As with Gladness Men of Old
The wise men follow the star to Jesus; the hymn prays that we may be led to him too.
The words are public domain. We print a hymn only after checking it word for word against a dated old printing, and this one hasn’t been checked yet. Hymnary has it now.
“As with Gladness Men of Old” at HymnaryAbout this hymn
Each stanza takes one part of the wise men's journey, the star, the worship and the gifts, and turns it into a prayer that people today may come to Christ, worship him and give him their lives.
It rests on Matthew 2:1-12, where wise men from the east follow a star to Bethlehem and offer gifts to the child Jesus.
It is sung at Epiphany, January 6, and in the weeks after. William Chatterton Dix wrote it in 1858, and it was published in 1860.
For musicians and planners
| Words | William Chatterton Dix, 1858 | Public domain |
|---|---|---|
| Tune | DIX · Conrad Kocher; adapted by William H. Monk, 1838 | Public domain |
Checked 2026-09-27 against hymnary.org text, tune and person pages (attribution and rights only). The words are not transcribed here yet.
Hymn numbers checked against Hymnary.org’s index of Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Full record: Hymnary.