehearsal and performance of our drama "Your Mirror". Rehearsals for the performance began more than 40 days before Christmas. She thanked her husband and her aged mother for their understanding and support, who gave her time and energy to participate in the rehearsal and performance of the program.
Sister Zhao: Last year's Christmas was an unusual one. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all churches controlled the number of people attending their churches. Her church was no exception, limiting Christmas gatherings to no more than 200 people. Although the old church where she lived was demolished, God let the congregation celebrate Christmas safely in the transition room. There were unspeakable words of gratitude in her heart.
Sister Che: For most of the past year, she and their orchestra have been working in the countryside (Mainly accepting invitations to play music for the wedding and funeral of the brothers and sisters. To send God's blessing to the married, In remembrance of the dead cherished by the Lord).
On Christmas Day, the church arranged for the band to lead the worship. Together with other believers, with a grateful heart, she led the orchestra, worshipped and praised our God. She also went to the stage with the brothers and sisters, singing and dancing to praise our God.
Brother Dong: He waited and waited until the morning of December 24 when he went to church to spend Christmas. The church was livelier than the Chinese New Year, and he went straight to the place where he knew best how to play the piano every Sunday. He is a piano accompanist.
At the worship and praise ceremony, which began at 2 p.m., he played the piano for the elderly singing group. Hearing the praises and songs of each elder sister and brother, he had only one sentence in his heart: "Lord, thank you for choosing me in the vast sea of people and making me a vessel for you to use." His fingers landed on the keyboard, and tears of gratitude fell one after the other.
During the evening of the Christmas Eve worship performance, Dong Sang a hymn, "From the place of sunrise to the place of sunset" for the congregation. On Christmas the 25th, he played the piano again. In the following theatrical performance, he went to the sanctuary platform and sang a hymn titled, "Rekindling Fire" for the congregation.
At 5 p.m. on Christmas day, he and his band accepted an invitation and rushed to a rural church in the high tech Zone for a memorial service.
Sister Li: on the night of Christmas Eve, when she went to the church, the Christmas Eve worship and praise activities were held as scheduled. In the warm candlelight, in the passionate singing of brothers and sisters, the curtain of the Christmas celebration was opened.
The first thing we saw was the brothers and sisters in the choir, holding lit candles. In the gentle melody of the hymn "Silent Night", they went to the front of the stage to offer hymns and sing praise for the Lord. It was followed by a sermon, the theme of which was "The peace of Jesus", which I benefited a lot from listening to. Then began the Christmas praise meeting, the host's passionate opening recitation, magnificent dance presented one after another. There was a performance of a thought-provoking Biblical play, a holy play that teaches people to turn away from evil and do good. There was also light and joyful singing, which made people intoxicated with joy.
There was also a group over the age of 70 who performed lively and festive dance programs. The brothers and sisters used different forms of artistic performance, dressed in festival costumes, to tell the birth of Jesus Christ, God's Son and Savior, and the meaning of his coming to the earth. They also used body language to narrate the story to each of the brothers and sisters who came to the temple, as well as invited guests. The praise meeting did not end until late at night, but everyone was reluctant to leave for a long time.
Sister Zhang: In June 2020, her church resumed normal offline worship activities following government regulations.
On the afternoon of December 24, the provincial government and the municipal government issued an urgent notice, cancelling all the group visits and gatherings at the end of the year to prevent the spread of the pandemic. However, her church's Christmas Eve celebration and worship activities went on smoothly as planned. On the 25th, she worried about whether the church's Christmas celebration would be cancelled (My work unit's annual New Year's Day art show had already been cancelled. A major choral performance in my city had also been cancelled). She was very grateful to hear that the church's Christmas Eve and the following Christmas celebrations went on as usual.
(The article is originally published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Nonye Nancy
2020年的圣诞节在常态防疫情况下来到了，全国各地城乡的大多教会结合实际、因地制宜，在采取严防措施并同时限制入堂人数的情况下，举办了各式各样的庆祝活动。笔者在到教会度过圣诞节后的这几天，通过电话采访了八位基督徒，现在就让我们共同听一听他们是怎样度过圣诞节这一天的……
一、柴姊妹：回忆起刚进入十月份开始预备圣诞节献演的节目时，心里是又激动又艰难。激动的是神把这项重要的工作托付给了她这个诗班班长，作难的是自己缺少编排节目方面的知识。她怕自己做不好得罪神，也怕节目演出不成功被人耻笑。
在最初的那几天里，她脑子连续几天是一片空白，不知道从何处入手。于是，她就跪下来，在祷告中呼求神。主聆听了祷告，引领她把每个编排动作都在白纸上画成一个个小人，然后对照歌词连接起来。
接下来，经过她和诗班姊妹们近二个多月的断断续续排练，在教会两天的圣诞节崇拜聚会中，诗班演出的三个节目取得了空前的成功。看到诗班姊妹在演出时的满面笑容，听着台下会众久久不息的掌声，我心里是何等的高兴和激动。
二、陈弟兄：他今年的圣诞节在陕西圣经学校度过的。在圣诞节前，学校就开始紧锣密鼓的筹化预备。在经过学校音乐老师薛燕的策划和编导，经过两个多月的预选、排练，又在平安夜这天晚上，顺利进行了圆满成功的演出。
曾记得，在节目预备与排练当中，同学们一方面既要投入到紧张的课堂（圣经）及神学文化知识的学习，另外一方面还要抽出时间排练各样的圣剧、舞蹈、诗朗诵等节目。
在12月19日中午12：30午饭后，全体师生集中到学校四楼小礼堂，劳作舞台的搭建及灯光布置调试工作。下午14：00左右，开始了庆圣诞崇拜节目的录制工作。首先是党改琴老师的代祷，然后是男女同学四位主持人闪亮登场。接着是12位弟兄热情激昂的开场舞，再接下来是其他节目的依次有序演出。直到晚上19：00，陕西圣经学校的庆圣诞崇拜节目才录制完毕。
三、陈姊妹：陈是一名诗班成员，在今年教会举办的为期二天的圣诞节崇拜聚会中，全力以赴全程参加。除过参加诗班集体献唱及在部分节目演出中跑龙套外，重点是参加了我们景剧《你的镜子》的排练和演出。这个节目在圣诞节前的四十多天就开始排练了。她谢谢她的丈夫和已高龄的母亲，是他们的理解和支持，她才有时间和精力参加节目的排练和演出。
四、赵姊妹：去年圣诞节是个不寻常的一年，因着疫情，各个教会都控制入堂人数。她的教堂也不例外，规定圣诞节崇拜聚会不得超过200人。 虽然她所在的旧堂被拆掉了，神让会众在过渡板房里平安的庆祝了圣诞佳节。心里头有说不出来的感恩话。
五、车姊妹：在过去一年的大多时间里，她和她们的管弦乐队常年奔波在乡村去为主作工（主要是接受邀请，为弟兄姊妹家的婚丧事去奏乐助兴。为结婚者送上神的祝福；为安息主怀的逝者送上追思）。
在圣诞节这天，教会安排让乐队带领敬拜。她和其他信徒一块，怀着一颗感恩的心，在神的面前吹响管弦乐号，敬拜赞美我们的上帝。也和姊妹弟兄共同登台，唱歌跳舞赞美我们的神。
六、董弟兄：他等啊等，终于等到了12月24日早晨去教堂过圣诞的时刻。教堂里比过年还热闹，他直接来到了自己最熟悉那每个主日弹琴的地方。他是钢琴伴奏。
在下午二点开始的崇拜赞美中，他又给老年诗班登台献诗作钢琴伴奏。听到每一位上了年龄的姊妹弟兄们赞美歌声，他心里只有一句话：“主啊，感谢你在茫茫人海之中拣选了我，使我成为被你使用的器皿”。他的手指在键盘上跳跃，感恩的泪珠也在一颗一颗往下掉。
晚上在平安夜崇拜文艺节目演出中，董为会众唱了一首《从日出之地到日落之处》赞美诗歌。在25号圣诞之日，他又是钢琴伴奏。在接下来的文艺节目演出中，他又走上圣台为会众唱了一首《同燃一腔复兴火》赞美诗歌。
圣诞节这天的下午五点，他和他的乐队接受邀请，又马不停蹄地赶往高新区一所农村教堂作追思礼拜……
七、李姊妹：到了平安夜的那个晚上，当她到教会，平安夜的崇拜赞美活动如期举行。在温馨的烛光中，在弟兄姊妹的激情飞扬赞美歌声中，拉开了庆祝圣诞节的帷幕。
首先看到的是诗班弟兄姊妹手执点燃的蜡烛，在《平安夜》诗歌轻轻的旋律中，走向台前为主献诗歌唱赞美。接着是一堂证道，主题是《耶稣的平安》，听后获益匪浅。紧跟着开始了圣诞赞美会，主持人激情洋溢的开幕朗诵，美轮美奂的舞蹈一场场呈现。那教导人离恶行善的圣剧Biblical play表演，发人深省。还有那轻盈欢乐的表演唱，让人陶醉喜乐连连。
更有一组70岁以上的长辈们，他们表演的舞蹈节目活泼喜庆。弟兄姊妹用不同的文艺表演形式，身着节日盛装，把神的儿子救主耶稣基督降生，以及来到地上的意义，用肢体语言讲述给来到圣殿的每一位弟兄姊妹及被邀请的慕道友。直到深夜，赞美会已结束，但大家还久久舍不得离去。
八、张姊妹：2020年的6月份，她所委身的教会按照政府规定恢复了正常的线下敬拜活动。
12月24日下午省政府、市政府紧急发文，年底为了预防疫情扩散，取消一切团拜及聚会活动。而她的教会平安夜庆祝崇拜活动却仍按原计划，顺利进行。 25日全天她都在担心教会的圣诞庆祝活动会不会被取消（因我所在的单位，每年一度的元旦文艺汇演已宣布被取消了。我所在的市上，一个重量级的合唱演出活动也被取消了）。当听到教会晚上平安夜和第二天圣诞庆祝活动照常进行时，她非常感恩。
http://www.gospeltimes.cn/portal/article/index/id/54883
http://www.gospeltimes.cn/article/index/id/54866
2020年的圣诞节这八位基督徒如此过
Christmas in 2020 arrived under the "normal" coronavirus prevention circumstances. Most churches in urban and rural areas across the country held various celebrations based on the actual situation and local conditions, taking strict prevention measures and limiting the number of people entering the church at the same time. In the past few days after I went to church for Christmas, I interviewed eight Christians over the phone on how they spent Christmas…
Sister Chai: On recalling the preparations for the Christmas performance in October, she got excited on one hand and uneasy on the other hand. The exciting part was that God entrusted this important work to her, as the leader of the choir. The difficult part was that she lacked knowledge of how to organize programs. She was afraid that she would offend God if she couldn't do it well, and that she would be ridiculed if the show didn't succeed.
During the first few days, her mind was blank for several days, and she didn't know where to start; then she knelt and prayed to God. The LORD listened to her prayer, leading her to draw each choreographed action as a foreshortened shape on a piece of white paper, and then connect it with the lyrics.
Then, after nearly two months of intermittent rehearsal with the sisters in the choir, the three performances of the choir achieved unprecedented success in the church's two-day Christmas worship celebration. Seeing the smiles on the face of the sisters in the choir during the performance and listening to the constant applause of the audience, she was so happy and excited.
Brother Chen: He spent Christmas in Shaanxi Bible School. Before the big day, the school began intensive preparation. After undergoing planning and direction by the school music teacher Xue Yan, as well as more pre-selection and rehearsals that lasted for over two months, the performance was successfully carried out on Christmas Eve.
Chen remembered that during preparation and rehearsal, on the one hand, the students had to devote themselves to the intensive study of the Bible and theological culture; on the other hand, they had to take time to rehearse various Biblical dramas, dances, poetry recitations, and other programs.
After lunch at 12:30 on December 19, all the teachers and students gathered in the small auditorium on the fourth floor of the school to set up the stage and adjust the lighting. Around 2:00 p.m., the recording of the Christmas program began. First was the intercession of teacher Dang Gaiqin, and then the four male and female students, who were the hosts, appeared on stage. It was followed by an impassioned opening dance by 12 brothers, followed by a sequence of other programs. It was not until 7:00 p.m. that the Christmas program of Shaanxi Bible School ended.
Sister Chen: As a member of the choir, Chen went all out to attend her church's two-day Christmas worship for the year. In addition to participating in the choir and acting as an extra in some performances, she also participated in the rehearsal and performance of our drama "Your Mirror". Rehearsals for the performance began more than 40 days before Christmas. She thanked her husband and her aged mother for their understanding and support, who gave her time and energy to participate in the rehearsal and performance of the program.
Sister Zhao: Last year's Christmas was an unusual one. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all churches controlled the number of people attending their churches. Her church was no exception, limiting Christmas gatherings to no more than 200 people. Although the old church where she lived was demolished, God let the congregation celebrate Christmas safely in the transition room. There were unspeakable words of gratitude in her heart.
Sister Che: For most of the past year, she and their orchestra have been working in the countryside (Mainly accepting invitations to play music for the wedding and funeral of the brothers and sisters. To send God's blessing to the married, In remembrance of the dead cherished by the Lord).
On Christmas Day, the church arranged for the band to lead the worship. Together with other believers, with a grateful heart, she led the orchestra, worshipped and praised our God. She also went to the stage with the brothers and sisters, singing and dancing to praise our God.
Brother Dong: He waited and waited until the morning of December 24 when he went to church to spend Christmas. The church was livelier than the Chinese New Year, and he went straight to the place where he knew best how to play the piano every Sunday. He is a piano accompanist.
At the worship and praise ceremony, which began at 2 p.m., he played the piano for the elderly singing group. Hearing the praises and songs of each elder sister and brother, he had only one sentence in his heart: "Lord, thank you for choosing me in the vast sea of people and making me a vessel for you to use." His fingers landed on the keyboard, and tears of gratitude fell one after the other.
During the evening of the Christmas Eve worship performance, Dong Sang a hymn, "From the place of sunrise to the place of sunset" for the congregation. On Christmas the 25th, he played the piano again. In the following theatrical performance, he went to the sanctuary platform and sang a hymn titled, "Rekindling Fire" for the congregation.
At 5 p.m. on Christmas day, he and his band accepted an invitation and rushed to a rural church in the high tech Zone for a memorial service.
Sister Li: on the night of Christmas Eve, when she went to the church, the Christmas Eve worship and praise activities were held as scheduled. In the warm candlelight, in the passionate singing of brothers and sisters, the curtain of the Christmas celebration was opened.
The first thing we saw was the brothers and sisters in the choir, holding lit candles. In the gentle melody of the hymn "Silent Night", they went to the front of the stage to offer hymns and sing praise for the Lord. It was followed by a sermon, the theme of which was "The peace of Jesus", which I benefited a lot from listening to. Then began the Christmas praise meeting, the host's passionate opening recitation, magnificent dance presented one after another. There was a performance of a thought-provoking Biblical play, a holy play that teaches people to turn away from evil and do good. There was also light and joyful singing, which made people intoxicated with joy.
There was also a group over the age of 70 who performed lively and festive dance programs. The brothers and sisters used different forms of artistic performance, dressed in festival costumes, to tell the birth of Jesus Christ, God's Son and Savior, and the meaning of his coming to the earth. They also used body language to narrate the story to each of the brothers and sisters who came to the temple, as well as invited guests. The praise meeting did not end until late at night, but everyone was reluctant to leave for a long time.
Sister Zhang: In June 2020, her church resumed normal offline worship activities following government regulations.
On the afternoon of December 24, the provincial government and the municipal government issued an urgent notice, cancelling all the group visits and gatherings at the end of the year to prevent the spread of the pandemic. However, her church's Christmas Eve celebration and worship activities went on smoothly as planned. On the 25th, she worried about whether the church's Christmas celebration would be cancelled (My work unit's annual New Year's Day art show had already been cancelled. A major choral performance in my city had also been cancelled). She was very grateful to hear that the church's Christmas Eve and the following Christmas celebrations went on as usual.
(The article is originally published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Nonye Nancy
How Eight Christians Mark Christmas Eve Depsite Restrictions
