As With Gladness Men of Old, ELW 302 and LBW 82
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
This lovely hymn, set to the tune of “For the Beauty of the Earth,” sings of the parallels between the Magi and those of us today still seeking our Lord. As they were on a journey to find the one worth worshiping, so too must we push aside the personalities and material things that try to coax our hearts away from Jesus. As they had a single focus to be in the presence of that newborn king, so too should we be driven to seek time in God’s presence. As they lay at his feet their precious treasures, so too are we called to give generously out of our grateful love.
Yet the parallels don’t stop with our need to draw close to God here on earth. The last two stanzas of this hymn follows our journey into heaven, where light greater than any star on earth will shine, where our praise and adoration, our love and devotion will never cease. There, forever, may we sing, alleluias to our king!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, let your light flood the earth, that all may know of your wonder, your power, your mercy and your grace. May wise men and women still seek to know you, on this Epiphany day and always. Amen.