05/27/2026
May 27, 2026 marks the 350th anniversary of the death of the beloved hymnwriter Paul Gerhardt. Here is my May 2026 newsletter article on his legacy and some pictures that I took of the Paul Gerhardt sites on my recent Germany trip:
He led a remarkable life, which involved a lot of grief, loss, and even persecution. However, he has given us some of the most beautiful hymns of hope, peace, confidence, and trust in Christ. Every Paul Gerhardt hymn ends with the joy of heaven.
There are two things that I find striking about his hymns, especially for preachers and teachers of the Word. They are illustrated by two works of art at his last congregation in Lübben. In front of the entrance to the church is a statue by Friedrich Pfannschmidt, which was erected for the 300th anniversary of Gerhardt’s birth in 1907. It portrays Gerhardt’s right hand pointing to a broken cannon behind him. His left hand shows us an open copy of his hymnal. This imagery shows that the war eventually passed, but the power of his hymns remained through the centuries. What I find especially interesting about this memorial is that his preaching robe is open to reveal the clothing of the common man. Paul Gerhardt‘s hymns relate to every one of us. He understands our struggles, fears, joys, and all that we go through in life. His hymns speak to our hearts.
When you enter the church in Lübben, you notice a life-size portrait of Gerhardt. It is hanging on the left side of the chancel. It was painted by an unknown artist, shortly after Gerhardt’s death. He is wearing the traditional robes of a pastor at that time, but what especially strikes you is the pointer finger on his right hand. It points over his heart, across a Bible, to a crucifix of Jesus Christ. The artist who painted that picture knew how the hymns of Paul Gerhardt direct us to Christ crucified for us. They give us comfort in Christ.
That is really the job of every Christian hymn and every Christian pastor, that we speak to the needs and joys of our people, which especially includes the need for the forgiveness of our sins, and we point them to Christ. It is He who brings the salvation, hope, joy, peace and love, that we all need now, and which Christ will give to us for all of eternity.
You can learn more about Paul Gerhardt from this booklet of our websitehttps://www.benediction-lcms.org/evangelischeandacht.org/Gerhardt-Book.pdf
or from this YouTube video from Deutsche Welle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HrXxqoC0gI
