We Thank You Jesus, Dearest Friend
We thank you, Jesus, dearest Friend
This hymn emphasizes the vicarious atonement of Christ and the believer's grateful response to redemptive grace, central to Lutheran soteriology. It connects Christ's passion, resurrection, and ascension as unified acts of salvation benefiting the Church.
History & Background
Originally composed in German by Martin Behm as a devotional hymn on Christ's passion and ascension. The English text represents a 20th-century translation/adaptation appearing in The Lutheran Hymnal (1941).
Hymnal Appearances
- Lutheran Worship — 225
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 223
Translation
composite/anonymous English adaptation
Bulletin Note
Composed by Martin Behm in 1610, this hymn expresses the vicarious atonement central to Lutheran faith. Its melody, Herzlich tut mich verlangen, later accompanied the Passion narrative, deepening the connection between Christ's suffering and our grateful redemption.
Preaching Connection
This hymn crystallizes Lutheran soteriology by uniting Christ's suffering, resurrection, and exaltation as a single redemptive act, making it a powerful response to sermons that trace the movement from Law (our helplessness before sin) to Gospel (our salvation secured and completed in the risen and ascended Christ).
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Christological meditation moving from Christ's suffering, to personal appropriation of redemption, to grateful response, to covenantal commitment
Themes
Christ's passion and sacrifice Gratitude for redemption Ascension and exaltation Christian devotion