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Times and Seasons - And Christ was there
Times and Seasons - And Christ was there
by Andrew Pratt
And Christ was there And Christ was there, breathless, crumpled, tattered now; and mud-besplattered. Tears of weariness and anger, drained of strength by dancing danger. Continues... Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England, www.stainer.co.uk. Please …
God resists a partial judgment
God resists a partial judgment
by Andrew Pratt
God resists a partial judgment, spinning justice in the air, mercy breathes in word and action when the Spirit's breath is there. Here the wicked face comeuppance, here the weak are heard at last, where each human word and action counts for more than prayer or fast. Verses 3-4 fo…
Her first born son, his manger bed
Her first born son, his manger bed
by Andrew Pratt
Her first born son, his manger bed, the straw was where he'd lay his head, his mother resting from the birth, and Joseph wondered at his worth. He held him in his roughened hands, he thought about the world's demands that brought them all to Bethlehem. What prejudice would wait…
Hymn: Confounding the people, confusing the clever
Hymn: Confounding the people, confusing the clever
by Andrew Pratt
Confounding the people, confusing the clever, Christ spoke of his flesh as like bread, bringing grace. And now we assemble, re-member that moment: break bread, pour out wine in our time in the place. Verses 2- 3 follow Tune: ST CATHERINE’S COURT Metre: 12.11.12.11 Andrew Prat…
Hymn: Grace and peace to all God's people
Hymn: Grace and peace to all God's people
by Andrew Pratt
Grace and peace to all God's people from the Word before all worlds, all transcendent cosmic lover, in our presence grace unfolds. Born into the world among us, Christ the Word, incarnate Love knowing human strength and weakness, raise our eyes to things above. Verses 3-4 follows…
Hymn: God, give to us discerning minds
Hymn: God, give to us discerning minds
by Andrew Pratt
God, give to us discerning minds to know your love, to live by grace, to tune our lives to your commands, to live at peace within this place. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: ALFRETON, ARIZONA Metre: LM Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 31/7/2012 Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England, www.…
Hymn: Lost in human expectation
Hymn: Lost in human expectation
by Andrew Pratt
Lost in human expectation, cannot grasp the reason why, love in human incarnation, has to suffer, had to die. Yet it seems our understanding, narrowed by our self-concern, makes us even more demanding, yet less able to discern. Verses 3-4 follow Tune: ALL FOR JESUS, STUTTGART Met…
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: Trust that God who lit the cosmos
Hymn: Trust that God who lit the cosmos
by Andrew Pratt
Trust that God, who lit the cosmos, source and ground of all we are, demonstrated love’s dimension, dying like the evening star, softened, shaded, so diminished, then extinguished, gone from sight, yet the third day rose in glory, bringing hope and shedding light. Verses 2-3 foll…
Hymn: Tossed and blown, events can floor us
Hymn: Tossed and blown, events can floor us
by Andrew Pratt
Tossed and blown, events can floor us, spin the world, we lose our grip; circumstances undermine us, yet again we turn and trip. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: WRAYSBURY Metre: 8.7.8.7 Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 17/7/2012 Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England, www.stainer.co.uk. …
Acts for Everyone Part 2 - Earthquake and Salvation
Acts for Everyone Part 2 - Earthquake and Salvation
by SPCK - N T Wright
Earthquake and Salvation Acts 16.25-34 I remember old Bishop Stephen Neill, who was winning classical scholarships around the time my father was born, telling me how we should translate verse 30. He was used to hearing people quote the panic-stricken question of the Philippian ja…
New Testament Wisdom for Everyone - Dying and Rising With Christ
New Testament Wisdom for Everyone - Dying and Rising With Christ
by SPCK - N T Wright
2 THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE SELF DYING AND RISING WITH CHRIST Colossians 2: 20- 3: 4 ‘I’ll just be two minutes,’ I said, leaving my friends on the street corner while I went to fetch the car. It was raining, and we’d just come out of the theatre. But I wasn’t two minutes. I took …
The Pastoral Letters - God's Word is not Tied Up
The Pastoral Letters - God's Word is not Tied Up
by SPCK - N T Wright
God’s Word Is Not Tied Up 2Timothy 2.8-13 ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones,’ goes the old rhyme, ‘but calling names won’t hurt me.’ It may be good to mutter little jingles like that if people are being rude to you, but actually the rhyme is only partly true. And when it come…
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Human Inventions and Divine Instructions
Acts for Everyone part 1 - Human Inventions and Divine Instructions
by SPCK - N T Wright
Human Interventions and Divine Instructions Acts 5.27-42 We stared at the parcel as it lay on the floor inside the front door. Nobody had heard the delivery man. Nobody knew why it had arrived at this time of the day. The parcel was bulky, somewhat misshapen, with various semi-le…
The Pastoral Letters - The Mystery of Godliness
The Pastoral Letters - The Mystery of Godliness
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Mystery of Godliness 1Timothy 3.14-16 The senior officer investigating the case consulted his colleagues once more, and then went out to speak to the waiting press. ‘I’m sorry to say’, he said, ‘that the incident remains a complete mystery. There is no explanation for what ha…
Lectionary Reflection Year C - Proper 2 Year C
Lectionary Reflection Year C - Proper 2 Year C
by SPCK - Jane Williams
Proper 2 Jeremiah 17.5–10 1 Corinthians 15.12–20 Luke 6.17–26 Paul’s discussion of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15 has fascinated scholars and Christians alike. It shows clearly that the earliest preaching of the gospel contained the witness to the risen Christ. This is, as …
The Pastoral Letters - God's Revealed Plan
The Pastoral Letters - God's Revealed Plan
by SPCK - N T Wright
God’s Revealed Plan Titus 1.1-4 ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ It’s the standard question children face from well-meaning adults. Often the answers are surprising. A ballet dancer. A gardener. This girl wants to run a bookshop. This boy wants to play the oboe. Sometim…
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - The First Sunday of Lent Year A