Shuguang Church in Baoji, Shaanxi, held a worship service on Mother’s Day which fell on May 9th.
Before 8:30 a.m., some churchgoers had arrived early at the church. Female attendants instructed them to register personal information and have their body temperatures taken. Moreover, they also helped elderly people to the sanctuary on the second floor.
At 9:00 am, the service began and the church's Joshua choir came on stage to sing hymns. Based on John 19:25-27, Pastor Xie Yuan spent nearly 50 minutes delivering a sermon about maternal love. He shared about the offspring of women based on Genesis 2:20-24 and 3:15 and the words of Jesus before he died, “Dear woman, here is your son” and to the disciple “Here is your mother“. He also stated that the female believers would be saved through childbearing.
In the sermon, he told the congregation that maternal love comes from God who created it, but God's love surpasses maternal love, as the love of God is a sacrificial love that never changes, a renewal love that never abandons us, and an initiative love that disciplines us. Maternal love was the closest to Christ’s love, he added.
He also reminded Christian mothers that if they failed to accompany their children while aged one to six, they should spend twice as much time doing so at seven to 12; missing out 7-12, four times as much is needed at 13 to 18; failure to accompany them will result in those children not being theirs.
After the sermon, a video of dubbing sand painting was played on the large screens on both sides of the altar. It said, "Our mothers have spent a lot of time teaching us to eat with spoons and chopsticks, wear clothes, tie shoelaces, wash our faces and comb our hair. We love our mothers, who are getting old while we are growing up. One day, when they start to forget how to fasten the buttons and tie their shoelaces, or stain their clothes while eating, they will feel very warm and happy as long as we are by their side...One day, when they cannot even stand still or walk, please hold their hands and accompany them to grow old, just like their big hands held our little hands when we were young."
Choir members walked into the congregation to hug each Christian woman, saying "Happy Mother's Day".
At 10:30 a.m., the service ended with the benediction from Elder Yi Lianmei. Every female Christian received a gift when she left the sanctuary, and even men received the same holiday gifts.
(The author is a Christian in Shaanxi Province.)
- Translated by Abigail Wu
