The Lord is Fair

1) Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul's glory, joy and crown.

2)Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.

3) Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.

4)All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus,is found in Thee;
None can be nearer, fairer or dearer,
Than Thou, my Savior, art to me.

5)Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forever more be Thine.

"Fairest Lord Jesus" is a German hymn written by Jesuits in the 17th century. The tune itself is older.  It is a Silesian folk tune (Silesia is an area that is now mostly in Poland).  Fun fact: the nickname of this hymn is the Crusader hymn and it's held that the German crusaders sung it on their way to the Holy Land.  I'm not sure how that's possible with the hymn being written in the 17th century, but there we have it.

This hymn does an excellent job of describing God  as creator.   This hymn simply focuses on God's beauty. It does not explicitly mention the works of Christ nor does it make claims on what the singer will do for the Lord.  It just focuses on how much greater God is than nature. Artist often look to nature to be their muse.  Thomas Kincaid made a living off of it.  Nature, at its best, is incredibly inspirational driving introspection and fueling great deeds.  Whether you are marveling at the Autumn leaves on the mountain side or taking in the sublime roll of the ocean waves, creation has an up-lifting and calming effect.  Yet our Lord is greater.  He is more beautiful.  As great as creation can be, the Creator is greater.  Sometimes I forget how piercing the Lord's beauty is.  It's as if I just want to wallow.  Yet, as the hymn states, the Lord makes "the woeful heart to sing."  This beauty can and should bring us to worship. It brings out of doldrums and into wonderful light.  His beauty is cause for us to sing.