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Making Holy Dreams Come True

What have they done to the “Little Town”?

Imprisoned it in a concrete wall

Bethlehem – once a holy city

Trapped inside a ghetto wall.

Here where angels sang of peace

Where love and hope were born anew

Once surrounded by a heavenly host

Now surrounded by a concrete view.

Yet people crushed and hidden away

Still celebrate on Christmas Eve

Lighting candles for the child –

They still remember – still believe.

So light a candle this Holy Night

For Bethlehem and Beit Sahour

And for all the people caught inside

That cold and grey prison wall

Longing for a world of peace

Where all are treated equally

Where all can recognise their worth

Where all can live with dignity –

Where all can join hands with neighbours

Whether Muslim, Christian or Jew

And find a way to live together

Making Holy dreams

Making Holy dreams come true.

O God, from the heart of Bethlehem
From the heart of occupied land
You have sent a message
To shake the world
Thank you for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem
That gives so many clues as to your character
In the birth of this child we discover a spirituality
Of hope, peace, justice
Thank you that a child born in simplicity
Amongst a poor community
Speaks of the values of the way of peace
Thank you that you are a God of the poor
The marginalised
Those for whom there is no room
And that’s why this is a way of life and a theology
That gives such hope
Because no one is forgotten
May we hear the call
And live out the lifestyle
That helps to build a community
That reflects this alternative way
Of a loving God
A community of justice
That asserts simplicity
Humility
And the worth of every human being
Thank you that you are a humble, generous God
Who stopped to show us the way of love
In Bethlehem

The Dust of Death

I recorded this song, ’The Dust of Death’, in 1976, for my ‘Love Song For the Earth’ album – it is extraordinary how relevant these words seem this week (COP26)

In 1970 Tom Paxton released ‘Whose Garden Was This’ which I covered on my recent ‘My Name is Palestine’ album. Joni Mitchell’s ‘Big Yellow Taxi’ was also 1970 – we’ve been talking about these things for a long time! This week should be a week of action!

We came across this video put together by “e27mark” and this seems like a good time to share it.

Easter Revolution

Garth’s new album – Easter Revolution –

will be available before Christmas

watch this space for details

May we never be silent

O God, just and loving,
May we find a way to speak up
for those who are being brutalised,
ignored or forgotten.
May we be those who speak up for refugees,
May we be those who speak up for the oppressed in Palestine
May we bring support where we can and may we never be silent.

Love is never silent and justice is never silent –
May we find ways to speak up
Especially when our sisters and brothers are asking for our solidarity –

with our voices telling the story.
May we echo the Palestinian Christian “Cry for hope”
And stand against injustice and apartheid –
And stand against the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
May we show the love and justice of Jesus
And find ways for our voices to tell the story.

And may the God who dances in creation
Who embraces us with human love
Who shakes our lives like thunder
Bless us and drive us out with power
To fill the world with her justice.

The final paragraph is a blessing from St Hilda’s Community

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

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.

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