At Christmas, most churches in China celebrate with singing and dancing; while during Easter, some churches do not observe it, some places emphasize Easter more than Christmas. During the recent Holy Week and Easter in 2024, after visiting churches in provinces such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Liaoning, editors of the Gospel Times, an online Christian Newspaper in China, shared similarities and differences of the activities, with their names being fictitious.
The degree of emphasis on Holy Week and Easter would be different
Xiao Dai: I feel that churches in towns and suburbs pay less attention to Easter than Christmas. They celebrate Christmas in a rustic way, but they have almost no activities during Holy Week and Easter.
Xiao Fu: At a church in Ningbo, Zhejiang, I saw flowers around candles arranged in the shape of a cross, and decorations at the church entrance resembling an open tomb. The programs were diverse as well.
Xiao Yin: Pastors and church staff at a church in Chengdu, Sichuan, all fasted and prayed on Good Friday, with believers invited to join them. As the church was open all day, Christians could come in to pray or watch videos about Jesus' Passion.
Xiao Shi: In addition to these, I also encountered churches that had no decorations at all, but only preached relevant sermons on Good Friday and Easter.
Forms of observing Holy Week and Easter in churches
Xiao Shi: In a Palm Sunday service, choir members waved palm branches, shouting "Hosanna!" Baptisms were held in several churches on Easter Sunday in that city.
Xiao Fu: On Good Friday, I attended a fasting and prayer meeting from 8:30 am to 3 pm. The host led attendees in reflecting on the seven sayings of Jesus from the cross and praying. At another modern church in this city, believers recited the "Passion Symphony," bringing congregants back to the scene of Jesus' journey to the cross.
Xiao Yin: I attended a foot-washing and communion service on Maundy Thursday. A female pastor washed the feet of ten women selected from church volunteers, and last year, male volunteers’ feet were washed by a male pastor. On Friday morning, there was a meditation on the Stations of the Cross, with explanations at each station, linking Jesus' experience to the lives of believers.
Xiao Dai: On Good Friday, during the Stations of the Cross activity, the pastor carried a cross in and around the church building with believers following, many of whom cried out loudly.
Differences in preaching
Xiao Dai: A pastor said during his sermon on Holy Week that reading the relevant scriptures about Jesus' Passion made him feel as if he were at the scene of the Passion. On Easter Sunday, another pastor declared at the beginning of the sermon, "The Lord Jesus Christ has risen! The Lord Jesus Christ has truly risen!"
Xiao Fu: I attended a traditional church for Easter, where the first words of the host were "The Lord has risen!" and then believers also told each other, "The Lord has risen!" During the evangelistic rally in the evening, the first ten rows of seats in the main building were left for seekers. After the sermon on "The Meaning of Life," many people responded to the call and made decisions to believe in Christ.
Xiao Yin: On Easter Sunday, a pastor mentioned that Mary sought Him not for her benefit but solely to anoint Jesus' body, so she could encounter the risen Lord.
Xiao Shi: Some churches conducted activities every day during Holy Week, such as devotionals and meditations on the scriptures, and the sermons this week were conventional.
Most memorable scenes from Holy Week and Easter
Xiao Fu: On Good Friday, a long and wide black ribbon draped over the cross before the altar, with a sense of solemn darkness spreading. On Easter Sunday, the ribbon was changed to red. In another large modern church, there was a large golden cross in front, with many small wooden cross necklaces hanging on it. Church staff took down one necklace and put it on every believer's neck before they took communion, symbolizing their bearing the cross with Jesus.
Xiao Yin: Before a church service started, a large black cloth covered believers who were seated, with darkness enveloping them. This allowed them to experience seeing the light in the darkness. In the drama "Opening the Darkest Corner," three Christian men played and sang. Two of them were visually impaired, which didn't affect their worship of God.
Xiao Shi: I think videos and music are crucial. When the music describing Jesus' Passion played during the communion service, many believers began to cry. On Friday evening, we watched "The Passion of the Christ," which gave us a visceral experience of the sufferings Jesus went through.
Xiao Dai: The choir's performance deeply moved me. On Good Friday, choir members narrated Jesus' Passion scenes with soothing and solemn tones; on Easter, they grandly proclaimed Jesus' resurrection.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
在圣诞节，各地教会绝大多数会载歌载舞欢庆圣诞；而在复活节，有的教会不过，有的其重视度甚至超过了圣诞节。在刚过去的2024年受难周和复活节，福音时报的编辑们在走访江苏、浙江、福建、四川、陕西、山西、辽宁等省份的教会后，分享所看见的类似的地方和不同之处。以下人名均为化名。
对受难周和复活节的重视程度
小戴：我觉得乡镇和郊区教会对复活节的重视程度远远不及圣诞节，它们会以乡土的方式欢庆圣诞，然而，他们在受难周、复活节几乎没有任何活动。
小福：我今年所去的教会主堂前的楼梯上，用鲜花围绕着摆成十字架形状的蜡烛，主堂门口放置了类似敞开的坟墓的装饰。节目形式也多样。
小音：我走访的成都教会受难日当天，教牧同工全部禁食祷告，也邀请信徒一同禁食祷告。期间教堂全天对外开放，信徒可以来教堂内祷告，也可以观看耶稣受难记视频。
小石：除了你们说的，我还遇到有的教会没有任何相关的装饰，只是在受难日和复活做了相关的证道。
教会过受难周和复活节的形式
小石：我参加的棕枝主日礼拜中，教会的诗班成员摇动棕树枝，一起呼喊“高高在上和散那！”多个教会也举行了洗礼。
小福：受难节当天我参加了一个教堂的禁食祷告会，从上午8点半一直持续到下午3点。围绕十架七言，主领人带领大家一句句默想祷告。我在另一家现代化大教堂参加受难节聚会的时候，一个节目是朗诵《受难交响曲》，带会众们再次回到了耶稣走十架路的现场。
小音：我参加了一场圣餐濯足礼拜，牧者给从义工中选出来的十位姐妹（去年是弟兄）洗脚。周五早上是苦路十四站默想，每一站都有讲解，从耶稣的经历落脚到信徒个人的生命和生活。
小戴：受难日十架苦路活动中，传道人在前肩扛十架绕教会楼上楼下一周，信徒排成列跟随，很多信徒放声大哭。
#话语的宣讲
小戴：一位牧者在证道时说道，在圣周读耶稣受难的相关的经文，仿佛自己置身于受难的现场。在复活节当天，另一位牧者讲道一开始就郑重地宣告：“主耶稣基督复活了！主耶稣基督真的复活了！”
小福：我参加的是一家偏传统的教会的复活节，主领人第一句话就是“主复活了！”，然后让信徒告诉对方“主复活了！”在晚上的复活节福音布道会，他们特意把主堂前十排的位置留出来给慕道友。证道《人生的意义》后，现场有很多人领受呼召，决志信主。
小音：复活主日的讲道中提到马利亚如何遇见复活的主，她此时寻找主不是为了自己的益处，是单单为了要膏耶稣的尸体。
小石：圣周有的教会每天都有活动，大家跟着当天的经文灵修、默想。这周的证道比较常规。
#受难周、复活节给你留下印象最深刻的场景
小福：受难日当天，很长很宽的黑色绶带，搭在讲台正前方的十字架上，感觉黑暗蔓延出来，很庄严肃穆；复活节当天，绶带变成红色。另外一间现代化的大教堂，台前面是一个金色的大十字架，上面挂了很多木制的小十字架。服侍同工取下一个个十字架项链戴在每位领餐者身上，然后大家再排队领餐，寓意与耶稣同背十字架。
小音：一间教会礼拜开始前用一张大黑布将座位上的信徒盖在下面，犹如黑暗笼罩，让信徒感受在黑暗中得见光明的时刻。为后半场的情景剧《打开黑暗的角落》弹唱的三位弟兄中有两位是失明人士，虽然眼睛不能看见，却不影响他们向着神的敬拜。
小石：我觉得视频和音乐很重要。教会在举办圣餐礼时，当描述耶稣受难的音乐响起后，不少会众就哭了起来。周五晚上观看了《耶稣受难记》，对耶稣经历过的苦难有直观的感受。
小戴：教会诗班的献诗很打动我。在受难日，诗班成员以舒缓、沉重的语调讲述着耶稣受难的一幕幕；在复活节，诗班又以气势恢宏的姿态宣告了耶稣复活的喜讯。
编辑圆桌谈：各地教会圣周活动面面观
At Christmas, most churches in China celebrate with singing and dancing; while during Easter, some churches do not observe it, some places emphasize Easter more than Christmas. During the recent Holy Week and Easter in 2024, after visiting churches in provinces such as Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, and Liaoning, editors of the Gospel Times, an online Christian Newspaper in China, shared similarities and differences of the activities, with their names being fictitious.
The degree of emphasis on Holy Week and Easter would be different
Xiao Dai: I feel that churches in towns and suburbs pay less attention to Easter than Christmas. They celebrate Christmas in a rustic way, but they have almost no activities during Holy Week and Easter.
Xiao Fu: At a church in Ningbo, Zhejiang, I saw flowers around candles arranged in the shape of a cross, and decorations at the church entrance resembling an open tomb. The programs were diverse as well.
Xiao Yin: Pastors and church staff at a church in Chengdu, Sichuan, all fasted and prayed on Good Friday, with believers invited to join them. As the church was open all day, Christians could come in to pray or watch videos about Jesus' Passion.
Xiao Shi: In addition to these, I also encountered churches that had no decorations at all, but only preached relevant sermons on Good Friday and Easter.
Forms of observing Holy Week and Easter in churches
Xiao Shi: In a Palm Sunday service, choir members waved palm branches, shouting "Hosanna!" Baptisms were held in several churches on Easter Sunday in that city.
Xiao Fu: On Good Friday, I attended a fasting and prayer meeting from 8:30 am to 3 pm. The host led attendees in reflecting on the seven sayings of Jesus from the cross and praying. At another modern church in this city, believers recited the "Passion Symphony," bringing congregants back to the scene of Jesus' journey to the cross.
Xiao Yin: I attended a foot-washing and communion service on Maundy Thursday. A female pastor washed the feet of ten women selected from church volunteers, and last year, male volunteers’ feet were washed by a male pastor. On Friday morning, there was a meditation on the Stations of the Cross, with explanations at each station, linking Jesus' experience to the lives of believers.
Xiao Dai: On Good Friday, during the Stations of the Cross activity, the pastor carried a cross in and around the church building with believers following, many of whom cried out loudly.
Differences in preaching
Xiao Dai: A pastor said during his sermon on Holy Week that reading the relevant scriptures about Jesus' Passion made him feel as if he were at the scene of the Passion. On Easter Sunday, another pastor declared at the beginning of the sermon, "The Lord Jesus Christ has risen! The Lord Jesus Christ has truly risen!"
Xiao Fu: I attended a traditional church for Easter, where the first words of the host were "The Lord has risen!" and then believers also told each other, "The Lord has risen!" During the evangelistic rally in the evening, the first ten rows of seats in the main building were left for seekers. After the sermon on "The Meaning of Life," many people responded to the call and made decisions to believe in Christ.
Xiao Yin: On Easter Sunday, a pastor mentioned that Mary sought Him not for her benefit but solely to anoint Jesus' body, so she could encounter the risen Lord.
Xiao Shi: Some churches conducted activities every day during Holy Week, such as devotionals and meditations on the scriptures, and the sermons this week were conventional.
Most memorable scenes from Holy Week and Easter
Xiao Fu: On Good Friday, a long and wide black ribbon draped over the cross before the altar, with a sense of solemn darkness spreading. On Easter Sunday, the ribbon was changed to red. In another large modern church, there was a large golden cross in front, with many small wooden cross necklaces hanging on it. Church staff took down one necklace and put it on every believer's neck before they took communion, symbolizing their bearing the cross with Jesus.
Xiao Yin: Before a church service started, a large black cloth covered believers who were seated, with darkness enveloping them. This allowed them to experience seeing the light in the darkness. In the drama "Opening the Darkest Corner," three Christian men played and sang. Two of them were visually impaired, which didn't affect their worship of God.
Xiao Shi: I think videos and music are crucial. When the music describing Jesus' Passion played during the communion service, many believers began to cry. On Friday evening, we watched "The Passion of the Christ," which gave us a visceral experience of the sufferings Jesus went through.
Xiao Dai: The choir's performance deeply moved me. On Good Friday, choir members narrated Jesus' Passion scenes with soothing and solemn tones; on Easter, they grandly proclaimed Jesus' resurrection.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
Roundtable: Holy Week Activities in Different Regions
