We Three Kings
After the birth of the Christ child, wise men came from the east to worship him. In 1857, Reverend John Henry Hopkins, Jr. composed some new music for a Christmas pageant presented to the students of the General Theological Seminary in New York City. This carol, Three Kings of Orient, celebrates the visit of these magi. Today, known as We Three Kings of Orient Are, this piece reminds all of us that Christ is indeed the King of Kings.
As a youngster I played an arrangement of this song for 1 piano 6 hands, and it has been a favorite of mine since. Although clearly a Western piece, the music invokes a mysterious eastern feeling, and brings to mind the image of Persian kings on a long journey.
But what if those wise men had come from Hispania to the west of Jerusalem, instead of Persia to the east?
May we all remember that even the great kings of old worshipped the Savior, and that wise men seek him still. Merry Christmas to you and yours.