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
