Paul Gerhardt was born on March 12, 1607 and Johann Sebastian Bach was born March 21, 1685—seventy-eight years to the month later. Though they came from separate generations these two giants of Lutheran worship had much in common. Both possessed an uncommon knowledge of and faith in God’s Word about Jesus. Both had a love for Lutheran worship and both wrote hymns or music to the glory of God. Another common feature is that they worked together on several hymns. Paul Gerhardt wrote several hymns for which J. S. Bach supplied the music and/or used the Gerhardt’s words in his profound choral works for the church.

The first of the two hymns is Gerhardt's Passion hymn "Upon the Cross Extended." In the original German it was a hymn of sixteen stanzas, first published in 1648. Our English hymnals use twelve of its stanzas in English translation (ELH 304, TLH 171). Gerhardt begins this hymn by holding the crucified Christ before the world for the world's devout contemplation. This stirring devotional treasure from beginning to end is filled with deep understanding of Law and Gospel and a stirring application of it, drawing forth the deepest Christian response.

Bach used three stanzas from this chorale in his compositions for Good Friday Vespers at St. Nikolai and St. Thomas Churches in Leipzig, where he became Cantor in 1723. These congregations knew well this treasured hymn, and Bach used stanzas from it both in his St. John Passion, composed for Good Friday Vespers in 1724 (stanzas 3 and 4), and in his St. Matthew Passion, composed for Good Friday Vespers in 1727 (stanzas 3 and 5). Why did Bach use these particular stanzas?

Gerhardt's intent in penning these stanzas is to teach, move, and assist those who would sing this chorale to acknowledge and confess that it was not only Christ's enemies at the time of His great Passion who caused His most bitter sufferings and death, but that they also caused it all by their own sin. Three quarters of a century after Gerhardt composed these stanzas, Bach used them for the same purpose—to bring the same truth home for his hearers in a most effective way. Take up your hymnal and read those stanzas, yes, read the entire hymn—it will be most profitable for you.

Following those three stanzas in Gerhardt's hymn, flow the most wonderful stanzas from his pen expressing with deep appreciation how Christ bore this all for us, the whole load of our damnable sin, to free us from our sin and guilt and to earn salvation from death for us. On account of all Christ’s work we may by faith in Him be brought to eternal rest with Him. Bach also proclaims all of this so powerfully and comfortingly as he continues in his compositions for Good Friday Vespers.

Bach used another hymn of Gerhardt’s—a most precious Christmas hymn titled, I Stand Beside Thy Manger Here. In the original German it is a hymn of 15 stanzas, first published in 1656. The Evanglical Lutheran Hymnary uses five stanzas (ELH #129) in a very fine translation by retired pastor Harold Vetter.

How does this hymn fit into the Lenten season of the Church Year? It happens that March 25 in the church's calendar is the Feast of the Annunciation, commemorating the Angel Gabriel's announcement to the Virgin Mary that she was going to become the mother of the promised Savior by miraculous conception wrought in her by the Holy Spirit. Using this hymn in connection with the Annunciation, then, looks forward nine months to His birth of the Virgin Mary, which we celebrate at Christmas.

Bach used this beautiful chorale in Part VI of his Christmas Oratorio, the part which treats the wrath of King Herod when he learns about the birth of the Christ Child and of how Herod sought to have Him killed. Into the midst of Bach’s treatment of that turbulence, Bach masterfully introduces the first stanza of this chorale, which the congregations at Leipzig also knew well. Amid the turbulence of Herod’s anger Bach’s stirring arrangement of this stanza breathes calm and peace into the Christian’s heart.

Both Bach and Gerhardt knew how to find peace and calm at the side of the Savior's manger in the midst of turbulence and trouble, since both experienced much trouble, especially Paul Gerhardt. Within ten years after Gerhardt’s marriage, he and his wife lost four of their five children, and a couple years later his wife also died. During this same trying period, Gerhardt experienced persecution for refusing to compromise the sound Lutheran doctrine. He was deposed from his pastorate in Berlin because he would not be silenced in his confession. However, through all this he knew where to find peace and calm: in the presence of Jesus, about whom he wrote in "I Stand Beside Thy Manger Here".

Thanks be to God that we are taught by such great Lutheran confessors as Paul Gerhardt and J.S. Bach to stand fast also in the confession of God's truth, and, though we may experience turbulence, persecution, and many troubles and losses as well, to find peace and calm beside our dear Savior's manger in the presence of Jesus, God's own eternal Son and Mary's Son, born for us in time, our almighty Brother, who helps His faithful ones throughout all times.

Harry Bartels is co-pastor at Parkland Lutheran Church in Tacoma, Washington.