Written by Godfrey Thring (1823–1903) and first published in his Church of England Hymn Book (1880), this text was placed in the “Offertory” section with a superscription from Luke 10, linking it directly to the parable of the Good Samaritan—a fitting companion to today’s Gospel. Thring was not only a clergyman but also a landholder who donated generously to the churches and schools of his Somerset parishes, living out what he wrote. The opening phrase echoes a Communion hymn by John Keble from his seminal 1827 Tractarian volume The Christian Year. Lutheran editors made one deliberate change to Thring’s original final stanza: his closing phrase “all those who give to Thee” was judged too suggestive of works-righteousness and was altered to “all those who live in Thee,” ensuring that even the hymn’s appeal for mercy-works flows from grace rather than earning it.
Sung at Our Saviour
2026