The simple Love Feast service comes from the tradition of
the Moravian Church. Love Feasts are celebrated to affirm the unity of
Christians as brothers and sisters in Christ. The Christmas Love Feast is
the most special with the candles, trimmed in red, as reminders of the
light of Christ’s love and of his life given for us.
The Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum), is a Protestant
denomination which traces its roots to Jan Hus and Jerome of Prague, early
15th century church reformers and martyrs in Bohemia and
Moravia (Czechoslovakia). Almost wiped out by persecution during the
Thirty Years War (1618-1648), a small band of Moravians found refuge in
Saxony (Germany) on the estate of Nicholas Louis, Count of Zinzendorf.
Converted to their evangelical faith, Zinzendorf was made bishop in 1737
and led the Moravian immigration to North America in the 1740’s where they
settled in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The most famous of their
settlements is Old Salem, the historical settlement village located in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The
traditional Moravian Love Feast celebrates the birth of Christ
through scripture reading and prayer, the singing of hymns, the lighting
of candles, and the serving of Moravian bread and coffee. The first love
feast in Wachovia (the region now known as Winston-Salem) was held November
17, 1753, on the evening of the arrival of the first Moravian colonists in
North Carolina. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, took part in a
Moravian Love Feast in 1783 and introduced it to his fellow Methodists the
following year.
The service
begins with the lighting of the candles in the Advent Wreath by a family
from the congregation. The center Christ candle
is the last to be lit. When the wreath has been lit, a choral "Call to
Worship" begins the service proper. After the singing of the first
Christmas hymn, usually, "O Come All Ye Faithful," the pastor
prays, welcomes the people, gives a brief explanation of the history of
the service, and reads "...the most beautiful story every
written," from the 2nd chapter of the Gospel According to St. Luke.
The service continue as the
congregation sings traditional Christmas hymns familiar to Christians
around the world. As the congregation sings they are served by the
"diners," which is German for "one who waits at
table." First the women diners enter alone, carrying baskets of
"Moravian buns," a slightly sweetened dinner role about the size
of a hamburger bun. These baskets are passed up and down the pews. Next
comes the coffee. This time the female diners are accompanied by their
male counterparts, usually called "coffee carriers." Cups of coffee, laced with sugar and cream, are then passed down the pews
a cup at a time.
When everyone has been
served-----sometimes as many as 400 people in less than 10 minutes, the
pastor stands and leads the congregation in the "Moravian
Blessing."
The
meal is then eaten as the choir sings a selection of Christmas anthems. By
this time the people have been told that the Love Feast is not to be
confused with the Holy Communion. Moravians celebrate Holy Communion in
much the same fashion as other Christians. The Love Feast does not replace
it, but adds to it. It is reminiscent of the "agape meal" shared
by the early Christians as recorded in Acts 2. Moravians celebrate Love
Feasts on many different occasions, not just at Christmas.
But it is the
Christmas Love Feasts that draw the visitors by the hundreds and
thousands. Year after year people come, eager for that moment when the
sanctuary lights are dimmed, and the diners enter bearing trays of beeswax
candles.
Like the cups of coffee, these
candles are passed down the pew from hand to hand, one at a time.
Sometimes before, sometimes after the candles are distributed, the pastor
will deliver a brief Christmas message. Most center on the words of Jesus.
"I am the light of the world!" Jesus
also spoke to his disciples saying, "You are
the light of the world!" Those who attend the Moravian
Christmas Love Feasts are encouraged to, "...let your light so shine
before men that they may see your good works and give glory to the Father
who is in heaven." The sanctuary lights are dimmed and the acolytes
light their candles from the Christ candle.
They then light the congregation candles at the end of each row and the
flame is passed down the row until all candles are lit. It is amazing how bright a glow that 400 candles
cast. Just imagine the light cast by so many lives!
