As With Gladness Men of Old, ELW 302
1 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 by Thee!
2 As with joyful steps they sped,
Savior, to thy lowly bed,
there to bend the knee before
thee whom heaven and earth adore,
so may we with willing feet
Ever seek thy mercy seat!
3 As they offered gifts most rare
At thy cradle, 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 heav’nly king!
4 Holy Jesus, ev’ry 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.
5 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
alleluias to our king!
Devotion
Today, Día de los Tres Reyes (Three Kings Day), recalls the kings or “men of old” (verse 1), who followed the star to Bethlehem in search of a child king (Matthew 2:1-12). Now, children of various cultures celebrate this day by leaving grass for these travelers’ horses or camels to eat in hopes the kings will reciprocate by leaving gifts for them! Whichever animals these kings rode, they came. They found the child, were overwhelmed with joy, worshiped him, and offered rare gifts. Then, these travelers left. Warned to recalculate their route to avoid Herod, they returned to their eastern country. How did these men of old begin their lives, which were newly transformed after worshiping the child? What might they have told people about their joyful epiphany? As we begin and continue our travels throughout this year, what will we tell folks about our overwhelming joy in knowing Christ?
Prayer
God, this Epiphany, we gladly celebrate that you reveal your Son to all people. As we begin and live throughout this year, help us to always share our life-changing joy in knowing Christ. Amen.