This Child We Dedicate to Thee

This Child We Dedicate to Thee is a hymn text by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1848) in L.M. (8.8.8.8) meter. Found in lw 227, tlh 303. Sung to NETTLETON.

This hymn expresses the Lutheran understanding of baptism and child dedication as occasions for the Christian community to pledge support for faithful nurture in the faith. It emphasizes parental and congregational responsibility to guide children toward Christ while entrusting them to God's providential care.

History & Background

Written by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1848, this hymn was composed specifically for the dedication of children to God's care and the Church's support. It appeared in various 19th-century American hymnals and was included in The Lutheran Hymnal (1941) as a standard child dedication hymn.

Hymnal Appearances

• Lutheran Worship — 227
• The Lutheran Hymnal — 303

Bulletin Note

Penned by poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in 1848, this hymn has graced baptism and dedication services for nearly two centuries, reflecting the Lutheran conviction that the church itself becomes co-parent in faith.

Preaching Connection

This hymn embodies the Law's call to parental and congregational responsibility while anchoring hope in the Gospel's promise that God's grace—not our adequacy—secures the child's future in Christ.

Catechism & Confessional Connections

• The Fourth Commandment Small Catechism — Ten Commandments

Stanza Arc

The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: From invocation of God's mercy → ascent to praise → memorial of grace received → Christ's redemptive rescue → confession of debt → commitment despite human weakness

Overview

A Baptism hymn attributed in TLH to an unknown author in Samuel Gilman's translation. It dedicates the child to God and asks for protection and long life (st. 1), prays that the Spirit draw the child to keep God's law and grow in virtue (st. 2), then turns to the adults: we, too, once received baptism and now renew its vow (st. 3), asking grace to live faithfully, cheered by God's promises (st. 4). Its language of 'dedication' and 'virtue' is milder than Lutheran baptismal theology, but st. 3's call to the congregation to remember its own Baptism is very much in the spirit of the Small Catechism.

Central theme: Bringing a child to God in Baptism and renewing the congregation's own baptismal vows

Structure

Four long-meter quatrains. Prayer for the child (1-2) — the congregation's Baptism remembered (3) — faithful living (4).

Law & Gospel Shape

Mostly prayer for sanctification ('keep Thy Law,' 'virtue, piety, and truth'). Gospel: 'O God of grace'; 'each promise Thou hast given' (1, 4).

Confessional Connections

Lutheran reading: Baptism is first God's act — 'not just plain water, but… the water included in God's command and combined with God's word' (SC IV), which 'works forgiveness of sins… and gives eternal salvation.' The hymn's 'dedicate' language should be heard in that light: we bring the child; God makes the child his own. St. 3: 'renew its solemn vow' — daily return to Baptism through contrition and faith (SC IV.12; LC IV.65-86). 'Its willing soul' — the will is made willing by the Spirit (FC II).

Liturgical Use (Study Notes)

Holy Baptism; baptismal remembrance.

Historical Notes

Samuel Gilman (1791-1858), a Unitarian minister in Charleston, South Carolina, is best known for 'Fair Harvard.' TLH credits him as translator of an unknown author's text; the original should be checked.

About the Tune

UXBRIDGE (Lowell Mason, 1830).

Scripture References

Luke 18:17 Mark 10:14 Ps 121:7 John 6:44 Ps 119:33-35 Eccl 12:1 Rom 6:3-4 Gal 3:27 1 Pet 3:21 2 Cor 1:20 Phil 3:14 1 Cor 9:24

Stanza by Stanza

Themes

Child dedication Parental stewardship Divine blessing Sanctification Hope in Christ

Look Further

• Search Hymnary.org for "This Child We Dedicate to Thee" ↗
• Search IMSLP for public-domain scores of "NETTLETON" ↗