Category: Thoughts

The rubble and the language – words for our time, for Gaza

The rubble and the language – words for our time, for Gaza

The rubble and the language, 
discarded, damaged lives, 
are things that evil scatters;
no hope of love survives 
when narcissistic grasping 
eradicates all grace, 
if protest sinks in silence 
love leaves our human race.

Bereft of all compassion, 
with empathy stripped bare, 
humanity extinguished, 
while people suffer there; 
this world is desecrated 
can we not find a way 
to heal and mend relations 
to counter this decay.

With hatred running rampant, 
while sinking in despair, 
is there no other option 
to clear this rancid air, 
to open doors to trusting, 
to take the risk to dare 
to find a new beginning, 
through action, kindness, prayer.

Alternative last 4 lines:

From warring words and venom 
could we at last relent, 
or still continue headlong 
to hell to which we’re bent?

Andrew E Pratt (born 1948)
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.

Notes
This is probably best used as a reading. No tune is offered, though, being metrical it could be sung – as a protest song (or a hymn?).



Toward Ascension

The 9th May, 2024 is Ascension Day. That takes my memory back to school days going to, what would now be seen as, a very old-fashioned boys grammar school. On this day we were marched in the morning to a local church for a service. Other than having a morning off from lessons, I remember little of this and grasped nothing of its significance. It makes me wonder what we make of this today, if anything.

Easter was early this year. Then it was over. What then? Actually, in terms of the church calendar, it’s not over until Ascension. So what do we do in these weeks?

Over recent Sundays we have been recounting stories of resurrection. Outside the world moves toward the next commercial opportunity for retailers and hospitality. As to Ascension, what’s that? Good question.

Let’s take it literally from the point of view of the disciples. They had witnessed crucifixion. Then Jesus was back with them. Forgiveness was given, peace proffered. Back to normal. Remember when the lockdown of Covid was lifted. Back to normal, yes. But I’ve recently had another vaccination. Not all is ‘normal’. We have adjusted. I think the disciples experienced a similar rhythm. Jesus death left them orphaned. But Jesus was back. Then this ascension took him away again – ‘Handed over to orphaned, comforted, now comfort less…lost, bereft, as now he leaves them, homeless, friendless, scarred, unblessed’…as a hymn puts it. The gospel according to Matthew says, ‘and some doubted’.

Once beyond this moment what was the new normal for them? Perhaps it can teach us something. Firstly, they had to recognise that Jesus really was dead, not there. Gradually the way beyond this realisation was that the old normal was not coming back. They had to think and act for themselves. This was not just trusting for life after death, but for living life before death.

Without the Ascension they would never have reached this point. Realising this they needed a real new normal. This involved repentance for real. A total and complete change of mind. Following Covid the so called ‘new normal’ drifted back to business as usual. If we have grasped the intention of Ascension there are choices to be made, a new mindset to be adopted and a new life to be lived for real, no drifting back. That new life, for the disciples, began to express the very spirit of Jesus.

So this time coming up to Ascension what are we going to do? A time for reflection? What real new normal do we need to embody that we, you and I, might see Christ in others and they might see Christ in us – that same Spirit of Jesus?

Buzzard; Copyright Andrew Pratt 2024