Baptised into being, the Lord of creation (Matthew 3:13-17)
1 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.
2 Here John the Baptiser will pass on the baton,
though harsh and prophetic, his message, refined,
will gain a new purpose, as Jesus will challenge:
the powers and authorities now undermined.
3 But that will come later, for now for the honing
of all his integrity, knowledge and skill,
the Christ is cast out to the wilds of the desert,
where animals forage and hunger can kill.
4 And on his return he will live as God with us,
humanity clothed with both loving and grace,
to temper all justice with mercy, compassion,
a model of life for the whole human race.
5 And when will we walk in the steps of this master?
And when will we emulate what we see there:
inclusive and limitless love for creation
where all is of value and all deserve care?
Andrew E Pratt (born 1948)
Words © 2011 Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England copyright@stainer.co.uk . Please include any reproduction for local church use on your CCL Licence returns. All wider and any commercial use requires prior application to Stainer & Bell Ltd
Metre: 12 11 12 11
Tunes: ST CATHERINE’S COURT
Author: Andrew Pratt
Andrew Pratt was born in Paignton, Devon, England in 1948.
New Year – from darkness toward light – As constant as the pulsar’s pulse
New Year – from darkness toward light - As constant as the pulsar's pulse - a hymn for the first Sunday in the New Year or for a Watchnight Service
1 As constant as the pulsar's pulse,
as certain as the rising sun;
in darkness love will never die,
nor horror snuff our human worth.
2 The sounding of a baby's cry
as suckling, taken from her breast,
demands a mother's full concern,
so you have heard our hoarse lament.
3 Our cry goes out through all the world,
through this and each succeeding age;
your glance returns our wanting gaze,
and none escape your light or love.
Metre: LM Tune: HEREFORD (Wesley)
Andrew E Pratt (born 1948)
Words © 2002 © Stainer & Bell Ltd,
London, England copyright@stainer.co.uk .
Please include any reproduction for
local church use on your CCL Licence returns.
All wider and any commercial use requires
prior application to Stainer & Bell Ltd.
Image (c) Andrew Pratt 2025
Holy Innocents – remembering a solitary boy pictured in an ambulance…
1 A bloodied child foreshadowed by a cross,
both share their taste of evil and of loss,
and when will people ever live and learn
that hurt and harm is all that war can earn?
2 We hold our breath in horror as we view
this scene forever old, forever new;
amid the dust and rubble strewn around
a child cries out and parents can’t be found.
3 How long, O Lord we cry, each hollow word,
our pleas of peace increasingly absurd?
Good God, forgive us when inaction’s voice
speaks loudly of our violent, hurtful choice.
Andrew E Pratt (born 1948)
© 2016 Stainer & Bell Ltd.
10 10 10 10
Created by HymnQuest.com
As we spin on through boundless space – a New hymn for the New Year
As we spin on through boundless space – a New hymn for the New Year
As we spin on through boundless space
and mark the seasons passing,
we trust again the Cov’nant grace,
the love that's everlasting.
We carry grief across the years,
some memories are fading,
while others sharp as broken glass
leave scars beyond evading.
And time will test the strength of loss,
a tensile strand still holds us,
as love of family, friends and God
are strong, and still enfold us.
So nothing now that breaks our peace
can once deflect time's arrow,
that joins us by the grace of God
through every new tomorrow.
Andrew Pratt 21/12/2025
Words © 2025 © Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England copyright@stainer.co.uk . Please include any reproduction for local church use on your CCL Licence returns. All wider and any commercial use requires prior application to Stainer & Bell Ltd.
Metre: 8.7.8.7
Tune: DOMINUS REGIT ME
Holy Innocents’ Sunday – 28th December – A hymn of lament
Holy Innocents’ Sunday – 28th December – A hymn of lament recollecting Herod’s intention to kill all the young children to rid himself of his perception that Jesus, ‘King of the Jews’ was a threat to his rule.
1 The Prince of Peace has come to earth,
we celebrate Messiah’s birth,
and yet the news is hung with fears,
and all the world is wrung with tears.
How long, O Lord, must children cry?
How long, O Lord, must children die?
2 In Ramah voices once had wept,
in quiet children died, not slept,
and Rachel wandered comfortless
consumed by death and deep distress.
How long, O Lord, must children cry?
How long, O Lord, must children die?
3 And in a later time a place,
a squalid stable formed the space
in which a little boy was born
that all the powers of earth would scorn.
How long, O Lord, must children cry?
How long, O Lord, must children die?
4 The Prince of Peace has come to earth,
we celebrate Messiah’s birth,
and yet we slaughter once again,
will death and carnage still remain.
How long, O Lord, must children cry?
How long, O Lord, must children die?
Andrew E Pratt (born 1948)
Words © 2014 © Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England copyright@stainer.co.uk . Please include any reproduction for local church use on your CCL Licence returns. All wider and any commercial use requires prior application to Stainer & Bell Ltd.
Metre: 8 8 8 8 8 8
Tune: MOZART
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