We Three Kings Of Orient Are
We Three Kings of Orient Are
We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
O star of wonder, star of night,
Star with royal beauty bright,
Westward leading, still proceeding,
Guide us to thy perfect light.
Born a King on Bethlehem’s plain,
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King forever, ceasing never
Over us all to reign.
Frankincense to offer have I;
Incense owns a Deity nigh;
Prayer and praising all men raising,
Worship Him, God on high.
Myrrh is mine: its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom:
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.
Glorious now behold Him arise,
King and God and sacrifice;
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Sounds through the earth and skies.
UNFORTUNATELY, we tend to sing only the first stanza of most Christmas carols, even though the depth of meaning is often found in later stanzas. Everyone knows that the wise men brought gifts, but what was their significance? John Henry Hopkins, an Episcopalian minister (as well as a news reporter and stained-glass artist), pondered this question in hymn form in 1857.
Gold was a gift for a king. Frankincense was brought by priests in their worship of God. Myrrh was a spice used in burial. Thus Jesus was honored by these sages as King, God, and Sacrifice.
How then shall we approach the King of kings? What gold shall we bring? What incense can we offer as priests of our God? How can we honor our crucified Lord? It makes sense to consider these questions today, the traditional date of Epiphany, celebrating the magi’s worship of our Lord.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
Matthew 2:1-2
From the book
