Andrew Pratt
Hymn: We trust in one we name as God
Hymn: We trust in one we name as God
by Andrew Pratt
We trust in one we name as God, above all else we see; the ground of being, God of love, will hold and set us free. And all our worship, praise and prayer, can't magnify the grace that God is pouring all the while on us, within this place. Verse 3 follows Tune: BELMONT Metre: CM …
Hymn: A handsome lad, but who would choose
Hymn: A handsome lad, but who would choose
by Andrew Pratt
A handsome lad, but who would choose the shepherd of the sheep, away at work up in the hills, might even be asleep? But Samuel asked, and Jesse called, and David came back home. A King, he hardly looked the part, more one who'd like to roam. Verses 3-4 follow Tune: BARCHESTER FAI…
Hymn: It was a game of pass the blame
Hymn: It was a game of pass the blame
by Andrew Pratt
It was a game of pass the blame, denied responsibility; the buck was passed along the line, avoiding culpability. And now we play the self-same game, but guilt must still be faced and borne, we need to own our acts and ways, the things we've done, the words we've sworn. Verses 3-…
Hymn: Who's my mother, sister, brother
Hymn: Who's my mother, sister, brother
by Andrew Pratt
Who's my mother, sister, brother, when the odds are piled up high, when the allegations clatter, when the insults sing and fly? Will you stand in strength beside me, or will you deride, deny, calling me the prince of devils, will you hide behind a lie? Verses 2-3 follow Tune: BET…
Hymn: From the depths my voice had echoed
Hymn: From the depths my voice had echoed
by Andrew Pratt
From the depths my voice had echoed, prayers were flung against the void, to my mind hope seemed to founder, faith it seemed had been destroyed. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: ALL FOR JESUS Metre: 8.7.8.7 Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 27/5/2012 Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England…
Monologue/Medidtation: I remember that time of desolation
Monologue/Medidtation: I remember that time of desolation
by Andrew Pratt
Monologue/Medidtation: I remember that time of desolation I remember that time of desolation. It seemed all colour had drained from the garden, bright flowers looked grey to me. I felt physically heavy. This was no 'Monday morning' feeling. The depression was real, no way could I…
Hymn: The warning went unheeded
Hymn: The warning went unheeded
by Andrew Pratt
The warning went unheeded, that power corrupts and fires a need for domination, that wealth and fear conspires to elevate the powerful, to subjugate the poor, that those who have most riches will always look for more. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: AURELIA Metre: 7.6.7.6 D Andrew Prat…
Hymn: It seemed a riddle, made no sense
Hymn: It seemed a riddle, made no sense
by Andrew Pratt
It seemed a riddle, made no sense, 'you must be born again', divine impossibility to stretch the human brain. And Nicodemus heard the words, an answer to his search, a man of intellectual strength, his mind would strain and lurch. Verses 3-4 follow Tune: LUCIUS Metre: CM Andrew…
Hymn: Heirs of Christ and God's own children
Hymn: Heirs of Christ and God's own children
by Andrew Pratt
Heirs of Christ and God's own children, God our parent, yet a friend, Abba, we still pray before you: source of freedom without end. Slaves no longer: liberation, free to serve and free to pray, free to live our lives for justice, Verse 3 follows © Andrew Pratt 14/5/2012 Tune: …
Hymn: The whirring of wings amid smoke in the temple
Hymn: The whirring of wings amid smoke in the temple
by Andrew Pratt
The whirring of wings amid smoke, in the temple: a man in humility bows before God. The pillars are quaking, the threshold is shaken, he kneels in the place where his forebears have trod. A quest for identity, who will be chosen? The question: the one to be blessed with God's gra…
Hymn: When Jesus came to Bethlehem there was no worse a day
Hymn: When Jesus came to Bethlehem there was no worse a day
by Andrew Pratt
When Jesus came to Bethlehem there was no worse a day, they say a census had been called, there was no place to stay; this baby who would shake the world, would first lay down his head, not in a royal house or hall, but in a manger bed. When Jesus went to Nazareth his father had …
Poem: To dish the dirt we need to know
Poem: To dish the dirt we need to know
by Andrew Pratt
Poem: To dish the dirt we need to know To dish the dirt we need to know the detail of a life, and advocates must understand the truth, to counter strife. Yet knowing all, the Christ of God was willing to defend a remnant, rabble, humankind, to care, to bind, to mend. A paraclete,…
Hymn: Upon this groaning, quaking earth
Hymn: Upon this groaning, quaking earth
by Andrew Pratt
Upon this groaning, quaking earth we find the evidence of grace, for here, our God, you nurtured love, brought faith and hope within this place. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: ABENDS Metre: LM Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 5/5/2012 Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England, www.stainer.c…
Hymn: This awesome world that fills us with amazement
Hymn: This awesome world that fills us with amazement
by Andrew Pratt
This awesome world that fills us with amazement:your Spirit breathed and all things came to be; each stunning scene extends imagination, the fruitful land and every spreading sea. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: DONNE SECOURS; LORD OF THE YEARS Metre: 11.10.11.10 Andrew Pratt (born 194…
Hymn: Look: gnawed and bleached, dismembered bones
Hymn: Look: gnawed and bleached, dismembered bones
by Andrew Pratt
Look: gnawed and bleached, dismembered bones, a desert valley strewn with stones, a metaphor of hopelessness, for people worn with weariness. It took a poet's way with thought, an image that his mind had caught: imagine flesh and new found life, a counter to historic strife. Vers…
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: Held in the arms of God's love and compassion
Hymn: Held in the arms of God's love and compassion
by Andrew Pratt
Held in the arms of God's love and compassion, Jesus had kept them right up to the end, these his disciples, now named as Apostles, each of these strangers now counted as friend. Jesus had taught them by word and example, shared times of suffering, illness and grief. Spell-bound …
Meditation: In a court some people's testimony is stronger than others