Paul Gerhardt was a Lutheran pastor and prolific hymn writer of 17th Century Germany. He was educated at Wittenberg and strongly influenced by professors who took hymns as seriously as academic theology. As a pastor, Gerhardt often mixed the poetry of hymns into his sermons, and he believed strongly in the use of hymns as a teaching device for the growth of our faith. His personal life was overshadowed by the deaths of 4 of his 5 children, followed by his wife's fall into depression and finally death. Professionally he was caught in the middle of a furious battle of words and power between Lutherans and Reformed Protestants that at one point cost him his pastorate. But always, in despair and defeat he turned back to God as his comfort and redeemer. These are a few verses from one of his most famous hymns.
"A Pilgrim Here I Wander,” by Paul Gerhardt
A pilgrim here I wander,
On earth have no abode,
My fatherland is yonder,
My home is with my God,
For here I journey to and fro,
There in eternal rest
Will God His gracious gift bestow
On all the toil-oppress'd.
How many a storm hath lighten'd
And thunder'd round my path!
And winds and rains have frighten'd
My heart with fiercest wrath:
And cruel envy, hatred, scorn,
Have darken'd oft my lot,
And patiently reproach I've born,
Though I deserved it not.
Then through this life of dangers
I onward take my way;
But in this land of strangers
I do not think to stay.
Still forward on the road I fare
That leads me to my home,
My Father's comfort waits me there,
When I have overcome.
But Thou, my Joy and Gladness,
O Thou, my Life and Light,
Wilt raise me from this sadness,
This long tempestuous night,
Into the perfect gladsome day,
Where bathed in joy divine,
Among Thy saints, and bright as they,
I too shall ever thine.
There shall I dwell for ever,
Not as a guest alone,
With those who cease there never
To worship at Thy throne;
There in my heritage I rest,
From baser things set free,
And join the chorus of the blest
For ever, Lord, to Thee!
Blessings.
Pastor Jim
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