“All My Heart Again Rejoices”

text by Paul Gerhardt

As a part of our Hymns for Hope: A Pandemic Playlist series, we’ve been gathering hymns of particular encouragement.

Cheryl Magness from The Federalist writes this about "All My Heart Again Rejoices”

In its exploration of sin, suffering and death, [the hymn] “puts words on our lips that are not normally there as we celebrate Christmas,” and in so doing, shows where salvation is found: “Hark! a voice from yonder manger, Soft and sweet, Doth entreat: ‘Flee from woe and danger. Brethren, from all ills that grieve you You are freed; All you need I will surely give you.’”

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Lyrics

All my heart again rejoices
    As I hear
    Far and near
Sweetest angel voices.
“Christ is born!” their choirs are singing
    Till the air
    Ev’rywhere
Now with joy is ringing.

Hear! The Conqueror has spoken:
    “Now the foe,
    Sin and woe,
Death and hell are broken!”
God is man, man to deliver,
    And the Son
    Now is one
With our blood forever.

Should we fear our God’s displeasure,
    Who, to save,
    Freely gave
His most precious treasure?
To redeem us He has given
    His own Son
    From the throne
Of His might in heaven.

See the Lamb, our sin once taking
    To the cross,
    Suff’ring loss,
Full atonement making.
For our life His own He tenders,
    And His grace
    All our race
Fit for glory renders.

Softly from His lowly manger
    Jesus calls
    One and all,
“You are safe from danger.
Children, from the sins that grieve you
    You are freed;
    All you need
I will surely give you.”

Come, then, banish all your sadness!
    One and all,
    Great and small,
Come with songs of gladness.
We shall live with Him forever
    There on high
    In that joy
Which will vanish never.

Text: Public domain