1 What clutter has the last year left,
what loving, laughing, sighing;
what things of worth to hold and keep,
what grace that we’re denying;
2 what battered fragments of the past,
things best left un-remembered,
what joys that we had once denied,
by hatred we’ve dismembered?
3 Great God, amid the light of Christ,
bring a discerning spirit,
that we might hold the things of worth
that others might inherit.
4 The things that we should treasure most,
God, sharpen in our vision,
that we might finely tune your love
to fight against division.
Andrew E Pratt (born 1948)
© 2016 Stainer and Bell Ltd.
8 7 8 7
DOMINUS REGIT ME
Category: Song
Words for Holy Innocent’s
1 Herod’s high and mighty stand
Showed the power at his command,
Slaughtered children in the land:
Kyrie, Lord have mercy,
Kyrie, Lord have mercy,
Kyrie, Lord have mercy on us.
2 Mary wept, she understood,
Wept as every mother should,
Ramah’s echo, death to good:
Chorus
3 Surely force has had its day,
Brutish whim and power’s display;
Yet our actions hurt betray:
Chorus
4 Seen on every paper’s page,
Words of hate and fists of rage,
Signs of greed in every age:
Chorus
5 Anger still inflicts the pain,
Each excuse is seen as lame,
Yet again we bear the shame:
Chorus
6 Till through this and every time
People cease from heinous crime,
Till with peace their actions rhyme:
Chorus
VERSION IN SONGS FOR A NEW MILLENIUM (7 7 7 D and refrain)
1 Herod’s high and mighty stand
Showed the power at his command,
Slaughtered children in the land:
Mary wept, she understood,
Wept as every mother should,
Ramah’s echo, death to good:
Kyrie, Lord have mercy,
Kyrie, Lord have mercy,
Kyrie, Lord have mercy on us.
2 Surely force has had its day,
Brutish whim and power’s display;
Yet our actions truth betray:
Seen on every paper’s page,
Words of hate and fists of rage,
Signs of greed in every age:
Kyrie, Lord have mercy,
Kyrie, Lord have mercy,
Kyrie, Lord have mercy on us.
3 Anger still inflicts the pain,
Each excuse is seen as lame,
Yet again we bear the shame:
Till through this and every time
People cease from heinous crime,
Till with peace their actions rhyme:
Kyrie, Lord have mercy,
Kyrie, Lord have mercy,
Kyrie, Lord have mercy on us.
Andrew E Pratt (born 1948) From: Whatever name creed, No.28 (1999) & Songs for the new millennium.
Words © 1999, 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: HOLY INNOCENTS (Ian Sharp) Whatever name creed, No.28
Holy Innocents Hymn – sadly still pertinent?
Holy Innocents – 28th December
1 Herod waiting, Herod watching,
Herod grasping, holding power,
Herod fearful for the future,
Herod counting every hour.
2 Now the thing that he was fearing:
love and justice, peace and health
here embodied in a person,
God incarnate, heaven's wealth.
3 This was more than he could stomach,
human wine skins tear and rend.
Herod's dream had been confounded,
human power had met its end.
4 Many children now were crying,
temper triumphed, babies dead
Mary, Joseph made an exit,
every step was filled with dread.
5 Into exile they were driven,
fear would ripple through each life:
Jesus challenged vested interests.
Gracious love fuelled hate and strife.
6 And the children still are crying,
forced to war and harmed by hate.
Still our world is deaf to hear them,
still our loving comes too late.
Andrew Pratt Words © 2010 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: ALL FOR JESUS
Christmas Eve & Christmas Day Hymns
CHRISTMAS DAY
1 Almighty God has done great things,
an angel proffers stunning news,
the news of human hope he brings,
her baby heaven and earth shall fuse;
and she will give her life for that,
O, Mary, sing magnificat.
2 A mother and her unborn child,
a man who ought to let her go
to save his face, stay undefiled,
as love and duty taunt and flow;
and Joseph will consider that
as Mary sings magnificat.
3 And all the greatness of a God,
distilled to love, sets captives free,
a single liberating Word:
those born in darkness now can see;
as human power considers that
let Mary sing magnificat.
Andrew E Pratt (born 1948)
Words © 2001 Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England, http://www.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: MELITA
Incarnation © Andrew Pratt
CHRISTMAS DAY
1 We see the eyes of Mary shine,
for all the pain of birth is past.
She cradles Jesus in her arms,
her time of joy is here at last.
2 We look on Joseph's roughened hands,
his eyes are filled with tender joy
he gently reaches for the child,
this little scrap, this baby boy.
3 And can they know? And could they guess
at love's responsibility,
that hurt would mingle with the joy
of human possibility?
4 But on this night a single star
is just enough to signal grace:
a child is born in Bethlehe
and offered for the human race.
Andrew E Pratt (born 1948)
Singing the Faith 219
Words © 2008 Stainer & Bell Ltd, London, England, http://www.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: LM Tune: TRURO
God’s words have such a weight – a hymn inspired by John 1
1 God’s words have such a weight
that read, or heard or thought,
we sense an emphasis of love.
And such a love Christ brought.
2 The Word became a man
that human eyes could see,
a man who knew the pain of life
as heaven’s refugee.
3 The echo of that Word
has rung from age to age
whenever love has conquered creed
when God had centre stage.
4 And is that Word still heard?
And does the Christ still sing?
When love cuts through our prejudice
yes! yes, God’s word will ring!
Andrew E Pratt
Words © 2003 © 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: SM
Tunes: CARLISLE; FRANCONIA
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