the origin of the Moravian Daily Texts

The Moravian - December 2005

More than 1.5 million believers — in over 51 languages and dialects around the world use the “Moravian Daily Texts,” a tradition that has continued for more than 275 years.

Today the biblical texts are chosen by lot in Herrnhut, Germany, and sent around the world to those who prepare the different language editions. In the North American edition, prepared by the Interprovincial Board of Communication, hymns are chosen and prayers are written by Moravian clergy and laypersons from the United States and Canada. Each month, prepared by a different person or couple, reflects the great diversity of devotion in the Moravian Church.

The article below was adapted from one written by the Rev. John S. Groenfeldt which first appeared in the December 1951 issue of “The Moravian.”

The Origin of the Book

The origin of the Moravian Daily Texts goes back to the great spiritual awakening of our spiritual forefathers in 1727. After the August 13th experience, when the congregation at Herrnhut felt the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, the leaders of the church desired some means of keeping the fire of Christian love and zeal burning brightly. As a means to this end they decided to have someone appointed to visit each home in the little community each morning. The brother who made the visit was to encourage all the other brethren and sisters “to watchfulness and faithful endurance” throughout the day. In order to make these visits more effective Zinzendorf wrote out a verse of Scripture or a hymn stanza that seemed appropriate for each day of the week. The brother who was appointed to do the visiting of the day called first of all on the elder of the congregation who had been given custody of these verses. The visitor would then take one of the cards (with the verse written on it) and that was his “Watchword” or theme for the day as he went on to greet all the members in their homes.

By 1730 the congregation had developed the custom of announcing the text for the coming day at the evening song service. The leader of the service then gave a short explanation of what the text meant. Zinzendorf selected the texts with the present condition and experience of the congregation in mind. He felt that the life of each member should then be a commentary on the text and that others should be able to see the meaning of the text reflected in the life of each member.

It was not until 1731 that the texts were chosen for a year in advance and printed in the form of a little booklet, so that year really marks the beginning of the Moravian Daily Texts as a publication of the Church.

The Watchword

The German word Losung, from which the German title of the Daily Texts is taken, really means a signal that is agreed upon — a password, countersign, or watchword. It is a military term and one may wonder that the peaceful brethren of Herrnhut decided to use it.

The early Moravians desired to remain at peace with the fellows if at all possible, but they laid great stress on the fact that they were soldiers of Christ who warred against Satan and all his hosts. In this sense they regarded themselves as a “warrior congregation” and after the beginning of the foreign mission work this concept took on added meaning.

This battle against sin was a daily conflict. Their watchword then, was more than a theme for the day. It was the password they used in identifying themselves in the same way that a password is used in military camps. And the early brethren testified that as the watchword was discussed and its meaning applied to their own lives in various services and in casual conversations, it became apparent as to who was “one with them in spirit” and who was not.

Selection of the watchwords, which are chosen by lot from a large collection of texts that had been selected from the Old Testament, is a practice that continues today.

Doctrinal Texts

Traditionally, the doctrinal texts are selected deliberately with the particular occasion or the needs of the user in mind. In the early day, when Zinzendorf himself selected the Watchwords, they had this same flexibility and were chosen because of the circumstances the brethren faced at that particular time. But as the Daily Texts became more formalized and served a large group, the doctrinal texts were used for this purpose.

The popularity of the Texts grew considerably in Europe in the late 1940s. Immediately following WWII, the World Council of Churches cooperated with our own international church organization to make paper available for a very large printing of the Losung. Over 1.4 million copies were used annually throughout the world in 1951. Of those, only 7,250 were used in North America. But the demand continues to grow.

There are several reasons for this, as we see it. For one thing, we are coming to appreciate the Daily Texts as a symbol of our worldwide Moravian Unity. The fact that the watchwords continue to be selected in Germany and are used in every language edition of the book says something to us about the unity of Christians that transcends the barriers of national boundaries.

The Moravian Daily Texts continues to give modern soldiers of Christ a vital and meaningful watchword for the day. We could fill an entire issue of The Moravian with the testimonials of people who have found the word they needed for their particular situation in the texts for the day. Even after more than 275 years, the Moravian Daily Texts continues to fill a vital need in the life of the church.

In 2005, the Interprovincial Board of Communication produced 20,000 copies of the Moravian Daily Texts in its various formats. The variety of available formats have increased since the year 2000, now offering choices of paperback, hard cover, large print, journal, and a-page-a-day flip calendar. The new varieties have offered more choices for Daily Texts users to meet their own individual needs. The most popular version is still the standard pocket-size paperback. Also in keeping with modern times, the Daily

Texts are shared with thousands of subscribers in a shortened version through email (see Daily Texts email service for more information).

The Moravian Daily Texts are a very special part of Moravian tradition which is why it has stood the test of time and is still a very vital part of the lives of Moravians all over the world. North American versions of the Moravian Daily Texts are available through the Interprovincial Board of Communication by calling 800.732.0591, emailing pubs@mcnp.org, or by ordering online. They are also available at your local Moravian Book Shop.