The Bethlehem Carol Sheet is having its 70th anniversary this year. Not only is it an affordable way to have in one convenient place nearly all the carols we might want to sing, but its profits support projects helping the poorest people in the Middle East. You won’t find Jingle Bells in it, though – all the songs are suitable for singing in church.
So here is a trivia question for you: which carol doesn’t mention Jesus, God or Christmas? It’s one that was recorded by Bing Crosby, the Beatles and R.E.M., to name but a few. The answer is Good King Wenceslas. The words were written by the prolific Victorian hymn writer J. M. Neale, set to the tune of a 13th-century carol that celebrates not winter but spring.
Wenceslaus (or Wenceslas, as the carol calls him) was a Duke of Bohemia in the tenth century. He was a Christian in an era when many Bohemians were pagans, and he was born into a family marked by infighting and even murder. He became known as a wise and caring ruler with a concern for the poor, and very soon after his death he was declared to be not only a king but also a saint. Today he is the patron saint of the Czech Republic, and his statue stands in its capital city, Prague.
The carol is based on a legend. It depicts Wenceslas looking out of his window on St Stephen’s Day and noticing a poor man gathering wood for his fire. He and a page set out together to take the man food, drink and firewood, even though he lives an hour’s walk away, through snow and bitter wind. The page – still only a boy – struggles to keep going, so Wenceslas tells him to tread in his footsteps. There the boy finds a mysterious warmth, enabling him to continue.
St Stephen’s Day, December 26th, or Boxing Day, has long been a traditional day for giving to those in need, possibly linked to the church alms boxes that were opened and distributed on that day.
In my view, the carol has a very proper place in Christian worship. It reminds us that we should remember the poor at Christmas, not only our own families, and it speaks of the strength we can find in following in the footsteps of the saints. It also reminds us that generosity is sometimes costly. Wenceslas was a saint not because of the gifts he could easily afford, but because he took them himself instead of sending a servant. The boy was there not just to guide his master, but to experience a blessing he would never forget.
As you sing from the Bethlehem Carol Sheet this year, spare a thought for the Christians in Egypt, Iraq, Israel and Palestine, Lebanon and Syria – minority communities often overlooked and sometimes persecuted. Pray that they will have peace and joy this Christmas.
Have a blessed Advent and a joyful Christmas,
Rev Sue
St Margaret's Church Prestwich 