Page 8 - Moravian Messenger September 2018

Denksteinfeier: the Annual Celebration of June 17th at Herrnhut
June 17th is the founding day of Herrnhut. On June 17th in the year 1722, the Moravian carpenter Christian David cut the first tree to be used in the construction of a dwelling for a group of Protestant exiles from Moravia. Count Zinzendorf, who at that time was living in Dresden, had been gracious to offer shelter on his estate at Berthelsdorf. The centre of Berthelsdorf was a village, consisting mostly of farmers. The Moravians, however, were people of various crafts and trades. For this reason, Zinzendorf's administrator Johann Heitz decided that it would be better for them to settle near a local trading route so that they could sell their goods and engage in business. The result was the creation of a new town, for which Heitz suggested the name “Herrnhut” - “under the watch of the Lord.” Ever since 1732, the event of the founding has been celebrated annually as a day of reflection and revival.
Nowadays the tradition is that every
year on June 17th, members of the
Moravian congregation and other
citizens of Herrnhut gather at seven
o'clock in the evening - rain or shine
- in the yard behind the church, where
they are welcomed by the ringing of
a special historic bell. This bell has an
amazing story. It belonged to the
original 18th century church building
and is inscribed with the words of a
hymn by Count Zinzendorf: “May
Herrnhut exist not any longer than as
the hands of Christ are able to carry
out their work without hindrance and love is our sacred bond.” During WW II, the bell was confiscated for military purposes and soon thereafter, the church building and a large part of the town were destroyed. The bell, however, survived unharmed in a storage of scrap metal in Hamburg, and because it had the name “Herrnhut” inscribed, its origin could easily be identified and it was eventually returned. It is now hung in a bell tower constructed out of rubble on the foundations of the old walls of the first sanctuary. Only once a year it is rung, commemorating both the founding of Herrnhut in 1722 and its destruction in 1945 and reminding the members of the Moravian congregation of their spiritual calling.
A hymn and words of welcome by the pastor mark the opening of the ceremony, and then the brass band playing chorales leads the gathered assembly in a procession from the church to the historic Memorial Marker, which is placed in the forest at the spot where the first tree was felled on June 17th 1722. The marker was put into place in 1822 for the centennial celebration. It bears the inscription of words from Psalm 84: “Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.” It is said that Christian David and the Moravian exiles spoke these words to express their gratitude of having found a place of refuge.
Traditionally, the ceremony near the memorial marker includes the
reading of scripture, a short address, and a prayer. In some ways, it is a challenge for us as pastors to come up with a new and original message year after year. On the other hand, we have found that meditating on the words of Psalm 84 and the events of Herrnhut's founding in 1722 sometimes offers connections that bear a surprising relevancy for our own time. Two years ago, in July of 2016, our provincial board granted church asylum to a group of refugees from Iraq. It was a large Christian family from Mosul whose safety was threatened due to muddled legal circumstances. This step caused quite a bit of controversy, not only in the congregation, but also in the local media. Even after the asylum was ended (the family having officially received right of residence by the government), one national newspaper portrayed the Herrnhut Moravians as a case of pitiful do-gooders. Our message during the June 17th celebration was a different one, focusing on the story
of hope for all those who are persecuted for the sake of their faith. “Even the sparrow finds a home...”
At the end of the evening there is an informal party in the historic garden of Count Zinzendorf's Herrnhut manor. A men's choir sing folklore music, and beer and grilled sausages are sold. Not everyone stays for this part, but for some people this is really important. After all, the founding day is both a church and a civic celebration. Interestingly, the celebration of the founding day has
been kept even during the time of East German's socialist government, when June 17th had a specific political meaning. It was the day of the worker's uprising against Russian communism in 1953, which was always hushed up in East Germany. The only exception was Herrnhut, where the tradition of a religious procession unwittingly took on the air of political protest.
Now we are beginning to look toward 2022 when Herrnhut will commemorate the 300-year anniversary of its founding. This will certainly be an event of significance not only for the municipality of Herrnhut and our local congregation, but also for the Moravian Unity at large. Recently, the mayor has started the process of gathering ideas and suggestions, and we expect that before too long the outline for a calendar of events will become clear. Our hope, on the part of the Herrnhut Moravian congregation, is that many brothers and sisters from other provinces of the Unity will join us in this celebration in one way or another. Because the humble beginnings of Herrnhut are part of our common Moravian story, we hope that the anniversary commemorations may serve to strengthen the unity and mission of our church. We will keep you informed.
Br Peter Vogt, Herrnhut
Rev. Peter and Rev. Jill Vogt are co-pastors of the Herrnhut congregation
104
© Br Erdmann Carstens