Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676) was a German Lutheran pastor advocating for peace and understanding during the Thirty Years War. He wrote 123 hymns, well-beloved during his lifetime, simple in wording and expressing heartfelt piety. Among his works which we still sing today are “O Lord, How Shall I Meet Thee,” “Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me,” and “Give to the Winds Thy Fears.” (He also translated into German the medieval Latin hymn “Salve caput cruentatum” as “O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden;” which we now sing in English from James Alexander’s translation as “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.”)

Lines in stanzas 8 and 9 express such moving devotion: “Blessed Savior, let me find thee! Keep thou me, close to thee.” “Thee, dear Lord, with heed I’ll cherish; Live to Thee and with Thee, dying, shall not perish.” Stanza 7 holds an echo of the invitation from Isaiah 55:1-2. Stanzas 11 and 12 give us the opportunity to appropriate for ourselves Romans 8:32-34.  

Z. Randall Stroope (born 1953) composed a new tune for this hymn which has become quite popular; but I still prefer the original tune, from Johann Ebeling (1637-1676).

1. All my heart this night rejoices,
As I hear, far and near, sweetest angel voices;
“Christ is born,” their choirs are singing,
Till the air, everywhere, now their joy is ringing.

2. For it dawns, the promised morrow
Of His birth, who the earth rescues from her sorrow.
God to wear our form descendeth;
Of His grace to our race here His Son He sendeth.

3. Yea, so truly for us careth,
That His Son, all we’ve done, as our offering beareth;
As our Lamb Who, dying for us,
Bears our load, and to God, doth in peace restore us.

4. Hark! a voice from yonder manger,
Soft and sweet, doth entreat, “Flee from woe and danger;
Brethren, come; from all that grieves you
You are freed; all you need I will surely give you.”

5. Come, then, let us hasten yonder;
Here let all, great and small, kneel in awe and wonder,
Love Him Who with love is yearning;
Hail the star that from far bright with hope is burning.

6. Ye who pine in weary sadness,
Weep no more, for the door now is found of gladness.
Cling to Him, for He will guide you
Where no cross, pain or loss, can again betide you.

7. Hither come, ye poor and wretched:
Know His will is to fill every hand outstretchèd;
Here are riches without measure,
Here forget all regret, fill your hearts with treasure.

8. Blessèd Savior, let me find Thee!
Keep Thou me close to Thee, cast me not behind Thee!
Life of life, my heart Thou stillest,
Calm I rest on Thy breast, all this void Thou fillest.

9. Thee, dear Lord, with heed I’ll cherish;
Live to Thee and with Thee, dying, shall not perish;
But shall dwell with Thee for ever,
Far on high, in the joy that can alter never.

10. Forth today the Conqueror goeth,
Who the foe, sin and woe, death and hell, o’erthroweth.
God is man, man to deliver;
His dear Son now is one with our blood forever.

11. Shall we still dread God’s displeasure,
Who, to save, freely gave His most cherished Treasure?
To redeem us, He hath given
His own Son from the throne of His might in Heaven.

12. Should He who Himself imparted
Aught withhold from the fold, leave us broken hearted?
Should the Son of God not love us, 
Who, to cheer sufferers here, left His throne above us?

13. If our blessèd Lord and Maker
Hated men, would He then be of flesh partaker?
If He in our woe delighted,
Would He bear all the care of our race benighted?

14. He becomes the Lamb that taketh
Sin away and for aye full atonement maketh.
For our life His own He tenders
And our race, by His grace, meet for glory renders.

Here is a rendition by Arsis Ensemble
in Malaga, Spain, singing stanzas
1, 5, and 9.