Good King Wenceslas 19th Century Carol with a Contemporary Message for Rural Communities

I was recently reflecting on the words of the Carol “Good King Wenceslas" and realised that the song may have a contemporary relevance for rural communities today.  For the words to the carol Click HERE

The fictitious story depicted in the carol was made up by Czech poet Václav Alois Svoboda in 1847.  (Hymnal) However there was a Duke of Wenceslas who lived between (907 & 935) in Bohemia, which is now part of the Czech Republic. Wenceslas was a Christian who ruled the country well, establishing education and law and order systems. However when he was 22 his brother Boleslav plotted against him and Wenceslas was murdered by Bolslav’s followers while on his way to church.  (Christmas.com)

The words of the Carol based on the story were written by the 19^th century writer J M Neale who put the words to the 13^th century Swedish Easter (Flower Carol); which compares spring to resurrection and praises the maker who brings resurrection to all.      (Hymnal)

However despite its lack of historical accuracy the carol I believe has a powerful and relevant message for us today.

The context is the feast of Stephen, December 26th or Boxing Day. In medieval times the arms boxes in churches would be opened and the money distributed to the poor in the community. In later times it was a day when the servants of big houses would be given a day off and Christmas boxes would be distributed.

However this can be a cold period in the year as hinted at by (the moon shining brightly) a sign of clear skies resulting from a high pressure weather system. If a high pressure system settles over the country this can result in severe frosts and if there has previously been snow and a slight thaw the ground will be frozen hard like iron making it impossible to collect any wood, which may be lying on the ground and frozen under the snow’s surface.  Hence the peasant has wandered far from his home to gather winter fuel. The distance he has traveled being a league which is about five and a half km and even in good walking conditions would be over an hour and half walk illustrating his desperation to find fuel to keep warm. Ironically the page notes that the peasant lives near the forest fence, so why had he wandered so far if he was in need of fuel when there was forest near-by?  Perhaps the forest was fenced and that peasants were banned from entering it.  

 

The carol starts with King Wenceslas looking out and observing and then asking his page about what he saw.  This is perhaps an example to us all to look around us and observe what is going on in our local community and then asks others about what we see.

The king’s response, when he understands that the peasant is in need is to gather supplies and to go to where the peasant lives. He gathers together both quality food and drink, illustrated by the flesh or meat, which is sustaining food and also considers, in addition to the food, the need to provide fuel so that the peasant can cook and keep warm.

He then proceeds to journey with the supplies assisted by his page to where the peasant lives.  The king is personally getting involved in this incarnational task and at the same time involving others in the task.  Just as in our churches we might consider inviting others to partner or join with us in the service of the community. In fact it’s clear that in this charitable action the King and the page are journeying together. Perhaps a reminder of the story in the Gospels where Jesus sends out the disciple’s in twos ahead of him.  Luke 10v1

As they journey the page expresses anxiety about the task and refers to the darker night and the wind blowing stronger.  The King encourages the Page to keep close and follow in his very steps. Certainly to be separated when conditions are deteriorating would have been treacherous  for both the King and the page and emphasises the importance, that this is not a solo task.

The last verse highlights that it’s not only by keeping together and working in partnership that all can be blessed through engaging in service to the most vulnerable in their community. In that it doesn’t matter if you are a King or a page or have little yourself your will be blessed as you look around you at your community identifying the communities needs and inviting others to join with you in meeting those needs.

On reflecting on the Carol and looking around at our rural communities I can see that perhaps it also has a prophetic word for us today as fuel poverty, which just like in the carol, can be particularly acute in rural areas.

Fuel poverty is when a household’s fuel costs are above the national average and were to cover the costs of the fuel would mean the household is left with a residual income below the official poverty line.

Patterns of fuel poverty are often higher in rural communities for several reasons.

Firstly rural communities are usually well beyond the reach of the national gas grid which provides one of the cheaper ways to heat properties so people have to rely on oil, bottle gas or solid fuel which is more expensive. Even the price of logs has been rising steeply over recent years due to the popularity of wood burning stoves making logs less affordable.

Secondly properties in rural areas are often old and poorly insulated. With planning restrictions in areas of protected landscape such as conservation areas and National parks making it either more expensive or impossible to fit heat conserving features such as double glazing or to clad a building.

So how might rural churches and other people living in rural locations respond to the needs of the poor or vulnerable as winter approaches?

Firstly we can follow the example of King Wenceslas and look around is to identify those who are vulnerable or are likely to be in fuel poverty and then we can invite others to work with us to make sure people are looked after.

This might be as simple as providing insulation advice or helping people insulate their homes.  It could also involve making sure people are on the cheapest tariffs for electricity or gas if available. As a community we could perhaps start a fuel purchasing co-operative so that everyone can befit from lower prices for heating fuels.

As Christmas is a time of giving and receiving gifts we might also follow the example of King Wenceslas. For example, in Greystoke in Cumbria, a parish charity used to provide a sack of coal for older people, which in more recent years has been replaced by a gift of a Christmas hamper.  In Skipton, the Baptist Church provides Christmas hampers which has evolved in to the establishment of a food bank.  

More ideas on how your community can help people cope with winter weather and fuel poverty check out the Rural Action Yorkshire website and their Energy and Fuel Poverty Resources by clicking HERE and for Winter Weather Resources click HERE  

Bibliography

Christmas.com, W., n.d. Some Stories behind Christmas Carols. [Online]
Available at: www.whychristmas.com/customs/carols_stories.shtml
[Accessed 28th Oct 2015].

Hymnal, C., n.d. FLOWER CAROL. [Online]
Available at: http://cyberhymnal.org/htm/f/l/flowcaro.htm
[Accessed 28th Oct 2015].

Maypole Dancing and the Trinity

Many years ago I heard a lecture on missionary work by Lynn Green, the then International Director of Youth with a Mission. Lynn outlined the work of Don Richardson an American Evangelist who worked from the principle that God is always ahead of a missionary and it’s the missionary’s role to identify where God is already working and to connect with this and interpret these as signs of God at work to the community.  See Don Richardson’s books: Peace Child and Eternity in Their Hearts.

One example of this is the concepts of redemptive analogies; these are stories and traditions embedded in a culture which speak of the Trinitarian God of love.  For example Don Richardson refers to Saint Paul on Mars Hill using the altar to an unknown God as the starting point for his proclamation of the good news of Christ. He  goes on to recall stories from his missionary work of various cultures and different redemptive analogies and how building on these has resulted in the successful proclamation of the gospel.

In many ways the work of Don Richardson is similar to the work of the Catholic Missionary, Vincent Donovan, who engages in a process of dialogue with the Masai people of East Africa.  Donovan finds that in Masai culture there are many stories; which can be used to point to the one true and living God.  Donovan’s work is outlined in his seminal book “Christianity Rediscovered”.

Since I heard Lynn Green lecture I have always been asking the question: what are the redemptive analogies in English Culture that speak of the Trinitarian God?  It’s taken me many years to start to identify these and in many respects I am only just beginning but I do believe if we seek and look hard enough we will find examples and, as ever, it’s often in the most surprising of places that we find that God is a work.

May Pole Dancing

Looking for signs of God at work in English culture we perhaps should start with  one of the customs that can be seen and experienced in some rural villages today; perhaps frowned on by some as being of “pagan” origin or having aspects of fertility ritual is Maypole dancing.

I can still remember children from the village school performing a Maypole dance at the village fate in rural Worcestershire and on arriving in the Yorkshire Dales finding that a number of villages still have Maypoles. Those villages include Kettlewell, Kilnsey, Burnsall and Thorpe and in starting work for the Diocese of Ripon and Leeds noted that some villages have incredibly tall Maypoles. It almost seems that they wish to outperform one another by having a taller Maypole.  These villages include Nun Monkton, Aldborough and Barwick-in-Elmet Maypole who have their own Maypole Trust and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/barwickmaypoletrust

The Dance of the Trinity

One of the ways that theologians describe the Trinity is as a dance, with each person of the Trinity being in motion around one another so although they are three persons they are also one as they are in in a dance with one another like particles in an atom; held together like gravity by love yet moving in dynamic relationship. In our Christian life we are also called to enter in to this dance with the Trinity and with others in relationship in community.

So in looking for redemptive analogies in our English culture we can look at the tradition of Maypole dancing and see the patterns of interrelationship weaving a beautiful design as the brightly coloured ribbons are woven as the dancers dance around the Maypole. None of the interact patterns being possible unless the dancers where moving and responding to the moves made by other dancers.

Flowers From the Farm Re-connecting us to the Seasons

Sometimes in my work I come across an organisation that is doing something that just seems brilliant and I just want to encourage them in what they do and to share the good news of what they are doing.

Through my work in networking with other organisations working to support rural life I have come across “Flowers from the Farm”

Flowers from the Farm is a marketing network of flower growers from all over the UK working to promote British flowers and get local flowers in to every vase.

The network has over 200 members from right across the UK as their map shows http://www.flowersfromthefarm.co.uk/growers-map/ therefore there is likely to be grower close to where you live.

Buying locally has many advantages, the flowers will be fresher and more fragrant that flowers that have been transported across the world.

Imported flower often make a complex journey from a farm in Africa via road and air to a wholesaler in the Netherlands’ before a further road and ferry journey to a shop in the UK.

This all adds to the carbon foot print of buying cut flowers and does nothing to support British Agriculture.

One of the positive aspects of purchasing British Flowers is that you are purchasing flowers in their natural season and thereby connecting with seasonality. Seasonality connects us with new joys at every turn of the calendar rather than an endless monotony of the same throughout the year.

Flowers from the Farm is still a new organisation and still relatively small and has a personal feel about it as it you will be dealing with the person who actually grows the flowers.

Some growers are also flower arrangers and combine their skills as growers with their artistic talents offering a complete package for a special event such as a wedding or special occasion.

They tell me that a number of brides are now attracted by the theme of a very English wedding with British grown flowers filling a church and the reception with their colour and fragrance.

For more information on flowers from the Farm see www.flowersfromthefarm.co.uk

Men's Sheds Reaching Men

When I mentioned I am member of a men’s shed it usually results in puzzlement or a joke about garden sheds on an allotment.

However there is a serious side to what is becoming known as the Men’s Shed Movement.

One of the problems in modern society is the feeling of isolation and loss of self- worth for men on retirement.  Some men get depressed turn to watching endless day time TV or sitting in a pub slowing sipping a pint.

The men’s shed movement started in Australia where men started getting together in a common work space to work together on practical tasks like woodwork; making toys, planters or other projects.

Working together in this way, friendships are built and a sense of value is generated.  

It has also been recognised that often men find it difficult to talk about their feelings; yet working side by side men find it easier to talk and share what’s on their mind.

More recently, building on the Australian experience, men’s sheds has taken off in Ireland which now has its own Men’s sheds association http://menssheds.ie.

The pattern has continued in the UK, with the development of the UK Men’s sheds association http://menssheds.org.uk/ now reporting nearly 200 men’s sheds with more opening every week.

A great video on the development of Gosport Men’s Shed can be found here: https://vimeo.com/84392065

The Men’s Sheds that I am connected with is Resurrection Bikes www.resurrectionbikes.org.uk . This has grown from small beginnings of one member, John, fixing bikes in his garage to raise money for Christian charities to a men’s shed involving over a dozen people.

After I started working with John fixing bikes we realised the potential for others to be involved. After enquiring locally we were offered premises in a church basement in order that the project could grow.

The basement was in a real mess and some partition walls had to be removed and other walls plastered and painted and lighting and power installed. However, with the help of the Big Lottery, a local venture scout group and small local contractors, the bike cave as it’s become known was ready and equipped as a cycle maintenance workshop.

The group now has a growing band of over a ten volunteers with about 50% having church connections and the others with no church affiliation.

The shed meets three days a week with the Thursday and Friday teams made up of retired men.    

        

The Saturday team is made up of working men plus a growing group of teenage lads who want to learn bike maintenance skills.

Everyone engages in an apprenticeship process starting by cleaning bikes and then moving on to stripping bike frames when a bike is beyond redemption. Through this process you learn the use of the tools and how all the components of a bike fit together. You can then progress to working with experienced volunteers learning all the skills of maintaining and servicing a bike; from checking for faults, to adjusting breaks, front and rear mecks, replacing cables and greasing wheel hubs and bottom brackets etc.

The whole process develops team work and work place discipline, as it’s often necessary to seek the advice of others and it’s important that all tools and storage boxes are returned to their proper places.

Saturday afternoons are one of the busiest days as this is when many people come to purchase a bike or to make a donation. So again there are further skills for the lads to pick up including looking after customers and coping with pressure in a busy retail environment.

The whole teamwork process is cemented with plenty of homemade cake and optional recreational bike rides.

From a church perspective there are many positive aspects of a men’s shed:

Serving the needs of community by:

·    Addressing social isolation amongst retired men by providing a supportive community of men engaged on a common purpose.

·      Developing the life and work skills of teenage lads through being involved in practical tasks together with older men.

·      Reducing waste through recycling donated bikes

·      Providing affordable transport for local people by selling serviced second hand bikes.

·      Encouraging the use of sustainable transport

·      Providing funding for charitable causes

In the future its anticipated there will be opportunities to develop a Christian nurture group, and may be from within this community will develop a form of church as people meet talk and serve one other and the wider world together.

So what can Churches learn from the men’s sheds movement.

·      Firstly there are men who are interested in gathering together around a common task.

·      Secondly these men have needs and are more comfortable about sharing these and supporting one another when engaged in an activity together.

·      A church basement or crypt which may be an unattractive unused space used for storing junk can make a great space for a men’s shed.

·      The key to getting started is two or more men with the vision and a church that’s open and flexible with regards to the use of its premises.

If you have a bike that need the Resurrection Bikes treatment then contact your local cycle recycling project www.ctc.org.uk/bike-recycling

If you live near Harrogate contact Resurrection Bikes www.resurrectionbikes.org.uk

    Tel 01423 593103 

     Other Blogs that may be of interest are Resurrection Bikes 

Communities and Businesses pull together to bring Superfast Broadband to the Yorkshire Dales

Access to high speed broadband is not a luxury but an essential for life in the Yorkshire Dales these days as it provides access to services and makes living and working in a remote area possible.

• Completing tax returns
• Farmers completing DEFRA forms
• Claimants accessing benefits
• School children and students studying
• Running a business or working from home
• People working from home

Listed above are just some of the activities made possible with high quality broadband and it’s clear that without it, house prices are depressed and people have to make extra journeys.

The Government is committed to providing high quality broadband to as many people as possible and is working in partnership with local authorities to deliver this.

In North Yorkshire for example this involves bringing fibre broadband to the local telephone cabinets (FTC) and then using the existing telephone wires to provide Superfast broadband to nearby properties. See www.superfastnorthyorkshire.com/wherewhen to find out if you are on the (FTC) network.

However; this is where the problem start as the rules of physics mean that FTC is limited to 1.2 Km from the cabinet so many Dales communities require other solutions.

Satellite is one solution and its available everywhere but is expensive both to install and operate as capacity on satellites is limited and the technology suffers from delay or lag as the communications have to travel to and from a satellite orbiting the earth.

Fibre to the premises (FTP) Some Dales communities are pulling together to bring fibre broadband to their individual homes and businesses. This includes the communities of Dent and Garsdale area where local people have formed  www.digitaldales.com This is similar to Broadband for the Rural North http://b4rn.org.uk which is installing fibre to rural communities in north Lancashire and is now planning on extending their network to communities across the border in the southern Dales in partnership with the local communities concerned see www.claphamhyperfast.net

However fibre to the premises is expensive to install and a 

third solution is now providing high quality broadband for many Dales’ communities. Fixed Wireless Broadband (FWB) uses wireless technology to bridge the gap between the fibre broadband networks and individual premises.  FWB is being deployed in the Dales by three Yorkshire based companies and several communities’ enterprises. The commercial companies include L N Communications www.lncomms.co.uk of Yeadon who have an expanding network in the Nidderdale AONB and in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in Wharfedale and Ribblesdale as well around Skipton.  Crabtree Hall www.crabtreecommunity.com of Hackforth near Leeming who are developing a network in Lower Wensleyday and Bedale and Clannet Broadband www.clannet.co.uk of Biggin near Selby who are developing a network around the Scotch Corner area as an extension of their Vale of Mowbray network. Finally there is www.kencomp.net from Kendal in Cumbria which has a small network in the Mallerstang area.

Two Dales community enterprises have also developed their own FWB networks; Reeth Rural Radio www.swaledale.org and the Austwick Community Broadband Association http://austwick.org  

It’s wonderful to see the gradual organic growth of the FWB across the Dales especially when it reaches some of the most remote farms in the area at the very top of Nidderdale and Littondale which are way beyond the BT FTC network.

It is also fantastic to see how local people are getting involved to make this all happen, working with the Wireless Broadband companies, Superfast North Yorkshire and Rural Action Yorkshire’s Community Broadband Development Officer to build and promote the new Fixed Wireless broadband networks.

Key to the development of the networks are the provision of small wireless repeaters that are mounted on high points, which are required as the technology works on line of sight between repeaters. It’s great to see farmers, local churches and residents all being willing to host repeaters, thereby serving the common good of the whole community, reducing the digital divide and making the Yorkshire Dales fit for the 21^st Century.

To find out what’s available in your area see the maps at www.superfastnorthyorkshire.com/ws-maps

Following the Three Wise Men

The story of the three wise men in Mathew’s Gospel is one that has a degree of controversy about it.  However I think what is most controversial of all, is the romantic interpretation of the carol “We three Kings” gives to the story. The carol I think misses the point on more than one ground. First Mathew’s Gospel doesn't refer to Kings and secondly Mathew does not provide an interpretation of the symbolism of the gifts and I do wonder, if the Carol has got the symbolism of the gifts wrong.

Looking again at the biblical account; on the one hand the wise men appear to be pretty good navigators using the stars. However they fall for the idea that a God King will be born in a palace and head to Herod’s palace and have to make enquires as to where the birth place of the servant God King was to be found.

Now let’s think about the gifts they took, were they appropriate for a God King? Okay gold is a sign of Kingship but would they have taken it to a king born in a palace?

Now this is where I just wonder, if perhaps we could interpretive the story in a different way.

The three wise men had come to the palace expecting to pay homage to a new born King but he’s not there and they find instead the star leads them on to Bethlehem to pay homage to the new king. Now what gifts might actually be appropriate and practical and what could they locate on the way from Jerusalem to Bethlehem which might be appropriate to a family on limited means who will have to flee the country in a few weeks and are faced with bringing up a precious child, in the first century, where modern health and hygiene provision is not available?

What would you take, if it was possible to travel back in time?

 Actually some money or interchangeable currency might be really useful, as would some disinfectant spray to keep the bugs away, and some antiseptic cream would be a really practical item.

So maybe the gold was spot on, as gold coins would have been the ultimate interchangeable currency. Perhaps the frankincense is the disinfectant spray; friends who have worked in Bangladesh have told that its really good in church for keeping the flies away and perhaps the myrrh was that precious antiseptic oil.

So what’s the message of the story of the three wise men on discovering that the God King was not to be born in a palace but in a poor home and that to meet him they had to travel on to a little town and find a poor family taking with them some practical gifts.

Maybe there is a message for us here, having heard the Christmas story we need to move on from the festival of Christmas where we have lived and eaten like kings and travel on to meet the Christ Child elsewhere.

So if today you want to catch up with the God King maybe just maybe you will find him not in a place of comfort but rather in a small out of the way town or isolated community or back street or tower block, in the home of a poor family. Where to pay homage requires practical useful gifts not symbolic gestures.

A charity that can help you do just this is Act 435 see http://acts435.org.uk  also check out your local food bank, details of many but not all can be found at www.trusselltrust.org