O Jesus, King Most Wonderful

O Jesus, King most wonderful,
Thou Conqueror renowned,
Thou Sweetness most ineffable,
In Whom all joys are found!

When once Thou visitest the heart,
Then truth begins to shine,
Then earthly vanities depart,
Then kindles love divine.

O Jesus, Light of all below,
Thou Fount of life and fire,
Surpassing all the joys we know,
And all we can desire!

Thy wondrous mercies are untold,
Through each returning day;
Thy love exceeds a thousand fold,
Whatever we can say.

May every heart confess Thy Name;
And ever Thee adore;
And seeking Thee, itself inflame,
To seek Thee more and more.

Thee may our tongues forever bless;
Thee may we love alone;
And ever in our lives express
The image of Thine own.

Bernard of Clairvaux 12th Century transl. from Latin by E.Caswall

Jesus is the centre of the Christian hope – indeed to talk of being Christian without talk of Jesus, and a life transforming love of Him, is to empty 'Christianity’ of ALL that is Christian.  Yet, all too often, I hear talk of God without talk of Jesus.

This ‘God-talk’ is in terms of ‘that’s when God came into my life’, ‘the Bible tells us to follow God’ and ‘God loves me and that’s why he died for me’.  From students to church leaders I honestly think I’m hearing the name of Jesus used less and less.  There is great danger in the loss of Jesus from our conversations and our ‘God talk’.

Bernard of Clairvaux speaks from the past with force in the present.  This hymn concisely express why talking of Jesus is vital; truly vital that is – for He, belief in Him, brings Life in all it’s fullness.

When we speak of God, let us focus well and truly on how God has revealed and glorified Himself – in Jesus.  When we sing to God, let us approach Him in the way that He has made open – through Jesus blood in the Spirit’s power.  When we pray, let’s approach Him with the boldness granted to us – as His rightful children, the family and body of Jesus Christ.

Let us put away ‘God talk’, for it in we hide the offense of Christ Crucified, cushion ourselves from offending friends necessarily and obscure the hope of being saved through faith in Jesus Christ, The Son of God, saviour of the World.

As we do, and as we speak of the Triune God who has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ we will live and speak the hope of glory until that day when His glory will be shown for all to see, when every tongue and every heart will confess Jesus Christ as Lord – either as a defeated and judged sinner outside of grace or as sinners saved by grace!

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”

1 John 3:1-3