Christ in One Another

Christ in One Another by Anne Le Bas
  • A long time ago in the Middle Ages in Hungary there was a princess called Elizabeth. She didn’t really want to be a princess at all, though. She wanted to be a nun. She wanted to serve the sick and help the poor, but that wasn't really an option for a princess in her day. She was expected to marry a prince from a neighbouring country, to strengthen the ties between her nation and his. So she ended up married to Prince Louis of Thuringia. She was disappointed at this, but she soon realized that being a princess didn’t mean that she couldn’t help others. In fact because she now had money and a big castle she could do a lot for them. She started giving out food to the poor and hungry, and nursing the sick. Soon everyone who was in need knew that she was the person to come to, and the castle began to fill up. There were wounded people in the basements and lepers in the attic and people with all sorts of other problems in between. Every nook and cranny was full of suffering, needy people. Her husband didn’t seem to mind too much – so long as it didn’t affect him too much! But there was someone in the castle who most definitely did mind - her husband's mother, the princess's mother-in-law. She was furious. What kind of woman was this that her son had married? What did she think she was doing, bringing all these dirty, ragged people into the palace? One day, the prince decided that he would go away on a hunting trip. He’d be away several days. Not long after he’d gone a leper came to the castle gates. He was desperately ill and starving. The princess could see that he wouldn't last long, but the castle was full - there was nowhere to put him. Sadly, she told him that she couldn't help, and she watched as he turned away and began to drag himself back towards the castle gates. She was very sad. She thought and thought. Wasn't there anywhere she could put him? But every bit of free space in the castle was taken. Then she had an idea. There would be one bed that was empty that night - her husband's bed! He wouldn't be needing it while he was away. So she had the leper carried up to her husband's bedroom and laid in his bed with its fine sheets and warm covers. It looked to her as if the leper was dying, but at least his last night would be comfortable. It didn't take long though for her mother-in-law to find out what she'd done. She was fuming. How could the princess put another man in her son's bed - and a leper at that! When her son next slept in the bed, he might catch leprosy himself. But perhaps that was what the princess wanted, she thought. Something had to be done! So she summoned a messenger, and she sent him after her son with a message. “ Come home straight away. Your wife has put another man in your bed!” The messenger rode off as fast as he could. He caught up with the prince, and he delivered his message. The prince was shocked, and he headed home as fast as he could. When he arrived night was falling. His mother was standing at the castle gates looking out for him.” Come quickly”, she said, “and see what that woman has done!” She led the prince up through the castle, and they came to his bedroom door. She flung the door open, and she pointed inside.” Look, there !” she said.” A leper in your bed!” But when they looked towards the bed it wasn't a leper that they saw there. Lying on the bed was Christ himself, wounded and exhausted. He raised his head wearily from the pillow, and looked towards them.” Can you not let me lie here for one night? Foxes have holes, birds have their nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” The prince and his mother were astonished. They didn't know what was happening. But they could hardly turn Jesus out into the cold night, could they? Shamefacedly, they tiptoed quietly out of the room, and shut the door gently. In the morning, when they came back to the bedroom, there was the leper lying on the bed again, right where they had seen Christ the night before. But now he was healed. He was full of gratitude for those who had helped him, and went on his way rejoicing.
It is a strange story, and I'm not sure that I believe that it really happened. But it's a story that tells us something important. If we know someone important is coming to visit us – someone we look up to - nothing is too much trouble. We bring out the best china and the finest food. We’d do anything to help them. But there are other people that we hardly even notice. We don't know their names. We don't know their stories. We might not mean them any disrespect or unkindness, but they just don’t matter to us. There are many people who we look at and just see problems – the homeless and destitute, the drunk lying in the gutter. But to God, everyone is special, just a special as Jesus is. Everyone is his child. It took a miracle to make the prince and his mother see that that leper deserved and needed help, but their story is a reminder to us that we need to open our eyes too. We need to learn to see God in each other, to see how special we all are. Everyone of us has gifts to give. Everyone of us has stories to tell. Everyone reflects God in some way. The Gospel story today reminded us of the same thing. Help each other as if you are helping me says Jesus. That's how special you all are in God's eyes, and that's how special you should be in each other's eyes too. That's why in the run-up to Christmas, we are launching our secret prayer partner scheme. When you came into church, you were given a postcard. I hope you've all written your name on it and put it on this table at the front. In a moment as we sing our next hymn I'm going to invite you to come and to pick up a card to take home with you. Whoever’s name is on the card is your secret prayer partner. Your job is to pray for them during Advent. But don't tell them that you're praying for them. It'll be a nice surprise when they eventually find out. At Christmas, write them a card signed with your name, and the words “your secret prayer partner.” And of course you’ll discover that someone’s been praying for you too. I wonder who it'll be? You don't have to pray long and complicated prayers. You just have to think of that person, and remember that they are God's child, just like you. Ask God to bless them. Thank God for them. I've put some ideas to help you pray for others on the back of the service sheet. Take it away with you and use it if you'd like to. There are some other resources on the table at the front as well to help you pray. Now for some practicalities. What if you pick up your own name, by accident? Well, just put it down and have another go. Children, you don't have to keep your prayer partner secret from your mum and dad-only from the person you're praying for. In fact families might like to pray for all their prayer partners all together before a meal or before bed. But that will be a bit difficult if you’ve picked up your mumor dad, or brother or sister’s name! So if you do that, again, put the card back and choose another. To try and avoid that happening I'm going to suggest that the families with children come up first to choose their names in a minute. I hope everyone understands all of that. What we hope that this little exercise will do is to encourage us all to look at one another with new eyes, to remember that each one of us here is as special to God as his own son. We should care for each other, just as we would care for Jesus himself, and learn to see God in one another. So we're going to sing our next hymn now. It’s hymn number…. “Thou didst leave thy throne”. It’s a hymn that talks about the way God is among us, in each of us always. Amen. (Comments to Anne at annelebas@DSL.PIPEX.COM.)