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Now who would have thought that a small crying baby
Now who would have thought that a small crying baby
by Marjorie Dobson
Now who would have thought that a small crying baby, wrapped in a cloth in a cold cattle stall, could ever encapsulate God’s grace and mercy; lay down his life for the sake of us all? Then who would have guessed that a young man from Naz’reth, fresh from his work at the carpenter…
So many years the people walked
So many years the people walked
by Marjorie Dobson
So many years the people walked in darkness fed by fear. They could not see the way ahead, their goal was rarely clear. Though God had led them down the years to find their promised land, their willful ways had cancelled hope of all that God had planned. Verses 3-4 follow © Marjo…
Hymn: Look: such horror, torn, then tortured
Hymn: Look: such horror, torn, then tortured
by Andrew Pratt
Look: such horror, torn, then tortured by the scourge across his back, by the torments and derision, and the hate that twisted fact. See our God, derided dying, smeared with blood and sweat and tears, hanging in a robe of loving, now surrounded by his fears. Verse 3-5 follow Tune…
No turning back, God's path can lead us forward
No turning back, God's path can lead us forward
by Andrew Pratt
No turning back, God's path can lead us forward, this is the time of challenge, time for choice, to set our sights on all that lies before us, to wallow in the past or to rejoice. Verses 2-3 follow Tune: INTERCESSOR Metre:11.10.11.10 Andrew Pratt (born 1948) Words © 11/6/2013 S…
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: 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: 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…
A baby had been promised
A baby had been promised
by Andrew Pratt
A baby had been promised, a child had come to birth whose counsel should be honoured by everyone on earth. His presence was first signalled in unexpected ways by shepherds and by Magi who came to offer praise. Verses 2-3 follow © Andrew Pratt 19/1/2014 Andrew Pratt (born 1948) …
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…
Twelve Months of Sunday year c - The Second Sunday of Epiphany Year C
Twelve Months of Sunday year c - The Second Sunday of Epiphany Year C
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Second Sunday of Epiphany Isaiah 62.1–5 1 Corinthians 12.1–11 John 2.1–11 Nuptial imagery rings through the Bible like a peal of wedding bells. The first two chapters of Genesis reach their climax in the creation of man and woman in God’s image; the last two chapters of Rev…
Great Christian Thinkers - 63 St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Great Christian Thinkers - 63 St. Elizabeth of Hungary
by SPCK - Pope Benedict XVI
St. Elizabeth of Hungary Another great woman of the Middle Ages who inspired the greatest admiration is St. Elizabeth of Hungary, also called St. Elizabeth of Thuringia… Taken from Great Christian Thinkers by Pope Benedict XVI
Enabling Church: inclusion of disabled people - Knowing we're made in his image
Enabling Church: inclusion of disabled people - Knowing we're made in his image
by SPCK - Gordon Temple and Lin Ball
1 Knowing we’re made in his image Genesis 1.26 –31; 1 John 3.2 Purpose: to explore what it means to be human, made in God’s image; to challenge prejudices about what is ‘normal’. Prayer Thank God for the Bible – his inspired message to us all – and for all that it can teach us of…
Imagining the Lectionary: Held firm and strong (Epiphany 3B)
Imagining the Lectionary: Held firm and strong (Epiphany 3B)
by David Perry
Imagining the Lectionary: Held firm and strong (Epiphany 3B) Reflection accompanying images “Held firm and strong 1”, “Held firm and strong 2” and “Held firm and strong 3” The cross-shaped mooring bollards in the photographs convey such a real sense of hefty, unbreakable streng…
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - Proper 12 Year A
Twelve Months of Sundays Year A - Proper 12 Year A
by SPCK - N T Wright
Twelve Months of Sundays – Year A Ordinary Time Proper 12 Genesis 29.15–28 Romans 8.26–39 Matthew 13.31–33, 44–52 ‘All things work together for good to those who love God.’ Probably not the first thought that sprang to Jacob’s mind the morning after his wedding, on discovering ho…
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