O Lord How Shall I Meet You
O Lord, how shall I meet You
The hymn exemplifies Lutheran Advent theology by emphasizing personal preparation through repentance while celebrating Christ's promised return with joy and confidence. It reflects the Lutheran balance between Law (calling for spiritual readiness) and Gospel (assurance of Christ's gracious coming).
History & Background
Paul Gerhardt composed this Advent hymn in German as 'O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden' (though more commonly known by its opening 'O Herr, wie soll ich würdig') in the mid-17th century. Catherine Winkworth's English translation from 1863 became the standard version in Lutheran hymnals.
Paul Gerhardt (b. Grafenhainichen, Saxony, Germany, 1607; d. Lubben, Germany, 1676), famous author of Lutheran evangelical hymns, wrote this German text in ten stanzas, published in Cruger and Runge’s Luthers... geistliche LiederundPsalmen (1653). The Psalter Hymnal contains three of those ten stanzas. The original text was inspired by Matthew 21:1-9, the Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Advent in the old Lutheran lectionary. Like so many of the psalms that use the first-person pronoun (T), this text moves from the personal welcome of the Savior (st. 1), to a confession of the reason for Christ’s incarnation (st. 2), to the church’s expectation of Christ’s return (st. 3). The English translation of stanzas 1 and 2 is based on that of Catherine Winkworth in her Chorale Book for England (1863). Bert Polman translated stanza 3 for the 1987 Psalter Hymnal. Gerhardt studied theology and hymnody at the University of Wittenberg and then was a tutor in Berlin, where he became friends with Johann Cruger . He served the Lutheran parish of Mittenwalde near Berlin (1651-1657) and the great St. Nicholas’ Church in Berlin (1657-1666). Friederich William, the Calvinist elector, had issued an edict that forbade the various Protestant groups to fight each other. Although Gerhardt did not want strife between the churches, he refused to comply with the edict because he thought it opposed the Lutheran “Formula of Concord,” which con demned some Calvinist doctrines. Consequently, he was released from his position in Berlin in 1666. With the support of friends he became archdeacon at Lubben in 1669 and remained there until his death. Gerhardt experienced much suffering in his life— he and his parishioners lived in the era of the Thirty Years’ War, and his family experi enced incredible tragedy: four of his five children died young, and his wife died after a prolonged illness. In the history of hymnody Gerhardt is considered a transitional figure—he wrote at a time when hymns were changing from a more objective, confes sional, and corporate focus to a pietistic, devotional, and personal one. Like other German hymns, Gerhardt’s were lengthy and intended for use throughout a service, a group of stanzas at a time. More than 130 of his hymns were published in various editions of Cruger’s Praxis Pietatis Melica, the Cruger-Runge Gesangbuch (1653), and Ebeling’s Das andereDutzend geistliche Andachtslieder Herm Paul Gerhardts (1666-1667). John Wesley and Catherine Winkworth
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 264
- Glory to God — 104
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 23
- Lutheran Service Book — 334
- Lift Up Your Hearts — 80
- Lutheran Worship — 19
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 58
- Voices Together — 179
Translation
Liturgical Use
Worship services of renewal and penitence during Advent; worship that focuses on Christ’s return; Palm Sunday, especially with the alternate tune ST. THEODOLPH (375 and 376).
Bulletin Note
Paul Gerhardt (1653) wrote this during the devastation of the Thirty Years' War, yet it sings with robust hope. Lutheran piety at its finest: honest about human unworthiness, steadfast in God's grace.
Preaching Connection
This hymn crystallizes the Advent paradox—the Law strips away false confidence in our readiness, while the Gospel transforms trembling anticipation into joyful assurance that Christ's coming is mercy, not judgment.
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Law (preparation/opening hearts) → Gospel (Christ's sovereign arrival) → Eschatological transformation (peace and redemption) → Call to welcome and praise
Themes
Advent preparation Christ's coming Personal preparation and devotion Repentance and readiness Joy in expectation