On Easter 2021 which falls on April 4, churches across China resumed in-person gatherings, following the effective containment of COVID-19 in the country. The serial articles introduce how six Christians celebrated the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. In part 1, let's hear about how two Christian sisters marked the holiday.
This is the story about Sister Kang.
When Kang came to the church on the morning of Easter Sunday, several sisters had arrived earlier than her. They told her that they were the first group to pick up the Easter eggs, so she joined in the egg collection.
Easter eggs were hidden by female believers everywhere in the church, on the grass and under trees in the yard, under the tables and chairs in the church. The most secretive place was in a few flower pots in the yard. Anyone who found eggs kept them until all of them were collected. Some were happy to eat when finding them, as these eggs symbolized resurrection and renewal of life. Those who did not find any regretted arriving too late.
At 8:00 in the morning, the church conducted the second activity lasting an hour and a half. Nearly 60 believers went onstage, performing solo singing. Sister Kang also sang two hymns, including "A Fellow Traveler".
At 9:30 a.m., Sister Kang and three other female members sang four songs accompanied by piano, including "You Sit on the Throne". Half an hour later, the choir went on stage to sing two hymns. At 10:30 a.m., Sister Xu Xiaofeng, the person in charge of our church, shared on a sermon themed "The Resurrection of Jesus" for half an hour, citing John 20:1-18. After two theatrical programs were performed, the celebration activity ended with the blessing of Sister Xu at 11:30.
In this year’s Easter celebrations, in order to commemorate the resurrection of the Lord, a sister who had not danced for many years due to her leg problem participated in the activity. Regardless of her leg problem, she insisted on rehearsing with others every day until the final perfect show.
Another old sister was very happy when she heard that the church asked her to participate in the program rehearsal, as she had never danced before. Finally, she successfully performed, saying “I entrusted the rehearsal to God in my prayers. God led me through many difficulties.”
“Through these two sisters, I saw God's guidance and favor”, Sister Kang said.
The following story is about Sister Ma.
Having believed in the Lord since July 1996, Ma was baptized after a three-day gathering in July 2004. In February 2019, she was recommended by the church deacon board to serve as a deacon. Although she had a grocery store, no matter how prosperous the store was, she always closed it on Sunday to serve in the church.
On Easter this year, she got up at 6:00 in the morning. After the daily morning prayer and breakfast, she rushed to the church around 7:00, arranging the work of the female attendants during the Easter service, as they needed to guide the elderly and physically unwell believers at the east entrance of the main hall on the first floor to take the elevator to the sanctuary on the second floor. She was also supposed to receive churchgoers outside the sanctuary on the second floor with some other sisters, taking their temperatures and registering personal information.
At the beginning of the gathering, they kept patrolling the aisles of the main hall, reminding those who did not wear masks and guiding latecomers to find seats. This Easter was the second Sunday service held after the church resumed its in-person gatherings. So many churchgoers came to worship that there were no empty seats left. After the choir’s singing and the pastor’s sermon, the Holy Communion conducted once a month began. As a deacon, together with other deacons, she was responsible for delivering the cakes and grape juice from the pastor to the hands of every baptized believer. After the Holy Communion, they took the cup back to wash for subsequent usage.
Sister Ma said God answered her prayer group’s prayer for postgraduate entrance examinations of two believers’ son and grandson, fulfilling their children's dreams. Sister Gao Yinzhi's son was admitted as a graduate student by Chang'an University in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province. Sister Guo Xiuyun’s grandson was also admitted as a postgraduate student of a Shanghai university.
(The original article is published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
2021年的复活节， 因新冠疫情被再次控制，各地教会也陆续有序恢复了线下实体活动。下面2位姐妹讲述了今年的复活节，她们是如何过的……
一、康姊妹：4月4日早上，当我来到教会时，已有好几个姊妹比我去的更早。她们见我来了，对我说，她们是第一批赶早来到教会，第一批捡到复活蛋。我也参加到捡拾复活蛋的行列里了。
复活蛋，是教会姊妹提前藏在教会的各个角落，有藏在院子的草地、树下，也有藏在教堂里面的桌子和椅子下。最难找的，是把复活蛋藏在院子的几个花盆里。谁捡到归谁，直到捡完所有复活蛋为止。捡到复活蛋的，高兴的边吃边乐, 因这复活蛋象征生命复活更新的复活蛋；没有捡到复活蛋的，懊悔自己怎么就来迟了呢。
上午8：00，开始了我们教会的主日庆祝复活节第二个活动内容，也就是弟兄姊妹个人登台献唱赞美。这场活动进行了整整一个半小时，先后有近60多位弟兄姊妹上台献唱了赞美诗歌。我也上台献唱了《主赐我一条路》《同路人》两首赞美诗歌。
上午9：30，开始了在钢琴音乐伴奏下的赞美活动。我和其他三位姊妹上台，开始了半个小时的歌唱赞美。我们四人一起，连着共同唱了《你坐着为王》等四首赞美诗歌。接着诗班弟兄姊妹献唱完2首诗歌后，上午10：30，是我们教会的负责人徐小凤姊妹，以圣经约翰福音20章1-18节的经文为依据，用了半个多小时，作了一堂主题为《耶稣的复活》证道。上午11：00，演出了2个文艺节目演出。11：30，我们教会主日庆祝复活节的活动，在徐小凤姊妹的祝福中圆满结束。
在今年教会这一次复活节庆祝活动中，有个姊妹腿有疾病，已经好多年都不跳舞了，这次为了这次纪念主的复活，她不顾自己腿有毛病，坚持和大家一起天天排练，直到节目完美演出
还有一个老姊妹自小到现在从来没跳过舞，一听教会安排让她参加节目排练，高兴的不得了。节目成功演完后，她说：我在祷告中，把这次节目排练交托给了神。是神带领着我，克服了不少困难。在她们俩位姊妹身上，我看到了神的带领和眷顾。
二、马姊妹：我是从1996年7月开始信的主，在2004年7月份我们教会举行三天大聚会时受的洗。在2019年2月被教会执事会推荐担任了教会执事。虽然我开了一家百货小卖部，无论小卖部生意多么红火，我都会在主日这天关门歇业，安安心心到教会去做服侍工作。
今年复活节这天，我在早晨6：00就起床了。开始我自信主后的每天晨祷，然后吃过早饭，大概在7：00多一点赶到教会，对来教会做服侍的姊妹们安排好当天聚会期间的工作。主要内容是：在一楼主堂的东门口负责接待引导年龄偏大，身体不便肢体乘电梯上二楼主堂；其次是自己会同几位姊妹在二楼主堂门厅接待来客，测量体温、登记个人信息。
在开始聚会期间，我们还要不停的在主堂各个走道巡视。看到没有戴口罩的做以提示，为后来的会众引导着寻找座位……今年的复活节，是我们教会恢复实体聚会后第二个主日聚会。前来参加聚会的人特别多，整个主堂坐的满满当当。在诗班献唱、王牧师证道结束后，就是一月一次的圣餐礼了。自己作为执事，会同其他执事，在圣餐礼举行期间，负责把从牧师手中接过的圣餐饼、葡萄汁递送到现场中每一位受过洗的信徒手中。圣餐礼结束后，负责收回杯洗净以备下次再用。
我们祷告小组，在去年为俩位姊妹的孩子和孙子考研祷告。没有想到，神听到了我们的祷告，成全了孩子们的理想。郜银芝姊妹的儿子被西安长安大学录取为研究生。还有郭秀云姊妹的孙子，也同时考上了上海东方理工大学的研究生。
今年复活节，这六位弟兄姊妹如此过（上）
On Easter 2021 which falls on April 4, churches across China resumed in-person gatherings, following the effective containment of COVID-19 in the country. The serial articles introduce how six Christians celebrated the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. In part 1, let's hear about how two Christian sisters marked the holiday.
This is the story about Sister Kang.
When Kang came to the church on the morning of Easter Sunday, several sisters had arrived earlier than her. They told her that they were the first group to pick up the Easter eggs, so she joined in the egg collection.
Easter eggs were hidden by female believers everywhere in the church, on the grass and under trees in the yard, under the tables and chairs in the church. The most secretive place was in a few flower pots in the yard. Anyone who found eggs kept them until all of them were collected. Some were happy to eat when finding them, as these eggs symbolized resurrection and renewal of life. Those who did not find any regretted arriving too late.
At 8:00 in the morning, the church conducted the second activity lasting an hour and a half. Nearly 60 believers went onstage, performing solo singing. Sister Kang also sang two hymns, including "A Fellow Traveler".
At 9:30 a.m., Sister Kang and three other female members sang four songs accompanied by piano, including "You Sit on the Throne". Half an hour later, the choir went on stage to sing two hymns. At 10:30 a.m., Sister Xu Xiaofeng, the person in charge of our church, shared on a sermon themed "The Resurrection of Jesus" for half an hour, citing John 20:1-18. After two theatrical programs were performed, the celebration activity ended with the blessing of Sister Xu at 11:30.
In this year’s Easter celebrations, in order to commemorate the resurrection of the Lord, a sister who had not danced for many years due to her leg problem participated in the activity. Regardless of her leg problem, she insisted on rehearsing with others every day until the final perfect show.
Another old sister was very happy when she heard that the church asked her to participate in the program rehearsal, as she had never danced before. Finally, she successfully performed, saying “I entrusted the rehearsal to God in my prayers. God led me through many difficulties.”
“Through these two sisters, I saw God's guidance and favor”, Sister Kang said.
The following story is about Sister Ma.
Having believed in the Lord since July 1996, Ma was baptized after a three-day gathering in July 2004. In February 2019, she was recommended by the church deacon board to serve as a deacon. Although she had a grocery store, no matter how prosperous the store was, she always closed it on Sunday to serve in the church.
On Easter this year, she got up at 6:00 in the morning. After the daily morning prayer and breakfast, she rushed to the church around 7:00, arranging the work of the female attendants during the Easter service, as they needed to guide the elderly and physically unwell believers at the east entrance of the main hall on the first floor to take the elevator to the sanctuary on the second floor. She was also supposed to receive churchgoers outside the sanctuary on the second floor with some other sisters, taking their temperatures and registering personal information.
At the beginning of the gathering, they kept patrolling the aisles of the main hall, reminding those who did not wear masks and guiding latecomers to find seats. This Easter was the second Sunday service held after the church resumed its in-person gatherings. So many churchgoers came to worship that there were no empty seats left. After the choir’s singing and the pastor’s sermon, the Holy Communion conducted once a month began. As a deacon, together with other deacons, she was responsible for delivering the cakes and grape juice from the pastor to the hands of every baptized believer. After the Holy Communion, they took the cup back to wash for subsequent usage.
Sister Ma said God answered her prayer group’s prayer for postgraduate entrance examinations of two believers’ son and grandson, fulfilling their children's dreams. Sister Gao Yinzhi's son was admitted as a graduate student by Chang'an University in Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province. Sister Guo Xiuyun’s grandson was also admitted as a postgraduate student of a Shanghai university.
(The original article is published by Gospel Times.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
How Six Believers Celebrate Easter (Part 1)
