Chorus
The king the wise men found in Bethlehem
Was the King they came to worship-the Messiah.
We now make that same glad journey
As we worship You with them.1.
From a foreign land afar we come to see You
In our deep dark night You send a Star to guide us.
Promised Morning Star, announce the new day's dawning;
Glowing in our hearts, Your light will never fail us. (Chorus)2.
To the holy Child who came to earth from heaven
We present the gift of myrrh, a sign of sadness.
Long-awaited Star, announce the new day's dawning;
Burning in our hearts, Your light will never fail us. (Chorus)3.
To the King of kings we worship as an infant
We present the gift of gold fit for a monarch.
Glory be to God and to God's most Beloved!
Glory be on high for peace and love on earth!
In looking for an Epiphany hymn written by Vajda I came up empty. One may exist, but I couldn't find it. I did find this translation of a Puerto Rican carol, however, on The Marvel of This Night, the CD issued by Concordia Publishing House featuring, as it claims, "The Christmas Heart of Jaroslav Vajda." And this delightful hymn would be good to study this Epiphany.
Epiphany has traditionally been reserved to celebrate the coming of the wise men recorded by Matthew. These men are well-known as part of the Christmas story, but the details of these men are unknown to us. Matthew simply says, "Wise men from the east saw a star." Matthew goes on to record they went West to Jerusalem to seek out the new "king of the Jews." So, who were these men?
Traditionally, we think of three men ("We three kings of orient are"). We assume they are Gentiles. Often, we think of them as kings.
However, Matthew does not tell us how many men came. Three is a nice number, probably owing to the fact that three gifts were brought for Christ: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts are important as they spell out the three-fold office of God's Messiah. Gold was tribute given to a King. Frankincense was used by prophets when they offered prayers to God, thus the Wise Men acknowledged a Prophet in Bethlehem. Myrrh was a burial spice and Christ's role a Priest was to offer himself once as the sacrifice for all. All three substances were rare and costly. No doubt they came in handy when the Holy Family lived in exile in Egypt (and we do not know how long that exile was).
 |
