Fairest Lord Jesus
One of the 94 hymns we sing together at Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church on the Gold Coast. Browse the full hymnbook.
Lyrics
Verse 1
Fairest Lord Jesus,
Ruler of all nature,
Son of God and Son of Man,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul’s Glory, Joy and Crown.
Verse 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.
Verse 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.
Verse 4
All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee;
None can be nearer, fairer or dearer,
Than Thou, my Saviour, art to me.
Verse 5
Beautiful Saviour!
Lord of the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forever more be Thine.
Behind the Hymn
"Fairest Lord Jesus" is a German hymn whose origins are somewhat mysterious. It first appeared in a Münster Gesangbuch (hymnal) in 1677, and an oral tradition once attributed it to twelfth-century German crusaders who supposedly sang it on their marches to the Holy Land — though scholars now consider this legend unlikely. The hymn was translated into English by several hands, with the most popular version by Joseph August Seiss published in 1873. The tune, known as "Crusaders' Hymn" or "St. Elizabeth," was adapted from a Silesian folk melody collected by Hoffmann von Fallersleben in the 1840s. Its simple yet profound lyrics compare Jesus' beauty to the fairest aspects of nature — meadows, woodlands, sunshine, and starlight — declaring Him more beautiful than all of creation. The hymn's gentle reverence and singable melody have made it a beloved children's hymn and a staple of church worship for centuries.