Lord of All Good

Lord of all good, our gifts we bring to thee

The hymn articulates a Reformed understanding of stewardship rooted in recognition that all material blessings originate in God and are held in trust for His purposes. It connects the believer's consecration of earthly goods to the broader biblical imperative of offering one's whole self to God.

History & Background

Written by Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier in 1872, this hymn emphasizes the consecration of material gifts to God's service. It has been widely adopted in Protestant hymnals for stewardship and offering contexts.

Albert F. Bayly included this text in his collection Scripture References Again I Say Rejoice (1967); he originally wrote it for a Christmas st. 2 = Rom. 12:1 fair at Eccleston Congregational Church, St. Helens, Lancashire, st. 3-2 Cor. 9:7 England, where Bayly served as minister from 1956 to 1962. The Psalter Hymnal Revision Committee modernized second-person singular pronouns throughout the hymn text. “Lord of All Good” expresses that not our gifts alone but our entire selves are to be an offering for God’s service (st. 1) and for his glory (st. 2) out of gratitude and praise to the triune God who creates, saves, and sustains us (st. 3). This excellent hymn of dedication proceeds with certainty toward the doxology of its final stanza.

Hymnal Appearances

Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 639
Lutheran Book of Worship — 411
Lutheran Service Book — 786
Lutheran Worship — 365

Liturgical Use

A great offertory hymn! Also useful at the close of the worship service, bringing together our whole-life dedication and a strong doxology; special occasions of consecra tion and dedication such as adult baptism, profession of faith, ordination, renewal of vows, and so on.

Bulletin Note

Written by Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier in 1872, this stewardship hymn expresses Reformed convictions about trusteeship of earthly goods, grounding Christian generosity in grateful recognition of God's sovereign ownership.

Preaching Connection

This hymn embodies the movement from Law to Gospel: it names God's claim on all we possess, then graces that claim through the reality of Christ's prior consecration of himself for us.

Stanza Arc

The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Christological imperative to awakening: from personal Spirit-empowered illumination, through liberation and reconciliation, to cosmic restoration and justice, culminating in eschatological peace

Themes

Stewardship of creation Gratitude for God's provision Consecration of gifts Christian responsibility