For our Chancel Choir’s Christmas musical offering, we will sing "Good King Wenceslas" by British composer Richard Shephard (1949-2021). It tells the story of a Bohemian king (modern-day Czech Republic) who goes on a journey, braving harsh winter weather, to give alms to a poor peasant on December 26 (the Second Day of Christmas). During the journey, his page Stephen is about to give up the struggle against the cold weather but is enabled to continue by following the king's footprints, step for step, through the deep snow. When the king falls asleep, the page is visited by an angel, who tells him a story of a shepherd girl meeting three kings and reveals to him that the page has a special gift to offer. The legend is based on the life of King Wenceslas (Vaclav the Good) who reigned in Bohemia from 922 to 929 and eventually became Czechoslovakia’s patron saint. St. Stephen’s Day (December 26) is a traditional day for giving to the poor. In the United Kingdom, it is called Boxing Day, a day for boxing up gifts and donating them to those in need. We will only have one service that morning, so we invite you to come at 10:45 am to share in a musical telling of one of the great Christmas legends.