And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father thatin Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile to Himself all things, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace by the blood of His cross.

  - Colossians 1.17-20

For every material and every element and every nature which is seen in the world, they were all brought together in the body in which Christ rose again – that is, in the body of every human.

  - Anonymous, In Tenga Bithnua, Irish, perhaps 9th century[1]

In its finest expressions, the Celtic Christian sense of dependence on Christ was absolute and total.

You see this in the source material from this period (ca. 430-800 AD). Poets, preachers, and pereigrini are never very far from the vision of Christ in glory. On massive carved crosses and in illuminated manuscripts from this period, Jesus is posed as exalted in glory, the consummation of every great Biblical story and theological truth, the One Who rules over all peoples and all creation, exalted above the planets and even the sun. Indeed, all creation subsists in Him, depends on Him, belongs to Him, and bears witness to Him.

The Easter sermon, The Ever-New Tongue (In Tenga Bithnua), was ascribed to Philip and may derive from very early roots in the Christian movement. Its teaching is consistent with orthodox Christology, and its purpose was to remind believers of the enormous significance of the resurrection, exaltation, and reign of Jesus Christ. Every element in our bodies, and throughout the whole creation, depends for its existence on His sufferance, His steadfast love and faithfulness, and His good pleasure. We are in every part sustained and supported by grace alone, as, indeed, is all the vast cosmos.

It is no wonder that the vision of Christ exalted, seated on His glorious throne, His scepter of uprightness in hand, held such a prominent place in the everyday faith of Celtic Christians. We and all we possess, together with the whole vast creation, are all together in Christ. We are His Body on earth, and have been devoted to living consistent with His purposes and peace in all the details of our lives.

Here is a truly Christ-centered worldview which, could we recover it in practice in our everyday lives, might give us a greater sense of unity with one another and with all the glory-speaking creation of God.

And might lead us to believe that our King Jesus will not leave His creation to wither, His Church to languish, or His promises to remain unfulfilled. Jesus is Lord! Tell the world! Tell the people in your Personal Mission Field.

Tell yourself everyday that you and all things are, continue, and will only flourish in, by, and for Jesus Christ!

Psalm 104.24-30 (Creation: “Exalt the Lord, His Praise Proclaim”)
How many are Your works, O Lord, which You have created by Your Word!
The earth and sea with creatures teem – they look to You to care and feed.
You give to them, they gather all; You hide Your face, they fail and fall.
You take their breath, they gasp and die; You send Your Spirit, they revive.

O God of the earth, O God of fire, O God of the excellent waters, O God of the tempestuous and rushing air, O God of the many languages round the circuit of the earth…Have mercy upon us. Litany of the Trinity[2]

“Sir, we wish to see Jesus.”
Those “certain Greeks” got it exactly right (Jn. 12.20). Our desire should be to see Jesus more clearly, to be drawn into Him more fully, transformed by Him more completely, and faithful to Him in all things, whatever the cost. But this doesn’t just happen; we have to come, like those Greeks, to the Apostles and Prophets so that they can direct us to Jesus. Our study, Glorious Vision: 28 Days in the Throne Room of the Lord, is based on Psalm 45, a work of the sons of Korah, true prophets, indeed. You can have this at no charge by clicking this link. My book, Be Thou My Vision leads us to Jesus through the Apostles and Prophets, using selections from our Crosfigell archives and daily questions for meditation. Finally, we’ve prepared a seven-day devotional from my ViewPoint series of studies – soon to be a feature at The Fellowship of Ailbe website, I’m happy to report – entitled, To Fill All Things. These lessons are set-up for personal or group use, and they will show you what part you and I must play in the “all things” work of our glorious King. Write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I’ll send it to you in a PDF at no charge.

Finally – really, this time – men of the Church! God is coming! Are we ready? The prophet Zephaniah issues a warning, call, and promise to the men of the Church, and we think you need to hear it. Click this link and receive the free 6-page paper, “A Solemn Warning, a Serious Call, and an Amazing Hope.” Then join us as we are mobilizing a movement of men in prayer.

Oh, yes, and finally (is there no end?) – watch these pages for news about Community Action Groups. Good stuff coming – and possibly thousands (yes, thousands!) of new Members of The Ailbe Community.

Psalms to Pray for Today and Friday
Today
Morning: Psalm 119.1-8; Psalm 75
Evening: Psalm 1

Friday
Morning: Psalm 119.9-16; Psalm 76
Evening: Psalm 2

T. M. Moore, Principal
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All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.