Commemoration May 9
Nicolaus Ludwig, Count von Zinzendorf, d. 1760
Reflection
“I was but ten years old when I began to direct my
companions to Jesus, as their Redeemer. My deficiency in knowledge was
compensated by sincerity. Now I am thirty-four, and though I have made various
experiences, yet in the main my mind has undergone no change. My zeal has not
cooled. . . . The love of Christ shall constrain me, and his cross refresh me.
. . . I am poor and needy, yet the Lord thinketh upon me.” Thus wrote Nicolaus
Ludwig von Zinzendorf in his confession of faith presented to the theological
faculty of Tübingen University in Germany in 1734.
It is difficult to overstate the influence of Zinzendorf on
the church worldwide. He was the founder of the Christian colony “Herrnhut,” or
“the Lord’s watch,” out of which grew the Moravian Brethren. His intense and
very personal piety was not always welcomed within the established churches of
his day, and, as a result, he was exiled from Saxony, during and after which time
he founded Christian colonies in the Baltic provinces, the Netherlands, England,
the West Indies, and North America. In
addition to his passion for social justice, Zinzendorf was also the author of
many hymns, including “Jesus, Still Lead On” (ELW 624).
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Your death for us and your own holiness
will be our clothing when we stand before your judgment seat: In your mercy
grant that we, as taught by your servant Bishop Zinzendorf, may hold fast in
faith to your saving sacrifice for us, and ever rejoice in your love for the
world; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now
and forever. Amen.
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