Zetland Park Methodist Church Pastoral Letters
December 2011
Hail the incarnate Deity
Once upon a time there was a great bachelor Prince who was much admired by many people for his wisdom and justice and who many young ladies aspired to marry because of his wealth. One day, while travelling through the kingdom in his carriage he spotted a young lady in a small rural village with whom he instantly fell in love. That night he could not sleep for thinking about her and he resolved to find out who she was. In time, his attendants reported back that they had found her and that she came from a very poor farming family and was, as yet, unmarried. The prince arranged to visit the area again and arrangements were made so as to ensure that he could meet this young lady without his feelings for her being made known. Though he spoke with all the villages, when he met the young lady he became certain that she was the girl for him, but she was clearly very intimidated by his rank and position.
On returning to the palace he decided what he had to do. So he asked his servants for some of their ordinary clothes and having dressed himself in peasants' clothing he set off on foot to search this girl out. On arriving in the village he took up lodgings and offered to work on local farms. Because of the way he was dressed no one recognised him as the great prince and in time he met and befriended the young lady who his heart was set upon. She fell as much in love with him as he had with her, yet still not yet knowing who he really was. In time they married and only when they were married did he reveal to her that he was actually the prince who had gone missing so many months before. Asked why he had renounced his palace and position, his reply was that he wanted her to love him for whom he was, not for what he was!
In the middle of your Christmas celebrations forget not God who loved you so much that he forsook the greatness and grandeur of heaven and came amongst us as a human baby, born to a peasant woman, so that we might experience his love at first hand and learn to love him in response to his first love for us.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail the incarnate Deity, please as man with man to dwell, Jesus, our Immanuel (C Wesley)