Prophet – hymnsandbooks

Baptised into being, the Lord of creation – hymn inspired by Matthew 3:13-17)

Baptised into being, the Lord of creation (Matthew 3:13-17)

1	Baptised into being, the Lord of creation:
	the dove is descending the Spirit has come, 
	it soars and it swoops on the face of the waters, 
	Christ blessed in that moment, his mission begun.
	
2	Here John the Baptiser will pass on the baton, 
	though harsh and prophetic, his message, refined,
	will gain a new purpose, as Jesus will challenge:
	the powers and authorities now undermined.
	
3	But that will come later, for now for the honing 
	of all his integrity, knowledge and skill, 
	the Christ is cast out to the wilds of the desert, 
	where animals forage and hunger can kill.
	
4	And on his return he will live as God with us, 
	humanity clothed with both loving and grace, 
	to temper all justice with mercy, compassion, 
	a model of life for the whole human race.
	
5	And when will we walk in the steps of this master? 
	And when will we emulate what we see there:
	inclusive and limitless love for creation 
	where all is of value and all deserve care?

Andrew E 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: 12 11 12 11
Tunes: ST CATHERINE’S COURT

Great prophet of pity – A hymn inspired by Romans 12: 1-8

Great prophet of pity - A hymn inspired by Romans 12: 1-8

Great prophet of pity, subversive in love,
unsettle our comfort, divert and reprove;
that, moved from self-interest, and shielded from pride,
we might yet embody the gifts of your bride.

O raise up your people and fit them to care
for all who are lonely or lost in despair.
The reed that is bending, the wick that burns low,
through grace and persistence, God, help them to grow.

From each generation, race, colour or creed,
Christ, gather together, united by need,
the ones that you value, and God, may we find,
in spite of ourselves that your welcome is kind.

Andrew E Pratt (born 1948)
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: 11 11 11 11
Tune: ST DEINIO

Once a prophet pictured Israel – A hymn inspired by Isaiah 5: 1-7 for the second Sunday in August

1 Once a prophet pictured Israel,
like a vineyard, overgrown,
no more fruitful, judged and broken,
left to ruin, overthrown.

2 In the tone hear disappointment
in the prophet’s call and cry,
seeing bloodshed wound his nation,
justice now a living lie.

3 Trampled waste land, good for nothing,
barren, fruitless, destitute,
is this now the way God sees us,
arid earth that feeds no root?

4 Or are we a fruitful people,
sown in faith to nurture grace,
bringing hope to all the nations,
love sustained in every place?

Andrew Pratt
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: 8.7.8.7
Tune: CROSS OF JESUS

Amos 7: 7-17 A pertinent passage… a pertinent hymn… a Prophet and a plumb-line

1	The prophet saw a plumb line simply hanging 
	to sign God's love amid the sons of men, 
	then, with the women, everyone is singing
	that God will never turn away again.
	
2	Yet Amos blew the whistle on God's people, 
	a prophet in a time of greed and need, 
	self-righteousness as high as any steeple, 
	spoke of abandonment of law and creed.
	
3	The powers that be would have him leave the country, 
	yet Amos stood as firm as any rock, 
	the words that he had spoken, quietly, humbly,  
	had power to break the proud, to shake and shock. 
	
4	The judgment was quite plain, for God had spoken, 
	a time for present challenge and for choice; 
	and as words echo through a world still broken, 
	we hesitate to praise or to rejoice.

Andrew Pratt, Words © 2015 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: 11 10 11 10
Tune: INTERCESSOR




 


Used By Permission. CCL Licence No. 0000
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