Watch Night

Moravians (a group of devout Christians) started Watch Night services around 1733 on the estates of Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf in Hernhut, Germany.  This count from childhood longed to serve God.  He established the earliest Protestant missions and had a strong influence on John Wesley the founder of the Methodist movement.

Over the years, the Methodist continued the tradition of Watch Night services.  These include New Year’s eve watch night services, but they were also done on other evenings. The most famous watch night was when slaves waited on December 31, 1862 for the dawn of freedom.  The Emancipation Proclamation came into effect on the first.

The purpose of the Watch Night centered on evaluating your relationship with Christ.  The evening should be spent in contemplation of where you would stand if tomorrow you were called to face God.  We have no idea when Christ will return or when we…