One King

Merry Christmas from all of us here in the Fox household.  May your holiday be full of family, love and Christ.

Matthew 2:3-12

 ³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

 ⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
   are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
   who will shepherd my people Israel.’^[b]”

 ⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

 ⁹ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

The wisemen had been following the star.  They weren't sure exactly where the new King was, but they were in the right area.  They stopped to ask King Herod because of course, a King would know of other kings in the area.  But they were wrong.  So they searched.  We do not know for how long or how they found the family, but they found him.  They must have been in awe of the sight.  I know I would be.  My favorite verse is  "...Then they opened their treasured and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh..."  How thoughtful, how nice, how kingly!  In our cantata this year we sang a song that said, "One king held the frankincense, on king held the myrrh, one king held the purest gold, on king held the hope of the world."  How fitting for us to remember on this eve of Christmas Eve that there is still hope for the world.  I hope you give some of it today.

One King

Written by Jeff Borders, Gayla Borders, Lowell Alexander

Kings of earth on a course unknown
Bearing gifts from afar
Hoping praying
Following yonder star

Silhouette of a caravan
Painted against the sky
Wise men searching
For the Holy Child

(Chorus)
One king held the frankincense
One king held the myrrh
One king held the purest gold
One King held the hope of the world

A star hangs over Bethlehem
A journey ends in the night
Three kings trembling
Behold the glorious sight

Heaven's treasure Emmanuel
Drawing men to bow down
Tiny baby born to wear a crown 

(Repeat Chorus) 

God rest ye merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from satans power
When we were gone astray

Oh tiny baby born to wear a crown

(Repeat Chorus 3 x's)

One king held the purest gold
One King held the hope of the world