'Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord when He cometh shall find watching.' Luke 12:37
We Hutterites are now living in a golden age. Never
before in our history has there been such a long period where the authorities
have left us alone to live and worship as we wish. The communities we live in
are safe, secure and prosperous.
Around us, the world is changing at an incredibly
rapid pace. The Christian worldview that has shaped societies for over two
thousand years is under fire and in some places, almost obsolete. Self is
worshipped in place of God and truth is considered relative. The world is at
our gates, trying to win the hearts and minds of our young people. It is a time
to be on our guard, ‘for we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the powers of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places.’
That our love and zeal has grown colder in these
peaceful, easy times must be acknowledged. Good times do not generally make for
good Christians. Consider the words of Jesus to the Church of Ephesus: ‘Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee,
thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore how thou hast received and
heard, and hold fast, and repent.’
The early Hutterites saw clearly that to follow in the
footsteps of their master Jesus, a life of self-denial and loving service to
their fellow man was required. They believed that community of goods was the
necessary outward expression of a life truly committed to Christ and His
kingdom. 'And all that believed were
together and had all things in common.'This is the vision that the
Hutterite Church has tried to uphold in the long centuries since the
Reformation.
From their beginnings in Austria where they
witnessed to the truth with their lives, their journey with this vision led
them across Eastern Europe. Many times they established flourishing communities
on the estates of noblemen, but the periods of peace never lasted for long. Suffering
terrible persecution and unjust treatment, they fled on to next place, refusing
to deny their God and faith. Finally, to escape military conscription in
Russia, they left behind the comfortable farming villages they had established
and immigrated to America.
In addition to their steadfast faith, they took their
language, culture, and customs with them across the Atlantic Ocean to the
New World. Thanks in part to the legacy of our forefathers, the Hutterite
church has managed to preserve a distinct identity and faith in modern day
America; where many other cultures and religions, of greater numbers, have
assimilated.
Our church has been able to take an uncompromising
stand on many issues, refusing to conform to the world. From head coverings and
male leadership, to divorces and gay marriages, the church has not bowed to
popular opinion and trends but has kept its doctrines scriptural. 'Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and
forever.'
The current modern worldview is a dangerous lens
through which to look as we seek to preserve our faith. Condoning the values of
the world in our church makes us increasingly resistant to the guidance of the
Spirit. We have a rich treasury of literature and the background of a godly
heritage that help correct our vision and bring us back to the Biblical
foundation of our beginnings.
The literature includes the sermons preached in our
church services, written centuries ago by Spirit-filled elders with a deep
faith in Jesus and a sincere love of the brethren. From their genuine spiritual
and communal experience they wrote of issues that we are still dealing with
today. The sermons provide commentary and profound Biblical insights, as well
as serving as a safeguard against the tendency to drift away from Scriptural
truths. Our community gathering at the end of every day to listen to the Word
of God, to sing and pray together, strengthens our bond and acts as a constant
reminder of Whom we serve.
Part of our heritage are the laws, practical
arrangements, and accepted codes of behaviour maintained throughout our history
to govern our communities and keep our people separate from the world. If these
standards are in accordance with Biblical teachings, we should consider what we
might lose if we abandon them. ‘Prove
all things, hold fast to that which is good.’ But we must be careful lest
we adhere only to the letter of the law without seeking after the Spirit. That
path constitutes a barren and meaningless religion.
Adding strength to the structure of the church is the
accountability of each individual community to all the other Hutterite
communities, and the accountability between each believer to the other.
Brotherly admonition keeps our vision clear and vibrant, so that none among us
may be led astray by the deceiver.
Our elders have an important role in preserving the
vision of our church. They are gatekeepers of the church of God, watching for our souls as they that must give
account. A gatekeeper needs to be sober and vigilant, for the enemy circles
the house of God, seeking whom he may devour.
‘Watch
therefore; for ye know neither the day not the hour wherein the Son of Man
cometh.’ To hear the words: ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant,’
when our Master returns is our sincere hope and longing.
In preserving our vision, we believe we are fulfilling
our Master's will and giving our children the best possible hope for their
eternal future. Through the Church we can bring
them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, protected from much of
the harmful influence of the world and providing them with a Christian
worldview and valid counter-culture. Then when the Spirit comes to these young
people, the vision comes gloriously alive, its truths illuminated from within,
and unites them to all true believers.
Our church provides for the widows, the sick and the
elderly, it provides discipleship and accountability. Rightly lived, it is the
fulfillment of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount; it is the city set on a hill, whose
light shines so that all men see it.
We do not know what the times will be like when the
next generation finds themselves being the leaders and elders of the Hutterite
Church. The Bible prophesies terrible times before that great and notable day of the Lord comes. By the grace
of God we hope to be a small part of preserving this vision for them against
that day.
"Dear
brothers, I plead with you to keep watch against disunity, for you can well
imagine the terrible disasters that would come in its wake and what great
suffering would befall widows and orphans.
Watch
that you keep firmly to the fine old Church Ordnungen and follow them without
moving the boundary stones.
Hold
firm to Christian community, and fight with all your might against stinginess
and selfishness, for covetousness is the root of all evil and destroys
everything good. Guard against innovation and
starting on a new course. Take special care, my brothers, not to compete
against or take advantage of one another, for that is not right.
I
appeal to you before God to give fatherly care to the widows and orphans and to
concern yourself faithfully with the needs of the church.
Always
act in the fear of God, following truth, justice and righteousness.
Tell
the elders as a last request that I urge them before God to be wholehearted in
taking on the responsibility for the Lord's Church and giving all their
strength to its care.
I
commend you to the protection of the Almighty God. May He care faithfully for
His people, bless you, keep you in peace, uphold and preserve you. Amen.
Amen."
Hutterite
Elder Klaus Braidl. Neumuhl Community, Moravia. 1611
Sarah M. Hofer
