HYMN OF THE MONTH:
JESUS, THY BLOOD AND RIGHTEOUSNESS
by Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf (1739) and translated by John Wesley (1740)
PART FOUR: GERMAN HYMNS
A Count's Hospitality
Through God’s leading, Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf shared his large estate in Saxony, Germany with over 600 Moravian refugees fleeing from religious persecution in the Czech Republic. He called his estate “Herrnhut” which means “The Lord’s Watchful Care.”
The Count encouraged all refugees staying on his estate to cultivate the disciplines of prayer, Bible reading and fellowship with Christ which then ignited a passion for missions resulting in over 226 refugees moving to foreign lands as missionaries.
Though not refugees, evangelists and hymn writers John and Charles Wesley also stayed at Herrnhut for a period of spiritual rest.Â
But the Count’s influence didn’t stop there. Zinzendorf practiced what he preached and faithfully prayed, studied Scripture and wrote hymns of devotion himself, including “Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness."
Fun Fact: At one point in his life, the Count traveled to the United States to visit the Moravians in Pennsylvania. While there, he founded Bethlehem, PA.
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As you sing this hymn, remember . . .
Christ is our:
Righteousness and Joy (st. 1), Confidence and Freedom(st. 2), Mediator and Plea (st. 3), Hope and Salvation (st. 4)
Read & Relate
Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness
by Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf (1739) translated by John Wesley
Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
'Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.
Isa. 61:10; Rom. 10:4; Phil. 3:9; Jer. 23:6
Bold shall I stand in that great day,
For who aught to my charge shall lay?
Fully absolved through these I am,
From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.
Rom. 8:1; 2 Cor. 5:10; Matt. 26:28; 1 John 4:17; Rom. 10:11
Lord, I believe Thy precious blood,
Which, at the mercy seat of God
Forever does for sinners plead,
For me, e'en for my soul, was shed.
Heb. 7:27; Rom. 3:24-25; 1 John 2:1; 1 John 4:10
Lord, I believe were sinners more
Than sands upon the ocean shore,
Thou has for all a ransom paid,
For all a full atonement made.
1 Tim 2:5-6; Heb. 2:9; 1 John 2:2; John 1:29
