There is no division of reality called "secular" and "sacred"

Western culture understands reality to be two categories: sacred and secular. The very early Moravians did not share this view. All creation is God’s. It was and is created, maintained and owned by Him. The early Moravians would have understood secularists as squatters on the property of the Lord - living in illusion. 

That the earth, all the earth, is the Lord’s is a view shared with the Psalmist. Consider, Psalm 24:1

“The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.”

David Platt has the 18th century Moravians concept down pat

“If we were left to ourselves with the task of taking the gospel to the world, we would immediately begin planning innovative strategies and plotting elaborate schemes. We would organize conventions, develop programs, and create foundations… But Jesus is so different from us. With the task of taking the gospel to the world, he wandered through the streets and byways…All He wanted was a few men who would think as He did, love as He did, see as He did, teach as He did and serve as He did. All He needed was to revolutionize the hearts of a few, and they would impact the world.” 
― David Platt, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream

Image - Hearth cooking at the Single Brother's House - (Old) Salem

What early Moravian commitment to missions looked like

The two first Moravian missionaries, in 1732, set sail from Copenhagen for the West Indies. On board were John Leonard Dober, a potter, and David Nitschman, a carpenter. 

Their purpose was obedience to Jesus’ command, “As the father has sent me so send I you.” 

They knew that the only way to reach slaves was to become incarnated into their lives - as Jesus was incarnated into theirs. These two men set sail with the objective of selling themselves into slavery to reach the slaves if they must.

This is but one reason the early Moravian faith was labeled by friend and foe - radical. 

One writer noted: “Upon arriving at the shores of their destinations, the Moravians would unload their few belongings and then burn the ships. It was a refusal to look back to that country from which they went out. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one (Heb 11:15-16)". The Moravian’s passion for missions was great, because their passion for God was great.

What motivated families to migrate to the Wachovia, i.e., to the Moravians of old?

In 1768 families and individuals from Maine relocated in the Wachovia to a place they named Friedland. They had interlocking motivations for their decision to move. The settlers were convinced that moving to North Carolina was in their best economic and spiritual interest.

Consider these three quotes from the book, Hope's Promise by S. Scott Rohrer.

One family said: "Our children are going to ruin; we want to live near a congregation of the Brethren." (Moravians)  

Another family moved to the Wachovia because they were "desirous of seeking the salvation of their souls and mindful of the  everlasting happiness of their children."

The migrants to North Carolina, "honestly wished to be father from the tumult and temptations of the world, that in quiet they may learn more of Him."

Can you see why I believe the old Moravians have much to teach us?

Image - Home Moravian Church - (Old) Salem

Home Moravian Church was established in Salem on November 13, 1771.The sanctuary building itself, with its distinctive belfry, was completed in 1800, 

Moravian Food Blessing

* Old Woman in Prayer, known as ‘Prayer without end’

By Nicolaes Maes

Current Location: Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Dated to 1656

Moravian Table Blessing

Come, Lord Jesus, our guest to be

And bless these gifts

Bestowed by Thee,

And bless our loved ones everywhere,

And keep them in Your loving care. 
_____________________

*Old woman in prayer, known as ‘Prayer without end’. An old woman is praying with folded hands while sitting at a table laid with bread, cheese, a jug, a bowl and a fish on a plate. To the right a cat pulls the tablecloth. On the wall a bunch of keys are hanging. In a niche in the same wall stand a funnel and an hourglass.

Image - Moravian Simplicity - Old Salem

3 Characteristics of Moravian mission.

Count Zinzendorf

In a letter to an English friend Zinzendorf wrote: 

"You are not to aim at the conversion of whole nations; you must simply look for seekers after the truth who, like the Ethiopian eunuch, seems ready to welcome the Gospel. Second, you must go straight to the point and tell them about the life and death of Christ. Third, you must not stand aloof from the heathen, but humble yourself, mix with them, treat them as Brethren, and pray with them and for them." 

(Zinzendorf 1732)

This quote shows the three basic characteristics of Moravian mission: 

1. The Holy Spirit guides both the seeker for truth and the missionary; 

2. Preaching Christ is the central task of the missionary; and 

3. The missionary imitates Christ’s example of humility. 

What is a Gemein Ort?

One of the several evidences of the organizational genius of Count Zinzendorf was the creation of Gemein Ort - congregational towns. The Gemein Ort  was distinct, different, from a traditional village - which usually had a church. But with the Gemein Ort, or congregational town, there was no distinction between the congregation and the government of the town. It was a coherent whole. 

Eventually there were more than twenty such communities in Germany, the Netherlands, England, Denmark, Switzerland, Ireland and North America. Salem in North Carolina was one of the last to be established. 

Bethlehem, Lititz and Salem were congregational towns in America. 

Image - God's Acre

God's Acre (1771) - Moravian burial ground - Old Salem
Winston-Salem
Click on image to enlarge.