The Fish Net
Boston Presbyterian Church
December 2010
Dear Friends,
In Scottish folklore many tales are told about the adventures of “The Goodman of Ballengeich”. The Goodman was a well known beggar in the vicinity of Edinburgh, but what was his true identity? He was the king, James the Fifth. Most of the stories about The Goodman are little more than products of the imagination but it appears that they, like so many other legends such as Robin Hood, do have some basis in fact. King James did like to dress himself up as a beggar and wander the countryside. Not surprisingly, this behaviour shocked his courtiers and other nobles. They objected to this behaviour pointing out that it was dangerous and besides, this was no way for a king to act; it was beneath his dignity! The king however persisted pointing out that as the king it was his responsibility to care for his people. How could he ever do this if he did not know how they really lived? And the only way for him to know was to join them at the very bottom, as a beggar.
The Goodman of Ballengeich is not a Christmas story and yet ... in a sense it captures what Christmas is all about. On the last Sunday before Advent we celebrated “Christ the King Sunday”. On that morning we remembered and affirmed that amongst other things, Christ is the King. While Jesus is The King however, he is a king most unlike others for he came to serve rather than be served. Rather than being born at the top in a palace he joined us at the bottom in a stable because there was no room in the inn. God became one of us at the bottom so that he might know, experience and even share life as we do; both the joys and the heartaches. Perhaps we have heard this so many times that it has lost its impact on us but think of it; God, the creator of a universe so wonderful and complex that it boggles our imagination, so loved us that He became one of us. Truly as a person once said, it is like one of us loving ants so much that he or she became one to share life as they do. Could, would we ever do this?
In a sense that is what God did in Bethlehem so many years ago and this is the wonder, the joy and the holy mystery that is Christmas.
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.”
Wishing you a most blessed Christmas,
Shawn