Christmas Post: Home Moravian Church - Christmas past

Photo Credit: Digital Forsyth

Home Moravian Church at Christmas past

On Christmas Day at dawn the birth of Jesus was announced with trombones or French horns as was the case in 1780. A diarist confirms this with this statement, “The French horns played early in the morning.” 

At 9 AM there was a liturgical worship for communicant members of the church. It was accompanied with a sermon. Another worship service began at 10 AM and featured a sermon in both English and German. The churches would have been decorated with greenery as photographed above.

The Salem Diary for 1771 reported: "On December 25th at 10 AM, there was preaching on the Gospel for the day: that God became man, taking part in our flesh and blood, was powerfully set forth as a truth from God.”