On December 25, 2019, Yaodu District Church in Linfen, Shanxi province held a whole day of worship to observe the annual Christmas festival.
In the morning, the church's sacred music band played the national anthem with drums while raising the national flag. After passing through security, believers from other places entered into the church and sang Joy to the World.
Afterward, the choir, presider, speaker, and the pastoral team walked into the main hall in proper sequence. Rev. Yang Senlin, who presided over the service, greeted the congregation and called them to worship from Psalm 98:1. This was followed by a Scripture reading from Luke 2:10-12.
The sacred music band went on the stage and played music then the moderator led the congregation to recite the Apostles' Creed and read Isaiah 52:7-10.
Next, the choir offered the special hymns, The Gift of Love, Come, Christians, Join to Sing, and Hallelujah.
Citing Luke 3:7-14, a pastor preached the message on what we should do at Christmas: we should reflect on the punishment stemming from sin; repent and produce fruit; and take action to serve people around us.
Later Elder Chen Li addressed the participants saying that two thousand years ago, the birth of Jesus opened up the new age in human history, bringing light and hope to humanity. As the Magi offered gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh to the Lord Jesus, the church was presented with a special gift, a medal of honorary title, "Venue of Standard Management Star". Recently the local United Front work department issued such medals to 17 Christian premises in Linfen.
After that, the fellowships and lower-tier gatherings gave performances including different kinds of dances, a modeling show, hymns, and a musical ensemble made up of about a dozen believers with disabilities.
Two other worship services were conducted in the afternoon and the evening.
- Translated by Karen Luo
