Tag: parting

When grief is raw and anger burns – a hymn for those who grieve

When grief is raw and anger burns – a hymn for those who grieve

1	When grief is raw and anger burns 
	and lives are churned about, 
	the reed will bruise, but will not break, 
	love's flame will not snuff out.
	
2	Our depth of love is signalled by 
	this parting stress we feel 
	and neither platitudes, nor prayer, 
	can make our loss less real.
	
3	Yes, death will sting and pain will hurt, 
	but love will not recede, 
	for God is greater than our loss 
	and to our God we plead.
	
4	We cry for peace, we plead for rest, 
	we ask that we might trace, 
	through every mem'ry that we hold, 
	God's present love and grace.

Andrew Pratt (born 1948)
Words 2008 © 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: CM
Tune: BEATITUDO

On the Sunday between my wife’s death and her funeral one of the lectionary readings is John 14: 15 – 21
Jesus’ words…18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”

HymnQuest.com suggests this hymn, written 18 years ago as one related to this text.

God marks no ending, only new beginnings – Hymn/Poem – Methodist New Year – and other times of change or new-ness or loss

God marks no ending, only new beginnings,
until the consummation of our lives;
God keeps no count of losses, nor of winnings:
we move through grace, the holy spirit thrives.

So as we go beyond this time, this setting,
rememb’ring all the laughter and the tears;
we go with God in faith, so not regretting
the moments shared, the hopes, the dreams, the fears.

Though parted for a while, we travel onward,
not knowing what the future has in store.
This phase will close, the spirit draws us forward,
we’ve tasted love, but God has promised more!

Words © 2006 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.

11 10 11 10 Suggested Tune: LORD OF THE YEARS