Tag: grace

A hymn in anticipation of Advent – The crash of constellations

A hymn in anticipation of Advent - The crash of constellations

1	The crash of constellations, 
	where prejudice divides, 
	where love is torn and broken, 
	where hatred still resides, 
	is where we meet as equals 
	and share what God has given, 
	diversity in concord,  			
	a foretaste of God's heaven.
	
2	This is the time for praying,
	yet prayer is not the end, 
	for reconciliation
	needs grace that God will send.
	And in that grace our vision, 
	our eyes are opened wide,
	to see Christ in the other, 
	and then we must decide:
	
3	Is love of God yet greater 
	than human words and creeds?
	Is love of neighbour furnished
	by human loving deeds?
	And can we live together
	or must we be apart,
	because of human diff'rence
	though we are one in heart?
	
4	God give us grace to fathom 
	the riches of your care,
	and then the strength to shoulder
	the ministry we bear;
	that working with each other
	acknowledging the worth
	of love we share together
	we'll spread your peace on earth.

Andrew Pratt (born 1948)
Words © 2009 © 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: 7 6 7 6 7 6 
Tune: THORNBURY


Making much of clever counsel – a hymn inspired by Luke 20:27-38

Making much of clever counsel – a hymn inspired by Luke 20:27-38

1           Making much of clever counsel
              lawyers sought to trip and flaw.
              Jesus answered with God’s wisdom, 
              offered grace to cut through law.
             
2           God of Jesus, God of Moses, 
              God of Hannah and of Ruth; 
              God of Dorcas, God of Peter, 
              help us understand your truth
             
3           Held by things that do not matter, 
              we can sometimes miss our place,
              nothings fuel our indignation
              still we’re blinded to your grace.
             
4           Open eyes and hearts to kindness, 
              help us see beyond the lies
              that would complicate your goodness, 
              God with grace awake, surprise!

Andrew Pratt (born 1948)
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

A Hymn for International Day of Peace – ‘Here is Peace’

 A Hymn for International Day of Peace - Here is Peace

In 1981, the United Nations General Assembly declared the third Tuesday of September as International Day of Peace. This day coincided with the opening day of the annual sessions of the General Assembly. The purpose of the day was and still remains, to strengthen the ideals of peace around the world.
Two decades after establishing this day of observance, in 2001, the assembly moved the date to be observed annually on September 21. So, beginning in 2002, September 21 marks not only a time to discuss how to promote and maintain peace among all peoples but also a 24-hour period of global ceasefire and non-violence for groups in active combat (I am grateful to Rev’d Pat Bilsborrow for drawing my attention to this day).

Hymn: Here is Peace

Here is peace, when grace astounds us 
quelling all our wild pretence. 
Here is peace, shalom and kindness, 
passion ruled by reasoned sense.

Here is peace, when grace engenders 
love that neither fades nor ends. 
Here is peace when people welcome;
enemies become as friends.

Here is peace, when grace surprises 
ignorance with words of hope. 
Here is peace, to light our senses: 
see, God’s love has boundless scope.

Words: Andrew Pratt  written while listening to Mr D. Rutter, preacher, in Comberbach Methodist Church 2004; © 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: ADORATION (Hunt)
A tune can be found here – Traditional Latvian Melody
A commentary on the text and tune (with an out of date biography) can be found here.


If God in love invests us with a voice – a Christian response to war?

At at a time of continued war in Israel/Palestine and Ukraine/Russia as people seek, or fear, to protest what might our Christian response be?

If God in love invests us with a voice, 
and given hell on earth, a human choice,
we cannot cry our tears into this night 
if we are silent with our people’s plight.

Don’t  say that they are foreign, not our own,
these faces greeting rocket, tank or drone, 
for as these people flee towards our shore 
they seek for care and safety, nothing more.

Humanity, the common life we share,
is all that’s left that we can hold and bear, 
so as we look into each human face, 
see Christ and through God’s Spirit offer grace.

Andrew Pratt 7/9/2025
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
Metre: 10.10.10.10
Tune: EVENTIDE; ST AGNES (Langran)

We stand to sing – a hymn inspired by Luke12: 32-40

We stand to sing, the fearful lose their chains inspired by Luke 12: 32-40

1           We stand to sing, the fearful lose their chains,
              the key might change, yet harmony remains,
              for here is love and loving grace will blend
              with grace to comfort, strengthen and to mend.

2           What once we were, now damaged and worn down,
              contains the essence of a seed once sown,
              a seed, that nurtured, still might rise to life
              beyond this hurt and harrowed, faulted strife.

3           God values every bruised and bending reed;
              God sees a nascent flower and not a weed;
              and so will raise us up from where we are,
              the faintest, feeble spark becomes a star.

Andrew E Pratt (born 1948)
Words © 2017 Stainer and 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: 10 10 10 10
Tune: HIGHLAND CATHEDRAL