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| God's Beloved Community by Michelle T. Sanchez |
Our goal is to create
a beloved communityand this will require a qualitative change in our soulsas well as a quantitative changein our lives.
+ Rev. Dr. MLK
This year has been wonderful in introducing me to bold new authors and beautiful (and timely) books. Along with The Deep Down Things by Amber and Seth Haines and The Ache for Meaning by Tommy Brown, Beholding by Strahan Coleman, Deep Down Faith by Cornelius Planting Jr., and Searching for Enough by Tyler Staton, Michael Frost's Mission Is the Shape of Water continues to inspire me to see, serve, and lead with hope.
In recently sharing with some middle schoolers during a chapel about what it means to become a beloved community together based on Jesus' own community He formed from people of various backgrounds (see Luke 6:12-19 and Luke 8:1-3 for the names, pains, and love this Savior shared with the last, the least, and the lost), along with sharing about how MLK spoke of and embodied Jesus' Way during the Civil Rights Movement, Mission Is the Shape of Water reminded me of another ragtag community of refugees whom God met and filled with love to do something that we are still experiencing the after effects of hundreds of years later.
Count Z & Moravian Refugees
At the age of twenty-two, Nikolaus Ludwig, Imperial Count von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf (born in 1700 to one of the most ancient of noble families in what is now lower Austria) was ready to do anything for Christ ... Young Zinzendorf's problem was his uncertainty as to where Christ wanted him to serve.
That's where the Moravians came in.
The Moravians were originally from Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) and had converted to Protestantism under the influence of the Czech reformer, Jan Huss. However, they were viciously persecuted by the Jesuits and fled in various directions, some ending up in Saxony where Zinzendorf lived. One large group found refuge on Zinzendorf's huge estate, Herrnhut ("the Lord's Watch"), in 1722. Even though they were henceforth referred to as Moravians, only some of them were actually from Moravia. The rest included a rather disparate collection of Lutherans, Reformed, and Anabaptists from various parts of Europe. What united the group was their experience of persecution as Pietists and that they had been chased from their churches and homes. It was the custom of the day that aristocats with tracts of land were obligated to allow refugees to "squat" (as we would say today) on their estates. And being a Pietist, Zinzendorf was especially welcoming of these Protestant refugees. Zinzendorf discovered that his pupils were a deeply committed community of Protestants, who were controlled by their emotions, both for good ("enthusiasm") and for ill (internal conflicts, limited Bible knowledge).
In other words, the Moravians were a handful.
He began teaching them in 1722, and by 1727 he had left public life to devote himself to pastoring the Moravians full time. As their pastor, Zinzendorf took it upon himself to bring some order to his unruly charges ... Zinzendorf's decision to serve the Moravian community full time fulfilled his long-held desire to be a missionary-pastor, but it wasn't prompted merely by a personal longing. It arose from a spiritual revival that broke out among the Moravians.
On July 16,1727, a group of Moravians felt led to covenant to meet more often than weekly to pour out their hearts in prayer and song. Then, on August 5, following a large midnight prayer meeting, Zinzendorf himself spent the whole night in prayer with about 12 or 14 others, during which they were overcome by the presence of the Holy Spirit. ... A few weeks later, on August 13, the so-called Moravian Pentecost was unleashed. During a communion service at Herrnhut, there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and great signs and wonders took place in their midst for several days. The community increased their hunger for the Word of God, and all their differences (remember, they were a fractious bunch) melted away. An overwhelming flood of grace swept over them all.
The effects of this revival were felt almost immediately. Just two weeks later, on August 26, 24 men and 24 women covenanted together to continue praying in intervals of one hour each, day and night, each hour allocated by lots of different people. This prayer meeting was maintained from 1727 until 1827 — one hundred years of 24 / 7 prayer!
In 1747, a Moravian convert named Johann Haidt painted an imagined depiction of the Moravian Pentecost, which he titled "Zinzendorf as Teacher of the Peoples of the World". In his interpretation, Zinzendorf is pierced by the light of God from the wounds of Jesus, surrounded by an amazed congregation of Moravian women, men, and children. But Haidt also included Indigenous North Americans and Africans in the gathering. Of course, they weren't actually present at Herrnhut in 1727, but because this very event resulted in more than one hundred missionaries being sent to the Caribbean and North America, they are symbolically depicted as beneficiaries of the Moravian revival.
I think it is reasonable to say
that the Moravians renewal launched
the Protestant world mission movement ...
From the 1740s, Moravian mission work
spread rapidly to Africa, America, Russia,
and other parts of the world.
All this illustrates that God seems to use
the most unlikely people
to accomplish His purposes;
in this case, to extend His Kingdom.
First, God used a small movement of
largely unlearned Jews from the far-flung,
eastern edge of the Roman Empire
to bring the Gospel to Rome.
Then, God used the wild, intemperate Celts
from the far northern edges of the empire
to re-Christianize Europe.
Next, He chose a group of despised outsiders
— the Moravians —
to be His messengers.
The Moravian Way
+ Centrality of the suffering & death of Christ + Reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit + The concept of "first fruits" + The unity of believers + Being guided by prayer + Work among the marginalized + The practice of cultural humility + Preach the Gospel in Indidgenous languages
+ pgs. 69-76, Chapter 4: Spirit Seeking in
a beloved community
+ Rev. Dr. MLK
At the age of twenty-two, Nikolaus Ludwig, Imperial Count von Zinzendorf und Pottendorf (born in 1700 to one of the most ancient of noble families in what is now lower Austria) was ready to do anything for Christ ... Young Zinzendorf's problem was his uncertainty as to where Christ wanted him to serve.
That's where the Moravians came in.
The Moravians were originally from Bohemia (now the Czech Republic) and had converted to Protestantism under the influence of the Czech reformer, Jan Huss. However, they were viciously persecuted by the Jesuits and fled in various directions, some ending up in Saxony where Zinzendorf lived. One large group found refuge on Zinzendorf's huge estate, Herrnhut ("the Lord's Watch"), in 1722. Even though they were henceforth referred to as Moravians, only some of them were actually from Moravia. The rest included a rather disparate collection of Lutherans, Reformed, and Anabaptists from various parts of Europe. What united the group was their experience of persecution as Pietists and that they had been chased from their churches and homes. It was the custom of the day that aristocats with tracts of land were obligated to allow refugees to "squat" (as we would say today) on their estates. And being a Pietist, Zinzendorf was especially welcoming of these Protestant refugees. Zinzendorf discovered that his pupils were a deeply committed community of Protestants, who were controlled by their emotions, both for good ("enthusiasm") and for ill (internal conflicts, limited Bible knowledge).
In other words, the Moravians were a handful.
He began teaching them in 1722, and by 1727 he had left public life to devote himself to pastoring the Moravians full time. As their pastor, Zinzendorf took it upon himself to bring some order to his unruly charges ... Zinzendorf's decision to serve the Moravian community full time fulfilled his long-held desire to be a missionary-pastor, but it wasn't prompted merely by a personal longing. It arose from a spiritual revival that broke out among the Moravians.
On July 16,1727, a group of Moravians felt led to covenant to meet more often than weekly to pour out their hearts in prayer and song. Then, on August 5, following a large midnight prayer meeting, Zinzendorf himself spent the whole night in prayer with about 12 or 14 others, during which they were overcome by the presence of the Holy Spirit. ... A few weeks later, on August 13, the so-called Moravian Pentecost was unleashed. During a communion service at Herrnhut, there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and great signs and wonders took place in their midst for several days. The community increased their hunger for the Word of God, and all their differences (remember, they were a fractious bunch) melted away. An overwhelming flood of grace swept over them all.
The effects of this revival were felt almost immediately. Just two weeks later, on August 26, 24 men and 24 women covenanted together to continue praying in intervals of one hour each, day and night, each hour allocated by lots of different people. This prayer meeting was maintained from 1727 until 1827 — one hundred years of 24 / 7 prayer!
In 1747, a Moravian convert named Johann Haidt painted an imagined depiction of the Moravian Pentecost, which he titled "Zinzendorf as Teacher of the Peoples of the World". In his interpretation, Zinzendorf is pierced by the light of God from the wounds of Jesus, surrounded by an amazed congregation of Moravian women, men, and children. But Haidt also included Indigenous North Americans and Africans in the gathering. Of course, they weren't actually present at Herrnhut in 1727, but because this very event resulted in more than one hundred missionaries being sent to the Caribbean and North America, they are symbolically depicted as beneficiaries of the Moravian revival.
I think it is reasonable to say
that the Moravians renewal launched
the Protestant world mission movement ...
From the 1740s, Moravian mission work
spread rapidly to Africa, America, Russia,
and other parts of the world.
All this illustrates that God seems to use
the most unlikely people
to accomplish His purposes;
in this case, to extend His Kingdom.
that the Moravians renewal launched
the Protestant world mission movement ...
From the 1740s, Moravian mission work
spread rapidly to Africa, America, Russia,
and other parts of the world.
All this illustrates that God seems to use
the most unlikely people
to accomplish His purposes;
in this case, to extend His Kingdom.
First, God used a small movement of
largely unlearned Jews from the far-flung,
eastern edge of the Roman Empire
to bring the Gospel to Rome.
largely unlearned Jews from the far-flung,
eastern edge of the Roman Empire
to bring the Gospel to Rome.
Then, God used the wild, intemperate Celts
from the far northern edges of the empire
to re-Christianize Europe.
from the far northern edges of the empire
to re-Christianize Europe.
Next, He chose a group of despised outsiders
— the Moravians —
to be His messengers.
— the Moravians —
to be His messengers.
The Moravian Way
+ Centrality of the suffering & death of Christ
+ Reliance on the power of the Holy Spirit
+ The concept of "first fruits"
+ The unity of believers
+ Being guided by prayer
+ Work among the marginalized
+ The practice of cultural humility
+ Preach the Gospel in Indidgenous languages
+ pgs. 69-76, Chapter 4: Spirit Seeking in
Love is creative and redemptive.
Love builds up and unites;
hate tears down and destroys.
The aftermath of the
Love builds up and unites;
hate tears down and destroys.
The aftermath of the
‘fight with fire’ method
which you suggest
is bitterness and chaos,
the aftermath of the love method
is reconciliation and creation of
the beloved community.
the aftermath of the love method
is reconciliation and creation of
the beloved community.
Physical force can repress,
restrain, coerce, destroy,
but it cannot create and organize
anything permanent;
only love can do that.
Yes, love—which means understanding,
creative, redemptive goodwill,
even for one’s enemies—
is the solution.
+ Rev. Dr. MLK
May God's Kingdom come, His will be done.
Que le Royaume de Dieu vienne,
que sa volonté soit faite.
愿神的国降临，愿神的旨意成就。
Nguyện xin Nước Chúa đến, ý Ngài được nên.
Jesús nuestra Rey, venga Tu reino!
🙏💗🍞🍷👑🌅🌇
que sa volonté soit faite.
愿神的国降临，愿神的旨意成就。
Nguyện xin Nước Chúa đến, ý Ngài được nên.
Jesús nuestra Rey, venga Tu reino!
🙏💗🍞🍷👑🌅🌇
With anticipation and joy,
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