Today, the Faithful Four concludes as Nicolaus Zinzendorf takes on Sundar Singh. To arrive at this point, Nicolaus defeated Zita of Tuscany, Francis Xavier, and Philip, Deacon and Evangelist.
But the real question of the day is, Who will face Zechariah for the Golden Halo? In yesterday's matchup Zechariah swept past Elizabeth of Hungary 56% to 44% to advance to the Championship round.
Whoever wins, the final battle of Lent Madness 2025 will conclude with 24 hours of voting starting at 8:00 am on Spy Wednesday, with the winner announced at 8:00 am on Maundy Thursday.
And don't forget to join us on Facebook Live at 1:00 pm EST on Wednesday for an exciting live event featuring Christian, Michael, and some of our Celebrity Bloggers as we get hyped about the Championship voting and look to the future of Lent Madness!
Vote now!
Nicolaus Zinzendorf
I was thrilled when the Episcopal Church and the Moravian Church established a full communion relationship in 2011. I remember joking that I was among the minority of Episcopalians who were familiar with the Moravians - Unitas Fratrum (United Brethren) - and their initiator, Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf.
I was born and raised in Bethlehem, PA, so my knowledge of the Moravian Church was interwoven with childhood. My family was Roman Catholic, but the Moravian influence in the area’s history, events, activities, architecture, food (love those Moravian Sugar Cookies!!), the importance of education, and, of course, the Moravian Star were omnipresent in everyday life.
In school we learned the history of my home city and how, on a cold Christmas Eve in 1741, Zinzendorf and his small band of friends settled on the Lehigh River in Pennsylvania and named their new community Bethlehem, in celebration and in honor of the Lord’s birth. "There can be no Christianity without community."
There are aspects of Zinzendorf’s persona that have resonated with me since childhood – his deep commitment to Christianity, his outreach and ministry to others, and his leadership against odds. “I have one passion, it is He. Only He.”
Additionally, I have always admired the many avenues he utilized to tap into his spirituality for adoration and worship, ranging from writing letters to Jesus as a young boy, to the 200+ hymns he penned, to the prayers he presented that are simple but incredibly moving. Zinzendorf’s belief in maintaining a personal relationship with God is at the heart of his identity. “All of life becomes a liturgy.”
Zinzendorf also made a mark on this country’s early history. His outreach to the Delaware, Shawnee, Iroquois, and Mohican Native American nations was so meaningful that James Fenimore Cooper used Moravian documents for research in authoring his great American novel The Last of the Mohicans. Zinzendorf met with early Revolutionary leaders, like Benjamin Franklin, and his ministry reached other groups, including slaves and German-speaking emigrants. “Preach the Gospel, die, and be forgotten.”
I am a faithful Christian and a practicing Episcopalian, and I am active and involved on all levels and in many organizations of the Episcopal Church. But I wear a sparkly Moravian Star necklace, and prominently display in my dining room the pewter plate emblazoned with the prayer before meals (which I say). I have a Moravian Star Christmas ornament on my tree every year, I have a larger ornamental Moravian Star in my living room, and I can never get enough Moravian Sugar Cookies.
Zinzendorf has left his mark on my life.
“Come, Lord Jesus, our Guest to be; And bless these gifts bestowed by Thee.”
Sundar Singh
One of the guiding principles of my life is to pay attention to those who afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted, and I think Sundar Singh should win the Golden Halo this year because he has the brilliant capacity to do both at the same time. I am deeply grateful that, when many of David Sibley’s saints advanced in the first round, he offered to share Sundar Singh with a first year Lent Madness blogger and that I got the opportunity to walk alongside the Sadhu. I’m grateful because, and I don’t believe that I am exaggerating here, I am a different person than I was before Sundar Singh came into my spiritual and saintly lexicon.
Every day for the last two weeks I have thought about the Sadhu’s metaphor for Western Christianity and the image of the stone, submerged in the stream for years, unable to be truly altered by the water. This simple story has caused me to ask myself: What parts of my life have become calcified to the message, life, and hope of the crucified and resurrected Christ? My comfortable Christianity has been profoundly afflicted by the Sadhu.
Yet, I have, at the same time, found comfort. As the iconic show, The Good Place, creatively relayed, none of us are singularly good or bad; we are all a mix of realities that ebbs and flows with life’s ups and downs. Sundar Singh is a particular saint in our tradition that speaks not only to those who need some direction, but also those whose path has been rocky and wild. In that same rock in the stream story, the thing that captured me most was not the image of a dry rock, but of God’s all-consuming, surrounding love and grace, waiting for us to receive it. In the same story that afflicted me, Singh also provided me the greatest comfort. This capacity to both draws folks in and challenge them as they are released back out into their lives is a rare gift that deserves to be elevated, perhaps to the status of Golden Halo.
Saints can be a lot of things to a lot of different people, but for me, saints tend to function most often like blazes along a trail. They point me in the right direction, affirm that I am on the right path, and remind me that I am not walking aimlessly in the woods. Sundar Singh is a brilliant blaze of light in the great cloud of witnesses, and I am deeply grateful to know more about him because of Lent Madness.
58 comments on “Nicolaus Zinzendorf vs. Sundar Singh”
Yesterday, I talked with my daughter about how American commercialism has hijacked Christian holidays and turned them into mainstream cultural events. Learning about the Christian missionary Sundar Singh, particularly his life as a "sadhu," resonated with me because he integrated Christ's message into the culture and familiar forms of the people he addressed. His journey into Tibet demonstrated immense courage, especially considering how popular culture often downplays the genuine dangers of that region. Therefore, my interest in Sundar Singh reflects my desire to expand my Western-focused understanding and explore the spiritual, foreign, and perilous dimensions of life and the world.
Moravian sugar cookies, anyone?
https://www.realfoodtraveler.com/winston-salems-moravian-cookies-and-the-moravian-cookie-trail/
Though I refuse categorically to use lard, or any rendered animal, in any baking. I don't care how authentic lard is.
And with this recipe you could use plant based butter to make the cookies vegan very easily.
I grew up just outside of Bethlehem, PA, and like Neva Rae, absorbed some knowledge of the Moravian Church. I was excited to see Zinzendorf in the line-up this year, and thank the bloggers for adding to my knowledge of my home territory. Go Nicky Z.!
This was the hardest decision this season. I came into today sure I would vote for Sundar. I had never heard of him prior to Lenten Madness, but he impressed me greatly. But then he was paired with Nicholas of the Moravian music. I participated in an outdoor drama about David Zeitsberger who was sent out by Nicholas to work with the Delaware Indians here in Ohio. So I related greatly to the mission work of Nicholas. Had to go there finally, but boy was it hard!
Don’t forget to join us LIVE on Facebook (and YouTube) at 1:00pm eastern, as we celebrate all that Lent Madness has been this year!!!
I voted for Zinzendorf partially because my ancestors were among the earliest settlers of Pennsylvania but because his words speak to me particularly on this day.
However I will not be disappointed at all if Singh makes into the final round. I had trouble deciding between the two of them.
For those who are sad not to have a woman in the Final Round for the Golden Halo, I will point out that there have been 15 Golden Halos awarded to date, and 8 of them went to men while 7 went to women. If I remember correctly, there have been 2 Silver Halos awarded, and they both went to women. So our gender equality is pretty good!
I voted for Sunder Singh for his cultural awareness - both the positive of relating to his own culture according to their norms and the negative of seeing how western secular culture is creating idols. But I'm preaching at the sunrise service this year, and what a thrill it will be to tell the congregation of the Central Moravian Church of Managua that Zinzendorf won the Golden Halo if that's how it comes out!
Growing up in Philadelphia, we would regularly attend the Bach Festival in nearby Bethlehem. It was magnificent! Zinzendorf has my vote!
After all this time the system finally let me vote!
OMG has any final vote ever been this close this early? I usually vote later and the vote is mostly decided.
Neva, you are an eloquent writer. Your words about Nicolaus are sheer poetry. I had goosebumps reading your tribute to him. I felt His blessing in my heart. Come, Lord Jesus, our Guest to be; And bless these gifts bestomy Thee. Amen.
Oh my goodness, Sundar has pulled ahead! Ever so slightly. I hope this doesn't turn out to be one of those awful ballot-box-stuffing incidents.
Wow, great write-ups by both - kudos, bloggers! I am not surprised that the vote is very close.
I like both choices, but the spam voting always begins around lunch. I wonder if we don't need 24, or even 12, hours of voting next year. Looks like that happened to poor Elizabeth yesterday.
One of the most difficult votes ever!!
These are getting harder. Both of these saints speak to the present times so clearly.
In my Grandfather’s Moravian prayer book, titled
‘Liturgy’, there was an Appendix in the back which gave a dated history important events in the church beginning with Jan Haus in 15 century Bohemia. It included dates of the sending out of missionaries to various parts of of the world, and also noted that sometime in the late 18th or 19th century* the Moravian church was accepted as a ‘Protestant Episcopal Church’ by the English Parliament. *(Lost exact date due to loss of book in a fire)
This was a tough one to be sure as both were hard workers of the Gospel.
Listening to all these saints stories made me want to live a good life and follow God with my whole heart.
- Mollie
Goodness, what happened?! I was THRILLED to see Sundar pull ahead a few hours ago... and now he's behind by seven points?! How? I had been rallying the troops to come vote for him... and it seemed like it was paying off. I'm super-bummed to see Zinzendorf so far ahead now.
My Episcopal siblings, why are we always so stuck on the saints from Western Christianity? Especially living in a world as we live in right now, stretching our sense of "us" to wrap around people all around the world seems more important than ever. A saint like Sundar, who intuitively weaved together seemingly opposing cultures, as guided by his love for Jesus, seems like JUST the avatar we all need right now. Vote for Sundar, team! Let's crown him with the Golden Halo for 2025!
"My Episcopal siblings, why are we always so stuck on the saints from Western Christianity?" To Cecilia, and others who may advertently or in- find similar notes creeping into their support of their own choice, please let's not criticize how anyone else voted. There are all sorts of reasons why people vote the way they do. (For the record, I voted for Sundar Singh.)
Neva - thank you for your comments about Zinzendorf and your Moravian background. I also grew up in Bethlehem and my grandparents were very active at Central Moravian. Palm Sunday was my 65th anniversary being confirmed as a Moravian. During the Catechism class I learned about Moravian music, missions and the founding leadership of John Hus and Count von Zinzendorf as they helped start the Protestand Reformation. It wasn't until after leaving Bethlehem while going to college after a 3 year Army stint and being exposed to other christians that I began to appreciate what I had taken for granted - my Moravian spirtual roots that were anchored by my maternal grandmother, Dorothy Fry Honeycutt. Today, I am a practicing Episcopalian (St. Timothy in Chehalis, WA) who is a Christian that deeply appreciates his Moravian heritage which lead him to the Cross abd the realization that we are saved by Grace. Thank you to all these Saints that have gone before us to help us better understand what it means to be a Christian in thought word and deed.
Thank you to Tim & Scott and you Celebrity Bloggers who have made it a fascinating and fun journery to learn about these incredible Saints. - David Hartz
In my husband's and my hometown north of Detroit MI, is Moravian Road, named for a Moravian community once there. Once in a rural area, it is now well built up. I am delighted that TEC and the United Brethren are now in full communion.
Oh I'm not criticizing anyone at all, Barbara! I'm just pointing out how, in the years I've participated in Lent Madness, it has been VERY Western-centric... and I'm hoping we can start to shift that. This feedback is more global, not personal. But I do hope individual people take it into their hearts and minds and consider it.
We received Elizabeth's cinnamon rose roll recipe
Don't tempt us with the Bethlehem Sugar Cookie and not offer the recipe.
My husband's favorite cookie is the sugar cookie, and I have never found a recipe I like, so would love the Moravian version.
Cecilia, thanks! Talking with each other has always been one of the joys of Lent Madness. If the SEC doesn't want to restore the "reply" function I hope at least we find out why.
Lutheran church nerd, chiming in again. Zinzendorf did not write the "Come Lord Jesus" prayer. He included it in a hymnbook in 1753, but it existed in German Lutheran sources since before his birth. The Wikipedia article on the "Common Table Prayer" is enlightening; even more so a scholarly article it cited by James Eggert, from the Lutheran Quarterly.
I still voted for Zinzendorf, but it was tough to choose!
I must admit I am surprised to see Nicholas in the lead, as the Monday Madness jockeys have been so taking with Sundar that hardly a week goes by without mentioning how terrific he is. Since I cast my vote for Nick, I am glad to be on the winning side (or so it currently appears). It has been a wonderful Lent Madness, as usual, and since so few of the contestants were known to me beforehand, educational as well. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to read about these wonderful selfless people when so much of the world seems to be tainted with selfish paranoia.
And yet the people I meet and speak to, whether conservative or liberal, tend to be wonderful, selfless individuals. I think media tends to highlight the dramatic differences rather than looking for the places where we meet and support one another. The world is not so bad as it appears. We have millions of saints out there trying to make it a better world. Nick and Sundar are two wonderful examples.