Moravian Church in North America

In Essentials, Unity; In Nonessentials, Liberty; In All Things, Love.

Moravian Church in North America
North: Bethlehem, Pa.
South: Winston-Salem, N.C.

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An introduction to the Daily Texts

Imagine sharing the same devotional with 1.5 million believers in more than 50 languages around the globe. The Moravian Daily Texts has been living this ecumenical dream for many years!

First published in 1731 in Saxony, this little book grew out of a spiritual renewal of the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) that dates back to Aug. 13, 1727. Today, more than 250 years after its first publication, the Daily Texts continues its promise of “a daily message from God that is new every morning.”

New Every Morning: A History of the Daily Texts

“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.” Lamentations 3:22,23

The first printed edition of the Daily Texts (Losungen) was published in Herrnhut, Saxony, in 1731. The title page of that edition quoted the passage from Lamentations and promised a daily message from God that would be new every morning. It was an outgrowth of a spiritual renewal of the Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) that dated from August 13, 1727.

Producing the North American Daily Texts

As with all Daily Texts, the North American version begins in Herrnhut, Germany. We receive the Losungen from the German office in the summer and send it to a translator for our North American English purposes. We require an actual English translation of the German text because of the differing Bible verses in each translation. For example, a watchword drawn from Daniel 3:33 in the German Bible does not exist in English translations: the wording is found in Daniel 4:10. The essential concern is that the text is correctly translated so that readers around the world will share identical devotional material on any given day.

How to Use The Daily Texts

The Daily Texts is a daily devotional guide published yearly since 1731. It is the oldest such guide in continuous use. Begun in Germany as a daily oral tradition, it soon became a regularly printed set of texts for each day of the year.

The texts are chosen yearly in Germany for use in all editions of the Daily Texts throughout the world. The Old Testament text is chosen by lot from a collection of about 2,000 appropriate texts. The New Testament text is then selected to expand on the Old Testament text, to give some point of Christian doctrine or to match with the special celebrations of the church year. In the American edition, appropriate hymn verses and prayers are added for each day and chosen by designated writers of varying ages, both lay and clergy, for each month.

Moravian Daily Texts

06/19/2013

Wednesday, June 19 – Psalm 77:16-20
Song of Solomon 5,6; Galatians 2:1-14

O give thanks to the Lord, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples. Psalm 105:1

Paul said, “I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24

Great God, we know even our finest words of praise and our great hymns of thanksgiving can never fully express our gratitude for your sacrifice. May we share your love with the whole earth! Amen.

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Moravian Magazine

May 2013

In this issue, we feature our annual round-up of Moravian Camping Ministries in North America, plus stories of Moravian youth in action. Read online.

Online Catalog

Zinzendorf's Pennsylvania Journey

Count Zinzendorf speaks once again in this collection of sermons preached during his sojourn in Pennsylvania in the 1740s. These sermons, translated by Craig Atwood and Julie Tomberlin Weber, will touch your heart as they did those who heard them more than 250 years ago.

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