This is the time of the year that we remember the Wise Men bearing their gifts to the Christ child, they followed a bright star which led them to the stable where Jesus was born. The following hymn has been one of my favourites since childhood and I have a memory of hearing it sung at a meeting held weekly in the afternoon at the Hurst called 'The Ladies at Home' - I used to go to meet my mother there on my way home from school and sometimes helped her prepare the tea and biscuits.
Wise men, seeking Jesus,
Travelled from afar,
Guided on their journey
By a beauteous star.
But if we desire Him,
He is close at hand;
For our native country
Is our Holy Land.
Prayerful souls may find Him
By our quiet lakes,
Meet Him on our hillsides
When the morning breaks.
In our fertile cornfields
While the sheaves are bound,
In our busy markets
Jesus may be found.
Fishermen talk with Him
By the great North Sea,
As the first disciples
Did in Galilee.
Every peaceful village
In our land might be
Made by Jesu's presence
Like sweet Bethany.
He is more than near us,
If we love Him well;'
For He seeketh ever
In our hearts to dwell.
(James Thomas East 1860-1937)
Methodist Hymn Book
Note: Sheaves are no longer bound in our cornfields, the corn is now baled into rounds which are put into black plastic bags - not as pretty a site. I used to play hide and seek with my father, hiding behind the corn stooks many years ago
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