Tag: prejudice

Tangled in prejudice, lost in presumption – hymn inspired by John 9: 1-41


A hymn inspired by John 9: 1 – 41…As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned

Tangled in prejudice, lost in presumption, 
locked in our judgments, so sure of our ground; 
others are sinful, but we are the righteous, 
this is the truth we are sure we have found.
	
This is our blindness and now we must own it, 
owning suspicion of those we deride; 
painting them wrongly, unjustly with hatred, 
side-stepping honesty, trying to hide.
	
For like the Pharisees' we are self-serving,
gaining our wealth from the ones we oppress;
sometimes we bring down the ones who would challenge, 
this we have done and now this we confess.
	
In this confession we seek your forgiveness, 
God who has touched both the broken and frail. 
We were thought strong, but we plead for compassion, 
we, the successful, have found we can fail.
	
Yet you astound us, 'your sins are forgiven', 
words that have echoed down into our time.
How can we warrant such scandalous mercy?
Only through grace can you offer this sign.

Andrew Pratt (born 1948)
Words © 2011 © 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: EPIPHANY HYMH; IN THE BEGINNING GOD PLAYED WITH THE PLANETS

Change us, God, into the likeness (hymn) – for times of debate and decision


Change us, God, into the likeness 

of yourself, through perfect grace; 

let your loving faith unite us, 

till in each we see your face.



If you are our common parent 

in whose image we are made, 

then our varied traits, our being, 

in your person are displayed.



In your presence all are welcome, 

welcome, just as we are formed, 

and where prejudice divides us 

let our vision be reformed.



In the tension of deciding 

may your gracious spirit lend 

openness and understanding, 

help our enmity to end.



Andrew Pratt 24/4/2021 Written in response to the Chester & Stoke on Trent Methodist Synod discussion on the report ‘God in Love Unites Us’.

Words © 2021 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: 8.7.8.7

Tune: CHAPEL BRAE (Singing the Faith 610); LOVE DIVINE (Stainer)

Let us reach beyond the winter – a hymn for our time

 
  1 Let us reach beyond the winter
 through this dark, depressive gloom,
 may the light of Christ come shining
 into every shuttered room.
 
 2 May the sunshine of the spring time
 warm each frozen heart and mind,
 melting prejudice and anger
 by love faithful, strong and kind.
 
 3 Now profound anticipation
 wakens hope and offers grace,
 as we press, with God beside us,
 to the future we must face.
 
 4 God who shares our darkest moments,
 God of harmony and praise,
 lead us on until you greet us,
 God the goal of all our days.
 
 Andrew Pratt (born 1948)
 © 2004 Stainer & Bell Ltd
 8 7 8 7
 Tune: LOVE DIVINE (Stainer)
 
 Andrew Pratt
 Words © 2004 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.