Down Bethlem Road
Down Bethlem Road
by David A. Campton
Down Bethlem Road A Christmas Song to the tune of Raglan Road Down Bethl’em road from Nazareth, Came Joseph and his wife Within her womb God’s promise bloomed His Word, the Light of Life. He came to take on flesh and blood To show us all the way And through the night a star so br…
Awake again within the love
Awake again within the love
by Andrew Pratt
Advent hymn taken form Nothing too religious Awake again within the love that lit the stars, that formed the earth, that ransomed captive Israel that met us in Messiah's birth:... Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England, www.stainer.co.uk. P…
God brings in a circus of love and delight
God brings in a circus of love and delight
by Andrew Pratt
God brings in a circus of love and delight that longs to live lovingly putting things right, uplifting the humble, distributing wealth, till hypocrites tumble and children have health. This, this is the God, that we love and adore, the God who spins values, then opens the door to…
Hymn: You are the God that brought us all to birth
Hymn: You are the God that brought us all to birth
by Andrew Pratt
You are the God that brought us all to birth, the God of all the cosmos and this earth; and yet in human life you shared our pain and in this present moment share again. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: ELLERS, EVENTIDE Metre: 10.10.10.10 Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 9/10/2012 Sta…
Intangible strands bind your people together
Intangible strands bind your people together
by Andrew Pratt
Intangible strands bind your people together, as one in your Body, so wonderf'lly made, close joined by humanity, sisters and brothers, yet fractured and broken, you find us dismayed; For we have not trusted the person of Jesus, the risks that he took, the example You gave. When …
In the temple, place of peace (version 2)
In the temple, place of peace (version 2)
by Andrew Pratt
Hymn: In the temple, place of peace (version 2) Mothering Sunday Luke 2:22-40 In the temple, place of peace, Mary, Joseph, stand in awe; Anna comes with songs of joy, Simeon sings, yet knows the score. Bitter sweet this time of hope, winter passes Lent awaits; let us pause, refle…
Not conscious of our end or our beginning
Not conscious of our end or our beginning
by Andrew Pratt
Not conscious of our end or our beginning, we cannot know the purpose of our lives, yet God preceded all our breathing, living, beyond our human span, our God survives. Confounded by a love we cannot fathom, enfolded in a love which from our birth: God held, will hold, through al…
Hymn: Father of Jesse and father of David
Hymn: Father of Jesse and father of David
by Andrew Pratt
Father of Jesse and father of David, born of a foreigner here in their midst: Ruth would nurse Obed, then comfort and nurture. Boaz brought safety it seemed she had missed. Now as we listen we re-tell this story, try to untangle the mystery and worth, one thing is certain: a love…
Hymn: Hard sayings of Jesus that challenge and test
Hymn: Hard sayings of Jesus that challenge and test
by Andrew Pratt
Hard sayings of Jesus that challenge and test, that bring us to crisis, will not let us rest. Confronted by holiness, righteousness, light, our lives are exposed whether wrongful or right. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: DATCHET Metre: 11.11.11.11 Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 23/8/…
Hymn: Simultaneous translation
Hymn: Simultaneous translation
by Andrew Pratt
Simultaneous translation, Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, all the world, it seemed, was listening, here the Spirit cheers, unites. Awe and wonder stunned the people, something new had come to birth, now the Holy Spirit, flaming, spread God's grace across the earth. Verse 3 follow…
Hymn: Vulnerable presence of God in creation
Hymn: Vulnerable presence of God in creation
by Andrew Pratt
Vulnerable presence of God in creation, fragile, yes broken, in order to be; cracking the egg of existence in birthing, mothering God who is setting us free. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: STEWARDSHIP Metre: 11.10.11.10 Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 16/7/2012 Stainer & Bell Ltd, Lo…
In the silence of the dawning
In the silence of the dawning
by Andrew Pratt
In the silence of the dawning birds are waking, start to sing, light is coming bringing colour, each day brighter, nearly spring. Every day the season’s turning brings a sign of coming birth, seeds are growing, new growth showing, pushing through the rock hard earth. Verse 2 foll…
We cannot judge another's way
We cannot judge another's way
by Andrew Pratt
Hymn: We cannot judge another's way Proper 11 year A Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 We cannot judge another's way, however clear our view might be, we do not have the eyes of God, we do not have the sight to see. We look at those who stand around, what brought them to this time and plac…
What better way to spend the night
What better way to spend the night
by Andrew Pratt
What better way to spend the night than walking down a city street? Near shuttered shop fronts bodies sleep. Is Christ among the ones we greet? The stars are bright, the frost is sharp, and home will draw us from the cold. Outside the door, beyond the warmth, young people die bef…
Wisdom: Word before creation
Wisdom: Word before creation
by Andrew Pratt
Wisdom: Word before creation, source and essence of our birth, ground of being, life's existence, energising all the earth; Verses 2-3 follow Metre: 8 7 8 7 Trochaic Tune: CROSS OF JESUS Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 27/4/2013 Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England, www.stainer…
Safe in God who always held us
Safe in God who always held us
by Andrew Pratt
Safe in God who always held us from the moment of our birth, still protecting, never resting, till the ending of the earth. God our refuge, loving parent, guiding as our lives proceed; God of providence and comfort seeks to meet our every need. Verse 3 follows Tune: LAUS DEO (Red…
The buried grain, the hidden seed