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A hymn published in 1997 still pertinent in a world torn by war and carnage – with tune by John Kleinheksel

Lives like yours and mine, contorted – as we live in a world contorted by war and hatred, during a week remembering Hamas action of 7th October 2023 and living with Israel’s response, together with war and carnage in so many places on our planet.

1	Lives like yours and mine, contorted:
	Genocide has been reported,
	Wrong seems right, it's all distorted;
	Christ! What would you do?

2	Seeing babies starving, bleeding,
	Hearing mothers' desperate pleading,
	Would you wring your hands, unheeding?
	Christ! What would you do?

3	Watching buildings ruined, burning,
	Hearing tank tracks rumble, churning,
	Would you walk on by, not turning?
	Christ! What would you do?
	
4	Sensing fear that chills the city,
	Families threatened without pity,
	Would you pray your prayers, so pretty?
	Christ! What would you do?

5	We have seen it, all the sorrow,
	We will see the same tomorrow,
	Must this pattern always follow?
	Christ! What should we do?

Andrew E Pratt (born 1948)	
Words © 1997 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. Originally published in Blinded by the Dazzle https://stainer.co.uk/shop/b840/ 
Metre: 8 8 8 5
Tune: THERE’S NO GREATER NAME THAN JESUS (Complete Mission Praise)


John R. Kleinheksel Sr has composed the following tune which may be used with acknowledgement. 
This tune is now to be acknowledged as Copyright Stainer & Bell Ltd address as for the text.
An audio file of the tune is at the link below.

Extravagant horror – a world at war with itself

Extravagant horror, beyond our conceiving,

the rain of this terror confounds our believing,

the thunder, war’s lightning, once deaf’ning, then blinding,

has sculpt human madness, to hell we are sliding.

Humanity harbours such hidden aggression,

the need to reap vengeance to counter oppression,

the screams of the innocent, tears of depression,

white noise of the agony, warfare’s obsession.

And now hope is lost, there is no compensation,

no sense of relief for each people, each nation,

some milit’ry folk will admire each citation

while leaving the children in wild conflagration.

                                                © Andrew Pratt 30/9/2024

A sacramental union – Hymn/Poem Inspired by Mark 10:2-16

A sacramental union - Inspired by Mark 10:2-16

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.

Then learning from this interchange 
should we condemn and judge, 
or take a wider view of Christ, 
his spirit and his touch?
When questions of adultery 
were set to catch him out, 
he turned a mirror on the crowd 
and none were left to shout.

Hypocrisy and judgment were 
things that Christ condemned, 
and so we need to judge ourselves 
before we charge a friend.
To love as we would love ourselves
a child can understand, 
and we must unlearn prejudice, 
give grace the upper-hand.

Words Andrew Pratt © 2012 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.Tune: 
Metre: CMD
Tune: ELLACOMBE
Inspired by Mark 10:2-16; May also be used as a poem.

Hard sayings of Jesus- hymn

Hard sayings of Jesus that challenge and test – Inspired by Mark 9: 38 – 50


1 Hard sayings of Jesus that challenge and test,
that bring us to crisis, will not let us rest.
Confronted by holiness, righteousness, light,
our lives are exposed whether wrongful or right.


2 When salt loses savour its purpose is gone,
a life lacking goodness is soon over-run.
Our way is to nurture with God given grace,
to baulk at this calling is soon to lose face.


3 So let us affirm every neighbour with care,
while joining in partnership, willing to share
all gifts God has given, throughout this wide earth,
with those all around and those yet to find birth.


Andrew E Pratt (born 1948)
Words © 2012 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: 11 11 11 11
Tune: DATCHET