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| Matthias Stom - "Adoration of the Magi" |
Carol: “As with Gladness Men of Old” – William C. Dix (1837-1898)
Common Tune: DIX
It’s the Sunday most congregations will talk about Magi, wise men, travelers from afar, etc. We are still fascinated with this scripturally un-numbered group’s seeking of the Christ Child. Part of that fascination comes from the fact that they must have been people of great means to make this long trek from east Asia; after all, we’ve learned from pictures that they traveled with quite the entourage… like the Crawley family at Downton Abbey! We’re also caught up in their star-gazing hobby or profession that actually panned out for them; they studied the star alignments and deciphered their meaning… ultimately leading them to the prophesied One whose star had gone before them. People like me are enamored of their desire to worship the King born at Bethlehem in the land of Judah.
We like their haggling with Herod, their continuing their search, their being warned in a dream, etc. But most of all, we marvel at the moment when their worship culminates in their bowing down on their faces before the Christ Child, offering their costliest treasures. It’s one of the most awe-invoking moments in the telling of the birth event – maybe in all of scripture!
When we make our offerings with holy joy – not begrudgingly or by force – then it truly is an act of pure worship: nothing held back. As we sing this carol, we are saying that we want to be true worshipers like the Magi – people who go to great lengths to find God, and who act appropriately and generously when he is found.
Many times after we have that kind of close encounter of the highest kind, we are led by “another way” for our own protection and our own good.
Hear this carol from an English cathedral (The picture choices are weak!)
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