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You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.
- Psalm 45.2
Be it Thine, I beg, most loving Saviour, to reveal Thyself to us who beseech Thee, so that knowing Thee, we may love Thee only, love Thee alone, desire Thee alone, contemplate Thee alone by day and by night, and ever hold Thee in our thoughts...
- Columbanus, Sermon XII, Irish, 7th century
“Fairest Lord Jesus” ranks high on my list of favorite hymns. But you have to be careful with that hymn, lest the impression you get of Jesus be something less than complete.
As we sing “Fairest Lord Jesus” we doubtless imagine a caring and compassionate face, looking down upon us with great sympathy and love. And so it is. We who know the Lord Jesus delight to gaze upon that face with the eye of the heart (Eph. 1.15-23), and to become lost in its beauty and love.
But the Jesus of the loving face is only half the story. For He is also Jesus of the flashing eyes, set jaw, and steely visage of the Warrior/King (cf. Rev. 1). Read on in Psalm 45, which the writer of Hebrews applies directly to our exalted Savior (Heb. 1.8, 9). He has a sword strapped on His thigh (v. 3), sharp arrows slung over His shoulder (v. 5), and a fearsome scepter commanding uprightness across His lap (v. 6). He rides out in splendor and majesty, conquering and to conquer (v. 4; cf. Rev. 6.2).
And He does this in and through and by His obedient people. Though they struggle against the opposition of the world and the devil, still, in the end, the dominion and majesty of the King’s domain is theirs, and they will know and enjoy it more and more (Dan. 7.18-27).
When you meditate on the Savior Who came as a Babe in a manger, bear in mind the words of Milton’s “Ode on the Morning of Christ’s Nativity,” when he considered Christ’s power over demons, false deities, phony worldviews, and the devil Himself: “Our Babe to show His Godhead true,/Can in His swaddling bands control the damnéd crew.”
This “Beautiful Savior” is also “Lord of all nations.” Look Him in the face, melt into His loveliness, relax into His shepherding love.
And enter into the glory of the Conquering One (2 Cor. 4.6).
Psalm 2.7-10 (Agincourt: “O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High!”)
Proclaim the message far and wide that God has exalted the Crucified!
From heav’n He sent us His only Son, Who has for us salvation won!
To Christ, the Lord, be given all who humbly embrace Him and on Him call.
Be wise, be warned: His judgment comes to break the prideful, sinful ones.
Show me Your glory, Lord Jesus! Fill me with zeal to follow wherever You lead, and take me with You, conquering and to conquer!
At The Fellowship of Ailbe
If you enjoy singing the psalms at the end of each issue of Crosfigell, why not order your own copy of The Ailbe Psalter from our online store? You can learn to sing all the psalms, using familiar and appropriate melodies, such as Agincourt.
Colum Cille, that great 6th century Irish church leader, offers a prayer for all workers, to find the blessing of the Lord in their labors. Check out Adiutor Laborantium in our Celtic Legacy column for this week.
Thank you for your prayers and gifts. The Board of The Fellowship of Ailbe will be meeting on September 3 to begin drafting a new, long-term ministry plan. Won't you be in prayer for them? And please encourage them and the Members of The Fellowship by making a gift to our work at this time. You can use the donate button here or at the website, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Dr., Essex Junction, VT 05452. We appreciate your gifts and are praying that God will move many of you to join in the support of our work. Thank you very much.
T. M. Moore, Principal
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