To Sing the Mystical Union: “Warum sollt ich mich denn grämen’

Explores the affective, even erotic, heart of Paul Gerhardt‘s (and, more broadly, Lutheran) spirituality through the text of one of his hymns: “Warum sollt ich mich denn grämen.” Locating the hymn within the traditions of mystical love poetry and communally embodied song, the article asserts that recovery of such hymns can provide an authentically Lutheran contribution, full of theological and poetic richness, to the repertoire of heart-focused worship songs so popular today.