Category: worship

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

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

Where the jackals scratch a living – hymn – prepare the way of the LORD

Isaiah 40:3 A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God”.



1	Where the jackals scratch a living, 

	in this wild, deserted place, 

	springs will bring refreshing water, 

	grass and reeds will sign God's grace. 

	

2	Here our God will build a highway 

	striding out across the land, 

	bringing hope to what was barren, 

	once again the people stand.

	

3	Once again a smile is dawning 

	on the face of every man, 

	all the children play together, 

	women talk, it's time to plan.

	

4	As we tell, recount the story, 

	in this present time and place, 

	may we build in recollection, 

	room for hope and gracious space;

	

5	Space where God can offer comfort 

	through our human words and lives, 

	love that shows in every instance 

	faith can live and hope survives.



© 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

New Advent hymn – A quiet chill that freezes expectation

A quiet chill that freezes expectation, 
the hope of love seems distant and remote 
as war and hate are whirling all around us, 
we wait for light of which the prophets wrote.

There is no peace, no reconciliation 
as factions fired by hatred seethe and kill, 
when will it end, this constant devastation, 
when will we learn to listen, to be still? 
[When will we listen to each other, share one will?]

This advent season, dawn of love’s foundation 
is born in darkness of eternal night, 
and yet a flicker bids us hasten onward, 
as purple shadows hint at morning light.

And in this moment in our preparation 
let’s put aside our fripperies and fear, 
to make new space for gracious re-creation.
Come God, in love at last, come now, draw near. 
[Come God infuse your love in us, O come, draw near.]

Words Andrew Pratt © 2023 © 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
Tunes: INTERCESSOR, [LONDONDERRY AIR]

Note: Using the tune: INTERCESSOR sing as a four verse hymn. Ignore words in [square] brackets.
Using LONDONDERRY AIR combine verses 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 to make a two verse hymn using the use the words in  [square] brackets for the last line of each verse.