sign in sign up
<<
Home , Moravian Church

An Invitation to Reflect on the Legacy of John Hus

In preparation for the 600th celebration of the life and legacy of John Hus, we invite near and far to respond creatively to his faithful witness in the form of personal reflections, , poems, artwork, music, , video and audio etc. The Board of Cooperative Ministries will collect and compile responses for publication. Select responses will be featured during a special service of celebration on July 19, 2015.

Guidelines for Submitting a Reflection:

 Read John Hus and the Moravian by the Rev. Dr. Craig Atwood  Notice any themes or images that you find particularly meaningful.

o What are you most drawn to? What resonates? o Invite these themes or images to speak to your life of . o Do these themes or images offer insight or hope to a present question, struggle, or situation? How? o How does this theme or image shape your Moravian identity? How have you witnessed this “lived out” in Moravian community? o What might you feel invited to let go of or take-on as you reflect? o What stories come to mind?

 After thoughtful reflection, consider how you would like to respond. Please keep reflections to no more than 500 words.  Send your submissions to the Board of Cooperative Ministries, 500 South Church St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101 or email them to [email protected]. The deadline for submission is April 30.

John Hus and the

July 6 is a special day of remembrance in the Moravian Church. On this date in 1415, a church council in the city of Constance executed one of the great Christian reformers. Millions of worldwide, including Moravians, view John Hus as a martyr to and a saint, even though he was officially condemned as a heretic. For many people in , , and elsewhere in Europe, the execution of Hus proved beyond doubt that Six hundred years after his radical reform was needed for the medieval Catholic death, Moravians proclaim Hus Church, which had grown corrupt in doctrine and as a martyr to the truth, a practice. A century after Hus’s death, faithful witness of the gospel, could boldly proclaim that he, too, was a Hussite. and a shining example that truth Contrary to popular , Hus was not the founder of cannot be destroyed by violence. the Moravian Church; however, his witness and courageous commitment to reform inspired Gregory the Patriarch to establish a new church forty years after Hus’s death. If Gregory was the father of the Moravian Church, then Hus was like a grandfather of the church. Hus tried to reform the of his day through his preaching, teaching, and writing. He challenged the corruption of the church and called for priests and to live as spiritual role models for their flocks. He aggressively rejected the sale of and opposed other ways in which the institutional church sold spiritual goods. Most of all, he urged the church to use the Holy Scriptures as the ultimate guide and authority for doctrine and practice. He untiringly preached that mere belief in doctrine is not sufficient for salvation. Faith must be completed in love, by which he meant love for one’s neighbor. When his preaching frightened those who held power in his day, he was arrested, tried, and convicted. He committed his to and bravely faced the executioners flames, trusting that his soul would return to the Lord he loved. Hus believed truth would prevail even if he were killed.

The Moravian Church was founded decades after the death of Hus as a new Christian community dedicated to his principles. The Moravian Brethren dedicated their lives to Christ and tried to live according to the teachings of in the Sermon on the Mount. They turned away from the allure of wealth and power and embraced lives of Christian discipleship and self-discipline. Through the centuries, Moravians have preached Hus’s message that faith must be completed in love and they have established congregations dedicated to the simple proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ and ’s unlimited love for all people. The courageous witness of John Hus, who gave his life so that the truth would prevail, has inspired Moravians for hundreds of years. Six hundred years after his death, Moravians proclaim Hus as a martyr to the truth, a faithful witness of the gospel, and a shining example that truth cannot be destroyed by violence.