Feathers fly, the snare is breaking
Feathers fly, the snare is breaking
by Andrew Pratt
Hymn: Feathers fly, the snare is breaking Proper 16 year A Psalm 124 Feathers fly, the snare is breaking, God is here, foundations shaking. Prayer, it seemed, was empty, hollow, now in answer blessings follow! If our God had not been with us, think, if God had gone and left us...…
Foretaste of Friday
Foretaste of Friday
by Andrew Pratt
Hymn: Foretaste of Friday Proper 17 Year A Matthew 16: 21 – 28 Foretaste of Friday, shadow of judgement, Peter resisting God's fateful end. Jesus deciding where he is riding, cross casting shadows, life's journey's end. This was God's purpose, never resisting, meeting our hatred …
Foul and foolish were the people
Foul and foolish were the people
by Andrew Pratt
Foul and foolish were the people, skilled in evil more than good. Now a prophet came among them using words they understood. Feigning ignorance like children, justifying what they did, yet we own we're little different, words distorted, actions hid. Verses 3-4 follow Tune: COME R…
Forgetting the faith that has brought us salvation
Forgetting the faith that has brought us salvation
by Andrew Pratt
Forgetting the faith that has brought us salvation, we lose track of honesty, twist what is true; we grasp at each fortune that fate will present us, calling corruption constructive and new. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: ST CATHERINE’S COURT Metre: 12.11.12.11 Andrew Pratt (born 1948…
Frightened Herod, wandering strangers
Frightened Herod, wandering strangers
by Andrew Pratt
Frightened Herod, wandering strangers, children make the tableau real. As we watch with eyes of wonder, come, God, make your presence real. In the midst of celebration, heralding a royal birth, help us grow in understanding, Christ among us, come on earth. Verse 3 follows Tune:…
From many different continents
From many different continents
by Andrew Pratt
From many different continents, at one in heart and mind, an infinite variety, drawn from all humankind. We worship in each native tongue. The rhythms of our song, reflect the context where we live, and yet we all belong. Verses 3-4 follow Tune: CONTEMPLATION (Ouseley) Metre: CM …
Baptised into being, the Lord of creation
Baptised into being, the Lord of creation
by Andrew Pratt
Baptised into being, the Lord of creation: the dove is descending the Spirit has come, it soars and it swoops on the face of the waters, Christ blessed in that moment, his mission begun. Here John the Baptiser will pass on the baton, though harsh and prophetic, his message, refin…
Beware of what you think or say
Beware of what you think or say
by Andrew Pratt
Hymn: Beware of what you think or say Proper 15 year A Matthew 15: 21-28 Beware of what you think or say, our actions give the lie, or offer evidence of faith for which we sing, or cry. When challenged by a foreigner, a woman in her need, see Jesus shamed to change and act, her c…
Beyond our context, out of time
Beyond our context, out of time
by Andrew Pratt
Beyond our context, out of time, can we believe the things we read? Are these imagined, false or fact, or signs that we should test and heed? A woman dies then finds new life, a metaphor or something real? The narrative has truth to tell in what we see and what we feel. Verses 3-…
God had gone up with a shout
God had gone up with a shout
by Andrew Pratt
God had gone up with a shout, sound the trumpets, humble humanity raised into light. Stunned by the after-shock, standing in wonder, orphaned disciples were thrust into night. Ours is their heritage born out of history, yet God transcends all the life that we know: grounding and …
God is in the thick of living
God is in the thick of living
by Andrew Pratt
God is in the thick of living, in the midst of love and life; God is in our haste and hurry, in our peace and through our strife. At the crux of every crisis, with the wounded and bereft, Christ is crucified, derided, knows our punishment and stress. This is God, incarnate, wit…
God breathed on the waters, brought order to bear
God breathed on the waters, brought order to bear
by Andrew Pratt
Hymn: God breathed on the waters, brought order to bear Trinity Sunday Year A Genesis 1: 1 – 2: 4a; Psalm 8 God breathed on the waters, brought order to bear, before all creation the Spirit was there; then spanning all history God moved through the earth gave life for the living,…
God hung and died upon the cross
God hung and died upon the cross
by Andrew Pratt
Hymn: God hung and died upon the cross Fourth Sunday of Easter Year A 1 Peter 2: 19 – 25 God hung and died upon the cross, and there he suffered wild abuse, the ones who held religious power had offered an oblique excuse: denying love their greatest crime. We see this echoed in o…
Go out to the world, spread the news, God is with us
Go out to the world, spread the news, God is with us
by Andrew Pratt
Go out to the world, spread the news, God is with us, to heal us and strengthen, to care and protect. No place is too far from his care and perspective, no person too wretched to gain his respect. Verse 2-3 follow Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 18/1/2012 Stainer & Bell Ltd, L…
God grants a blessing when we least expect it
God grants a blessing when we least expect it
by Andrew Pratt
God grants a blessing when we least expect it, times when our poverty cuts where it hurts; Jesus has promised in this situation, grace will bring hopefulness, kindness subverts. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: EPIPHANY HYMN; LIEBSTER IMMANUEL Please include on your CCL licence. Andrew …
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…
God’s grace extends beyond our comprehension