In China, it is a tradition for most registered churches to hold worship services on Good Friday each year to commemorate the Passion of Jesus.
Last Friday, Shenzhen Church held a sacred music worship service, during which the choir entered the sanctuary to the prelude "Man, Wail for Your Great Sin!" The youth choir performed hymns reflecting the Lord's Passion, with a scripture passage relevant to each song read aloud beforehand.
At Gospel Church in Shanghai's Pudong New District, a liturgical Good Friday service was held. The scripture reading included verses from Hebrews 4, which highlight how the great high priest, Jesus, empathizes with human weaknesses. Following the reading, the congregation observed a moment of silence, after which the choir responded in song. This led to the proclamation of "The Gospel of the Passion of Christ." The entire congregation stood and read John 18 and 19 in a dramatic dialogue format, with individuals taking on the roles of Jesus, Pilate, the soldiers, and the crowd. This brought the congregation into the historical setting of Christ's Passion. When the narrator declared, "This is the beginning and end of the savior's Passion," the audience stood in reflective silence.
Meanwhile, at Gospel Church in Beijing's Daxing District, the congregation watched the film "The Passion of the Christ" together. The viewing began with Jesus' arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane and continued through his interrogation by Caiaphas the high priest, his trial before Herod and Pilate, and ultimately, his crucifixion. Following the film, a worship service was held. A sermon titled "Seven Words on the Cross" interpreted the significance of each of Christ's final statements, drawing from the corresponding scriptures.
During the worship service at Dongxinxiang Church in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, a red cross was hung adorned with a crown of thorns woven from grass, accompanied by a black cloth. Additionally, a large wooden cross was put up in the courtyard, draped in a black cloth.
At a church with an aging congregation, most attendees of the Friday service were elderly, as last Friday was a working day. A blue banner hung above the pulpit, inscribed with the words "Jesus Died for Us," with a cross made of lilies at its center. During the sermon, a pastor talked about a deceased elderly member's testimony: before the pastor visited him, he had already prepared himself for death, calmly stating, "Lord, my time has come; you must come and take me." The pastor highlighted that such peace and resolve reflect the unwavering faith of believers in Jesus, who have no fear of death.
At Yuguang Church in Dalian, Liaoning Province, young church coworkers staged the Easter play "The Turn of Life," which they wrote and directed after two months of preparation. The play began with the Last Supper, where Jesus shared the meal with his disciples and washed their feet, while Judas betrayed him and Peter denied him three times. Following the disciples' betrayal and flight, Jesus was tried and crucified before Pilate, resurrected three days later, and Peter's life was transformed.
At Heilongjiang Theological Seminary in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, all faculty and students participated in a "Meditation on the Stations of the Cross" worship service. Students took turns carrying the cross across the campus, while readers proclaimed scripture passages related to the Stations of the Cross. The choir, along with all attendees, sang hymns of praise throughout the pilgrimage.
The Chinese materials are all compiled from the Gospel Times.
