“We Three Kings of Orient Are”
Author: John H. Hopkins
Based on: Matthew 2:1-16
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.?’
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
“But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.”’
Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search diligently for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.
When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.’
When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son’.
Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.” (NKJ)
We, three kings, of Orient are.
Bearing gifts, we traverse afar.
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star. (Refrain)
Born a King on Bethlehem's plain,
Gold I bring to crown Him again
King forever, ceasing never!
Over us all to reign . . . (Refrain)
Frankincense to offer have I.
Incense owns a Deity nigh:
Prayer and praising, all men raising.
Worshiping God on high. (Refrain)
Myrhh is mine; it's bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering doom.
Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb. (Refrain)
Glorious now behold Him arise!
King and God and Sacrifice;
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Sounds through the earth and skies! (Refrain)
Refrain – O Star of Wonder, Star of Night, Star with royal beauty bright. Westward leading, still proceeding. Guide us to Thy perfect light. Amen ~
Meditation - “Prayer and Praising”
As we have seen throughout this season as we have looked at various hymns, mostly Christmas hymns and carols, Bible stories have formed the basis for most, if not, all of them. They are beautiful words, and beautiful carols, none of them more so, or more meaningful than We Three Kings of Orient Are.
It is in Matthew 2:1-16 that we find the story about Wise Men from the East who came to Jerusalem and later to Bethlehem seeking the newborn King. We know that they were guided there by a wonderful new star that appeared in the sky, seeming to rest right over the spot where Jesus lay in His manger bed. We don’t really know what countries these wise men came from, nor whether they were astronomers or actual Monarchs, but it is generally thought that they probably came from small kingdoms on the other side of the huge desert which separated their homes from the place of Jesus’ birth.
We do know that they came from the “East” (possibly the Orient, although there is much in modern research to suggest that Persia is another strong possibility), probably on camels that could withstand the heat and other hardships of desert travel. Since we don’t know for sure from which countries they came, we can’t know exactly how long the journey took them. Many scholars believe that Jesus was as old as two years old when they finally arrived in His presence. The narrative has been shortened to get all the events into one season of celebration and to make the story “flow” smoothly. From that standpoint, and for that reason, the story may not be completely accurate from an historical point of fact. The rhythm of the hymn seems to suggest the swaying gait of a camel, plodding along. Its minor key suggests the hint of the Oriental.
The Wise Men came, according to the account of the Gospel of Matthew, to bring gifts of worship to the newborn King. They had seen the Star announcing His birth, and the prophecy of the Messiah’s Advent, which was well-known to them, seemed to be coming true. They journeyed long miles through fertile fields, over rivers and waterfalls, across rugged mountains, through deeply-forested woodlands, and over the barren desert. They were guided by this strange new star which beckoned them ever onward, and seemed to lead them in their journey. When they grew discouraged and weary of travel, it was the Star that kept them going.
One of the Kings brought with him gold, perhaps for a crown to honor the new, uncrowned King of a new kind of kingdom. A second king brought frankincense, a sweet spicy perfume which, when burned, makes a spiral smoke that rises heavenward. Old Testament people used it in their worship services, because it reminded them of the nearness of their Heavenly Father. This wise man brought a gift which made him think of Jesus as God’s best Gift to humankind.
The third king brought myrrh, a spice always used in Eastern burial rituals. This gift prophetically reminds us that Jesus would die for those He loved and for others who didn’t know the will and spirit of the Heavenly Father.
In the verses of this hymn we have seen a number of things - - - we have seen yet more people leave everything to hasten to Bethlehem to take their rightful place in the events unfolding there. We have seen devotion to duty, worship and adoration of the Christ-Child and we have witnessed a bit of “drama” in the way this author told about the events recorded in Matthew’s Gospel. In fact, speaking of drama, this hymn is particularly suitable and easily adaptable to dramatization. Youth groups, musical groups, and Sunday School classes of all ages in the church can each participate in a meaningful Christmas pageant, based on this hymn
The author and composer of this beautiful Christmas carol was an Episcopalian minister from Pennsylvania. John Hopkins is credited with contributing much to the development of music in his denomination during the 19th Century, writing many hymns and hymn tunes. One of his publications, Carol, Hymns and Songs, went into four editions of printing!
What else is here? Are there lessons yet to learn from this story? There is the obvious, and I believe I would be remiss to not mention it. We see these “wise” men bringing gifts to worship Jesus. We must never lose sight of the fact that our worship demands something of us more than just our “appearing”. We are to bring our gifts - - - our tithes, our offerings and our gifts - - - to God for His use. We are to present ourselves and all that we have, even our costliest treasures as the wise man who brought gold did. Even our treasures that we might be “saving” for ourselves - - - as the wise man who brought the myrrh that might be needed for his own burial to Jesus in an unselfish act of worship. The third wise man brought an equally costly treasure to the Child, one reminiscent of worship! We can do no less.
Prayer – Our Father, we’re not kings, and most of us aren’t very wise, as wisdom goes, but we would come with shepherds and angels and kings to the manger bed of the Prince of Peace and bring our worship with us as we come. We confess that we often bring less than our best to worship when we “do” come. Sometimes we are tired. Sometimes we are angry with someone close to us. Sometimes we are consumed with greed and just don’t want to bring our “costliest treasures”. Sometimes we are hard pressed to find anything tangible to “give”. Forgive us our sins of commission, and especially our sins of omission. Most of us aren’t bad people . . . we are forgiven people. We aren’t axe-murderers, robbers, thieves or gangsters, but we are weak, and we fail often. We would be like the faithful who came to the manger in Bethlehem to see for themselves just what had come to pass on that night - - - shepherds, angels, and kings. Surely among that crowd “we” can find someone with whom we can relate! Thank you, Lord, for this most precious Gift to us . . . may we return our tithes, offerings and gifts to you with joyous and thankful hearts. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen~
Activity - Don’t kill anything today! Before you close the page, thinking I’ve lost my mind, read on. This means literally and figuratively - - - it includes insects and ideas, whether the ideas are your own or someone else’s. Nurture everything you come into contact with, whether spider or a person. Do something nice for an animal today. Feed the outside birds. Give them a pan of water - - - things may be too frozen for them and they may be dying of thirst. This is one of the things that makes them eat our plants - - - our beautiful pansies - - - the search for water and food in a frozen world! Walk a dog, stroke a cat, play with a bird, watch some fish swim in a tank - - - whatever you choose, learn something about your place and your function in the great “Chain of Life.”
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