Monday, December 15, 2025
There’s a choral piece by John Rutter called “All Things Come of Thee.” This title is from the book of Chronicles, “All things come of thee O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.” Rutter wrote some beautiful lyrics:
Look at the earth
Bringing forth fruit and flowers
Look at the sky
The sunshine and the rain
Look at the hills
Look at the trees and mountains
Valley and flowing river
Field and plain.
The subsequent verses paint a delicious picture of a Lord from whom all good things come. However, it merely accentuates the illusion the religious suffer from. The word “All” in religion still means “Good.” And so, the image of bad is shoved under the carpet in the realm of secret power. Why, Mr. Rutter, must we hide the Dark Lord?
Look at the earth
Bringing forth hurricanes, child molestation, exploitation, and pain.
Look at the sky
The toxins, smog, dust, and drought
Look at the landfills
Look at the torture, rape, and thievery
Murder, incest, lying, and poverty.
War and pestilence
Cancer and debilitation.
Sex trafficking, loss, and horror.
ALL things come of thee.
When will all things mean all things? When we praise God and blame “something else” for the misery, it makes suffering senseless. When God is good and the human is bad, we create two. When does all mean all? When all means all, who you gonna blame? Who you gonna praise? Who you gonna curse? Who you gonna shake a fist at?
In Genesis the narrator says we will be “like God” and know good and evil. The tree of knowledge knows all. Let’s cut to the chase. Who else is there? All things means ALL THINGS. Is God good? If God is only good, then the Dark Lord has a chance in hell. I can’t buy it. All means All, not just good.