Good King Wenceslas . . . remember him? I’m sure you can all probably sing the first verse of the Christmas song dedicated to him if you had to! Do you know the story behind the song? This man was raised by a godly grandmother and had the courage to stand up to his pagan mother (who by the way, had his godly grandmother murdered). I know this doesn’t sound very festive - but I was reading about him, his acts of mercy, his courage and even his martyrdom. It made me think of what kind of heroes we have these days. King Wenceslas was born in what is now the Czech Republic. Almost 1,000 years after his death, a British songwriter honored him and his acts of mercy in the famous Christmas carol. There is quite a bit of legend wrapped around him - stories of him going out in the cold winter nights looking for people who were in need. Tales of him sending his pages back to the castle for food, clothing and firewood to meet the needs of the people. Regardless of the details of the legend, he was a hero in his time, a man who lived out his faith even unto death. I wonder how many people who are alive today will have songs and stories written about them 1,000 years from now? If so, will those songs and stories reflect a faithful life, dedicated to serving God and helping others? Let’s give a shout out for King Wenceslas - a forgotten holiday hero we can all be proud of!
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