I p 
 
 THE 
 
 MORAVIAN EASTER. 
 
 SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA. 
 
 BY J. H. CLEWELL, PH. D. 
 
 THREE EVENTS. 
 
 In April, 1732, an early passer-by would have 
 noted ~ little company gathered on the Hutberg, 
 in Saxony. On this hill was located the bury- 
 ing ground, or " God's Acre," as it was called 
 by the people in the newly founded town. The 
 date was April 13, the hour between 3 and 4 
 o'clock in the morning. They w r ere engaged 
 m singing hyms, and, after spending an hour 
 and a half in this manner the company returned 
 to the church in the village and concluded the 
 somewhat unusual service of the early Easter 
 morning. 
 
 Twenty-eight years later, April 6, 1760, a 
 similar company could have been seen on a 
 
 i hilltop in North Carolina, the object being the 
 same, but the surroundings were vastly different. 
 
 ' This was at Bethabara, 6 miles north of the 
 
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2 
 
 present town of Salem, and 5000 miles away from 
 Herrnhut, where the first service was held. 
 The little six-year old town was beset with In- 
 dians. Guards were stationed, day and night, 
 on the hilltop, and even while the service was 
 in progress, these same sentinels, with their 
 guns in hand, scanned the surrounding country 
 to detect the first indication of approaching dan- 
 ger. Then, too, there were many newly-made 
 graves. Seidel had died that y ear ; Kalberlahn 
 had been taken to his last resting-place ; not 
 less than twelve of the most useful men and 
 women of the little colony had died as the result 
 of a dreadful disease. Refugees were gathered 
 in a camp near the mill for mutual protection 
 against the Indians. A company of soldiers on 
 Easter Sunday stacked arms outside the church 
 and listened to an earnest sermon from the 
 godly Spangenberg. These are a few of the 
 circumstances. On this same day, before sun- 
 rise, a company of 150 men and women, mem- 
 bers and strangers, filed up the hillside to the 
 new "Hutberg" as they termed their grave- 
 yard, and united in the same hymns and con- 
 fessions heard in far-away Saxony, 28 years 
 before. 
 
 One hundred and forty-one years pass, and 
 early on the morning of April 7, 1901, a com- 
 
3 
 
 pany is seen in the Salem graveyard in the 
 early dawn of a lovely spring morning. This 
 again differs widely in circumstances from the 
 other two occasions. The first company was a 
 small band of refugees from Bohemia and Mo- 
 ravia, struggling in the midst of the difficulties 
 of the reorganization of a church once power- 
 ful, but almost crushed by persecution. The 
 second occasion was in the midst of the great 
 Indian war, and again the numbers were small. 
 The third occasion, nearly two centuries after 
 the first, was the gathering together of between 
 four and five thousand people in a strong and 
 well-organized congregation and with peace 
 and prosperity about them. Diverse as were 
 these circumstances, we find the same under- 
 lying object, the same hymns, the same confes- 
 sion of faith, the same hope in the great c ruths 
 contained therein. There must be some special 
 power to hold this custom, practically unchang- 
 ed, in such love and esteem from generation to 
 generation, and from century to century. 
 
 WHAT IS THIS POWER ? 
 
 The answer to the question calls for a careful 
 study of the circumstances surrounding the re- 
 organized Moravian Church in Saxony, in 1732, 
 
4 
 
 when the present method of celebrating Easter 
 was introduced. 
 
 The German Lutheran Church was the State 
 Church in Saxony. Spiritual life was at a low 
 ebb at that time. The learned men were en- 
 gaged in controversies which led to rationalism, 
 and the common people were as * 'sheep with- 
 out a shepherd " Real, true, warm spiritual 
 life was seldom to be found, all was formalism, 
 which did not supply the longings of the heart. 
 
 Men of the class to which Zinzendorf, Span- 
 genberg and Christian David belonged were in- 
 tensely spiritual. Heart religion was dearer to 
 them than anything else in life. They found in 
 Jesus Christ the fulfilment of their longings. 
 They were not satisfied with a formal Saviour 
 only. Jesus Christ was a personal Saviour. 
 His words and his example were to them for the 
 guidance of each person as an individual, hence 
 the Christ religion became the heart and center 
 of their belief. They delighted in the celebra- 
 tion of the birth of Jesus Christ, and around 
 the Christmas season the brightest and happiest 
 services were grouped. 
 
 Around the Passion Week were gathered 
 other services which were not less real and ef- 
 fective, as the sufferings of the Saviour were 
 followed step by step, on the very days and 
 
SALEM MORAVIAN CHURCH 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2014 
 
 https://archive.org/details/moravianeastersaOOclew 
 
5 
 
 often the very hours of the anniversary of the 
 events. In like manner when the grand climax 
 in the plan of salvation was reached, when 
 Christ's resurrection from the dead was cele- 
 brated these pious Moravian brethren sought to 
 devise a simple but effective manner of so doing 
 which would impress young and old, and which 
 would be like the opening of a door to let into 
 mind and heart the sunlight of the resurrection 
 truth. The form selected was particularly felic- 
 itous as time has demonstrated. 
 
 The Easter service is a two-fold service in its 
 nature, and both features are essential. The 
 form is one feature, the truth introduced by the 
 form is the other. Separate these two, and the 
 result is not the same thing. Examine first the 
 form. Suppose a month after Easter a sunrise 
 service should be appointed for the Salem 
 graveyard. Possibly a few score of people 
 would attend. The form alone would not attract 
 a large company. On the other hand suppose 
 a sermon on the resurrection truth be announced. 
 The sermon might be most carefully written 
 and most earnestly delivered, still it is probable 
 that more than a well-filled church could not 
 be expected, while at the sunrise Easter morn- 
 ing service the congregation assembled would 
 fill the church half a dozen times. Why is this ? 
 
6 
 
 Whence the power ? The answer can be only 
 one thing. Our pious forefathers devised a 
 form of service emphasizing the greatest event 
 which has ever occurred on our earth, and thus 
 made the great truth so simple and impressive 
 that young and old, learned and ignorant could 
 appreciate it, yet it magnified the truth in a 
 most striking manner. Such a combination of 
 strength and simplicity, of that which every one 
 can grasp, and yet which opens up a vista so 
 deep and far-reaching that the wisest contem- 
 plate the prospect with awe and wonder, such a 
 happy combination of form and truth is seldom 
 found. 
 
 This is the two-fold power which has caused 
 the Easter services of the Moravian Church to 
 outlast the centuries. A unique and attractive 
 form, united with the most stupendous truth the 
 mind can contemplate. This it is which causes 
 the universal love for the Easter services. It is 
 the same everywhere. In old Europe, in new 
 America, they are cherished and loved. This 
 it is which makes the people in all parts of the 
 earth delight in it. The Eskimo in the north, 
 and the negro in Africa ; the Asiatic on the 
 distant Himalaya mountains, and the Indian in 
 the forests. Every land and every clime, every 
 race and every color have shown the same rev- 
 
7 
 
 erence observed in the celebration of the Easter 
 morning service by the thousands gathered in 
 the beautiful Moravian graveyard in Salem, 
 April 7th, 1901. 
 
 THE CELEBRATION. 
 
 The foregoing introduction shows the import- 
 ance of the occasion, but to describe the service 
 is more difficult, because the very simplicity of 
 the several meetings forms their strength. That 
 which is grand, but, at the same time, simple 
 in form, must needs be seen to be appreciated. 
 Recognizing these difficulties we approach our 
 task, taking the Salem congregation as the 
 type, and the celebration of April, 1901, as the 
 occasion. 
 
 THE PREPARATION. 
 
 The season of Lent is a preparation time. 
 Lent with the Moravians is not observed as a 
 time of rigid self-denial, differing in a marked 
 manner from the remaining portion of the year. 
 They consider that what is wrong in Lent is 
 wrong through all the year. What is right in 
 September is right in March, Still Lent is a 
 time when special prayer is offered, and efforts 
 put forth which serve to prepare the congrega- 
 tion for an Easter blessing. A special series of 
 
8 
 
 sermons are delivered on the Friday evenings 
 of Lent. The Sunday evenings are chosen for 
 topics bearing upon the sufferings of Christ. 
 Instruction in the great doctrines of Christian- 
 ity are given at various times and places. These 
 seasons of instruction are not limited to the 
 classes for confirmation, but are attended by 
 those who are very young, often too young for 
 church membership, as well as by those who 
 are advanced in years and have long been 
 church members. Others attend who do not 
 contemplate membership with the Moravian 
 Church, for example, many pupils in our schools. 
 The candidates for membership form the center 
 of the group. At least 300 persons were under 
 instruction in the Salem congregation during 
 the season of Lent, 1901, of whom 49 united 
 with the Church. 
 
 PASSION WEEK 
 
 begins eight days before Easter, and closes on 
 the evening of Great Sabbath. The services 
 consist chiefly of the reading of the Passion 
 Week Manual, a little book containing a con- 
 secutive history of the acts and words of the 
 last days of Jesus Christ before his death and 
 burial. The Manual was prepared from the 
 Harmony of the Gospels, and has been in use 
 for many generations in its present form. 
 
9 
 
 SATURDAY BEFORE PALM SUNDAY. 
 
 A service for the members of the Sunday- 
 School was held Saturday evening. Many other 
 members of the congregation were present. The 
 lessons covering the sufferings and death of the 
 Saviour were reviewed, and the music was very 
 carefully selected. All the exercises had a 
 bearing upon the approaching Passion Week 
 and Easter celebration. 
 
 PALM SUNDAY. 
 
 The day dawned bright and clear, and made 
 the various exercises of the day particularly 
 bright and happy. This is the special occasion 
 for confirmations and receptions to church mem- 
 bership. In the Home church the pulpit plat- 
 form was profusely and beautifully decorated 
 with palms of various varieties, and the services 
 were solemn and impressive. After a brief but 
 earnest sermon by Bishop Rondthaler, the can- 
 didates for church membership were received 
 by confirmation, by adult baptism and by the 
 right hand of fellowship. 
 
 In the evening of Palm Sunday the reading 
 of the Passion Week Manual is begun. In this 
 service the account of the triumphal entry into 
 Jerusalem is communicated, and the welcome of 
 
IO 
 
 the hosannas is described both in the reading 
 and in the hymns and anthems. 
 
 MONDAY, TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. 
 
 Each evening the reading of the Passion Week 
 Manual is continued. The method pursued in 
 the services is unique, simple but very impres- 
 sive. The narrative from the harmony of the 
 Gospels is read without comment on the part of 
 the minister, and this reading of the actual 
 words of Scripture forms the main portion ot 
 the service. At intervals careful 'y selected 
 hymns are sung by the congregation, a small 
 printed programme guiding the members, so 
 that not even the announcing ot the number of 
 the hymn breaks in upon the reverent reading 
 of this ' 'sermon of Scripture narrative.' ' 
 
 The effect of this form of service is marked, 
 upon children as well as upon adults. Many 
 young people attend, and the impressions made 
 are vivid, the results lifelong. 
 
 Thus, from evening to evening, the story of 
 the Saviour's last words and works of loving 
 ministry is impressed upon the hearers' hearts. 
 The voices of young and old join in the beau- 
 tiful chorals, which express the Church's faith 
 and love with regard to the dear Redeemer. 
 In this solemn yet simple way the interest 
 
deepens towards the celebration of what is 
 r called the Maundy Thursday of Holy Week. 
 
 MAUNDY THURSDAY. 
 
 The idea of this day is directly set forth by 
 the meaning of the word itself, the observance 
 of the Passover. All is centered around the 
 celebration of that feast, at which time the Holy 
 Communion was instituted, the most sacred of 
 all the Christian services. There are three 
 meetings on Thursday. 
 
 At half-past two o'clock the account of the 
 institution of the Lord's Supper is read, and 
 also the high priestly prayer. 
 
 At four o'clock the description ot the agony 
 in the garden of Gethsemane and the betrayal 
 by Judas, followed by the arrest of the Saviour. 
 
 In the evening the Maundy Thursday Com- 
 munion is celebrated, this usually being one of 
 the most largely attended communions of the 
 year, and, certainly, one of the most solemn. 
 
 GOOD FRIDAY. 
 
 In Salem an early morning communion is 
 celebrated for those who were prevented from 
 attending the previous evening. 
 
 There are three other services on Good Fri- 
 day. In the morning, the narrative of the trial 
 
12 
 
 of Jesus before Pontius Pilate is read. The 
 account shows the patient prisoner in the judg- 
 ment hall ; the terrible scourging ; the cruel 
 crown of thorns ; the mockery ; the final con- 
 demnation to death by crucifixion. 
 
 The afternoon meeting is at the exact time of 
 day when the Redeemer died, and this is the 
 most solemn of the services of Passion Week. 
 The very tragedy seems to be in actual enact- 
 ment as the account proceeds, and when the 
 words uttered by Jesus, when hanging upon the 
 cross are read, they impress the hearer with 
 peculiar power. Reverently the congregation 
 kneels in silent prayer after the words, "Father, 
 into thy hands I commend my spirit, and hav- 
 ing said thus he bowed his head and gave up 
 the ghost." 
 
 At night the account of the burial is read, 
 and with the continuation of the same solemn 
 and impressive music which has thus far accom- 
 panied the reading, the services of Good Friday 
 are closed. This day is the one which stands 
 in strong contrast to Easter Sunday, the one is 
 pathetic, the other all brightness and joy. 
 
 GREAT SABBATH. 
 
 The only service which is held on Saturday, 
 or as it is termed on the Church Calendar, 
 
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 " Great Sabbath, " is the afternoon lovefeast. 
 This service, a revival of the ' ■ Agapae" of the 
 early church, is always attended by a very large 
 congregation and the music is a special feature. 
 The hymns used are of such a nature that the 
 mind is carried back to the sufferings of the 
 preceding days and forward in the anticipation 
 of the resurrection. 
 
 EASTER SUNDAY. 
 
 With the advent of Easter itself everything 
 changes. Already before the first appearance 
 of dawn musicians have visited the various por- 
 tions of the towns and discoursed melodies 
 which breathe the Easter spirit. 
 
 Later, the church bell is rung, and in the 
 very early morning the large concourse of peo- 
 ple begins to gather in front of the church. At 
 half-past five o'clock the doors of the church 
 are thrown open, and the Bishop takes his 
 place on the front steps greeting the multitude 
 with the words : 
 
 " The Lord is risen. 
 The Lord is risen indeed" 
 
 He then reads the first portion of the Easter 
 Litany, in which the congregation joins by res- 
 ponses and by the singing of appropriate hymns. 
 
14 
 
 The procession moves from the church to the 
 graveyard, through the avenue of giant cedars. 
 The numbers are large, there being usually from 
 3000 to 5000 persons present. The company 
 of musicians is divided into two sections, and as 
 the vast but orderly procession proceeds from 
 the church to the graveyard, these two compa- 
 nies discourse sacred music. One of the inter- 
 esting features is the antiphonal nature of the 
 music. The first division plays the first line of 
 the choral, the second company promptly res- 
 ponding by playing the second line, and even 
 though these companies are separated by a pro- 
 cession consisting of a thousand people, the 
 rendering of this sweet music is as exact as if 
 the musicians stood side by side. 
 
 Thus they proceed, young and old alike in- 
 terested, and reverently they arrange themselves 
 in open squares as the formation within the 
 sacred grounds. When all have been placed in 
 their positions, absolute quiet ensues as the man 
 of God again raises his voice in the praying of 
 the Litany or confession of faith, and the con- 
 gregation joins in the hymns selected for this 
 particular service. The words of the confession 
 clearly describe the real idea of the service on 
 the graveyard. The early hour is selected be- 
 cause Jesus rose early on Easter Sunday morn- 
 
15 
 
 ing. The place is selected because as Jesus' 
 body rested in the tomb,so these graves contain 
 the bodies of loved ones. The day is chosen 
 because it is the resurrection day, and the con- 
 gregation confesses its faith in the resurrection 
 of the bodies of the Christian dead, and belief 
 in the resurrection of our bodies when we 
 have gone to our own rest in the silent tomb. 
 The following words from the Easter Litany will 
 illustrate the spirit of the entire confession : 
 
 " I have a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, 
 which is far better ; I shall never taste death ; yea, I 
 > shall attain unto the resurrection of the dead : for the 
 1 body which I shall put off, this grain of corruptibility, 
 shall put on incorruption ; my flesh shall rest in hope* 
 
 "And the God of peace, that brought again from 
 the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the 
 sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 
 shall also quicken these our mortal bodies, if so be 
 that the Spirit of God hath dwelt in them. 
 
 " And keep us in everlasting fellowship with those 
 of our brethren and sisters who, since last Easter- 
 day, have entered into the joy of their Lord, and 
 with the whole church triumphant, and let us rest 
 together in thy presence from our labors." 
 
 After the service many remain to enjoy the 
 beautiful flowers which the hands of affection 
 have placed on the graves of loved ones. 
 
 By this time the sun has risen above the hori- 
 zon, and everything is bathed in his glorious 
 light, — the great cedars of a century's growth ; 
 the fresh green sward of early spring ; the flower 
 decked graves with their spotless tombstones ; 
 everything is bright and happy and speaks the 
 joys of Easter day. 
 
i6 
 
 The service at n o'clock is always parti' 
 larly instructive and inspiring. The sermon 
 looked forward to by the Christian hearers 
 one which brings out the brightest truths of c 
 religion. The attendance is very large, the 
 decorations elaborate, and the music, both vo 
 and instrumental, inspiring. 
 
 During the afternoon of Easter Day, if th; 
 weather is bright and clear, thousands of frien eta 
 visit the graveyard to enjoy the scene, brig 
 with the floral decorations, and to admire th 
 neatly kept grounds. The avenue and grav 
 yard are always beautiful, but never more 
 than at Easter. 
 
 In the evening service the reading of the 
 Manual is concluded, the account of the resur- 
 rection being communicated. With a few earn- 
 est w r ords from the pastor, and with a number 
 of appropriate hymns the Passion Week ai 
 Easter services are ended. 
 
 It is worthy of note that the number of vi; i 
 tors seems rather to increase than otherwif 
 And it is also worthy of mention that the spi 
 of reverence for the occasion is very deep an J 
 earnest. This is true of all the services. Wi b 
 the increase of reverence the interest in t 
 celebration of Easter increases as the years pas.. 
 The joys of early spring unite with the joys eg 
 the resurrection hope, and it is the desire of 
 every believer that the celebration of Easter 
 may continue to be an influence to open w T i« 
 the door which reveals the resurrection faith to 
 all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.