Would've, Could've, Should've

One area in which Lutheran Service Book could have been even better is in its collection of Paul Gerhardt hymns. LSB has sixteen of his hymns in the pew edition, plus "I Will My Maker's Praises" in the electronic edition only (for shame). Many others would have been readily available, and should have been included, in my opinion. Between The Lutheran Hymnal and other Lutheran hymnals published in this country, at least a dozen other Gerhardt hymns were at hand to serve the Church in our day. In addition to those, the following twenty Gerhardt hymns are found in Walther's Kirchengesangbuch, and/or Grabau's Gesangbuch, and/or the current SELK Gesangbuch, and have also been translated into English. Although some of those English translations would have required some attention, it would not have been difficult to put them into use. For the sake of comparison, all three of these aforementioned German hymnals include 40+ Gerhardt hymns. Both TLH and the recent Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary (of the ELS) include more than twenty. LSB could easily have included four dozen Paul Gerhardt hymns, and that would have been a good thing.

Anyway, here are twenty Gerhardt hymns that were out there, ready and waiting to be discovered and recovered for the use of English-speaking Lutherans in our day. They're still waiting:

ADVENT

"Wherefore Dost Thou Longer Tarry" (C. Winkworth)
Warum willst du draußen stehen (Grabau #17; SELK #404)

NEW YEAR

"Mortals, Who Have God Offended" (Miss Cox)
Warüm machet solche Schmerzen (Walther #56; Grabau #61)

HOLY WEEK

"Thousand Times by Me Be Greeted" (Moravian Hymn Book)
Sei mir tausendmal gegrüßet (Walther #91; Grabau #118; SELK #427)

EASTER

"Be Joyful All, Both Far and Near" (J. Kelly)
Sei fröhlich alles weit und breit (Walther #113)

PENTECOST

"O Father! Send Thy Spirit Down" (J. Kelly)
Gott Vater, sende deinen Geist (Walther #130; Grabau #179)

JUDGMENT

"The Time Is Very Near" (J. Kelly)
Die Zeit ist nunmehr nah (Walther #432; SELK #451)

LORD’S SUPPER

"O Lord, My Love, I Have No Rest" (K. Reinhardt, 2001)
Herr Jesu, meine Liebe (Walther #200)

DEATH & BURIAL

"Be Glad, My Heart! Now Fear No More" (J. Kelly)
Nun sei getrost und unbetrübt (Walther #419)

"Thou Art Mine, Yes, Still Thou Art Mine Own" (C. Winkworth)
Du bist zwar mein und bleibest mein (Death of Child; Walther #401)

CROSS & COMFORT

"Be Thou Content: Be Still Before" (C. Winkworth)
Gib dich zufrieden und sei stille (SELK #295)

"Look Up to Thy God Again" (J. Kelly)
Schwing dich auf zu deinem Gott (Walther #370; SELK #296)

THANKS & PRAISE

"How Can It Be, My Highest Light" (J. Kelly)
Wie ist es möglich, höchstes Licht (Walther #290)

"O God, my Father! Thanks to Thee" (J. Kelly)
Ich danke dir demütiglich (Walther #338)

"Thank God It Hath Resounded" (C. Winkworth)
Gott Lob, nun ist erschollen (SELK #392)

PRAYER

"Twofold, Father, Is My Prayer" (J. Kelly)
Zweierlei bitt ich von dir (Grabau #451)

VOCATION

"I Know, My God, and I Rejoice" (C. Winkworth)
Ich weiß, mein Gott, daß all (Walther #274; Grabau #411; SELK #384)

MORNING

"Our Lord Be Praising, All His Glory Raising" (H. J. Buckoll)
Lobet den Herren, alle die ihn ehren (SELK #347)

EVENING

"The Daylight Disappeareth" (J. Kelly)
Der Tag mit seinem Lichte (SELK #551)

METRICAL PSALM PARAPHRASES

"O Come, My Soul with Singing" (Miss Burlingham)
Du meine Seele, singe! (Psalm 146; SELK #197)

"The Lord, the Earth Who Ruleth" (J. Kelly)
Derr Herr, der aller Enden (Psalm 23; Walther #248)