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Strange Weapons
The original version of Strange Weapons, which includes the verse about the demonstration in South Africa with Desmond Tutu, and then goes to the story of Good Friday and Easter Sunday
In the sadness of the news from Myanmar the solitary witness of a nun in prayer was a very powerful moment. Seeing this action from Sister Ann (18 Feb 2021) reminded me of something I was trying to say in the song ‘Strange Weapons’. The first verse of Strange Weapons was about a demonstration in Cape Town during apartheid days. The procession as led by faith community leaders including Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Strangely I had been adding a verse to this song on the power of prayer and the first part of this verse very much reflect the example of Sister Ann.
Prayer is an act of defiance
Won’t accept the way things are
Prayer is an act of protest
Won’t accept the way things are Read more…
A song and a prayer for Easter
Song for Easter
Jesus of the Scars
If we have never sought, we seek you now;
Your eyes burn through the dark our only stars;
We must have sight of thorn-marks on your brow,
We must have you, O Jesus of the scars.
The heavens frighten us, they are too calm;
In all the universe we have no place
Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?
Lord Jesus, by your scars we know your grace
O Jesus of the scars we seek you now
O Jesus of the scars we seek you now
We must have sight of the thorn-marks on your brow
We must have you, O Jesus of the scars
The other gods were strong but you were weak;
They rode, but you did stumble to a throne;
But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak,
And not a god has wounds but you alone.
music by Garth Hewitt
poem by Edward Shillito, written at the end of the First World War
Prayer for Easter
O God, whether in India, Greece or Bethlehem
Or anywhere else in our global village
Lead us through the wilderness of worry, despair,
Illness, sorrow and suffering
And lead our wounded world to the resurrection of hope.
May we all learn from this world wide virus
That we are all in this together.
So no more violence and war,
No more greed and selfishness –
It is time to support one another
And genuinely love our neighbour as ourself.
.
.
Garth Hewitt writes redemption songs
and then sings them without fear.
His voice comes through clearly,
challenging us by his witness to act for justice. His is a brave voice,
needed more than ever in a fearful world, and in a sometimes timid church.
Please God, it will help us
sing redemption songs of our own.
The Revd Lucy Winkett
Rector, St James’s Piccadilly
previous Chair of Trustees of Amos Trust