Title: Awake, My Heart, with Gladness
Author: Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676
German title: Auf, auf, mein Herz, mit Freuden
Translation: John Kelly, 1833-1890
Relevant Scripture verse: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” – Luke 22:31-32
1 Awake, my heart, with gladness–see what today is done!
Now, after gloom and sadness, comes forth the glorious sun.
My Savior there was laid where our bed must be made
when to the realms of light our spirit wings its flight.
2 The foe in triumph shouted when Christ lay in the tomb;
but lo, he now is routed, his boast is turned to gloom.
For Christ again is free; in glorious victory
he who is strong to save has triumphed o'er the grave.
3 This is a sight that gladdens—what peace it does impart!
Now nothing ever saddens the joy within my heart.
No gloom shall ever shake, no foe shall ever take
the hope which God's own Son in love for me has won.
4 Now hell, its prince, the devil, of all their power are shorn;
Now I am safe from evil, and sin I laugh to scorn.
Grim death with all its might cannot my soul affright;
It is a powerless form, however it rave and storm.
5 Now I will cling forever to Christ, my Savior dear,
My Lord will leave me never; whatever he passes through.
He rends death's iron chain; he breaks through sin and pain.
He shatters hell's grim thrall; I follow Him through all.
6 He brings me to the portal that leads to bliss untold,
whereon this rhyme immortal is found in script of gold:
"Who there my cross has shared finds here a crown prepared;
who there with me has died shall here be glorified."
The hymn above is another contribution from “The Sweet Singer of Lutheranism,” Paul Gerhardt. “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” is undoubtably his most well-known hymn among English speakers, but Germans know him just as much for his great Easter hymn Auf, auf, mein Herz, mit Freuden (Awake, My Heart, with Gladness).
Like many great hymn writers of the Lutheran tradition, Paul Gerhardt lived through some tough times. The period between 1618-1648 was known as the Thirty Years’ War, in reality a series of related conflicts between Lutheran and Catholic forces that tore much of central Europe apart. Aside from the violence, war, like a domino effect, often creates other maladies: starvation, broken homes, and disease.
War and loss do not automatically produce a pious society; rarely if ever do they, in fact. An observation of history is that religious observance tends to decline on the whole in times of crisis and economic downturn. In the United States, the period of the Great Depression was known in part for its low level of religious participation. During the prosperous years following World War II, religious life began to increase nationwide.
Having said that, times of crisis sometimes do impact individuals in significant ways, leading them to reflect on their lives before God. The suffering of Gerhardt’s life was indescribable. Not only did he live through the tumultuous period of the Thirty Years’ War, he lost both his parents at a young age, and all but one of his children experienced an untimely death.
Gerhardt was also involved in the theological controversies of the time, which exacerbated his personal loss. He studied at the University of Wittenberg, the same school where Martin Luther carried out most of his work a century prior. Gerhardt’s teachers were staunch Lutherans, and he understandably absorbed their views. One of the challenges of the time, however, was that not all Protestants were Lutheran in their theological confession. There were pockets of Germany (which was not at the time a unified country and would remain divided into separate principalities and dutchies until 1870) that were predominately Reformed Protestant (Calvinist). One of these pockets happened to have been the region of Brandenburg surrounding the city of Berlin, where Gerhardt served as pastor.
The powerful Elector Friedrich Wilhelm, who was himself of the Reformed Protestant persuasion, sought to create essentially a church union between the Lutheran and Reformed churches, resulting in a hybrid Protestant church. Gerhardt felt the need to resist such a move. He could not reconcile certain theological issues impressed upon him by his commitment to the Lutheran Formula of Concord of 1577 with some of the Calvinist theological views to which he would be expected to conform in such a union. Though Gerhardt was a popular preacher in Berlin, because of his defiance he was dismissed from his post.
Because of his loss and grief, Gerhardt has been called “a theologian sifted in Satan’s sieve,” a reference to Jesus’ words to Peter in Luke 22:31. Facing grief and temptation is most unpleasant, but it can be a doorway to greater wisdom and the ability to strengthen others in their faith.
In many ways, that is what Paul Gerhardt did with his life and his many hymns. His deep faith in God shines through these words to the present, and at least for me, they have been a source of strength. I have come to see Gerhardt as something of a personal hero. He was no stranger to loss, and I like most pastors have had my share of ups and downs in ministry.
“Awake, My Heart, with Gladness” is an Easter hymn of triumph, rejoicing in the work of God in Christ on our behalf, which gives us joy that covers all our grief in this life. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead shows that God’s promises are sure and that we can follow him in faith even as grief continues to assail us: Now I will cling forever to Christ, my Savior dear, My Lord will leave me never; whatever he passes through. He rends death's iron chain; he breaks through sin and pain. He shatters hell's grim thrall; I follow Him through all.
You can access below a choral arrangement of Paul Gerhardt’s great Easter hymn: awake my heart with gladness at DuckDuckGo
Author: Paul Gerhardt, 1607-1676
German title: Auf, auf, mein Herz, mit Freuden
Translation: John Kelly, 1833-1890
Relevant Scripture verse: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” – Luke 22:31-32
1 Awake, my heart, with gladness–see what today is done!
Now, after gloom and sadness, comes forth the glorious sun.
My Savior there was laid where our bed must be made
when to the realms of light our spirit wings its flight.
2 The foe in triumph shouted when Christ lay in the tomb;
but lo, he now is routed, his boast is turned to gloom.
For Christ again is free; in glorious victory
he who is strong to save has triumphed o'er the grave.
3 This is a sight that gladdens—what peace it does impart!
Now nothing ever saddens the joy within my heart.
No gloom shall ever shake, no foe shall ever take
the hope which God's own Son in love for me has won.
4 Now hell, its prince, the devil, of all their power are shorn;
Now I am safe from evil, and sin I laugh to scorn.
Grim death with all its might cannot my soul affright;
It is a powerless form, however it rave and storm.
5 Now I will cling forever to Christ, my Savior dear,
My Lord will leave me never; whatever he passes through.
He rends death's iron chain; he breaks through sin and pain.
He shatters hell's grim thrall; I follow Him through all.
6 He brings me to the portal that leads to bliss untold,
whereon this rhyme immortal is found in script of gold:
"Who there my cross has shared finds here a crown prepared;
who there with me has died shall here be glorified."
The hymn above is another contribution from “The Sweet Singer of Lutheranism,” Paul Gerhardt. “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded” is undoubtably his most well-known hymn among English speakers, but Germans know him just as much for his great Easter hymn Auf, auf, mein Herz, mit Freuden (Awake, My Heart, with Gladness).
Like many great hymn writers of the Lutheran tradition, Paul Gerhardt lived through some tough times. The period between 1618-1648 was known as the Thirty Years’ War, in reality a series of related conflicts between Lutheran and Catholic forces that tore much of central Europe apart. Aside from the violence, war, like a domino effect, often creates other maladies: starvation, broken homes, and disease.
War and loss do not automatically produce a pious society; rarely if ever do they, in fact. An observation of history is that religious observance tends to decline on the whole in times of crisis and economic downturn. In the United States, the period of the Great Depression was known in part for its low level of religious participation. During the prosperous years following World War II, religious life began to increase nationwide.
Having said that, times of crisis sometimes do impact individuals in significant ways, leading them to reflect on their lives before God. The suffering of Gerhardt’s life was indescribable. Not only did he live through the tumultuous period of the Thirty Years’ War, he lost both his parents at a young age, and all but one of his children experienced an untimely death.
Gerhardt was also involved in the theological controversies of the time, which exacerbated his personal loss. He studied at the University of Wittenberg, the same school where Martin Luther carried out most of his work a century prior. Gerhardt’s teachers were staunch Lutherans, and he understandably absorbed their views. One of the challenges of the time, however, was that not all Protestants were Lutheran in their theological confession. There were pockets of Germany (which was not at the time a unified country and would remain divided into separate principalities and dutchies until 1870) that were predominately Reformed Protestant (Calvinist). One of these pockets happened to have been the region of Brandenburg surrounding the city of Berlin, where Gerhardt served as pastor.
The powerful Elector Friedrich Wilhelm, who was himself of the Reformed Protestant persuasion, sought to create essentially a church union between the Lutheran and Reformed churches, resulting in a hybrid Protestant church. Gerhardt felt the need to resist such a move. He could not reconcile certain theological issues impressed upon him by his commitment to the Lutheran Formula of Concord of 1577 with some of the Calvinist theological views to which he would be expected to conform in such a union. Though Gerhardt was a popular preacher in Berlin, because of his defiance he was dismissed from his post.
Because of his loss and grief, Gerhardt has been called “a theologian sifted in Satan’s sieve,” a reference to Jesus’ words to Peter in Luke 22:31. Facing grief and temptation is most unpleasant, but it can be a doorway to greater wisdom and the ability to strengthen others in their faith.
In many ways, that is what Paul Gerhardt did with his life and his many hymns. His deep faith in God shines through these words to the present, and at least for me, they have been a source of strength. I have come to see Gerhardt as something of a personal hero. He was no stranger to loss, and I like most pastors have had my share of ups and downs in ministry.
“Awake, My Heart, with Gladness” is an Easter hymn of triumph, rejoicing in the work of God in Christ on our behalf, which gives us joy that covers all our grief in this life. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead shows that God’s promises are sure and that we can follow him in faith even as grief continues to assail us: Now I will cling forever to Christ, my Savior dear, My Lord will leave me never; whatever he passes through. He rends death's iron chain; he breaks through sin and pain. He shatters hell's grim thrall; I follow Him through all.
You can access below a choral arrangement of Paul Gerhardt’s great Easter hymn: awake my heart with gladness at DuckDuckGo