An Advent Journey through my least favourite Christmas carol (part 1).
If you would like to listen instead of read then the following link should hopefully work:
We three kings of Orient are;
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
John Henry Hopkins, Jnr.
If you’re wondering why I’ve decided to write a blog series about my least favourite carol, then you’re not alone.
I don’t really have an explanation…yet!
I recently wrote a set of Bible Studies based around the story of the wise men and was glad when, after listening to every version of the song on Spotify, I was done with the three kings and their gifts.
The idea to write this series hasn’t gone away, so there must be something I need to discover in these verses.
Hopefully, you’ll enjoy coming along for the ride…
I picture a very uncomfortable camel as our mode of transport!
I’m going to approach this in the style of Craig Revel Horwood, offloading all my negativity (feel free to boo) and ending on a positive (yay).
By blog number 5 you might even get an A-MA-ZING.
As an aside, I was today years old when I discovered it was Horwood and not Hallwood.
I’ve been watching Strictly from the start and never spotted this!
Anyway, let’s get started…
It’s factually inaccurate.
I say this noting my hypocrisy as my second favourite carol is ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’.
Sorry Christina Rossetti but snow did not fall at the manger scene and there was definitely no snow on snow.
There were also not three kings. They are described in Matthew 2:1 as ‘wise men from the east’. There are other accuracy points that could be made but I like to keep these blogs to around 500-600 words (epic fail today, but I’ll do better on parts 2-5).
Next…it sounds like a drinking song or something you’d shout-sing at a football match.
Now, I like a good rip-roaring song as much as the next person (the defence presents Exhibit A: Oom-Pah-Pah from the musical Oliver) but I’m not a fan of the way the ‘ooohhhh’ gets dragged out in every chorus. I can let the over pronunciation of the letter ‘g’ in ‘Away in a Manger’ go, but when it comes to ‘We Three Kings’, primary school children have a lot to answer for. As someone who taught children for ten years, and led many a Christmas assembly, I have listened to their rendition on numerous occasions.
They have not served the three Kings well!
Finally…it always makes the Carol Service.
The shepherds and angels nabbed all the good Christmas carols, and the wise men hardly have any, so it always gets on the playlist. ‘When Wise Men Came Seeking’ is in a minor key and there are only two verses (the shepherds get six in their hit song). ‘As with Gladness’ downgrades them from Kings and wise men to ‘men of old’ so the obvious choice is ‘We Three Kings’.
Having said that…(here’s the Craig Revel Horwood bit where I switch from saying horrible stuff to being really lovely about the song)
…it is a gift!
Like, literally the song was a gift.
I can’t help but find something beautiful in the idea of someone writing a song and sharing it with their family as a Christmas gift to help them connect with the story of Jesus’ birth.
Argh! ‘We Three Kings’ is winning me over already!
After delving into ‘The Carols of Christmas’ by David McLaughlan, I discovered the story behind the song written by clergyman John Henry Hopkins, Jnr.
“In 1857 he (John Henry Hopkins, Jnr.) was a busy man – an author, designer of stained glass and illustrator, with a parish to look after as well. But he wasn't too busy for his family.
Every year the Christmas holidays would be spent with relatives in Vermont. Hopkins was a favourite with his nephews and nieces, and he liked to entertain them. This year he had a special treat for them, a new song from the Gospel of Matthew.”
David McLaughlan
He’d written this song especially for them.
He’d written this song so that they could experience the joy of the journey to worship Jesus.
He’d written this song as a gift, just like the ones brought by the wise men.
I’m not sure his greatest gift was the song itself.
John Henry Hopkins, Jnr. had a lot on his ‘to-do’ list.
Design
Paint
Write
Preach
Comfort
Although the song was a thoughtful gift, for me, his greatest gift was time.
He was obviously a busy man, and yet he took the time to sit with the Gospel of Matthew and pen this song for his family.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll consider the gifts of the wise men as we travel through each verse of this well-known carol. Yes, the wise men brought gold, frankincense and myrrh, but they also brought the gift of time. Their long journey following the star gave them time to consider the wonder of the new-born King, who was the greatest gift this world has ever known.
As we journey through Advent, how can we take time to consider the gift of Jesus, the new-born King?
How can we give our time as a gift to others this Christmas?
Kay Moorby
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