spirituality
Easter Prayer
O God we have been on a journey through Lent
And now we are walking with you through Holy Week —
May we pause and pray and meet with you.
Your teaching has been about the kingdom or community of God,
A way of life and a community that goes up against the empires of domination —
As relevant now as it ever has been.
The empires of greed favouring the rich and powerful,
Instead of your way reflecting justice for all.
As you head to Jerusalem you are witness to this on Palm Sunday
As you ride in with non-violence,
From one side of Jerusalem gentle and riding on a donkey —
From the other side the army of empire, injustice, greed and oppression.
As you turn the tables of oppression, so the empire wants you killed
The powers who rule, crucify you: the sin of the world kills you.
But on Easter Sunday God affirms you and all you have done —
There is the rising again —
God’s community of love continues forever.
May we be in the community of love —
The community that is never silent
And so a community of the Gospel bringing justice and hope to all.
Amen
A song for International Women’s Day
A song for international women’s day – this song is about a true story of a Dalit woman in India and reminds us to pray and campaign for the Dalits in India, particularly in these difficult times for the Dalit community
RAISE THE FLAG
They chose her to raise the flag
On National Independence Day
They chose her to raise the flag
But it nearly cost her life.
After 50 years of independence
She should have raised it high
But instead he knocked her down and laid her low
He beat her up and told her that she was not worthy
He beat her up and told her because she is a Dalit
He knocked her down to teach her a lesson she won’t forget
She is not worthy to raise the National flag.
But they chose her …
And when the time of the dark moon comes you can hear her calling
And when the time of the dark moon comes, you can hear her voice
She’s sitting all alone and her mind is confused
She’s paid the price for the lesson that she’s learnt
But they chose her …
from the album Stealing Jesus Back
Words & music by Garth Hewitt
℗ & © 2014 GingerDog Records
GingerDog Records Limited
3 The Chase, Brandon, Suffolk IP27 0RT
www.gingerdog-records.com
A Lenten Prayer
O God as we enter Lent
May we remember we are walking with you on a journey towards Holy Week –
May we pause and pray and meet with you.
Your teaching has been about the kingdom or community of God,
A way of life and a community that goes up against the empires of domination –
As relevant now as it ever has been.
The empires of greed favouring the rich and powerful,
Instead of your way reflecting justice for all.
As you head to Jerusalem you are witness to this on Palm Sunday
As you ride in with non-violence,
From one side of Jerusalem gentle and riding on a donkey –
From the other side the army of empire, injustice, greed and oppression.
As you turn the tables of oppression, so the empire wants you killed
The powers who rule, crucify you: the sin of the world kills you
But on Easter Sunday God affirms you and all you have done –
There is the rising again –
God’s community of love continues forever.
May we be in the community of love –
The community that is never silent
And so a community of the Gospel bringing justice and hope to all.
God of the just heart
God of the just heart
In the challenging words of the Sermon on the Mount
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice
They shall be satisfied’
You remind us that satisfaction does not lie
Where we might expect it
In the security of wealth and privilege
But in the joy of doing what is right
And in working to assert the value and dignity of other people
Because this is the calling of your community
This builds relationships and just societies
This brings deep satisfaction
As all are made welcome.
So keep us hungering and thirsting
For the values that make us all whole
And then we know the healing fountains will start.
Holy Dreams to Feed the Soul
SPCK
The Devil’s Moment
When the bombers are flying in the name of peace
With people hungry when they needn’t be
It’s the demon of greed when selfishness wins
It’s the devil’s moment.
When the innocent die because our cause is right
When fear is alive and cuts like a knife
When unfaithfulness wins and mistrust is alive
It’s the devil’s moment.
An aeroplane against a clear blue sky
Fearfully guided by an evil eye
Both sides of the world so many will die
It’s the devil’s moment.
Kyrie eleison, kyrie eleison
Kyrie eleison, kyrie eleison
When we turn away and pass on by Read more…
Two thoughts from Thomas Merton…
Two thoughts from Thomas Merton, writer, theologian, poet, social activist and mystic, and Trappist monk writing in the ‘60s, couldn’t be more important and relevant for today – first his thoughts on the danger of nuclear war, and then part of a poem where he is calling for messengers of peace to proclaim God’s law of love.
“I am not a pure pacifist in theory, though today in practice I don’t see how one can be anything else since limited wars (however “just”) present an almost certain danger of nuclear war on an all-out scale. It is absolutely clear to me that we are faced with the obligation, both as human beings and as Christians, of striving in every way possible to abolish war. The magnitude of the task cannot be allowed to deter us. Even if it seems impossible, we must still attempt it. This demands of course a spirit of faith.”
“So tell the earth to shake
With marching feet
Of messengers of peace
Proclaim my law of love
To every nation
Every race”
Thomas Merton – A Book of Hours