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A strange kind of king
A strange kind of king
by Marjorie Dobson
A strange kind of king - poem Third Sunday after Pentecost Zechariah 9: 9-12 When that king comes riding on a donkey, will he be noticed among the finery and glitz and glamour of a ceremonial state occasion? When, through God’s peacemakers, arms and armoury are decommissioned…
Many gifts
Many gifts
by Marjorie Dobson
Poem: Many gifts (1 Corinthians 12: 3b-13) If any one person could embody all the graces; all the compassion and understanding; all the wisdom and gifts of ministry that Jesus had, then there would be no need for so many gifts to be given by the Spirit to build up the church. B…
If all the world could live as if
If all the world could live as if
by Andrew Pratt
If all the world could live as if the love of God was in each heart. If every one in every place became as one, they could not part. A vast community of love would come to being on the earth, while everyone of every creed would value one another's worth. Verses 3-4 follow Tune: B…
It all feels so unjust
It all feels so unjust
by Andrew Pratt
Monologue: It all feels so unjust Sixth Sunday of Easter 1 Peter 3: 13 – 22 It all feels so unjust when they slag me off, makes me cynical. I hardly want to believe anymore. Call themselves Christian? And they tell me how to behave? Should look at themselves. It all feels so unju…
Meditation: Whose bone and flesh are we?
Meditation: Whose bone and flesh are we?
by Andrew Pratt
Meditation: Whose bone and flesh are we? Whose bone and flesh are we? Who reigns above our lives? For forty years or four a human monarch has limited tenure, meagre power. And then what? Then who or what is God? What is our greatest concern? Only you, only I, can answer that? A…
Meditation/poem: Suffering was anathema
Meditation/poem: Suffering was anathema
by Andrew Pratt
Meditation/Poem: Suffering was anathema Suffering was anathema, no Messiah died. To grasp what is mystical requires a letting go. A letting go of all things. For the mysterious, the magical, the mystical, that we label God, is so utterly other that the disciples flew from it, bet…
Mother us gently, Father us lightly
Mother us gently, Father us lightly
by Andrew Pratt
Poem/Prayer: Mother us gently, Father us lightly Mothering Sunday Mother us gently, Father us lightly, God of our being, ground of our care; comfort our grieving, help our believing, graceful and loving, teach us to share. Hold and enfold us, parent with purpose, …
Times and Seasons - Now the poppy petals flutter
Times and Seasons - Now the poppy petals flutter
by Andrew Pratt
The updraft twisted yellow mist: ominous weave of gaseous death. And now the poppy petals flutter. Eyes closed. Another updraft, drifting, lifting, Deep darkness each single petal turning end over end. covered the face of the earth. All seemed without form The coughing, and void.…
Poem: Always missing, never grasping
Poem: Always missing, never grasping
by Andrew Pratt
(Doubting Thomas after Leonard Cohen’s song 'Suzanne' which has the line: '…and Jesus was a sailor...') Always missing, never grasping, hope amid this shifting sea, coast and haven seem remote now, too far off to harbour me. Yet those fishermen are telling news that I can't compr…
Poem: Father of Jesse and father of David
Poem: 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…
Poem: Held in the cleft of the cold, dark rock
Poem: Held in the cleft of the cold, dark rock
by Andrew Pratt
Poem: Held in the cleft of the cold, dark rock Held in the cleft of the cold, dark rock, the summit of human fear, pursued to the end of his life's reserves, the hunters were drawing near. God was remote, Elijah quaked, protection was hard to find, the One he had heard and sought…
Poem: Hear the echoes of the scripture
Poem: Hear the echoes of the scripture
by Andrew Pratt
Poem: Hear the echoes of the scripture Hear the echoes of the scripture in the parting of the waters, see Elijah in the whirlwind, see Elisha, looking, waiting. See Elisha take the mantle, see Elisha strike the water, faith and action moving forward, faith is passed from hand to …
Poem: The Psalmist reckoned fools were unbelieving
Poem: The Psalmist reckoned fools were unbelieving
by Andrew Pratt
Poem: The Psalmist reckoned fools were unbelieving The Psalmist reckoned fools were unbelieving, but faith, like fashion, leaves to sink or swim. No God indeed? perhaps as others paint 'him'. No goddess either? Faith is just a whim? We look at life and context moulds our seeing, …
Poem: The wisdom of women: discernment of thought
Poem: The wisdom of women: discernment of thought
by Andrew Pratt
The wisdom of women: discernment of thought, with love's intuition that cannot be bought; how long will we limit these God given gifts while fudging church unity, fearful of rifts? All people are worthy and all have a place, all people are gifted with God-given grace, yet barrier…
Poem: Wine maker, bread breaker
Poem: Wine maker, bread breaker
by Andrew Pratt
Poem: Wine maker, bread breaker Wine maker, bread breaker source of festivity, coming to greet us with warm creativity. Here is Immanuel, in grace beholding us; Jesus the fear shaker taking, enfolding us, Continues... Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 8/1/2013 Stainer & Bell Ltd…
Poem: A sacramental union
Poem: A sacramental union
by Andrew Pratt
Poem: A sacramental union A sacramental union that none can put apart, and those who sought to fudge the law, were challenged from the start. The Pharisees were undermined, the laws would stay in place, with subtle ways of subterfuge destroyed without a trace. Continues... © Andr…
When the glory of the presence