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Kathy Russman (left), Bonnie Smith and Bette Volk serve as dieners at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church’s Christmas Lovefeast in Washing- ton, N.C.


A Christmas Lovefeast Celebrating with coffee, bread & song


F


or the fourth year in a row, Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Washington, N.C., will host a Moravian Christmas Lovefeast in mid-December. It’s a service of carols, accompanied by a special


blend of coffee and a lightly sweetened bun. A Lovefeast seeks to strengthen the bonds and spirit of harmony, goodwill and congeniality, as well as forgive past disputes and encour- age love for one another. Moravians traditionally host the service/meal on special occasions, and Grace has chosen Christmas to do so. Traditionally the dieners (German for “server”) serve the coffee in mugs and the bread is passed in a basket. The choir sings an anthem as the congregation eats and drinks. The service ends with the light- ing of hand-fashioned beeswax candles trimmed with a red ruff, sym- bolizing Christ’s blood, shed for the salvation of the world. Members of Grace serve as dieners, sing in the choir, prepare the


special coffee, and hand-trim the red ruff. “The Christmas Lovefeast, with its lighted candles, is one of the most beautiful services of the Moravian Church and emphasizes the bonds of unity and fellowship which exist between Christian believ- ers,” said Annette Sipe, Grace’s choir director and a Moravian. The Lovefeast always begins with “O Come, All Ye Faithful” and


the children sing “O Morning Star,” which Sipe said “focuses our attention on how Christ was born at Bethlehem to bring light into the world and expresses our own yearnings for that light.” The custom originated in Europe, and was brought to the Ameri- can colonies when the first Christmas Eve Lovefeast was held at Bethabara, N.C., in 1753 and then in Salem (now Winston-Salem) in 1771, she said. The Moravian Lovefeast tradition traces its origin to the early


church’s liturgy, which began with a common meal (known as agape) followed by a sermon and communion. Over the centuries, the agape meal fell out of use until it was revived by believers inspired by the


Bohemian reformer and martyr John Hus. Persecuted for their faith, Hus’ followers left Moravia and were given sanctuary in Sax- ony in 1722 by Count Nicholas Ludwig Graf von Zinzendorf, a Lutheran pastor. After a profound worship service, the Moravians didn’t want to leave yet for the noontime meal. Zinzendorf brought food from his estate so the fellowship and unity could continue. This hospitality, seen as a revival of the ancient agape meal, became a tradition that marks meaningful occasions: Christmas, the sending of missionaries, and important days in a congregation’s life. The ELCA has had an official ecumeni-


cal partnership with the Moravians since the 1999 Churchwide Assembly. 


For more information, contact Annette Sipe at annettesipe@gmail.com.


Good


one! Cows, the new poinsettia


Like other cogrega- tions, Peace Lutheran in Charlotte, Mich., has traditionally decked the sanctuary with poinsettias every December. But last year, the worship team asked members to instead give the $10 they would have spent on a poinsettia toward a cow from the ELCA Good Gifts catalog (www.elca.org/goodgifts). They moved a lonely Norfolk Pine front


and center and tied festive hand-lettered dedication cards to the tree. The $870 was enough for a cow, alpaca, goat, sheep and duck. “And now we don’t have to throw away those poinsettias that died when we for- got to water them at home,” said member Barb Myckowiak.


Does your congregation do a specific ministry in February, March or April? Send details (or your best timeless idea) to julie.sevig@thelutheran.org. October 2012 39


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