On April 16, Holy Wednesday of this year's Passion Week, Wuxi International Church commemorated the day with a Taizé prayer service.
Held in the church's auxiliary hall, the space was dimly lit, illuminated only by the soft glow of electronic candles arranged in a heart-shaped circle and the faint light from a television screen displaying the song lyrics.
The service began with the officiant providing an overview of Passion Week or Holy Week, along with the history, structure, and spiritual significance of Taizé prayer. Holding the Taizé prayer service on Holy Wednesday (also called Good Wednesday or Spy Wednesday) carried particular meaning, as the Bible records no specific words or actions of Jesus on that day. As a form of communal worship developed by a community of monks in rural France, Taizé prayer is a meditative form of worship, incorporating joyful chants, periods of silence, and readings from Scripture.
The prayer service centered on the seven sayings of Jesus on the cross, with each segment following a recurring pattern of Scripture reading, reflection, prayer, and hymn singing. The officiant guided the congregation in meditating on themes such as forgiveness, repentance, covenant, hope, spiritual belonging, and unity. Accompanied by piano music, participants engaged in silent reflection or whispered prayers. Each prayer segment lasted only two to three minutes, followed by the chanting of hymns. In total, four hymns were chanted during the service—each a brief, gentle melody consisting of just two or three lines of lyrics.
The officiant elaborated on the impact of meditative prayer by quoting Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching: "The greatest square has no corners, the greatest vessel takes the longest to complete, great music has the faintest notes, and the greatest form is without shape." He also noted that several passages in the Bible emphasize the value of stillness. The officiant encouraged the congregation to follow Jesus' example of meditation before his crucifixion.
"Nothing can trouble, nothing can frighten. Those that seek God shall never lack. Nothing can trouble, nothing can frighten. God alone fills us." After the chanting of "Nothing Can Trouble" by the attendees, two young church coworkers led the congregation in the hymn "Via Dolorosa." The service concluded with the collective recitation of the Lord's Prayer.
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission, and the author is a believer at a church in Jiangsu Province. )
- Edited and translated by Poppy Chan
