December 26: Joy of the Wisemen
♫ Music:
Day 27—Friday, December 26
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew 2:10-11
JOY OF THE WISEMEN
Italian artists from the Middle Ages often captured the incarnation narrative through imaginative and colorful compositions of scenes from Jesus’ life—including birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension. Sassetta’s parade of color depicts the joyful journey of the magi, bringing gifts to the newborn King. The movement across the panel, originally part of Sassetta’s larger work Adoration of the Magi, underscores the jubilant expectancy of meeting the Christ Child, as they followed the star towards Bethlehem.
In likeminded manner, the composers of “O Come All Ye Faithful” preserve a musical heritage for present day believers. The hymn, “O Come All Ye Faithful,” first appeared in a Latin collection, Cantus Diversi, in 1751. Adeste Fideles, the original title, means to “be present or near, ye faithful.” Just as Sassetta presents this incarnation imagery through tempera and gold on wood, note how the composers captured the Matthew 2:10-11 story through word and song.
When my husband and I traveled to the island country of Malta in the Mediterranean, we were greeted by architectural expressions of Christian jubilee surrounding the incarnation story. Churches dotted the landscape of the main islands. Each time we stepped into a sanctuary—whether a simple chapel, such as St. Paul’s Chapel near the location of his shipwreck (Acts 27; II Cor. 11:25), or the Basilica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Valletta—our hearts were drawn into reverent silence and deepest joy. Gazing at the interior of plain and ornate sanctuaries, we were reminded of the joy of the magi as they followed the star and experienced His extraordinary presence.
In the same way that artists express joy and worship with their imagination and a brush, the composer with a pen and voice box, or the architect with drafting and building materials, our tongues must be the pen of a ready writer (Psalm 45:1), shouting joyfully the incarnation narrative as we bring our gifts to Jesus. Our faith heritage, preserved through the Word, art, music, architecture, and other creative expressions, assists us in joining our brothers and sisters in a chronology of joyful worship through the ages.
Like the magi, who followed the star, our hearts leap, palpitate, anticipate, yearn to see and touch the Christ Child. To bring Him gifts. To give Him all of who we are.
June Hetzel, School of Education
Prayer
God of hope and promise, be with us throughout this Advent season and draw us ever closer as we journey together toward the stable and the birth of your Son, our Saviour.
Amen
The Journey of the Magi
Sassetta
1435
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Tempera and gold on wood
About the Art and Artist
Stefano di Giovanni di Consolo, known as il Sassetta (c.1392 – 1451), was an Italian painter and important figure in the Sienese Renaissance. A deeply pious man, he painted mostly religious and strongly allegorical scenes, often altarpieces and frescoes. Many of his altarpieces are now divided between public and private collections. The Journey of the Magi originally formed the upper panel of an altarpiece depicting the adoration of the Magi. The star in the lower right of the panel hung over the figures of Mary and Christ in the lower panel, which is now part of Chigi-Saracini Collection in Siena, Italy.
About the Music
Come All Ye Faithful Lyrics
O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold him
Born the King of angels
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord
God of God
Light of light
Lo, he abhors not the Virgin's womb
Very God begotten, not created
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord
Yea, Lord, we greet thee
Born this happy morning
Jesus, to thee be all glory given
Son of the Father
Now in flesh appearing
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
O come, let us adore him,
Christ the Lord
About the Performers
The Priests are a classical musical group made up of three Roman Catholic priests from Northern Ireland (Father Eugene, his brother Father Martin O'Hagan, and Father David Delargy.) The trio have been singing together since they boarded in the 1970s as students at St MacNissi's College. After being spotted singing the Eurosong entry "My Lovely Horse" and signing a deal with SonyBMG in April 2008, the priests recorded their debut album in Northern Ireland and Rome, with the unusual honor of having been allowed to record in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican.
http://www.thepriests.com