"From the snowy winter to the thriving spring, to the scorching summer, we go through three seasons, caring about each other. From January 26 to August 16, we are finally at the church after 204 days and nights of waiting!” Yan Peng, the senior pastor of Haikou Lu Church in Changchun, Jilin, said after church services were resumed following the coronavirus pandemic.
On August 16, Haikou Lu Church resumed in-person services. During these 204 days, they kept praying for the peace of China, for the end of the pandemic, and for the early resumption of collective gatherings.
On Sunday, three services were held. The believers made appointments online in advance and had their temperature taken in the church.
As usual, Pastor Yan stood at the door at six in the morning to welcome the believers. He led the co-workers in greeting the brothers and sisters with a warm smile, and the believers were excited to shake hands and hug him.
The believers were seated at a social distance and prayed quietly. Even in the quiet church, they couldn’t control their excitement. Some were crying silently.
Then the pastor gave a sermon entitled, "Look at that Glorious Country," based on Psalm 133. This is a song of ascents of David, sung by a group of Israelites, God's chosen people on their pilgrimage. They were marching towards Jerusalem just like our experience on this Sunday. Due to the limited time, the pastor only shared two points: open your spiritual eyes and see the beauty of the Lord.
Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple. The cloud filled the temple, and the court was full of the radiance of the glory of the LORD. (Ezekiel 10:4) At this moment, our God was in the church and the Lord Jesus was smiling in the midst of the congregation. We rejoiced at the first service after the pandemic, and praised the God of the Trinity loudly, the voice of Amen filling the heavens.
(The author of this article is a pastor from Haikou Road, Changchun, China's northeastern Jilin Province.)
-Translated by Abigail Wu
