As With Gladness, Men Of Old

As with gladness men of old

Did the guiding star behold;

As with joy they hailed its light,

Leading onward, beaming bright;

So, most gracious Lord, may we

Evermore be led to Thee.

As with joyous steps they sped

To that lowly manger bed,

There to bend the knee before

Him whom heaven and earth adore;

So may we with willing feet

Ever seek Thy mercy seat.

As they offered gifts most rare

At the manger rude and bare,

So may we with holy joy,

Pure and free from sin’s alloy,

All our costliest treasures bring,

Christ, to Thee, our heavenly King.

Holy Jesus, every day

Keep us in the narrow way;

And, when earthly things are past,

Bring our ransomed souls at last

Where they need no star to guide,

Where no clouds Thy glory hide.

In the heavenly country bright

Need they no created light;

Thou its light, its joy, its crown,

Thou its sun which goes not down,

There forever may we sing

Hallelujah to our King.

WILLIAM CHATTERTON DIX (1837–1898)

THE CHURCH has traditionally celebrated the coming of the wise men two weeks after Christmas. But on Epiphany Sunday in 1860, William Dix was too sick to attend church. At home in bed, he read the story of the wise men and tried to apply the lesson to his own heart. The result was a new Christmas hymn that celebrated while it instructed, one that applied not only to the author, but to future generations of Christians as well. The pattern is obvious: As the wise men did—following, adoring, giving—so should we.

Dix was a brilliant linguist and poet, but he made his living as the manager of a maritime insurance company in Glasgow, Scotland. He knew the rigors of travel and the joy of bringing gifts from afar. Yet rather than focusing on the costliness of the magi’s gifts, Dix emphasized the magi’s finding of what they sought and their worship of the Christ child.

When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2:10-11