词汇提示

1.baptized 洗礼

2.buried 下葬

3.worship 崇敬

4.sermon 布道

5.ushers 引座员

6.choir 合唱团

7.hymns 赞美诗

原文

Sunday Morning at Church

Every Sunday is a holiday, or half-holiday, in North America.

Some stores may be open, but banks, offices, and government services are usually closed.

Sunday closing has a Christian origin.

Christians believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead on a Sunday morning.

So Sunday is known as the "Lord's Day."

About 30 or 35% of North Americans attend church regularly on Sunday mornings.

About the same percentage attend church occasionally.

At Christmas and Easter the churches are very full, as people celebrate these two important holy days.

Nearly everybody goes to church at least three times.

They are baptized or dedicated as a child.

Most people are married in a church, and many people are buried after a church service.

Church services are usually held Sunday mornings, often at 11:00 am, although there may also be evening services provided.

Most services last an hour.

Their purpose is to worship God and to help people focus on religious and moral beliefs.

The service is led by a pastor, minister or priest who usually also looks after the people and the business of the church.

It is the pastor who delivers the sermon, a twenty-minute talk on a religious or moral matter.

Usually members take part in the service.

They may lead the singing, read from the Bible, offer prayers for the congregation, take up the collection, or act as ushers.

Most churches also have a choir, a group of singers who lead in singing the hymns.

There are many cultural traditions connected to going to church.

People normally wear their best clothing, and try to be on their best behavior.

Talking or making noise in church is usually considered bad.

This is why children often have a separate "children's church" or Sunday school, where they can be more like children.

The Sunday service is the main weekly event at many churches.

But nowadays there are a growing number of large "super-churches" which organize all kinds of activities for their members.

These churches usually have large buildings and a large staff to plan and lead various activities.

These might include prayer group, counseling and social work, youth programs,social action, fund-raising events, etc.

Many large churches have gymnasiums for regular sports activities.

At the same time, "house churches" are also becoming very popular.

Sometimes a group will meet in a house until they have the money to buy a church.

But many people say they prefer to meet in small groups.

That way, they get to know one another better.

Then they feel comfortable sharing their problems and successes, and praying for each other.

Some say that large churches can interfere with getting close to God and other Christians.

There are many different "brands" of Christianity

The largest single denomination in North America is Roman Catholicism.

Other large Christian "brands" are Episcopalian, Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal,Lutheran and Presbyterian.

All have slightly different traditions and beliefs.

Although in the past, these groups have often been in conflict with one another, today they usually cooperate in working together for their members and the community.

翻译

星期日早晨在教堂

在北美，每个星期天都是假期或半日假期。
一些商店可能会开门，但银行、办公室和政府服务部门通常会关门。
星期日关门与基督教有关。
基督徒相信耶稣基督在一个星期天的早晨死而复生。
所以星期天被称为“主日”。
大约30%或35%的北美人在周日早上定期去教堂。
大约同样比例的人偶尔去教堂。
在圣诞节和复活节，教堂里挤满了人，因为人们庆祝这两个重要的神圣日子。
几乎每个人都至少去教堂三次。
他们在孩童时期受洗或献身。
大多数人在教堂举行婚礼，许多人在教堂仪式后下葬。
教堂礼拜通常在周日早上举行，通常在上午11点，尽管也可能有晚上的礼拜。
大多数服务持续一小时。
他们的目的是敬拜上帝，帮助人们专注于宗教和道德信仰。
仪式由牧师、牧师或神父主持，他们通常也会照顾教堂的会众和事务。
布道是由牧师来做的，一个关于宗教或道德问题的二十分钟的演讲。
通常会员会参加这项服务。
他们可能带领唱诗，诵读圣经，为会众祷告，收集收藏品，或充当引座员。
大多数教堂也有唱诗班，这是一群唱圣歌的歌手。
有许多文化传统与去教堂有关。
人们通常穿着最好的衣服，并努力表现出最好的行为。
在教堂里说话或制造噪音通常被认为是不好的。
这就是为什么孩子们经常有一个单独的“儿童教堂”或主日学校，在那里他们可以更像孩子。
星期日礼拜是许多教堂每周的主要活动。
但是现在有越来越多的大型“超级教会”为其成员组织各种各样的活动。
这些教堂通常有很大的建筑和大量的工作人员来计划和领导各种活动。
这些活动可能包括祷告小组、咨询和社会工作、青少年项目、社会行动、筹款活动等。
许多大型教堂都有体育馆，用于定期的体育活动。
与此同时，“家庭教会”也变得非常流行。
有时，一群人会在一所房子里聚会，直到他们有钱买一座教堂。
但是很多人说他们更喜欢小团体聚会。
这样，他们就能更好地了解彼此。
然后他们会很舒服地分享他们的问题和成功，并为彼此祈祷。
有人说，大型教堂会妨碍人们接近上帝和其他基督徒。
基督教有许多不同的“品牌”
北美最大的单一教派是罗马天主教。
其他大型基督教“品牌”有圣公会、卫理公会、浸信会、五旬节、路德会和长老会。
它们都有略微不同的传统和信仰。
虽然在过去，这些团体经常相互冲突，但今天他们通常合作，为成员和社区共同努力。

Level 4-Day 68.Sunday Morning at Church

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