2015-03-21

【Aiden in English】

        Religion is a belief of the unexplainable. When people lose themselves, religion gives a direction. It is a way of life, and many of us believe in God because the way to live is somewhat laid out, the ethical rules setting boundaries of the things you can do.

        On this sunny day after the blizzard, mom took my grandma and me to Faith Hope Love Chinese Church in the Greater Philadelphia Area of PA. Now this event became special because a Chinese famous pop singer named Xulan Zheng was coming. Now my knowledge of Chinese actors, singers, and famous people is next to nothing, so I had no idea what to expect. All I could predict was that this wasn’t going to be a rock concert or something else. 

        While arriving at the church, the first impression that gave me was certainly bedazzling. The main hall had marble floors polished until they shined, stainless light yellow walls with large glass windows providing natural light, sparking chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and white candles turned on. Only modern thing that stood out was a flat screen Samsung smart TV. In these days, it’s tough to find a place where technology hasn’t invaded. 

        We got there right before the concert started, and so we had to grab a back row seat. Like China Grace Christian Church, musicians played, stories were told about life experiences, and a choir hymned at times. It had a large effect on the audience. Talent emerged as the show went on. A 13-year-old kid who played the piano really shocked the listeners. He claimed to only have played three years, practicing 4-6 hours a day. When he played, immediately I knew that those 4-6 hours weren’t wasted (unlike I do). I’m not saying he’s better than me, but all I’m stating is his …… practice time is more… efficient. That’s all. As this kid’s fingers flew, everyone became hypnotized. Although I couldn’t see him at all in the back, something told me that this kid was good by the eyes of the audience.

        Finally, after hearing some more life stories, the moment mom took me here for arrived. A woman walking on stage brightly introduced herself, but I knew she was the star of the show because the audience applauded so loud that I didn’t know how some hands didn’t snap or break. The singer, Xulan, recited some lines from the Bible, and then began to sing. As she started, the gap in my mind of Eastern and Western modem music widened a ton. The singer’s voice quivered on many notes, sometimes so much that the words weren’t even recognizable. Her pitch was also different from the pop, stretching and reaching to the peaks of sound, varying up and down, and singing the popular Chinese songs. On one occasion, she invited another man up to sing together. To be honest, I saw the disasters straight ahead, but they were false alarms. The brave volunteer had a deep, strong voice, yet was able to reach up and grab a few high notes. 

        Religion can give life to the lost and make happiness like this celebration. It affects all kinds of people, even Chinese stars like Xulan I’ve never heard of.

【紅霞譯文】

        宗教是難以用言語解釋的一種信仰，當人們心灰意冷的時候，宗教猶如一盞指路明燈可以照亮迷茫的心田。正因如此，宗教已成為生活的組成部分，我們中許多弟兄姐妹相信上帝，因為神明主宰天下萬物，制約人類的所作所為。

        雪過天晴的今天，媽媽帶我和外婆來到賓州大費城地區信望愛華人教會參加音樂見證會，本次活動因為中國著名流行歌曲演唱家鄭緒嵐的加盟而備受矚目，其實我對中國演員、歌手、社會名流等孤陋寡聞，因此事先無法想象“鄭緒嵐音樂見證會”到底怎樣，但有一點我敢肯定，這與搖滾音樂會或其它形式的文藝表演完全不同。

        剛一走進教堂，其別致的內部設計格外令我震撼。正廳大理石地面鋥明透亮，淺黃色牆壁一塵不染，玻璃窗寬大自然採光極佳，高懸半空的吊燈晶瑩閃耀，布道台上的白色蠟燭正徐徐燃燒。只有三星智能電視與時俱進，成為教堂唯一時髦的新型電子裝備，如今這年代，欲想擺脫科技滲透談何容易。

        由於見證會開始前不久我們才匆匆趕到現場，因此只好坐在教堂後排位子上。正如神州基督教會一樣，見證會先由音樂家奏樂，然後再請教友們分享各自源於生活的基督見證實例，其間唱詩班不時地以歌代頌，引領全體敬拜者體會神的威嚴感激主的榮光祈求祂的恩典。每每此刻，極富天賦的奇才怪傑盡展技藝，眼前這位年方十三歲的男孩就是其中代表，他以精湛的琴藝贏得了在場觀眾一片喝彩。據說他僅學過三年鋼琴，而每天卻能堅持練習四～六小時。他手一觸鍵，我立刻感覺出四～六小時的功效絕對貨真價實（與我不同），當然這並等於說他比我彈得好，只不過想強調他的……練習時間比較……見效，僅此而已。隨着他的手指在鍵盤上快速移動，觀眾全都聽呆了。儘管坐在後面的我完全看不到他的演奏狀況，但從觀眾的面部表情上，我可以斷定其彈奏水平值得稱道。

        在聽完更多基督見證事跡之後，媽媽帶我來此觀摩“鄭緒嵐音樂見證會”的精彩時刻才終於到來，只見一位女演員面帶微笑走上舞台，單憑觀眾玩命地鼓掌歡迎，我足以判定她就是這台戲的主角。鄭緒嵐首先背誦了幾段《聖經》經文，隨後立刻開始演唱。她張口不久，我便覺察到東西方歌手演唱流行歌曲所表現出的極大區別。鄭緒嵐喜歡用美聲顫音唱流行歌曲，結果把很多歌詞給吐得模模糊糊，並且高音區放不開喉嚨，上下起伏變化不定，她演聽的《哈爾濱的夏天·太陽島上》、《少林寺·牧羊曲》、《大海的呼喚·大海啊，故鄉》、《紅樓夢·枉凝眉》等幾首中國流行歌曲都是如此。演唱會上，鄭緒嵐還曾邀請台下一位男士共唱《梁山伯與祝英台·化蝶》。坦率地說，起初我真擔心那位自願上台的歌手會唱砸了這首歌，想不到他不但勇氣十足，而且功力渾厚，甚至連高音部分也把握得相當出色。

        宗教能夠為失去生活信心的人帶來光明，同時還可為今天的布道會增添快樂；可以說，它不僅影響着各界人士，甚至還包括像鄭緒嵐這樣我前所未聞的中國明星。