Two very different items for Mothering Sunday
Vulnerable presence of God in creation
Vulnerable presence of God in creation,
fragile, yes broken, in order to be;
cracking the egg of existence in birthing,
mothering God who is setting us free.
Vulnerable God source of nature, will nurture,
sharing our pain in the process of birth;
bloodied, yet beautiful, changed, yet unchanging,
passionate partner of love on this earth.
Vulnerable God found in human relations,
held as a baby, yes, suckled and fed;
yet an enigma, creating and feeding,
God is our parent, while being our bread.
Words Andrew Pratt © 2015 © 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 10 11 10
Tune: STEWARDSHIP
God, you hold me like a mother – inspired by Psalm 131
God, you hold me like a mother,
Safely on her knee;
God, you hold me like a mother,
Close to you but free.
God, you watch me when I wander,
Keep me in your sight.
God, you watch me when I wander,
Hold me day and night.
God, you hold me like a mother,
Teach me to be free.
God, you hold me like a mother,
Show your love to me.
Words Andrew Pratt © 1995 Stainer & Bell Ltd & The Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes 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. Published in Big Blue Planet (1995)
Metre: 8 5 85 Trochaic
Tune: GOD YOU HOLD ME (George Bexon)
Blogs
Theology Everywhere – Some thousands of years ago it was written…
If you don’t subscribe to THEOLOGY EVERYWHERE you may be interested in this blog which asks, ‘to what degree can we be sure of the foundations on which we build our Biblical interpretation, our subsequent faith and actions?’
Love inspired the anger – hymn
Love inspired the anger: Hymn for Lent 3 – John 2: 13-22
1 Love inspired the anger
That cleared a temple court,
Overturned the wisdom
Which their greed had wrought.
2 Love inspired the anger
That set the leper free
From the legal strictures
That brought misery.
3 Love inspired the anger
That cursed a viper’s brood:
Set on domination,
Self with God confused.
4 Love inspires the anger
That curses poverty,
Preaches life’s enrichment,
Seeks equality.
5 Love inspires the anger
That still can set us free
From the world’s conventions
Bringing liberty.
Andrew E Pratt (born 1948)
© 1993 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 & The Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes
Singing the Faith 253 (also published in 4 other books)
Metre: 6 6 6 5 Trochaic
Tunes: NORTH COATES; TEMPLE COURT
Statement of the President and Vice-President of the Methodist Church UK – Israel-Palestine
A Hymn for Lent 2 – All the pain and hurt and horror
Mark 8:31
8:31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
Hymn: All the pain and hurt and horror
1 All the pain and hurt and horror,
loss, denial and mistrust,
hovered round as Jesus waited
for his friends to re-adjust.
Lost within misunderstanding:
thought that love was just a dream,
knew that it would be so easy,
they're confounded by Love's scheme.
2 Jesus taught that love would conquer
only through integrity,
that the way his life was pointing
tested his humanity.
Jesus felt that Peter's challenge
undermined his purpose here,
spoke quite harshly, underlining,
made his need both plain and clear.
3 Death was now the final action,
Jesus spelt out to his friends.
To them this was not expedient,
not the way Messiah ends.
Love would be denied if actions
led to violence or defence,
Jesus, lamb led to the slaughter,
death the cost of Love's expense.
Andrew Pratt 8/2/2012 Words © 2015 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: LUX EOI
Metre: 8.7.8.7D
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