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Lent
began last Sunday. Traditionally, it is a time leading up to Easter when
Christians focus on the sacrifice of Christ. One of the most captivating
reflections in recent years on the death of Christ was the movie, “The
Passion of the Christ”. With the visual and audio capabilities of
today’s technology, movies make things so lifelike that we almost seem
to be there.
In
the 1700’s, the main media for communicating visually was not movies,
television, or even photographs. These would come much later. The main
visual media of the 1700’s was painting.
Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf was born into a noble family in Germany
in 1700 . After completing law school, he set off to complete his
education by touring the great cities of Europe. While at the
Dusseldorf art museum, he paused to look at a vivid painting of the
judgement of Jesus before Pilate.
In
the portrait, Jesus was wearing a crown of thorns. Blood ran down his
face. A mob of angry people looked on. Beneath the painting were the
words, “This I did for you; what are you doing for me?”
When
Zinzendorf eyes met the eyes of the thorn-crowned Savior, he realized
that he could not answer that question in a way that satisfied his own
conscience. It is said that he stayed there for hours, staring at the
face of Jesus and searching within his own heart. “I have lived for Him
for a long time,” he said to himself, “but I have never actually done
anything for Him. From now on I will do whatever He asks.”
Instead of going into a profitable private profession, Zinzendorf
devoted his life to the cause of Christ. “I have only one passion; it
is Jesus, Jesus only,” he said.
Zinzendorf became involved with a small Christian community of
Moravians. The Moravians were known for their deep faith, tender piety,
and strong commitment to prayer and Bible study.
In
1731, while attending the coronation of King Christian VI in Copenhagen,
Zinzendorf met a former slave from the West Indies who had converted to
Christianity. Zinzendorf brought the slave to a meeting of the
Moravians. The plight of the slaves in the West Indies so moved the
group that they sent two young men to St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.
The next year they sent missionaries to Greenland and the following year
to St. Croix.
Times were difficult. Twenty of the first 29 missionaries sent to St.
Thomas and St. Croix died soon after arriving. But more quickly
volunteered to take their place. “May the Lamb that was slain receive
the reward of His suffering!” was their battle cry.
In
the next years, Zinzendorf and the Moravians sent missionaries to South
Africa, the North American Indians, Central America and South America,
as well as to more islands of the West Indies. In less than 30 years,
226 Moravians went to the remote corners of the world. It is said that
they did more missionary work in those years than the other Protestant
churches of Europe had done in the preceding two centuries.
And
their work lives on. When I lived in Honduras we witnessed some of the
fruit of those early missionaries. The Moravian Church still works
among the Indians of the Atlantic Coast. When we visited our son in
Surinam earlier this year, he told us about Moravian churches far up in
the rain forest.
But
that is not the end of the story. John Wesley and Charles Wesley found
their spiritual renewal through contact with Zinzendorf and the
Moravians, and then went on to found the Methodist Church, which in turn
gave rise to the Church of the Nazarene and many other groups.
Missionaries of the Wesleyan tradition still carry the message of Christ
around the world.
All
because one man looked into the eyes of the suffering Savior and tried
to answer the question, “This I did for you; what are you doing for
me?” May we all strive to answer that question as well.
Paul Jetter, Upper Valley Community Church |
