tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31480492181909169142024-03-05T12:14:57.526+00:00crossbeamsbobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-86237524474877923872015-09-30T00:47:00.001+01:002015-09-30T00:47:21.361+01:00
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Hunted</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Periscope up: nine feet above the veldt</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Eyes peeled, scouring the tawny savannah:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Fearing the fatal pounce of the camouflaged
cheetah,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Pacey predator of the spotted plains.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But unseen, unheard, lurking silent in the
scrubby bush,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A yet more lethal enemy stalks</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Rifle cocked, held steady on a forking
branch.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Sights centred on the soft, deep plumed
belly</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Of the unarmed flightless bird,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Ready to kill from far away, with searing
force </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And deafening retort, the unseen bullet </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Brings down one hundred kilos of prime
defenceless meat</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And regal feathers to crown the archduke’s</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Slightly balding head, with borrowed stately
majesty.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Those ostrich feathers fluttering on a
sundrenched Balkan day:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Unstained by the bomber’s ill-timed
bloodied blows .</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Six assassins hidden in the undergrowth,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Waiting to pounce with bomb or revolver, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Fail to bring down their royal foes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But unseen the seventh waits his final turn</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As his richly plumed quarry comes into view,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Takes a wrong turning, and has to be pushed
back – </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Becoming a soft target - point blank range for
Princips’ deadly shot, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And once again those showy feathers fall to
dust. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">So this shot’s loud explosion rends the
world</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And fear displaces every shred of trust.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Four distant plumes of feathery, windswept smoke;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Famed four-funneled Lusitania’s certain
silhouette:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The U-20’s captain’s calculating mind </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Grinds through the cogwheels of the hunter’s
long rehearsed routine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Sums done, amidships below the second
funnel</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Targeted; torpedo launched, but hits the
liner early, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In its bows, where surely it could take the
blow intact, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And might have done, perhaps, except for
one appalling fact,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">That stashed within its hold a secret cargo
lay </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Ready to explode upon the slightest impact</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">With annihilating force. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So barely eighteen minutes from the initial
blow, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The stricken ship was sunk; twelve hundred lives
were lost. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Periscope down.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-11068698482789379232015-09-21T17:03:00.002+01:002015-09-21T17:28:01.867+01:00<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Come to church Sunday</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT";">Opening
drama:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Person One: What</span><i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">is</span><i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">this place?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Person Two: It’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a tribute<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>human<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>desire<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>create<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>places<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>sacred<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>significance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(</span><i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Trying to sound
knowledgeable</span></i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">) The architecture
is a little ambivalent, but I’d say it’s a blend of post modern and art deco
styles.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Person One: (</span><i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Looking very confused</span></i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">) What on earth are you talking about? What’s
going on here?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Person Two: (</span><i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Now<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>speaking<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>if<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>explaining<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>something<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>obvious<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>child</span></i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Well,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>large building with lots of chairs, which are now partly filled with
people.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Person One: (</span><i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A tad frustrated</span></i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">) I can see that. But what </span><i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">is </span></i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">it?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Person Two: (</span><i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Smugly</span></i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">) It’s a church.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Person One: (</span><i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Gasps</span></i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">) Where God lives? (</span><i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">In a whisper</span></i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">) Shouldn’t we be kneeling or whispering or something?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Person Two: God doesn’t live here – at least not
only here.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Person One: (</span><i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Looking impressed, but uncertain</span></i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">) What? God has a bunch of houses? Like holiday
homes and stuff?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Person Two: (</span><i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Shaking<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>head <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and trying<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>sound<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>like<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>preacher</span></i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">)</span><i><span style="font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "TimesNewRoman\,Italic"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lord<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>dwelleth<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>not<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>in habitations
fashioned by the hands of humans.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Person One: Huh?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Person Two: God doesn’t “live” in buildings. God’s
presence fills every part of the universe.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: TimesNewRoman; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: TimesNewRoman; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Person One:
Then, why do you have a church? And why is it called “the house of the Lord”?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Welcome and introduction</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Creator of the world, eternal God,<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>we have come from many places,</b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>and are made welcome,</b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Jesus, the liberator, who rescues the world from evil,
God-with-us,<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>we have come as we are,</b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>with all our differences,</b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>seeking common ground.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Spirit of unity, go-between God,<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>we have come on journeys of our own,</b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>to a place where journeys meet.</b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So here in this place,<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
let us take time together.<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For when paths cross and people gather,<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
there is much to share and celebrate.<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>In your name, three-in-one God,</b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>pattern of community. Amen</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Song</span></b> JPHuber<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tune Leone 131 bpw</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 O God of earth and space,<br />
of sea and fire and air,<br />
Your providence surrounds us here<br />
and everywhere.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In fruit and grain and tree,<br />
in shelter from the cold,<br />
In cooling breezes, flowing wells,<br />
now as of old</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 Where faithfulness is shown,<br />
where love and truth abound,<br />
Where beauty graces human life,<br />
there you are found.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Inspirer of all thought!<br />
Creative force of art!<br />
The melody on every tongue,<br />
in every heart!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 Wherever freedom reigns,<br />
where sin is overthrown,<br />
Where justice fused with mercy rules,<br />
there you are known.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Give us the courage clear,<br />
to make the earth a home,<br />
For all to live in harmony,<br />
in Christ’s shalom. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT";">Saying Sorry</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
God our Father,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
we come to you in sorrow for our sins.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For turning away from you,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and ignoring your will for our lives;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Father, forgive us:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Save us and help us</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For letting ourselves be drawn away from you</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
by temptations in the world about us;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Father, forgive us:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Save us and help us</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For behaving just as we wish,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
without thinking of you;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Father, forgive us:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Save us and help us</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For failing you by what we do,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and think and say;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Father, forgive us:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Save us and help us</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For living as if we were ashamed</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to belong to your Son;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Father, forgive us:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Save us and help us</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Forgiveness</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My God, our heavenly Father,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
who has promised to forgive</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
all those who sincerely turn to him:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
have mercy on us.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
May he deliver us from all our sins,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and strengthen us for his service,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
through Jesus Christ our Lord.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Amen</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT";">Children’s
talk</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-hyphenate: none; text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT";">Childrens
song </span></b><b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "AmerType Md BT"; mso-bidi-font-family: "AmerType Md BT";">©
David MacGregor 1995</span></i></b><br />
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">1 Children,
old folk and in-between</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Come, come,
come as you are</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">No matter
who you are</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">No matter
where you’ve been</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Come, come,
come as you are.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Jesus,
you’re the one we follow</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Jesus,
you’re the one who forgives</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Come and
wrap your love around us</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">You died
so we could live</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Come,
come, come as you are</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">2. Friends
with Jesus in all kinds of weather</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Come, come,
come as you are</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Jesus, we
want to know you better</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Come, come,
come as you are</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">3. Jesus,
you love us like no other</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Come, come,
come as you are</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Accept us
like a sister ... brother</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Come, come,
come as you are</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT";">Reading Luke
19 1-10</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT";">Talk</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT";">song (based on Lennon McCartney)</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 He’s a most unusual man: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
he came to give the blind their sight</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and put all evil powers to flight, make darkness light;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He makes the stormy days turn fine</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and changes water into wine,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
he gives his body as a sign,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he’s Jesus.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Son of Man, Lord Jesus,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>died and lives to save us,</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>he’s the one to follow if<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>we but dare,</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 He’s a most unusual man:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
who makes the crowds all stop and stare,<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
he teaches people how to care and how to share.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
as rich and poor as they can be,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
he came to set the prisoners free, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to give them all their liberty, he’s Jesus.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Son of Man, Lord Jesus,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>died and lives to save us,</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>he’s the one to follow, if we but can,</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3 He’s a most unusual man:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Though crucified he rose again;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He calls us all to die to self and live again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Listen Jesus as we pray:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We will follow in your way,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
give our lives to you today, Lord Jesus.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Son of man, Lord Jesus, died and lives to save us,</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>you’re the one to follow, so now we say:</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
4 Lord we’ll share your point of view,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
leaving all to follow you:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
most unusual Lord of all, we love you;</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
most unusual Lord of all, we love you.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT";">Affirmation
of faith</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the patchwork farmland and rolling hills, in the
woodlands tinged with red and gold, in tumbling streams and languid meandering
rivers,<br />
<b>we see the signs that God is with us.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
In our cities of concrete and brick,<br />
In towering architecture and in the homely familiarity of our streets</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>we see the signs that God is with us.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the faces of the people we meet,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
whom God loves,<br />
The rich and the poor, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the young and the old,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of every colour and every group</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>we see the signs that God is with us.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In our brokenness,<br />
<b>there is the hope of wholeness.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In our emptiness, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>there is the hope of fullness</b>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In our deaths,<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>lies the hope of resurrection
life. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>This is the Word in Christ to us.<br />
The warmth and freshness of the Holy Spirit lives in this place and travels
with us. Amen. <i> </i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>(Adapted/ D McRae-McMahon/eoj)</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Solo </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>1 I dream of a church that<br />
Joins in with God’s laughing<br />
As she rocks in her rapture<br />
Enjoying her art.<br />
She’s glad of her world<br />
In its risking and growing<br />
‘tis the child she has borne<br />
And holds close to her heart.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>2 I dream of a church that <br />
Joins in with God’s weeping<br />
As she crouches, weighed<br />
Down by the sorrow she sees.<br />
She cries for the hostile<br />
the cold and no-hoping<br />
For she bears in herself<br />
Our despair and disease.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>3 I dream of a church that<br />
Joins in with God’s dancing<br />
As she moves like the wind<br />
And the wave and the fire.<br />
A church that can pick up<br />
Its skirts, pirouetting<br />
With the steps that can signal<br />
God’s deepest desire.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>4 I dream of a church that can<br />
Join in God’s loving<br />
As she bends to embrace<br />
the unlovely and lost.<br />
A church that can free<br />
By its sharing and daring<br />
The imprisoned and poor<br />
And then shoulder the cost</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>5 God, make us a church that<br />
Joins in with your living<br />
As you cherish and challenge<br />
Rein in and release.<br />
A church that is winsome<br />
Impassioned, inspiring<br />
Lioness of your justice<br />
And lamb of your peace. Kate Compston/altd sung to the tune spanish ladies</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Prayers</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Offering</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Song copyright Bernadette Farrell</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">1 Longing for light we wait in darkness,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">longing for truth, we turn to you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Make us your own, your holy people,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">light for the world to see.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Christ be our
light! Shine in our hearts. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Shine through
the darkness,</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Christ be our
light! </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Shine in your
church gathered today.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">2 Longing for peace, our world is troubled.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Longing for hope, many despair.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Your word alone has power to save us.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Make us your living voice.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Christ be our
light! Shine in our hearts. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Shine through
the darkness,</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Christ be our
light! </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Shine in your
church gathered today.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">3 Longing for food, many are hungry.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Longing for water many still thirst.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Make us your bread, broken for others,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">shared until all are fed.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> </span><i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Christ be our light! Shine in our hearts. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Shine through
the darkness,</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Christ be our
light! </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Shine in your
church gathered today.</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">4 Longing for shelter, many are homeless.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Longing for warmth many are cold.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Make us your building, sheltering others,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">walls of living stone.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Christ be our
light! Shine in our hearts. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Shine through
the darkness,</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Christ be our
light! </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Shine in your
church gathered today.</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">5 Many the gifts, many the people,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">many the hearts that yearn to belong.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Let us be servants to one another,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">making your kingdom come.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Christ be our
light! Shine in our hearts. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Shine through
the darkness,</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Christ be our
light! </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">Shine in your
church gathered today</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Dismissal</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">God of wonder<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Send us out with hearts full of
praise.<br />
God of wilderness<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Send us out with lives full of
courage.<br />
God of the rainbow covenant<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Send us out to live at one with
all people.<br />
God of the cross and resurrection<br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Send us out in joyful
service. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Blessing</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">May the everlasting
God shield you,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">East and West and
wherever you go.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">And the blessing of
God be upon you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The blessing of
the God of life.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The blessing of
Christ be upon you,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The blessing of
the Christ of love.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The blessing of the
Spirit be upon you,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The blessing of
the Spirit of Grace.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The blessing of the
Trinity be upon you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Now and for
evermore.</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Amen.</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"></span></b></div>
bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-56875539289732362002015-07-30T08:31:00.001+01:002015-07-30T08:31:09.236+01:00
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<br />
<div class="Section1">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Psalm 29 rjg</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Give to the Lord, you heavenly hosts,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The glory due his name,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Sing of his awesome holiness,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">His majesty acclaim.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Wild waters heed his powerful word</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">His thunderous voice obey</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Great towering cedars crash to earth,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">As soft as new-mown hay.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">2 Flashes of lightening cleave the skies,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">When God his silence breaks,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Proud nations jump like new born calves, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The untamed desert quakes;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Oaks quickstep to their master’s call,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Great forests shrink unclad,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And in the temple one and all</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Cry “Glory“, and are glad.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">3 Lord God enthroned above the flood</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">You sit in sovereign power</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">King of the universe, you reign</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">All glorious evermore.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Strong in the strength that works for peace</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Lord strengthen those, by whom</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Your voice is hallowed in their lives</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And grant them your shalom.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Psalm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>42, 43</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 14.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Why are you full of sorrow and heaviness<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">why
so disquieted within</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Trust<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>in your God for he will deliver you</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">sing
songs of praise have faith in him.</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I am so thirsty like a deer in the desert</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I long for refreshment O life-giving God, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Enemies mock me - denying your presence;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">all
feasting forgotten - salt tears are my food.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">This I remember - the temple so splendid</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">processions
of triumph - those glad hymns of praise</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">now
they are past - all their glory long vanished </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">like
dreams half forgotten, my hopes all betrayed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Once in the mountains, where cataracts
thunder,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">your
power overcame me like torrents in spate</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Drowned in your mercy dark nights shone like
morning.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Why have you forgotten - left me to my fate? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">God,
you're my refuge, don't leave me to perish;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">outside
your safe keeping - I've nowhere to hide.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Bring me back to you, all banishment ended,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Lord, send forth your light, let your truth be
my guide.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">hymn </span></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">psalm 104 </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">rjg</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">O bless the Lord my soul</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">enthroned in heaven’s height</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">bedecked in majesty and awe</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">your very robes are light.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">2 The starry skies above</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">to you are but a tent</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the clouds your car - your messages</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">on tongues of fire are sent,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">3 Beneath the ocean depths</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">you sculpted all the land</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">then sent the waters foaming back</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">and fringed the seas with sand.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">4 The silver throated stream,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the plangent sapphire pool,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the tumbling torrent, slake our thirst</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">with living waters cool.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">5 Tall trees give storks
their homes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">wild crags, the marmots holes;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the jungle heeds the lions</span><span style="font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols";"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols";">=</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> roar</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">and zebras guard their foals.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">6 Our people rise to work </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">as sun announces day </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">while beasts seek shadows, deep and soft</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">to snooze the heat away.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">7 From crocodile to flea</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">blue whale and humming bird</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">your hand sustains earth’s teeming life</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">no creature dies unheard.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">8 For everything that
breathes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">inhales its life from you</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">your spirit<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is the breath of life </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">creating worlds anew.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">9 All glory be to God</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">while I have breath I sing</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">for he who fills the earth with good</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">is Lord of everything.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br clear="ALL" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span>
<div class="Section2">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Psalm 118 bicentenary hymn </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">words
rjg, tune<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>© John Barnard</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">O give thanks to the Lord,</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">his mercy endures for ever,</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">O give thanks to the Lord,</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">his righteousness wins the
day.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Let all of the peoples on
earth proclaim,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">his mercy endures for ever,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">though princes and
presidents shame his name:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">his faithfulness never
fails.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">When swarming like bees with
their deadly sting,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the powers of evil muster,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">we trust in the Lord and
defiantly sing,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">his faithfulness never
fails.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The stone that was dumped at the back of the yard</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">now has the place of honour</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Christ comes to save in the
name of the Lord:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">his faithfulness never
fails. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">With shouts of salvation and
waving of palms</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">we celebrate his triumph;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">death’s evil dominions have
been disarmed:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">his faithfulness never
fails.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">For this is the day that the Lord has made</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">we celebrate its splendours:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">God’s justice - the answer
for all that we’ve prayed,</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">has proved that it never
fails.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Century Gothic"; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">From
the latin of St Thomas Aquinas </span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">O hidden God, I worship and adore you</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Concealed beneath these earthly shades of
truth</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">To you I give, in faith, my life, my being</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My hopes, my will, my mind and attitude. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Sight, touch and taste will surely fail to
find you,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Yet faith can open ears to hear your word,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">that word expressed in God’s own Son, so
truly,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">its truth and beauty shone though all we
heard.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Upon the cross your
deity lay hidden</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">But here humanity seems absent too,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Yet I believe, bear witness to your presence,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And like the dying thief beg hope of you.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Not privileged with sights of wounds like
Thomas,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Yet would I make his testimony mine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">That ever, Lord my God, my faith increasing</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">May grow in me fresh hope and love divine.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">O rich memorials of
the death of Jesus</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The living bread with breath my life restore</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Grant me this life, that I may live to please
him</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And your rich sweetness savour evermore.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Lord Jesus, fabled
pelican of mercy</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">So wash me wholly with your cleansing blood</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Of which one precious drop can bring salvation</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Can change the whole wide world from bad to
good.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Jesus, thus veiled,
yet now by faith appearing</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I pray you grant my ardent suppliant cry </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">That when at last I may behold your glory</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Complete, before you I may stand in joy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Translated
rjg</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Easter hymn</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .95pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">This is a day of joy:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">a day to spend
in glorious celebration;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">for Christ has
risen on high,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the living
guarantee of our salvation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Let Easter
bells peal out -</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">repeat earth's
greatest story;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">cast off all
anxious doubt;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Christ Jesus
shines in glory, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">in glory, in
glory, in glory.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">2 This is a day
of life:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">death's icy
fingers melt in Easter sunlight;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the Lord has
healed our strife,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">his
resurrection life dispels hell's midnight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">God's love
casts out all fears</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">transfigures
all our sadness;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">he wipes away
all tears</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">and turns
despair to gladness, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">to gladness, to
gladness, to gladness.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">3 This is a day
of hope:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Now God in love
brings forth his new creation;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">When human
strength can't cope</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">His spirit
drives us on in expectation;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">for Christ has
burst through death</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">destroying
hell's bleak prison;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">so sing with
all your breath </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">"Lord Jesus
Christ is risen, is risen, is risen is risen!"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>RJG</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Gautami; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">rewriting of Jesu
lover of my soul</span></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Lord in whom
all love is found</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Cuddle me in your embrace</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">While the raging<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>waters pound,</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Wave on wave in frenzied race.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Hide me, loving Saviour, hide, </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">till the storm of life is past;</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Safe into the haven guide; </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Then receive me home at last.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Other refuge have I none, </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">All my hope in you I place</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Never leave me lost alone</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Still support me in your grace.<br />
All my trust on you is laid, </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">all my help from you I bring;<br />
Cover my defenceless head </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">with the shadow of your wing.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Will you not
regard my call? </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Will you not accept my prayer?<br />
See,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sink, I faint, I fall—</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Going<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>under in despair</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Reach me out your gracious hand! </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">your great strength let me receive,<br />
Hoping against hope I stand, </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">in the midst of death to live.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">You O Christ, are all I want, </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">more than all in you I find;<br />
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">heal the sick, and lead the blind.<br />
Just and holy is your Name;</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I am fraught with weaknesses<br />
frail of faith and steeped in shame; </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">You are full of truth and grace</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Grace abundant, rich and free, </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">grace to cover all my sin;</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Let its streams pour into me</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">make and keep me pure within.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -4.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Source of
life, creative Word, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -4.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">fill me
freely with your love;<br />
Rise again within me Lord; </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: -4.5pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">till I reign
with you above</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">commissioned
by Baptist Peace Fellowship</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Great God of
justice, mercy, peace</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Who rules the world in matchless grace</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">How could it be your sovereign will </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">That evil men should take and nail</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Your son upon a cross of wood</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Shatter his body, drain his blood</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Release a terrorist instead</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Happy to see your Jesus dead?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Is this the
way you punish sin</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Condemn to death earth’s greatest man?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Leave him, rejected with the poor</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Naked, unloved, alone, unsure</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Forsaken by his Father God</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">To die in darkness like a dog?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Surely our sins were multiplied</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">As yet another good man died.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Or was it you we killed that day,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Your blood we coldly poured away?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Slaying in hate like Cain of old</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Our brother sent to love and hold;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Holding the world in terror’s thrall</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">By bomb and bullet, loveless law,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Condemning millions to your fate</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Seeking to strangle love with spite.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Was it not
nails but love that tore</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Open your body, like a door</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Through which, by faith, we see your way?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">To turn earth’s hells to heavenly day</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Renouncing violence, hate and war</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">To walk more humbly, finding power</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In patience, kindness, loving care</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Till justice makes this sad world fair.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Hymn for Good
Friday vigil</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">How long O Father must
your Jesus suffer?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">How long must violence keep the upper hand?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The rich grow fat while millions die of hunger</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">and cynical Pontius Pilates rule our lands?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Why do you wait? Come
quickly to his rescue</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">You promised that your love would never cease.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Don't let him die in pain, betrayed, forsaken,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Come down and save your son, our prince of
peace.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">So where on earth's
salvation, God of heaven?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Where can we find your justice, Lord of Lords?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Our deep-held hopes expire on cruel crosses.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">When will your saving actions match your words?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The weary world still waits
in lonely anguish</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">for the deliverance,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lord God you vowed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Is death the only end of all our loving,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">our wounded bodies crushed, our spirits cowed?<b>
</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>RJG </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">RJG (on a prayer by Stepen Brown)</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">)</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The tale is told, the deed was done,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the Christ was killed, but rose again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And now we know the words to say,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Christ is the truth, the life, the way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">2 Eternal God, we crave that life,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">living in hunger for that truth</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">in all we think, or do, or say</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">to follow you, you are the way. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">3 Cross-shadow, resurrection-light,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the pain, the purpose, cost and gift,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">our love, our hope, for this we pray</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Christ be the truth, the life, the way</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">4 Our faith embracing all you send</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">grace upon grace, life without end</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">we follow on, trust and obey</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">for you’re the life, the truth, the way.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br clear="ALL" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: auto;" />
</span>
<div class="Section3">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Elizabeth Clephane. altd
RJG</span></i><b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></i></b></div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; margin-left: .8pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.3pt 0cm 5.3pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border: solid white 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 0cm 5.3pt 0cm 5.3pt; width: 256.5pt;" valign="top" width="257">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Beneath the cross of Jesus </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">is where I take my stand</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the shadow of a mighty rock </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">within a weary land!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">a home within the wilderness</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">a rest beside the way,</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">from the burning of the noontide heat</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">and the burden of the day.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">3 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There lies beneath its shadow</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">but on the other side,</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the darkness of the vale of death</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">that yawns both deep and wide</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">and there between us stands the cross </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">two arms outstretched to save</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">like a watchman set to guard the way</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">from that eternal grave.</span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-left: none; border: solid white 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 0cm 5.3pt 0cm 5.3pt; width: 238.5pt;" valign="top" width="239">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Oasis cool and sweet!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The place of peace where God’s </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">great grace</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">and God’s pure justice meet!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">As to young Jacob, guilty, lost,</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">that wondrous dream was given,</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">so seems my Saviour’s cross to me</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">a ladder up to heaven.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">4<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Upon that cross of Jesus,</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">my eyes, at times, can see</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the very dying form of him</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">who suffered there for me.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And from my heavy heart with tears</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">two wonders I confess:</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the wonder of his glorious love</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">and my own sinfulness.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -38.05pt;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -38.05pt; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -38.05pt; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -38.05pt; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -38.05pt; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -38.05pt; mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Beneath the cross of Jesus</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -38.05pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I make my dwelling place,</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -38.05pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I ask no other sunshine than</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -38.05pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the sunshine of his face;</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: -38.05pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">content to let the world go by</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">to know no gain nor loss; </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">my selfishness my only shame</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">my glory – all the cross.</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Cool living water </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">(words RJG
music A Wilson Dickson)</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cool living waters flow over
my head,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cleansing, refreshing me,
washing me through;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as Jesus was raised to new
life from the dead,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>come, living spirit, my nature
renew.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As cloth that is normal
becomes something royal</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>washed in my purple so
precious and rare,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>seep into my
being, transforming my soul</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>indelibly dyed in your beauty
so fair.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Make me like Jesus,
compassionate, strong,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>his faithful servant, a child
of his grace,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>my Lord's humble daughter, to
him I belong,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>living
his gospel, revealing his face.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">tune St
Botolph 557 bhb</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though being in the form of
God</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he did not seize the throne</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>but stripped himself of all
but love</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to take our flesh and bone;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1; tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A normal man in all respects</span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br clear="ALL" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: auto;" />
</span>
<div class="Section4">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as man he lived and died;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and as a slave he humbly bore</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>our cross - was crucified.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So God has raised him up on
high</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and given him such a name</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that far outshines the stars
of heaven</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and sets our hearts aflame;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Jesus reigns as Christ the
Lord,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to him all knees shall bow</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and every power in heaven and
hell </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tells forth his glory now.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> RJG Church in Wales</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">To tune 650
(bpw)</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">O Lord who made this world in grace</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">and launched it on its way:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">whose love commands through earth and space</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">and over all holds sway:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">deliver us, lest we should choose</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">to please ourselves, your world misuse.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">O Lord, revealed in flesh and blood</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">who taught us what is love</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">and died in pain to make us good</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">now glorified above:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">deliver us lest we should live</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">as unforgiv’n and not forgive.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">O Lord whose spirit breathing life</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">into all living things;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">who heals our wounded world of strife</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">and through all nature sings:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">deliver us that we may dare</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">to work for peace by deed and prayer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Amen</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">(organ)</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 8.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>RJG </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">To tune 429
bpw</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Lord Jesus Christ you're waiting now </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">with outstretched arms and open heart;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I want to come but don't know how;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">my doubts and fears keep us apart.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Lord Jesus is it really you</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">who thrills my soul and calls my name? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Can I resist a love so true?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Will my life ever be the same?</span></div>
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<div class="Section5">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Lord Jesus Christ, I need your love;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I've lived too long for self alone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Fill me with goodness from above:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">release in me the love you've won.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Lord Jesus, Yes, I know it's you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Embrace me with your nail-pierced hands;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">cleanse me from sin, my life renew;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">fulfil in me your kingdom's plans.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">O Lord, what joys too deep to sing!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">What peace too fathomless to plumb!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My Lord, my Life, my Saviour, King -</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">you're mine, I'm yours till kingdom come.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">RJG</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the O antiphons for advent</span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">Coming God,</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">coming in our Lord Jesus,<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">coming for outcasts,</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">coming to confound the proud,</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">coming to surprise with joy the sad.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">Come amongst us now in the creative power and presence of
your Spirit,</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">as we come into your presence in praise.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 85%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt;">O come
now wisdom from on high<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 85%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt;">whose word called forth both earth and sky</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 85%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt;">creating man from earthen clay</span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 85%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt;">to us reveal salvation’s way.</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 85%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-font-kerning: 1.0pt;"></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rejoice,
rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to you O Israel. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">O Lord of Lords, and ruler of the House of Israel, you
appeared to </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">Moses in the fire of the burning bush, and gave him the
law on Sinai: </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">come with your outstretched arm and ransom us.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i>O
come, O come<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>O Lord most high</i></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>who in your glorious majesty</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from Sinai's mountain clothed in awe</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>gave to your people, love's pure law.</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rejoice.....<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">O shoot springing from the root of Jesse, sign of God’s
love for all people, the one before whom all the earth’s leaders will fall silent,
and all peoples bow, let nothing delay your coming to save us.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i>O
come green shoot of Jesse’s tree</i></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>those
gripped in wrong’s iron fist set free</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>from hell’s grim stranglehold release</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>and
lead us forth to paths of peace<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rejoice…….. </span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">O key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel; you
open and none </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">can shut; you shut and none can open; come and free the
captives from </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">prison and break down the walls of death.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i>O
come, the key of David, come </i></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>fling open wide our heavenly home,</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>safeguard for us the heaven-ward road</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>and
bar the way to death's abode.</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rejoice....</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">O morning star, splendour of the light eternal and bright
sun of </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">righteousness: come and bring light to those who dwell in
darkness and </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">walk in the shadow of death.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i>O
come, O come Lord, dayspring bright</i></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>bathe all who wait in healing
light</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>disperse the long nights lingering
gloom</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>dispel depression's shades of doom.</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Rejoice……</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">O king of the nations, you alone can fulfil their desires;
</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">cornerstone, binding us all together; come and save the
creature you </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">have fashioned from the dust of the earth. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i>O
come, desire of nations! show</i></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>your kingly reign on earth below.</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>one
cornerstone, uniting all</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>restore the ruin of our fall</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Rejoice.........</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">O Emmanuel, our king and lawgiver, hope of the nations and
their </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">saviour; come and save us O Lord God.</span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>O come O come Emmanuel!</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Redeem your captive Israel</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That mourns in exile, lost and lone,</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>far from the face of God's dear Son!</span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Candara; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to you O Israel</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">( verses from O antiphons, trans. from latin by R.J. Gardiner.)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">litany
for pentecost</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Lord we are in need<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of your
reviving power: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">we have become stale and unimaginative: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">sometimes we are afraid of your </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">creativity and cower in the darkness because we fear the revolution of
your kingdom. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Visit us in the deepest parts of our being: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">renew us with the sweetness of your grace, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">you who are the source of all that lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Come Holy Spirit:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Come Holy Spirit from heaven's pure height;</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">scatter our darkness with your glorious light.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Come, father<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of poor
folk,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>great giver of all, </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">light of our being, the fire of our soul.</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1; tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The Lord says, I shall make you a light to the nations so </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">that my salvation may reach the remotest parts of earth.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Lord, we need the refreshment you alone can bring: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">sick, we need healing, tired we need energy, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">bereaved we need comfort: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">sometimes we cry in desperation with Jeremiah, why is there no progress
in the cure of our people? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Come Holy Spirit</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Of all who bring comfort, Lord,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>you are the best,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">to those admitting you, life's welcome guest; </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">in toil our refreshment, deliciously sweet,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">solace in sorrow, cool shade in the heat.</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The Lord says: I have seen their ways, but I will heal them, I will
repay them with comfort.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Lord we need peace: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In the words of your prophet Isaiah, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">we are searching for peace in this world like those without eyes, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">feeling our way along the walls, stumbling as though noon were twilight,
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">waiting for judgment that never comes, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">for salvation that seems far away. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Come Holy Spirit.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Bereft of your presence, most blessed pure light,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">bound in the darkness, we languish in night;</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">come, visit your faithful, our hearts fill with peace; </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">from sin's grim prison grant saving release.</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The Lord says: Look I am going to send peace flowing like a </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">river, and like a stream in spate the glory of the nations.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1; tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Lord we need cleansing: we try to do better week by week but </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">we fail: we need you to forgive us; bend our stubborn wills </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">to your gentle purpose, melt our ice bound hearts with the </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">fire of your passion: Come Holy Spirit:<i> </i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Cleanse all that is dirty, what's arid, refresh:. </span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">heal wounds that fester with healthy new flesh:</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">make brittle minds supple, make frozen hearts warm:</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">guide the lost wanderers safely back home.</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The Lord says: I shall pour clean water over you and you </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">shall be cleansed. I shall give you a new heart and put a </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">new spirit in you: I shall remove your heart of stone and </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">give you a heart of flesh instead. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1; tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Lord we need your life within us: we become discouraged so </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">easily; we wilt before the powers of evil in the world, we </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">willingly retreat into the obscurity of religion instead of </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">carrying your light to all people: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Come holy spirit</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Please give to the faithful who serve in this place</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">your sev'nfold blessing, the gifts of your grace;</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">give goodness its prize,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>give safe journeys at last,</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">life that is endless, a joy unsurpassed.</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The Lord says I have loved you with an everlasting love and </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">so I still maintain my love for you. I shall build you up </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">once more, yes you will be rebuilt.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>RJG
verses trans from Stephen Langton</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br clear="ALL" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: auto;" />
</span>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Singing in the rain</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In the rain staccato rhythms on the
window panes </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In the west winds’ howls and whines;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In the gentle breeze’s whisper through
the cornfield plains </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And the lofty forest pines;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">When the sun’s bright radiance tans
the sandy shore </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And the sparkling sea is blue,</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">God sings to me and you.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In the grey-stained concrete deserts
of the tower blocks </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Where man’s vandalism reigns;</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In the multi-storey car parks and
redundant docks </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Framed by giant rusted cranes;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In the springtime meadows decked with
fragrant flowers </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And the clear, crisp mountain air,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">We appreciate God’s care.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In the depths of desperation when our
life looks black </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And we hide our heads in shame;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">When we try to bear the whole world’s
sorrow on our back </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And wallow in the blame,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Jesus stoops to lift us with his
radiant smile, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">For he’s known depression’s hour -</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">It’s well within his power.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">On a cross of unplaned timber in the
noontide heat, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Stripped bare and hung n high,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">With three six-inch rivets hammered
through his hands and feet</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Left to thirst, to bleed, to die,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">There Christ Jesus suffered every
human pain, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Took all a man can know,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">God’s love for man to show.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In the rain staccato rhythms on our
window panes </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">We will praise our Saviour’s love;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In the tower blocks, the car parks and
commuter trains </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">We will sing to God above;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">And when life’s wild party swings our
days along </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">In happiness - we’ll sing</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">To God, our praise to bring!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Tune Magnificat RJG</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My soul magnifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God my Saviour</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My soul magnifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God my Saviour</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">God's creative genius has changed my
life completely</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My soul magnifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God my Saviour</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Though I'm but a servant girl he's
blessed me beyond telling</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My soul magnifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God my Saviour</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">For the Holy Lord of all has come to
us in mercy</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My soul magnifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God my Saviour</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">His strong arm has put to rout the
devil's proud battalions</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My soul magnifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God my Saviour</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">He has raised to heaven's throne the
lowly and the humble</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My soul magnifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God my Savio</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">ur<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Those who thought they owned the world
he's sent away with nothing</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My soul magnifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God my Saviour</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">God has filled the hungry with his
choicest food from heaven</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My soul magnifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God my Saviour</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">God's great promise is fulfilled - He
saves the world in Jesus</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My soul magnifies the Lord, and my
spirit rejoices in God my Saviour</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Solo<b>:</b> My soul magnifies the
Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Amen<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Te Deum
Laudamus</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">We praise you 0 God, we worship you our Lord, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the everlasting Father, King by all the earth adored. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">to you the shining hosts on high sing songs of endless praise, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">they glorify your perfect love, and your majestic holiness;</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">We praise you 0 God, to you our hymns ascend,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">with all the glorious saints in heaven our voices now we blend, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">with martyrs brave and prophets bold, who triumphed in the fight, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">your holy church throughout the world acknowledges your sovereign
might.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">We praise you 0 Christ, the Son of God, our king, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">you shared our flesh, were born like us, God’s saving grace to
bring, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">endured the sufferings of the cross, and tasted death’s sharp
pain, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">defeated hell’s enslaving power, now raised to glorious life you
reign.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">We praise you 0 Christ, the righteous judge, our Lord, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">we yearn to see your kingdom come, your sinful world restored, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">so help us in our daily strife, may we your servants know </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">assurance of eternal life, heaven’s fellowship begun below.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">We beg you 0 Lord, we call upon your name, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">revive your people’s flagging hearts as we your grace proclaim. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Please send your holy spirit’s power to make us pure within, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">to save us in temptation’s hour, and stop us giving in to sin.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Have mercy 0 Lord, in you alone we trust; </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">your mercy is our only hope, 0 God for ever just.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 0cm 36.0pt 72.0pt 108.0pt 144.0pt 180.0pt 216.0pt 252.0pt 288.0pt 324.0pt 360.0pt 396.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">to tune Ack
saliga stunder (based on some ideas from Richard Bruxvoort)</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">O great story teller inventively writing</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">your poems of love in the depths of our hearts</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">creatively finding<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>new themes for our living </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">unravelling a mystery, each day a new start,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">we welcome the call to be born of your giving</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">O author of faith still at work in our story!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">2 O Great music maker, be strength in our weakness</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">renew weary lives with the chords of your song</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">transforming our tired routines with the sweetness</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">of joy’s richest melodies, breathed all day long.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">we welcome the call to be part of your greatness</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">O Great music maker sing through us your glory!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">3 O worker of tapestries, constantly weaving</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the threads of our prayers into beautiful cloth</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">reveal to those tangled in dark disbelieving</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">your glorious kingdom obscured by the knots.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">We welcome the call to be part of your living</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">so take us and weave us great God in your fabric.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">4 O mover and shaker of everything living</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the start and the end of humanity’s race</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">in Jesus you set out ahead pioneering</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">a path in the darkness, a light for our faith</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">We trust in your journey, step out persevering,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">So Jesus our Way lead us forward to heaven.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">RJG </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">(RJG rough trans. Il est ne le divin enfant<b> - </b>trad)</span></i><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></i></div>
</div>
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><br clear="ALL" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: auto;" />
</span></i>
<div class="Section7">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">He is born, God’s baby son</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">sound the pipes to praise his greatness</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">he is born, God’s baby son</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Join the party, all have fun.</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">For four
thousand years or more<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">prophets
have foretold his coming</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">patiently
they knelt to pray<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">now has
come this joyful day! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; tab-stops: -72.0pt; text-indent: -36.0pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">2 O what
beauty in his face<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">human form
in full perfection<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">O what
beauty in his face,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">God’s own
son, his gift of grace</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">3 Jesus,
king of all the earth,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">tiny child
- yet Lord eternal,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Jesus king
of all the earth!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">All acclaim
your glorious birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">based on Martin Luther, von Himmel hoch da Komm ich her, suggested tune
Maryton</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Take note,
pay heed, lift up your eyes,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">What child
within that manger cries?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Why should
the angels stop and stare?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The Lord of
heaven’s lying there!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">O Christ,
Creator of all things</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">for whom
the heavenly host now sings,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">why have
you made yourself so small</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">- a baby in
a cattle stall?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 72.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Were earth
a thousand times more fair</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">bedecked
with gold and jewels rare,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: right 451.25pt;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">yet would it be a tiny bed<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">for heaven’s
Lord to rest his head.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Ah, dearest
Jesus, Holy Lord,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">who rules
the heavens with a word,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">make soft
your bed within my heart</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">for you for
ever set apart.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then my heart with joy shall leap</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">my lips no
more their silence keep<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I too must
sing with joyful tongue</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">that
sweetest ancient cradle song:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Glory to
God in highest heaven,</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">who to the
world his Son has given</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">the Saviour
of the world to be</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">our peace
through all eternity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">RJG </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT";"></span></b></div>
</div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br clear="ALL" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span></b>
bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-61395159679953661832013-09-22T08:22:00.001+01:002013-09-22T08:22:46.214+01:00crossbeams <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-outline-level: 1; text-align: justify;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 Blk BT"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti;">Luke 16 1-9 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The dishonest manager</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 BT"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In some ways Luke might be termed the middle class gospel. It is punctuated by dinner parties and journeys. Many of the characters in the parables seem to be middle managers, those who are squeezed by rapacious bosses and discontented clients be they peasants or merchants. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luke the doctor dealt with the middle class and had an ear for the stories that dealt with his own social group. Jesus had business experience: he ran a jobbing builder’s business. He would have been familiar with many of the money problems he dealt with in parables such as this.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 BT"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In 1<sup>st</sup> century Jewish life lending money at interest was illegal. There were, however, ways around this. You worked out a figure for interest and added it to the sum that had been borrowed. So if a sum of £100 were borrowed over a period of 4 years it (given typical interest rates of approximately 25% per annum) the total debt would be called £200. Some interest rates were reckoned to be as high as 50%, depending on the commodity in which debts were to be paid. Oil was generally paid back at the higher rate.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blog-this.do#_ftn1" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><sup><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 BT";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[1]</span></span></sup></span></a> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 BT"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">In this story the landowner is a plutocrat who lived richly on the earnings of his estates or businesses abroad. Imagine: your boss spends most of his time living it up in his villa in Spain - leaving the agent in Britain to finance his comfortable lifestyle - he floats out all day in the pool because he has a reliable man back in blighty handling the sharp end. However, back in Britain, the manager is having colossal problems getting in the debts. The debtors accuse him of fiddling the books and squandering the master’s assets.. And he is called into the boss’s office and the boss says he wants to see the books. The manager knows that when he sees the books the boss will see how unsuccessful he has been in getting the payments on the loans. He also knows that he cannot survive in the world without the support of either the clients or the boss. In such a scenario he decides that he can only side with the debtors. He calls them in one by one to lower their bargaining power, reduces their debts and hopes he can then escape into their company and avoid the wrath of the boss. In effect he halves the rate on oil from the extortionate 50% to the more normal, but still excessive 25%, and reduces the interest on corn from 25% to 20%. By rewriting the contracts the manager seizes the initiative and makes both the boss and the peasants dependent on him.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 BT"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">The boss responds realistically. He says </span><span style="font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: "Humnst777 BT"; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Humnst777 BT"; mso-symbol-font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols";"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols";">A</span></span><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 BT"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">I knew when I employed you were a sharp guy</span><span style="font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: "Humnst777 BT"; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Humnst777 BT"; mso-symbol-font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols";"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: "WP TypographicSymbols";">@</span></span><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 BT"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> and keeps him in post. He has no choice: to reinstate such crippling interest rates would risk insurrection among the clients: they would support the manager against him. If he sacked the manager he would then be exposing a new manager to the power of a client community who had succeeded in getting one manager sacked and would be keen to try out their apparent power on a new and inexperienced manager. He recognises that his income is still adequate and is grateful to the manager for the adroit way in which he handled a potentially difficult situation. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 BT"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">At the end of this story there has been a total transformation. The rule of the ancient economy was that masters distrust managers, peasants hate managers and managers cheat both masters and peasants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But now, peasants praise their master, the master commends the manager and the manager not only keeps his job but relieves his community of a little of the crippling burden of debt that is crippling it.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blog-this.do#_ftn2" name="_ftnref" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><sup><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 BT";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[2]</span></span></sup></span></a> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Humnst777 BT"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In the late nineteenth century the American evangelist Dwight L. Moody was on a preaching tour in England creating a stir. A group of Church of England clergy came to call on Moody saying, "What we don't care for Mr. Moody is your way of doing things." Moody thought the complaint over for a moment and said, "I don't care much for it either, but I prefer it to your way of not doing things."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 BT"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Luke typically sets this story in the context of Jesus’s journey to Jerusalem. Soon all the accounts were going to be gathered in. The disciples could not go on playing political games, having a foot in each camp. The time was coming for decision making. At that time it would be important to know who is your best friend. It was not going to be Pilate, nor Caiaphas but the one on the cross however unobvious that might have seemed. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Humnst777 BT"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">When we have a choice do we side with the powerful or the powerless? Our place is with those who have the enormous debts. Perhaps once the middle manager had hoped that the would end up with the villa in Spain - he ends up going out for a pint with those he would never have dreamt of mixing with. Do we side with the big multinational corporations - Nike, MacDonalds or the small traders desperately wanting fair trade? </span></div><div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><br clear="all" /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /> <div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blog-this.do#_ftnref" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti;"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[1]</span></span></sup></span></a><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span style="font-family: Shruti; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti;">Herzog </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Parables as Subversive Speech: Jesus as Pedagogue of the Oppressed</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></div></div><div id="ftn" style="mso-element: footnote;"> <div class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blog-this.do#_ftnref" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><sup><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;">[2]</span></span></sup></span></a><sup><span lang="EN-US"> </span></sup><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Shruti; mso-bidi-font-family: Shruti;">Herzog</span><span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;"></span></div></div></div>bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-67831622533156848502013-04-18T00:35:00.000+01:002013-04-18T00:46:10.724+01:00A Christian view of the Korea crisis from KoreaI have received a letter from Dr Kim Youn-ju General Secetary of Churches together in Korea:
it reads:<br />
<i><b> </b>I am very worried about the deteriorating situation on the Korean peninsula. Since the Korean war, the confrontation and tension of South and North Korea has been of serious significance. No one cannot predict how the situation will progress, and my prayerful hope is that the instability of the Korean peninsula should be resolved so that the close relationship between South and North Korea may be recovered.
This sombre situation of the two Koreas needs to be understood by Christians and all people in the world, for the body of Christ is one and each one of us is a part of it. “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it”. (1 Corinthians 12:26, NIV). The National Council of Churches held an emergency prayer for peace and discussion related to the urgent crisis on the Korean peninsula on April 5 and also released ‘The urgent statement for peace of the Korean peninsula’. Please kindly find attached the Friday statement of the NCCK.
In terms of the threatened confrontations, it is of vital importance to direct our prayers to God, since He is the only One with absolute authority over all situations. It is a great and comforting thought that the leader’s heart is in God's hand, as asserted by the writer of Proverbs: “In the Lord’s hand is the king’s heart.” (Proverbs 21:1.)
Therefore, the NCCK is asking you to show solidarity joining as a whole Christian family in prayer for Korea’s peaceful reconciliation and reunification. Your cooperation and solidarity are needed to stabilize the fractured Korean peninsula. </i><br />
<br />
<i><b>Sincerely
Rev. Dr. Kim Young-Ju
General Secretary,
The National Council of Churches in Korea </b></i><br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h3>
<i><b>The petition: </b></i></h3>
<h3>
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<h3>
<i><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Urgent
Petition for peace on the Korean Peninsula </span></b></i></h3>
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<h3>
<b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Praying for the peace of
God and in the name of the Lord: </span></i></b></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The South-Korean/U.S.
American military exercises are aggravating the situation and thus the conflict
is rapidly approaching the next stage of danger of a confrontation between
South and North Korean military forces. North Korea’s third nuclear test, the
UN’s violent propagandistic sanctions towards North Korea and the American
high-tech weapons being used in the large scale Korean-American joint military
exercises, etc. escalate the crisis on the Korean Peninsula. In these
circumstances, the irresponsible, alarming and offensive statements of both
South and North Korean authorities’ are driving the citizens of both countries
into fear. The National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), which for a long
time has desired the nation’s reconciliation, and longs for peace and
reunification, opposes the movement toward this catastrophic situation and
cannot suppress a severe anxiety. In the following petition we express the
earnest prayers of Korean Christians for peace on the Korean Peninsula and
humbly ask for your participation. </span></div>
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
<i><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">1. We pray for the normalization of the situation at Gaesung
Industrial Complex</span></span></b></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Even though there may be the possibility of a hostile
confrontation between South and North, the agreement from the North-South
Summit about the work of Gaesung Industrial Complex has to be maintained. The
South-North Korea Summit established Gaesung Industrial Complex to make peace
and efforts to damage this work should be stopped.</span></h4>
<h4>
<i><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">2.
We pray for the termination of the Korea-U.S. military exercises</span></span></b></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> It should be noted that the large scale Korean-American military
exercises on the Korean peninsula are to simulate ‘emergency incidents’ and as
a result are a showcase to advertise US military weapons. In contrast to being
labeled a ‘regular annual military exercise’, the present exercise has succeeded
in presenting to the public state-of-the-art bombers capable of carrying
nuclear weapons, like the B-2 and B-52. Thus it not merely the North Korean
military threats, but also the excessive proclamation of war to our citizens,
is further promoting the crisis.</span></h4>
<i><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">3.
We pray that both South and North Korea proceed with dialogue immediately</span></span></b></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> We must remember that through the dialogue that took place in the
meetings between Kim Il sung and Moon Ik Hwan or Jimmy Carter, in the past we
had the experience of changing the complicated situation between South and
North and the state of being at the brink of war. Now it is strongly required
that dialogue for peace on the Korean Peninsula take place by sending an
emissary to intervene or another way.</span><br />
<h4>
<i><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">4.
We pray for the resolution of the roots of military confrontation.</span></span></b></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> The actual crisis results from the fact that during the five years
of the last government the inter-Korean relations were ruptured, and the
military confrontation has to be blamed on the former government. Peace on the
Korean peninsula and the solution to the North Korean-American hostile
relations will be secured when, instead of the competitive purchase of weapons
and military threats, the agreements to provide the light-water reactor etc.
are honoured. The NCCK believes this will completely resolve the North Korean
nuclear issues.</span></h4>
<h4>
<i><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">5.
We request a new will and the prayer of all Christians for the situation </span></span></b></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Korean Christians have been influential in facilitating the
re-opening of the interrupted inter-Korean relations and contributing to make
peace. We now once again join in our faith and prayer to approach the Lord’s
peace on the Korean peninsula, and we sincerely ask for your participation. It
is now time to overcome a false peace under the shadow of military forces and
achieve a true peace overflowing with the Lord’s justice. Let us walk together
with hope. Let us all stand together and pray to jubilate the 1995 proclamation
of genuine peace on the Korean peninsula, restoring the history of the Korean
Christians and a Korean brotherhood overflowing with eternal joy. </span></h4>
<br />
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">April 5, 2013 </span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.5pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"></span></b><br />
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<br />bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-11383041402287117882012-12-27T22:10:00.002+00:002012-12-27T22:10:51.652+00:00answers to christmas quiz1) Bradley wiggins
2) jess ennis
3) mo farah
4) steve redgrave
5) sue barker
6) gary lineker
7) monty panessar
8) roger federer
9) ben Ainslie
10) toby flood
11) zara Phillips
12) wayne rooney
13) Rebecca adlington
14) Victoria Pendleton
15) Charlotte dujardin
16) Brian lara
17) Usain bolt
18) Joe hart
19) Serena Williams
20) Frank lampard
bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-69709636630862181832012-12-17T13:54:00.001+00:002012-12-17T13:54:42.291+00:00A little Christmas quiz for those of you who have finished all your Christmas chores
Cryptic Sports Stars
1) Hair replacement and stiff drinks needed after ‘e finds his loaf in the fens
2) A merry jape before a kind of ball, but missing the motorbike classic
3) Former Wimbledon champion (short) finds a pair of trousers
4) A dock worker misses what sounds like the exit and ends up with a final resting place along with Lenin
5) Take the noisy dog to court!
6) The real key ring needs to be reconfigured
7) The old field marshal installs silver windows?
8) Over to new york for more banking mistakes
9) Ready, steady ……but sounds like this gentleman is missing most of chariot
10) Inundated with character mugs?
11) After a very short kip I’m missing from the operatic song. Gone for a screw.
12) A nice combination Hollywood greats
13) Add this kind of junction once canal bridge is rebuilt
14) Wag picks up a century among the witch community
15) Prepare french monkfish for the cleaning lady if you can entice her out of the garden?
16) Pythonesque messiah finds a glamourous archaeologist outside her cottage.
17) A slimmed down Nasser strikes like lightning
18) the holy one likes a drink during the chase
19) falling just a little short of the superlative Venice and despite the name unrelated to Frank
20) A marauder from the east finds the light when one of Bacchus’s pets gets shot of a pope
bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-23802993566690738322012-12-05T19:43:00.000+00:002012-12-05T19:44:54.329+00:00Those who are blessed seem to fall into two categories: both those who choose the difficult or holy option, like the pure in heart, and those who are forced into it through no choice of their own, those who are reviled and persecuted. Some fall into both categories. Those who mourn might be those whose circumstances lead to tears, but it is also likely to refer to those who weep over an alienated culture, the apparent absence of the kingdom, or the failure of God’s children to behave like sons. Those poor in spirit may include those who choose to live with the humility and simple lifestyle of the poor as well as those who have poverty forced upon them. Throughout, there is the sense of rewards for those who want to see a reversal in the status quo: those who strive for peace, those who hunger and thirst to see right prevail. Those disciples who made it to the top of the mountain were to be the agents of the kingdom both by being part of the community, like salt, and separated from it like light. For salt is useless unless thoroughly incorporated in the mixture, where it becomes invisibly part of the texture. Light, on the other hand, is useless unless it is placed on a lamp-stand. The kingdom comes when disciples are both fully totally mixed with the world in which they live, and distinct and separate from it by their lifestyle. In a sense it is easy to be either light or salt: to be holy by living in monastic isolation, or to be invisible by being totally incorporated in worldly living. Jesus was notable for being both salt and light. He mixed with the sick and sinful: with the rich and poor; with the educated and the simple and seems to have blended well with all of them. The group with which he clashed most often was the pharisees who deliberately kept themselves separated from society. Yet at the same time he lived uniquely and powerfully. His true light was seen supremely when three disciples saw him transfigured before them : but what they saw that day merely confirmed what they had already acknowledged on the road near Caesarea Philippi .
His disciples were called to be one with the poor and humble. Yet they would stand out so that they would be reviled and persecuted. They were not to be downcast and intimidated, but were to yearn with all their being for a better world; sometimes they would be marked out by their compassion, their tears, and their desire for justice and peace. Always they should be marked out for the purity of their life-style. Without their presence the world would perish. Darkness can never overcome light. The deeper the darkness the brighter the light shines. Light destroys darkness. The suggestion here is that disciples will always be a minority. But better a pinch of salt than a sack of dust, better a small light well displayed, than a multitude of lamps burning themselves out under a meal tub. Those called to be disciples need to be true to their calling . Thus disciples’ righteousness needs to exceed that of the pharisees. They were certainly like cities set on hills: they prayed on street corners , they carried the longeurs of their fasting in the length of their faces and they gave to the poor in a way that everyone knew about it. The disciples were to be just as rigorous in lifestyle yet without letting that rigour separate them from those among whom they lived.
Yet they also had to be distinctive. Not by being out of touch or ‘holier than thou’, but by being known as those who love enemies, live lightly with possessions, go beyond the call of duty in being generous to those in need, pray with integrity and intensity, making sure that such treasure that is stored up is of eternal significance. What is needed is a whole new framework of values: righteousness is not just an issue of lifestyle. It is a matter of attitude: or as Paul put it ‘mind-set’ . Righteousness is not just a minimalist keeping of commandments, but neither is it a broad-brush adhering to the spirit of them: it is an inter-penetration with the mind of God who framed them . For example, it is not just a matter of good discipline for a disciple to refrain from murder and adultery: that kind of behaviour should be totally alien to his whole way of living. So a life of righteousness flows naturally from a person totally immersed in the life of God. And so - quite literally - the disciples were to be authentically Christian in the way that Jesus himself was. He was both immersed in God and world, so he acted like salt and light.
To be immersed in God is to be God-breathed: to become God-breathed is to pray oneself into God’s life. Prayer and living are not to be compartmentalised. Prayer is the means by which the mind-set is framed. Prayer is the process of inter-penetration. So prayer becomes the source of righteousness. When Jesus talks about ethics he ends up talking about prayer. A prayer is that which you desire with all your being. It should not be just a shopping list of virtues let alone a desire for material prosperity, or a means of twisting the arm of God. It is yearning for his kingdom to come and his will to be done in one’s own life and in the world.
So at the core of this teaching about righteousness Matthew places Jesus’s example prayer. Not surprisingly this prayer has many affinities with traditional Jewish prayers, in particular the kaddish which followed the sermon in synagogue liturgy, and the eighteen benedictions. Though it is not entirely certain that either of these prayers was being used at the time of Jesus, they are at least likely to have been based on forms of prayer with which Jesus was familiar. Indeed a Jewish scholar has blended the Lord’s prayer with traditional Jewish prayers to come up with this amplified version:
Our Father, who art in Heaven. Hallowed be Thine exalted Name in the
world Thou didst create according to Thy will. May Thy Kingdom and
Thy lordship come speedily, and be acknowledged by all the world, that
Thy Name may be praised in all eternity. May Thy will be done in
Heaven, and also on earth give tranquillity of spirit to those that fear
Thee, yet in all things do what seemeth good to Thee. Let us enjoy the
bread daily apportioned to us. Forgive us, our Father, for we have
sinned; forgive also all who have done us injury; even as we also forgive
all. And lead us not into temptation, but keep us far from evil. For thine
is the greatness and the power and the dominion, the victory and the
majesty, yea all in Heaven and on earth. Thine is the Kingdom, and
thou art Lord of all beings for ever. Amen.
However, despite the similarities, the places where Jesus’s prayer differs from the traditional Jewish models that have survived are even more significant. The intimacy of the opening address was most unusual . The close relationship which Jesus experienced with God was not to be totally unique: it was a relationship that could be claimed by his disciples also. Prayer is not some grovelling appeasement of a remote, capricious and potentially hostile, divine potentate, but a close, intimate intercourse with one who carries all the concern and responsibility for his children of a loving father. And in recognising God as ‘our’ father they also would be recognising their family relationship with each other. The word father also denoted his role of creator: the ‘father’ was the origin of life. The phrase, ‘who art in heaven’, draws attention to this. It is not suggesting that God is remote or inaccessible, but rather that he is powerful and creative. Indeed where God is honoured, earth potentially becomes heaven - a major theme of the prayer through his transforming presence.
The petition ‘hallowed be thy name’ takes this one stage further. This expresses the deep desire that the presence of God be acknowledged with awe in the world at large. The hallowing of a name is indeed the recognising of the authority and holiness of the person. So this first petition draws us straight into the kingdom focus of the prayer. The gospel song which repeats this phrase after every petition of the Lord’s prayer is close to the spirit of the way it is to be prayed. In all aspects of life, through every culture, and in all circumstances the profoundest desire of every disciple is to see the glory of God revealed, his presence acknowledged and his name revered.
It is clear that Jesus saw his mission in terms of ‘bringing in the kingdom of God’ (or in Matthew’s version, heaven). The desire for the coming of that kingdom, therefore, forms the core of his prayer. The nature of that kingdom was explicitly set out by Jesus when he was visited by disciples of John the Baptist asking him:
"Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.’
It was believed that prayer could speed up God’s processes. So grounded right in the core of Christian prayer has always been a yearning for the coming of the kingdom which the church came to see as synonymous with the coming of the king: ‘Maranatha, O come quickly, Lord.’ The implication of the prayer, of course, was also personal. If the kingdom was to come quickly it had to come within the lives of the disciples themselves. The kingdom of God would only come when his will was done, and those who love him must surely be those who do his will: ‘the will of God is done whenever a human being takes upon himself the yoke of the kingdom of God to do it.’ John’s gospel reports Jesus as saying, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work’. So to ask for one’s daily bread could even be seen as taking on the responsibility for doing God’s will. In any event it seems likely that this is not simply a prayer for material provision. There is probably a link with the provision of manna in the wilderness, and possibly with the bread of last supper. Indeed the choice of such an unusual Greek word within the prayer might even have been to point up the eternal significance of the daily provision of God’s grace. We might paraphrase it in this sort of way: ‘Give today not only our bread for today but that bread which is for every day (namely eternity).’ As Jeremias put it: ‘For Jesus there was no opposition between earthly bread and the bread of life, for in the realm of the kingdom all earthly things are hallowed. The bread that Jesus broke when he invited publicans and sinners to his table, the bread he gave to his disciples at the last supper, was earthly bread and yet at the same time the bread of life. For the disciples of Jesus every meal and not only the last one had deep eschatological significance . Every meal with Jesus was a salvation meal, an anticipation of the final feast. At each meal he was the host as he would be at the consummation.’
If feeding on the bread God gives is to do his will, then to do his will is to forgive. The bread which we break is a sign of the body of Christ which is given for us, and our forgiveness. Since his nature is to be merciful, so if we are to live his will we also are to be merciful. Indeed his kingdom is hardly likely to come, his will is scarcely going to be done if we do not forgive those who are indebted to us. Prayer must never be seen as a vast buck-passing exercise to the Almighty. Instead Jesus teaches us that when we engage in prayer we take on mighty responsibility. At the end of John’s gospel Jesus says "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." The suggestion is that if there are people who languish in the hell of guilt then it will be because the disciples have not communicated the forgiving grace of God. Matthew’s placing of Jesus’s saying about forgiveness immediately at the close of the prayer shows his notion of the importance of this part of the prayer.
Finally Jesus pleads with God not to bring him to a point of testing so severe that he is likely to fail. The time was to come in the place called Gethsemane when Jesus feared that that was precisely what was happening. But the central prayer, ‘your will be done’ overruled the prayer not to be put to the test. By the time that Matthew’s gospel was written this prayer would have been prayed by many who had faced the sternest test of all - martyrdom. Martyrdom is never to be desired: the appalling picture of the Christian faith promulgated by Nietzsche namely that it is a sick courting of suffering to subdue the human spirit, is a travesty far from the life embracing, health-desiring word of Jesus. But the desire not to be tested is to be balanced by a refusal to give in to the evil powers of the day. At all costs we must never sell our souls to forces opposed to the will of God. This battle with evil will sometimes result in the test being severe: but disciples never court suffering. Nor does God will it upon us.
It is now becoming apparent that the prayer is closely linked with the beatitudes which opened the teaching. Prayer emerges as a response to God’s word:
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; do not bring us to the test, but rescue us from the evil one. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness: give us this day our daily bread. For they shall be filled.
Blessed are those who are merciful: forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. For they shall receive mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart. Hallowed by thy name. For they shall see God.
To pray the kingdom is to live it. And if the heart of the message of the kingdom is forgiveness then a life of forgiveness must be lived. Christians begin in the psychologically important freedom of being those who have been forgiven much. Those who do not know what it means to be forgiven will always tend to have difficulty in forgiving anyone else. So when you go to make your sacrifice of repentance the mere sight of the altar will remind you of the enormity of your debt to God in the face of which that grievance which you hold against your brother will cry against you. You will drop the sacrifice, return to your brother make peace and then be at peace with God . In the life of the kingdom there is no place for grudges let alone revenge. To be a city set on a hill means that your life has to be above reproach. Purity does not simply mean not doing that which is wrong - but more radically not wanting to do it either. People who do not commit adultery may quite simply be those who would very much wish to but have no opportunity, or even those who lack the courage. Jesus lays down a far more radical definition: the voyeur who degrades women by treating them as a turn on but who is not prepared to take the responsibility of forming a loving relationship with them is not free from sin . At the very least such a severe definition of adultery should prevent most men from casting the first stone. The language Jesus uses is ferocious and led one great Biblical scholar to self mutilation . Of course Jesus was aware that voyeurism is not the fault of the eye, nor theft the action of an unwilling hand: it is quite clearly the case that it is neither the eye nor the hand that is to be punished. Surely there is a sense of ironic humour here. He has already told us that immorality is the fault of the ‘heart’, and by that he does not mean the organ either but rather the seat of the will. If you pluck out your right eye then it is likely that your left eye will continue to wander. If you cut off your right hand, your left will soon adapt. What is needed is wholesale repentance, which is a radical change of heart.
bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-14516731092639719772009-10-15T23:14:00.000+01:002009-10-15T23:24:56.799+01:00Mark 10 moral issues, riches and powerMany of the ethical issues that Jesus and his followers faced are no longer live issues: some of the issues the church faces today are not adequately dealt with in scripture. But it is clear that Jesus generally took a broad approach to ethics rather than a legalistic one. He tends towards compassion for the weak and is scathing towards those who exploit the law to gain advantage from it. Thus cleanliness rules which make it even more difficult for the hungry to eat, which make it easier for the rich farmers with good facilities to sell their produce and impossible for the poor to take their goods to market, are bad (whatever the scriptures may or may not say); and glosses on the law which enable people to wriggle out of responsibility to care for their elderly parents by making apparently generous donations to temple or synagogue are corrupt. <br /><br />It appears that if a son made over to God that part of his possessions with which he would normally be expected to support his parents then he would be exempt from keeping them. However, the gift to God seems sometimes to have been a technicality, the son still receiving income from the property thus ensuring that scribes (who may have received a fee for the service) and sons did well out of it - but poor parents suffered. In some cases the son may have wished to be exonerated from the vow (Korban) but the scribes refused exemption (possibly for the benefit of the temple fund) and so they prevented him from making provision for his parents.<br /><br />Later in the gospel Jesus similarly shows support both for children and for women: again siding with the weak against the strong. The Mosaic divorce law as practised was particularly hard on women. They had no right to divorce or even leave their husbands but the husband could divorce his wife for all kinds of reason: and whereas any affair the wife might have with another man was viewed as adultery, men could only commit adultery against another man by having an affair with his wife. An affair with a widow or an unmarried woman did not count as adultery. Moreover a woman whose husband had divorced her was left discarded, defenceless and impoverished; in a worse position socially even than widows. <br /><br />Jesus is not prepared to enter into arcane disputes about what constitutes a serious enough reason for divorce. No excuse will ever be adequate to justify breaking apart those whom God has made one flesh. He recognises, however, that the law instituted by Moses was designed to make provision for human weakness; sometimes marriages will break down; when these breakdowns occur it is painful for all concerned and such breakdowns should never therefore be brought about on mere pretexts. Nor can they ever be justified by pulling Moses and divine law into the situation. God’s law is clear: marriage is intended to be for life and indissoluble. However when breakdowns occur, as they will from time to time, he asserts that women have the same rights as men; he maintains, despite the Jewish understanding of his times, that, when men have affairs with other women or divorce their wives to marry another, they commit adultery against their wives. He recognises that women can divorce their husbands - though in so doing they are committing adultery just as their husbands do if they divorce their wives. In other words if men accept the validity of divorce then that validity applies equally to women. In our culture Jesus’s teaching can seem unbending and harsh: but in a culture where men could treat their wives casually and claim to be keeping the law, his teaching safeguarded women and impressed upon both men and women the sacred nature of a marriage covenant. His firm stand on the sanctity of marriage primarily protected women and children: and his apparent equating of the rights of wives to obtain a divorce with those of their husbands protected them against abuse from their husbands.<br /><br />In his teaching on children, Jesus similarly raises their status. When parents bring children to Jesus for him to bless them the disciples brush them aside. They have no time for such trivialities. Perhaps they were angry at the lingering superstition and folk religion that surrounded Jesus’s ministry: But Jesus has already placed a child at the very heart of his ministry. It has been pointed out that it later became traditional for parents to take their children to the rabbi for a blessing on the Day of Atonement. Throughout his gospel Mark seems only to deal with children as victims. Here once again they appear as victims of the disciples discrimination against them. Jesus, though, turns everything on its head: it is to these children that the kingdom of God belongs. The next two passages make clear that it is not the rich or those with ambitions to sit at the left and right hands of Jesus who will inherit the kingdom: rather it is those who have nothing. Here the children stand as examples of all little ones. And all people who would enter the kingdom must receive it with the faith of such little ones: those who are dependent and vulnerable; those who allow themselves to be lifted and loved; those obedient to the Father; those, hopefully, not yet vitiated with the power games and desire for status of the adult world. On that simple faith the atonement of the world might depend.<br /><br />The next story provides the contrast that makes the meaning of the incident with the children stand out in sharp relief. A man comes up to Jesus and asks what he must do to inherit eternal life. Once he has satisfied Jesus that he has kept all the commandments since his youth Jesus tells him to sell his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor. The man is unable to do this and goes away sorrowful. In explaining his treatment of the man to his disciples Jesus points out to his disciples how difficult it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. It is not simply riches that prevent people from entering the kingdom, a whole set of values has to be turned on its head. The prevailing attitude in Jewish theology was that wealth was a sign of God’s favour. Yet this man seems not to have been totally satisfied with this complacent doctrine otherwise he would not have come to Jesus in the first place unless it was purely for reassurance. Those who argue that Jesus, in commanding the man to dispose of his possessions and help the poor was being specific only to this particular case have to wrestle with Jesus’s own explanation to the disciples afterwards. It is apposite to quote RH Grundy commenting on the parallel passage in Matthew: “That Jesus did not command all his followers to sell all their possessions gives comfort only to the kind of people to whom he would issue that command”. For children who own no property, who are totally dependent on their parents for everything they have, entry into the kingdom is easy: for the rich it is even more difficult than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, despite the fact that the man whose sad story gives rise to the teaching is the only one in Mark’s gospel who is marked out as a man Jesus loved. <br /> <br />Indeed this story is typical of many in the gospels in which everything is stacked up to reach a particular conclusion only to arrive at the opposite. There is no mention of the man being rich at the beginning of the story. He kneels before Jesus much as the leper had done. Uniquely in the gospel he identifies Jesus as “good”. He had the right priority for his own life - the desire for a life of eternal worth. He has kept the commandments. And Jesus looked at him with love. Then came the bombshell. As a man of property, he ends up going away devastated. <br /><br />Ched Myers draws our attention to a number of interesting features within this story. It may well be that the man is trying to flatter Jesus and that explains Jesus’s sharp reply. He obviously not only thought Jesus was good but wanted to be told he was good in return. He had kept the commandments since his youth and wished for commendation. In Jewish tradition only Aaron and Moses had been credited with keeping the whole law. Jesus gives none. It is likely that the long, compassionate look of love Jesus gave him is meant to be in contrast with the man’s keeping of the law. Jesus’s love is people this man’s love is wealth. To begin with Jesus speaks to him as he did to the leper: “get up and go”. It is as if this man needs to be healed in the same way as the leper was. The last word to him, “come, follow me”, is the same call to discipleship as that offered to fisherman at the beginning of the gospel. It is the second and third orders that are exceptional: to sell his possessions and give the proceeds to the poor and so exchange treasure on earth for treasure in heaven. This the only story in Mark’s gospel of discipleship rejection.<br /><br />For the disciples with their traditional theology the inability of rich people (those patently enjoying God’s blessing) to enter the kingdom makes entry for anyone impossible. However, the lesson of the story of the sower and the seed still stands true. Despite all negative appearances the kingdom will come. And those prepared to let go of all their loves for the love of the kingdom will see their losses amply repaid in blessings of greater value, though those blessings may also come with persecution. For this turning on its head of all materialist life-styles cannot be achieved painlessly. Nevertheless the disciples are not to despair for what looks impossible in human terms is not impossible to God.bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-7984500624255466392009-06-22T21:48:00.000+01:002009-06-22T21:53:10.717+01:00Mark 5 21- 43 dealing with daughtersOne device that Mark uses frequently in his gospel is to interrupt one story with another: thus each story shines light on the other. Back in Galilee, one of the leaders of the synagogue is anxious about his daughter who is dying. He asks Jesus to heal her but the journey to the house is made difficult by the crowds pressing in on Jesus and hampering his progress. Meanwhile hidden in the crowds is a woman who has been haemorrhaging for twelve years. By the strict purity laws of the day she should not have been in direct contact with people, but she pushes through and touches Jesus’s coat, believing that even that small touch will heal her. Immediately she experiences healing. Jesus, aware that power has gone out of him, stopped and asked who touched him. The woman steps forward, expecting a rebuke, but nevertheless admitting her guilt. Jesus, far from admonishing her, addresses her personally: "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." While Jesus is still speaking, messengers come from Jairus’s house; they say,"Your daughter is dead”. That juxtaposition of the word daughter is as powerful as anything in the gospel. <br /><br />For many people the life of the unclean woman in the crowd with the 12 year haemorrhage, which had been persistently treated by doctors to no avail, was not worth the same as that of the twelve year old daughter of a leader of the synagogue. Yet by the use of the word daughter Jesus immediately and unequivocally puts a value on that woman as she relates to him as directly equivalent to that of the little girl as she relates to her father. Moreover, Jesus could have allowed the woman to have slipped away into the crowd, healed but unnoticed. By drawing attention to her, by singling her out, by making her step forward and by addressing her so publicly, Jesus makes plain to all around, even to Jairus, that he has been touched by a woman who is unclean. The received wisdom was and always has been that clean is made dirty when it touches something contaminated.<br />“As dirtie hands foule all they touch,<br />and those things most which are most pure and fine” (George Herbert)<br />Here Jesus breaks the eternal rule: instead of him being contaminated he feels power flow out of him, the clean one, to purify the unclean. The damage of the fall has been thrown into reverse. <br /><br />A challenge has now been thrown down to Jairus. If he wants his daughter be restored to life he has to accept Jesus into his home whether clean or not. His faith overcomes his misgivings. Jesus then clears the crowd, including all but three of his disciples and makes his way to Jairus’s house; at the house mourning rituals are already in motion. Again Jesus clears the house of all but the immediate family: this healing is to be an intimate private affair, possibly out of sensitivity to the child. Gently calling her to her feet, Jesus raises her to life and tells them to give her something to eat, and to respect the private way in which she had been raised.<br /><br />At this point a number of parallels between the two stories become apparent. First of all the twelve years haemorrhaging of the woman is mirrored by the twelve years of the little girl’s age. Possibly the repeated number twelve is intended to be symbolic of the twelve tribes and the twelve disciples, whose faith seems to have been haemorrhaging away. Possibly the mention of the girl’s age in the context of the twelve years’ haemorrhage reminds us that she, too, was about to begin to menstruate, or perhaps is simply there to indicate the appalling suffering of the woman whose needs had been ignored, indeed whose condition had been exploited by unscrupulous doctors, for the whole lifetime of Jairus’s precious daughter. <br /><br />The ability of an articulate leader of the local community to come and plead with Jesus for healing on behalf oh his daughter is contrasted poignantly with the woman with no-one to plead her case, who has to approach surreptitiously, hiding herself in the crowd and illegally touch him for healing. Only then, when already clean was she able to come out of the crowd and ask formally in the way Jairus had done, though, even then, only in fear and trembling. In the end it was not the nature of the approach, nor the issue of social class or age, gender or status that was significant: only faith.<br /><br />The professional mourners who made a living out of death are treated scathingly by the story teller. They have the temerity to laugh at Jesus, the Lord of life. Their mocking prepares the way for the mockery of the Golgotha crowds just as surely as the amazement of the family prepares us for the similar amazement of the women as they fled from the open tomb at the very end of the gospel.bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-11303117449710615302009-06-15T21:38:00.000+01:002009-06-15T21:39:16.273+01:00crossing to the other side Mark 4 35-41It is generally thought that Mark’s gospel was written between 65 & 70 C.E., probably either in Rome or in the north of Palestine. This was a time of crisis for both Christians and Jews both in Rome and in Israel. In Rome Nero’s persecutions were in full swing until he died in 68; during his reign the two great leaders of the church, Peter and Paul, were both martyred. Utter chaos prevailed from 68-69 with 4 emperors taking office in that year. The situation in Palestine was even more fractured: the Jewish revolt was being bloodily put down: in 70, Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple plundered and burnt under the orders of Titus, and eventually the religious and political fabric of the Jewish nation was to be totally dismembered. Whichever provenance we choose for Mark’s gospel, the background against which it was written was stormy and dangerous, particularly for Jews and Jewish sub-sects like the Christian church. At the same time we know from Paul’s letters that the church was rapidly reaching out from its Jewish roots into Gentile communities. This trans-cultural movement in itself caused pain and soul-searching within the more conservative Jewish-Christian groups; this pain could only have been exacerbated by the persecutions in Rome and war in Palestine.<br /><br />In the early chapters of Mark’s gospel Jesus frequently withdraws to the lake or the hills for prayer, for respite, for thinking-space, or even to coach his team in discipleship. Right at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus establishes a rhythm of frenetic activity and withdrawal. From time to time the order is given to cross to the “other side” of the lake for mission. The gospel stories of journeys to the other side are fraught with danger, difficulty, feelings of alienation and the seeming absence of God: the stories are of headwinds, rough seas, storms and sinking boats. When Jesus is in the boat he seems ineptly unaware and unconcerned: sometimes he is not even in the boat at all.<br /><br />On the first occasion a huge storm descended upon them in the night: even the experienced fishermen thought the end had come, but Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat. It is not difficult to imagine the first hearers of this gospel listening knowingly to this story. Here they were seeking to take the word of life to other side and yet whenever they did so they encountered trouble: persecutions in Rome and hostility at home. Major figures of the church had been killed including both the radical Paul - the apostle to the Gentiles and the more conservative Peter, with whom Paul had had stand-up rows about circumcision and gentile dinner parties. This going to the other side was indeed a dangerous and lonely business.<br /><br />The early church had been given courage by the assurance that Jesus would return in triumph. Indeed Jesus’s promise is recorded in the gospel: And he said to them, "Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power." Yet here these leading figures were tasting appalling death while Jesus seemed to be either asleep, or worse, absent. The outcome of the story, however, was that Jesus silenced the storm and then rounded on the disciples for their lack of faith. They then, in their turn, are more amazed than ever at the authority of the man they are following. <br /><br />On another occasion they found themselves rowing into a headwind that was so strong that they feared they would die of exhaustion before they reached the shore. This time Jesus was not in the boat; he had sent them on ahead while he went into the hills to pray. Then he came to them walking across the water; the result was the same. The wind dropped and they reached their destination safely.<br /><br />Journeys to the other side are implicit in the work of the kingdom. Indeed there can be no kingdom without them. Invariably they are going to be hard. In the time of the gospels it meant engaging with the Gentile population on the other side of the lake. In our day they may mean crossing equally deep cultural divides: engaging with youth culture, the homeless, those living in tower blocks and neglected housing estates, people of different colour, different religion, crossing into the world of commerce or industry, or entering into politics. While it may seem on the whole easier to keep to what we know, to be settled within the small circle of our own fellowship, the call is always going to be to take the risk and go to the other side whatever that might mean to us in our situation. Obeying it will undoubtedly lead to difficulty, mistakes, the feeling that we are up against it, sometimes even the sense of the absence of God. It will frequently seem that the hostile elements have the advantage over us. Yet if we are called to do this work then it will not fail. Lack of faith is a greater enemy than the forces ranged against us: for lack of faith may cause us to sink untraced into the sea, though even then, despite appearances, the Lord is close by to save.<br /><br />In understanding the power of these stories it is helpful to know something of the immense fear and respect Jews had for the sea. They left love of the sea to their neighbours; in earlier times, the Philistines, more recently the Phoenicians and Greeks. They took delight in a God who had closed the sea in behind fixed boundaries. The sea was the unstable and untameable domain of Leviathan; a place of storms and unpredictability. Sometimes that capriciousness worked in their favour as when the waters of the Red Sea came tumbling back and engulfed the pursuing Egyptians. But a huge bronze representation of the sea was kept in the temple as a sign that even those things over which man had no control lay within the reach of God. Job cries out, “Am I like the sea that you have to set a guard over me?” When prophets like Isaiah wanted to proclaim the cosmic breadth of God’s salvation it was to extend it to coast-lands and islands. And here was Jesus able to sleep in the height of a storm at sea, while <br />They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths;<br /> their courage melted away in their calamity;<br />they reeled and staggered like drunkards,<br /> and were at their wits' end.<br />Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,<br /> and he brought them out from their distress;<br />he made the storm be still,<br />and the waves of the sea were hushed.<br />Then they were glad because they had quiet,<br /> and he brought them to their desired haven.<br /><br /><br /><br />On another occasion, even more powerfully, he was able to stride across its unstable waters with all the security and control of one walking up a country path. The Jesus who was at peace in a wilderness of wild beasts, is equally at peace in the midst of a stormy sea. Clearly there were not any no go areas for him. It seems likely that it was to point up such theological points as these that Mark referred not to the Lake of Galilee, its usual title, but the Sea.<br /><br />These stories of crossing to the other side, however, show the disciples in a far less favourable light. Jesus had failed to find faith in the religious establishment and had only just chosen this group to be a new symbolic Israel through whom he could work. He had begun to instruct them in the secrets of the kingdom and now put them to their first test. How would they manage without him? They had panicked and shown themselves to be no more full of faith than his own family: they had rounded on him, accused him of not caring, lacking compassion and being lazy. Above all they demonstrated that they were ultimately just as prone to despair, to give up, to let the sea of evil overwhelm them as the religious establishment had been. This failure at the first test was sadly to be replicated several more times before those shocking last hours when all forsook Jesus and fled, the last of them disappearing naked into the night losing his last vestige of respectability and dignity in the melee of the Jerusalem streets on the night when he was betrayed.bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-85139515056904204722009-06-13T03:02:00.001+01:002009-06-13T03:02:57.917+01:00mustard seed Mark 4 31,The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed........<br /><br />Jesus has much to say about seeds. They are to be scattered freely, even wastefully, not held on to grimly; they are to be allowed to germinate in their own time; they do their work most effectively when they are hidden in the dark fertile soil rather than exposed to scrutiny. Though small, insignificant and apparently shrivelled and dead they carry within themselves latent energy that, in the right conditions, brings forth a miraculous harvest. They are quite capable of producing a harvest even when enemy forces attempt to displace them. They are also reliable and true to type: if wheat is sown wheat is reaped: if weeds are sown then only weeds grow.<br /><br />With seed size does not matter: authenticity is more important. So the kingdom of God is not about making a big impression. The world has seen its empires come and go: they are lampooned in the prophecies of Daniel (4. 20ff) and Ezekiel (17. 24). They have dominated the world like cedars but the kingdom of God is not like that: its energy is concealed in the humble mustard seed of faith. It will displace the ostentatious mountains of empire and manipulative religion (Matthew 17. 20): and will cast the luxuriant mulberry with its blood-red fruit into the sea of oblivion. (Luke 17. 6)<br /><br />The mustard seed, when planted, becomes a shrub capable of providing shelter even to birds, which, in the parable of the sower, are the enemies of the seed. But, of course, although the birds of the air swoop down and eat the seed, in turn they spread the seeds through their droppings. The kingdom of God provides shelter for all kinds of people and projects. There are times when some of these even seem hostile - devouring faith. But in the work of the kingdom even the enemies of good turn out to be the allies of the gospel: like the birds nesting alarmingly in the shadows of its branches and pecking away at the seeds even while the bush is still in flower, they become inadvertent spreaders of the seed, providing new growth points in unlikely locations.<br /><br />In mission we are to be openhanded. Sometimes we feel embarrassed that the projects we can see with the eye of faith, look insignificant in seed and unspectacular in fulfilment. Like the mustard plant. Often the growth of the plants is slow and unspectacular. Sometimes even when they flourish they bring with them alarming side effects which disappoint us. But God sees more than we can imagine: he prizes that which we often disdain. The mustard plant in his eyes is more important than the cedar. He puts his trust in our minuscule faith. To fulfil his dream he hands his kingdom over to us like seed; not for us to cling to and keep within our tight fists, but for us to sow, in promising and unpromising locations. <br /><br />Through faithfulness, integrity, openhandedness and patience the kingdom of heaven comes with simple grace and humble maturity, not to dominate or to overpower but to provide shelter and peace for all even its enemies. He has entrusted the kingdom to us. Dare we let him down?bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-80272358443923991512009-02-09T09:06:00.001+00:002009-02-09T09:09:25.957+00:00Mark 1 40-45 touching a leperThere were times when Jesus, himself, cried out in anguished despair at the state of the world he had come into. The sheer weight of it appalled him and angered him. In the next healing story we find Jesus confronted by a man suffering from a virulent skin disease which alienated him from society. In this meeting we read that Jesus was angry and as he sent him away he was ‘snorting with indignation’. When a man came to him with an epileptic child Jesus was so outraged at the incapability of either the ‘teachers of the law’ or his own disciples to do anything about it that he launched out “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you?” In some ways the boy with the demon that makes him both deaf and speechless is symbolic of the religious world to which Jesus came. The disciples ask him how he cast out this demon. Jesus replies: "This kind can come out only through prayer." The religious establishment seems both so complacently accepting and at the same time so utterly despairing that it has come to accept the world for what it is and has either totally lost all hope of a Kingdom of God or pushed it so far into the future that it is distant and irrelevant. Thus the religious establishment - both disciples and scribes alike - have become the means by which the world continues to suffer without any sign of justice because they have ceased to be the channels of God‘s grace and love and the means of his compassion. Similarly, in the story of the man with the skin disease, the way the Torah (law) was interpreted by the priests compelling a man to live as a leper an outcast within a chosen people, with no hope of rehabilitation, left Jesus snorting with rage. The man clearly had already been to the priest for a declaration that he was clean for Jesus sent him back. Jesus trumped the authority of the priest by touching the man, declaring him clean and sent him back to make the sacrifices only a clean man could make, thus ‘witnessing against the system’. But the failure of the man to comply with the law, of course, and instead tell the whole town that Jesus had touched him, marked Jesus out as potentially unclean too. Hence his need to retreat from that area.bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-7227055019124276792009-01-26T13:54:00.001+00:002009-01-26T13:59:42.861+00:00the man of authority Mark 1 21-28It is the Sabbath. Jesus goes into the synagogue and begins teaching. His words are compelling: there is an authority none of them have ever encountered before. It immediately arouses opposition: a man cries out, “Why have you come here to mess with us?” Here in the cosy, contented world of the religious clique, cushioned in their traditional cult, glossing their scriptures, and easing their ills with properly turned prayers, the man from the wilderness seems to speak from a deeper well of wisdom and a more authentic spirituality threatening their position as religious leaders in the community. “Have you come to destroy us?” The voice is clearly one Jesus had identified in wilderness as belonging to the great antagonist who opposes everything God and his kingdom stand for. And here it speaks out, not in some obviously evil, diabolic form but in an angry elder of the synagogue, who, in his outrage, recognises in the authority of Jesus, a prophet, a Holy One of God, who will disturb the already fragile, delicately balanced peace in Galilee on which he and his friends depend for their continuing power and prosperity. Jesus with awesome clarity calls the demon for who he is and drives him out. A scribe is exposed as an enemy of God. Battle is joined.bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-83499558027641439862008-12-24T22:14:00.005+00:002008-12-24T22:29:27.439+00:00angels and archangels Luke 1 & 2 1-20Luke's story begins not in the deserts of Trans-Jordan, nor in the hill towns of Galilee, not even in Bethlehem, but in the courts of the temple in Jerusalem. The contrast with Mark, whose gospel remains the core of Luke's narrative, could hardly be greater. Whereas Mark plunges us straight into the rough, breathless conflicts of Jesus=s ministry, Luke opens with a leisurely, luminous prelude, soaked in the language, style and culture of the Greek version of Hebrew scripture, punctuated with praise and prayer: a story of priests, prophets and angels, miraculous births and heavenly visitations all interwoven into a narrative, at once elegant and artful. <br /><br />At the outset of Luke's gospel Israel is represented by the old, tired, disappointed but obedient and faithful, priestly couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth. They echo the grieving faithfulness of Hannah whose son Samuel was to be the fore-runner of the great king David, they appear as a living embodiment of the childless Zion of Isaiah=s prophecy, indeed Zechariah receives his calling from an angel in the holy of holies, not altogether unlike the epiphany granted to Isaiah himself. Their son, miraculously conceived, was like the mighty Samson to be brought up a prophet from his mother's womb, kept holy for the Lord. Like Elijah he would go forth with spirit and power, preparing his people to meet their Lord. <br /><br />However, though he is faithful and good, Zechariah, like Israel, is unbelieving. The bitter way in which Mark, Matthew and indeed John deal with the refusal of the religious authorities to accept Jesus as Messiah gives way in Luke to a poignant acceptance: the elder brother in the story of the loving father breaks his father's heart by his refusal to come into the party, but all that the father has is his: the priest and Levite miss the point of their calling and pass by on the other side, leaving a Samaritan to show what it is to love your neighbour, but they receive no judgment from Jesus; Jesus stands and weeps over Jerusalem: how many times he would have loved to gather it up like chicks under a mother hen's wing, but they would not be gathered. Jesus's problem with Israel is not cast in the language of a struggle with Satan, so much as in that of exasperation with a goodness and faithfulness that had become so defensive that it could not open itself to the wonder of salvation.<br /><br />The man of prayer Zechariah had become so used to praying to what seemed an empty heaven that he could not believe it when his prayer was answered. In that he was not unlike those who met for prayer in John Mark's mother's house who could not believe Rhoda, the servant, who told them that the imprisoned Peter had escaped and was knocking on their door. The priest who did not believe in prayer was thus unable to bless the people. Right at the end of the gospel, Jesus, the man of prayer stood and blessed his disciples before going to glory. They then returned to the temple where Luke's story had begun and were there within its courts continually praising God.<br /><br />As often in Luke it is the women who teach the men a lesson. The old man Zechariah, the temple priest whose job it was to recognise the voice of God and interpret it to the people is contrasted sharply with Mary, the young virgin in the Galilee town of Nazareth. They both were visited by the angel Gabriel. On the face of it we would expect the priest to know how to react: he was the professional go-between with God: he witnessed the visit in the temple, the purpose-built place for encounters with God. The news he had received was that for which he had been praying: therefore he should have believed it. By contrast Mary was not expecting any encounter with God or an angel: the news which she received was not something for which she had been hoping. Indeed if we are right in assuming that Mary was engaged to Joseph because she was not yet ready for marriage then the news would have been devastating for such a young girl. As we saw when looking at Matthew's account it was not unusual for girls to be promised to men in marriage at the age of 12 and for the marriage to become effective at puberty. When Mary says that she has not had no knowledge of a man, the simple meaning is that she had not had sexual intercourse with a man, but it could well mean that she was not yet ready for such a relationship and was not yet ready to bear a child, therefore it would be impossible. The angel's reply, drawing attention to her cousin Elizabeth's surprising pregnancy makes more sense if this is the context: especially the words "nothing is impossible with God". The angel's message also gave a good deal of information about the baby to be born: his name, Jesus was a popular name of the time - the Greek for Joshua. That much is unremarkable. But then the angel spelt out a number of details that might have made Mary shudder. She lived in Galilee, a hotbed of zealot revolt against the Romans. The angel's pronouncement dripped with the promise of Messiah. To a young girl in Galilee that could only mean one thing, rebellion and therefore trouble. Yet Mary unlike Zechariah, accepts her calling. For many it would have been one favour from God too many, but Mary humbly and graciously accepts her gift. On Mary's acceptance the angel immediately left her. Few words are more devastating in the gospel than these. At the moment when she most needed support she is left alone.<br /><br />But the angel had left a clue as to where she might find it. So Mary goes south to the hill country above Jerusalem to meet her cousin Elizabeth. As soon as Elizabeth greets her the baby in Elizabeth=s womb leaps for joy, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. Yet another woman responds appropriately to the latent salvation of God.<br /><br />Luke's gospel is the first part of a two volume work. And in some ways the structures of the two parts are similar. The Acts of the Apostles and the gospel both celebrate the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit: Now Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. This enables her to be the first person to recognise Mary's unborn child as her Lord. Truly it had been the embryonic John, filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb who had first recognised his Lord: Elizabeth caught the recognition and the joy from him, and Mary caught it from her. That joy is to be the next theme of the gospel. It bubbles up immediately in the first of a whole series of songs.<br /><br />Mary's song is loosely based on that of Hannah, but bristles with quotations and allusions to other Old Testament songs. The essential theme is the transforming power of God to shake and change society: the hungry are fed, the rich are stripped of their wealth, the poor are raised, the powerful laid low and the weak empowered, the arrogant are humiliated and the humble given responsibility and status: in short, God's purposes revealed to Abraham in his covenant are about to be made good: the day of salvation has arrived. This song sets the tone of the gospel. Jesus reiterates many of its sentiments in his manifesto sermon in which he announced the year of jubilee at Nazareth at the beginning of his ministry. At key moments in stories unique to Luke's account we see these prophecies coming to life before our eyes: a prostitute praised and a pharisee humbled at a dinner party, the tax collector Zacchaeus receiving Jesus into his house and making restoration to the poor, a thief being awarded paradise. <br /><br />Elizabeth's baby is born. The neighbours begin to catch the joy. Zechariah names the baby, John, meaning the Lord is gracious, (as commanded by the angel). He is then liberated to praise and spread the news of the gracious, unlimited love of God. And so he sings his song. <br /><br /> <br />In some ways this song takes Mary's a stage further: the transforming power of God is not only there to change the order in society, but to be totally liberating in a spiritual sense too. It is a song of freedom: freedom from oppression, freedom from fear, freedom from guilt, and freedom from darkness. It is a song not just of thanksgiving but of prophetic vision. Like Mary's it also echoes Old Testament songs but reaches out beyond them in faith. It is rich in allusion: for example, the horn of salvation and the rising day-star (or shooting stem). The notion of the horn of salvation became ultimately linked to the myth of the unicorn through Psalm 92. 10 and the vision of Daniel in Daniel 8. 5-7. Hence all those magnificent medieval tapestries which adorn the Cluny museum in Paris and the Cloisters in New York. Whether the horn is meant to signify the powerful, piercing, battle hardened triumph of God's intervening power in the conflict against evil like a mighty, mythical, horned creature winning the day, or whether it refers to the use of a horn for anointing with the oil of saving power, we can take our pick. Most commentators go for the former. The second allusion of the rising sun (or day-star) is also ambiguous, but the ambiguity is more easily resolved. The words could mean either rising star or sprouting shoot. The words are used in both senses in Messianic passages in the Greek Old Testament. However there is such a strong sense of light in the rest of the song that the former must hold here - though it may well be that the author would like us to hold the other reference in our minds, too. In particular, the prophecy of Malachi seems to have a powerful influence, mentioning not just day-star, but also the root and branch. He has already drawn attention to "the messenger to clear the way", so that the "Lord will suddenly come to his Temple". Soon "the calves will come leaping out of the stalls", which at once links to the image of John leaping within his mother=s womb and the birth of Jesus who was laid in a manger. The presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple and his tarrying in the temple at the significant age of twelve, both only mentioned in Luke, where he is recognised by prophets, priests and doctors of the law alike with astonishment, are clearly Luke's way of pointing to the fulfilment of Malachi's prophecy. Then in masterly way as Jesus's body is taken down from the cross in darkness and is laid in the tomb in royal splendour by Joseph of Arimathaea the day-star appears again to herald a new day, although it was approaching evening. For in the blooded victory of the cross, through the anticipated dawn of resurrection, the Day of the Lord was shown to be a day of Light and Salvation to end the gloom of death and despair. The tomb has become a place of healing and forgiveness, a place of peace from which the Sun of righteousness will rise with healing in his rays. <br /><br />So in his song with its subtle evocation of the prophecies of Malachi, Zechariah prepares us for Luke's version of salvation history. At its core is the forgiveness of sins. That is the key to peace. It is another fundamental theme of Luke's gospel and again it drives us forward to Jesus's sublime forgiveness of his killers as he hangs upon the cross: a word once again unique to this gospel. <br /><br />After the sublime beauty of Zechariah's prophetic song, the account of the birth of Jesus seems both brief and prosaic. The emperor issues an order in the time when Quirinius was governor of Syria that all the world should be registered for taxation purposes. Luke might simply be putting down a datemark on the event to remind all his readers that despite the luminous glow of all that has gone before and the intervention of angels and the opening of heavens and the mystery of miracle births we are dealing not with myth or fanciful tales of the gods, but with real people part of a real world, subject to politics and tax. He might also have been drawing attention to the fact that God uses even heathen emperors like the divine Augustus within his plans for salvation, just as he had used Cyrus. Unfortunately the reference to the census has obscured rather than cast light on the date of Jesus's birth. The first census known to have been held by Augustus during the governorship of Quirinius was in 6CE (according to Josephus): it is probably the one Luke alludes to himself in Acts which caused a rebellion, led by Judas the Galilean. However, Luke has already told us that these things happened when Herod was king of Judaea, which, of course agrees with Matthew. Herod died in 4BCE. The easiest explanation for this disparity is that the census was held in stages over a period of time or that the tax based on the census was introduced in 6CE and that caused the rebellion. But Josephus seems quite explicit that this census did not take place until after Herod's death when Judaea was added to the province of Syria. Alternatively there may have been an earlier census which failed because of unrest or administrative chaos following Herod=s death and it had to be done again by Quirinius later. But that is to enter the field of speculation.<br /><br />The story that follows has been so embellished by legend and art that it comes as a bit of shock to read it as it is: there is no donkey, no ox, not even a stable. There is certainly no inn-keeper and probably not even an inn. The word usually translated "inn" is by no means the usual one, and not the one used for the inn in the story of the good Samaritan. The best translation is probably "billets", but it is the same as the word used for the "upper room" where the last supper was held. It would seem highly unlikely that Joseph had to stay in an inn since the reason for him having to go to Bethlehem was that this was where he was born. More likely he and Mary were accommodated within the family home but pressure of space forced them to use part of the house normally used by the animals. The animals' food box, probably attached to a wall would have made an acceptable make-shift crib. Nor is it mentioned in the text that Mary arrived only just in time to give birth: it simply says that while they were there Jesus was born. All babies, well-cared for and loved, would have been wrapped in strips of cloth just as Jesus was. The birth scene in this drama is unremarkable and plain. <br /><br />Nothing in these simple verses prepares us for what happens next. Shepherds are watching their flocks by night. Of course there had once been a Bethlehem shepherd who had been visited by Samuel and crowned king. But now shepherds were generally poorly regarded. Their work tended to make them unclean. They wandered from place to place and like all itinerants were traditionally distrusted. There were suggestions that some were terrorists. Their presence in the fields stands in sharp contrast to the law abiding Joseph who has gone to Bethlehem on the emperor's orders to be taxed. Yet it is not to Mary or even Joseph that the angelic host appears with all the glory of God. It is to shepherds. When it comes to understanding the nature of her child's mission it is going to be in the testimony of these unreliable shepherds that Mary is going to have to put her trust. This introduces another theme of the two volume work: the importance of witnesses. As Jesus says to his disciples referring to the unbelief of Capernaum, "Anyone who rejects you, rejects me, and anyone who rejects me rejects the one who sent me." <br /><br />The angel reintroduces the theme of joy that has shone through the whole story so far. A joy not just for them nor the people immediately involved in the story nor even just for Israel: this joy was to be for the whole world. The angel's message bristles with some of Luke's favourite words: I bring good news, joy, today, Saviour, Lord. The Day has come. In the deep darkness of night the day-star announced by Zechariah has been born; in the city of David, a Saviour has come to be Christ (Messiah) and Lord. But the signs are small: already it is made clear that this Lord is not framed in the usual trappings of power. The sign of power of God is not be found in a palace nor yet even in the angelic skies: the sign of the most extraordinary is to be discovered by disreputable shepherds in the ordinary simplicity of a baby in a nappy lying in a makeshift cot. The skies open to reveal a celestial party; the heavenly party-song is taken up by the triumphant crowds on earth when Jesus enters Jerusalem, a climactic point of his pilgrimage of salvation. The earth is to be a place of peace; it is mysteriously both a prerequisite and a consequence of the revealing of the glory of God. The absence of peace on earth confounds even the peace of heaven. Jesus's mission is to bring peace on earth that alone can restore full glory to God in heaven. Yet in the coming of Christ already that glory is being revealed and perfected. <br /><br />The angels leave the scene. The shepherds discuss what they have seen: but not for long. With haste they go to Bethlehem and witness what the angel told them. And they were welcomed. They told their story and all were astonished. But Mary went further than all the others. She treasured their witness and pondered it in her heart. Many will respond with amazement to the spectacular signs of God's salvation, but the requirement is to go beyond astonishment, accept it and embrace it: to stay with it long term. That is a weighty matter - a thing to be valued and pondered. The shepherds return, their work of evangelism done: they are merely the first of many in the gospel to return from an encounter with Jesus glorifying and praising God. Glory to God in the highest had become a catchy tune.bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-18245346599628385252008-12-03T22:42:00.000+00:002008-12-03T22:43:13.923+00:00Mark 1 1-13 the man in the wildernessWe first meet Jesus in the wilderness. It is in the wilderness that all routes to God begin. Some will have stumbled into the wilderness by mistake, others will have always been there but many will have had to make a conscious effort to leave the walled, secure, cultivated, self-made order of home with its tidiness or its weeds, its hard toil or its reclined elegance. They will have ventured in faith beyond the familiar into the unknown. Some may have gone out beyond protected ground into a place of risk for adventure. Others may be motivated by boredom or a feeling of imprisonment within a culture, or a sense that the self-made and self limiting enclosure of the garden can never bring life in all its fulness. Out there in the trackless wilderness where signposts are simply hints in the sand, and doubts the likely mirages of faith, there is no choice but to follow where Jesus leads. The spiritual food and drink needed to keep alive will be different from that on which we have become dependent. Living outside the camp will be challenging to traditional thought processes. Living there calls for a radical change of direction, an abandonment of past life-style, and a pilgrimage of uncertain direction, for God tends to be an elusive destination.<br /><br />At first encounter it hardly seems to be good news at all. But the Bible assures us that it is indeed gospel that we hear in that wilderness. It was beyond the civilised city of Ur that Abraham encountered promise. It was in the fugitive’s wilderness of remorse, family breakdown, and shattered trust that Jacob saw heaven opened. It was in the wilderness of Sinai, far from the fleshpots of the Pharaoh’s palace of his upbringing, that Moses met his God and knew him by name for the first time. It was again in that same wilderness that he was caught up in Yahweh’s supreme revelation to his own people; the word of law and covenant that still holds Israel. The clinching indication that this people was to going to move from wilderness to a land was revealed when the mighty walls came tumbling down at Jericho: a sign that however high and strong man builds, wilderness is always ready to break in on his protected plot. It was in the wilderness of captivity that the children of Israel had to learn new songs, not fixed in the foursquare harmonies of Zion, but psalms of a pilgrim people whose temples, carved out of the hardness of their hearts, would never replace lives of integrity beaten out in the blood-pumping rhythms of the flesh-soft heart of love. For they would always be a people whose identity had been formed in the wilderness: living in tents, feeding on manna from day to day, drinking from fountains opened out of rocks along the way; a people whose God was always on the move, the signs of his presence carried in a box, a day’s journey ahead of them, and even when resting with them kept in a tent as s sign of their readiness to move. <br /><br />But the people to whom Jesus came had forgotten all that. They lived at a time when nations were identified not by wilderness pilgrimage but by their buildings. Forums and temples, palaces, aqueducts, walls and theatres were named for Emperors and kings. Herod the Great, Augustus’ vassal king in Jerusalem, had learnt the lessons of his times. His eternal life would be bought at the price of projects: a signature palace at Massada, an aqueduct, towers and harbours, but above all a massive temple to his God in Jerusalem. Jesus had lived and worked as a builder. Just a few miles from his home in Nazareth a new city was rising in the hills with theatres, baths and temples. Surely this was good news to Galileans, especially contract builders like Jesus. Yet this new city, Sephoris, with all its sophistication and state of the art urban living is the one major place in Israel we never encounter in the books of good news. And Herod’s mightiest and most prestigious project, the new temple in Jerusalem is treated with disdain by the man we first encounter in the wilderness. <br /><br /><br />In practice, the temple discriminated against the poor and the alien: the oppressive tax regime to pay for it imposed on poor, already oppressed, people, financial burdens they could not bear and seemed to imply that forgiveness depended on an ability to pay. The clear implication was that God could be impressed by prestige projects, that national identity was located less in the covenant written upon the heart, than in stones piled up in specious splendour. The planning, building and administration of such an ornate temple created a privileged class in Jerusalem totally out of touch not only with ordinary people, but with the simple faith God required of them; a self-serving ruling class with delusions of grandeur but no less Pilate’s puppets, who hypocritically had copied Roman temple culture while parading their exclusive Jewish identity. <br /><br />Jesus came to bring freedom from that kind of bondage. A lame man is lowered through the roof into his presence. Jesus forgives him his sins: no temple sacrifice is required. Only faith. It is out in an open desert place that Jesus feeds 5000 men with two fish and five loaves. He walks across the wilderness of a stormy sea, and out among the tombs of Gentile badlands, on the wrong side of the lake, he brings sanity and peace to a man whose mind is a wilderness more tangled even than the wildness of the sea in a terrifying storm. A woman with a haemorrhage, banished from polite society, banned from synagogue let alone temple, driven into a wilderness of fear and despair for 12 years, touches him and is welcomed as his daughter, and is then sent on in peace. People isolated in deafness or in blindness, a leper, those who were branded as outcasts, tax collectors and sinners, found Jesus in the wilderness of their rejection, and were liberated by him from all that bound them, not least the temple culture superimposed upon them that could offer them no release but instead enslaved them within systems in which they could only be exploited and never receive healing.<br /><br />So the people of Jerusalem went out: leaving the temple, going out beyond the authority of the priests, crossing even the boundaries of the promised land, to encounter John, a wild, untamed man of the wilderness on a Ray Mears diet: to be washed by him, not in the blessed and holy water of the temple courts, but in the historic waters of the Jordan, whose stream their forefathers had mysteriously and miraculously crossed in the dry; and there renounced the city and all its ways. Turning to new wilderness ways of finding God, they are pointed to one on whom the favour of God ostensibly falls. And Jesus, the righteous one, filled with the Spirit of God himself, rising out of the waters turns not to the city crowned with its magnificent House of God but to the wilderness peopled only by beasts and angels where the pure in heart can see God, and recognise Satan for who he is and there to find the authentic voice of God within his heart.bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-1776554944187038612008-11-04T17:56:00.001+00:002008-11-04T17:56:48.557+00:00<a href='http://www.270towin.com/2008_polls/mccain_obama/'><img border=0 src='http://www.270towin.com/election_icons/ptick_img.php'></a>bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-88374488094508969182008-09-30T14:19:00.000+01:002008-09-30T14:20:10.515+01:00Matthew 22. 1 – 23, 18. 23 – 35 Kings, citizens and slavesThe story of the marriage feast exists in three different versions. Most comparisons between them come to the conclusion that Luke’s version is most likely to be nearest to that which Jesus told, and Matthew’s the furthest removed. Certainly Luke’s version fits more easily into salvation history: the excuses offered by the guests make their failure to attend more culpable: the host’s behaviour in inviting the outcasts is more generous and less compulsive, and there is no weeping and gnashing of teeth at the end. <br /><br />However, even for Matthew’s version, the standard interpretation goes something like this: God, the king, invites people to the wedding of his Son, but the honoured guests (the scribes and Pharisees and temple leaders and presidents of the synagogue) refuse the invitation. In fact, not only do they refuse the invitation but they murder his servants, (the prophets). Consequently the temple in Jerusalem is razed to the ground as God’s punishment on them. When those who do turn up come into the feast the king notices one of the guests improperly dressed. This is interpreted as insubordination and he is cast out into weeping and gnashing of teeth. The story goes that Revd Ian Paisley was thundering forth on this text until a little old lady near the pulpit interrupted and says to him, "That's all very well, Reverend, but what about those of us who don't have any teeth left to gnash?!" Without pausing in his stride Paisley comes back with, "Mother, have no fear! Teeth will be provided!" (Brian McGowan).<br /><br />Thus as Marianne Blickenstaff shows Matthew transforms a wedding reception into a frightening hall of judgment: “While Luke's version of the parable ends with the replacement of the unworthy guests, Matthew's redaction continues his focus on judgment to include even the newly invited company. When the king discovers a guest not wearing a wedding garment, he commands that the unfortunate man be bound hand and foot and expelled "into the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth" (22:13). The king's abrupt action shocks the reader into realizing that those who manage to gain entrance to the feast are not guaranteed a place at the table, and that the Bridegroom's fictive family is perhaps not as all-inclusive as it seemed. Though one can never cease to be a biological relation, even if disinherited, one can be expelled from this new adoptive family and be forced to remain in the "outer darkness," the opposite of the joyful wedding banquet, a place where the Bridegroom is never present.<br />That a joyful wedding feast can turn to sorrow in the rhetoric of apocalyptic judgment is a theme also voiced by the prophets: "I will bring an end to the sound of mirth and gladness; the voice of the bride and bridegroom in the cities of Judah…" (Jer. 7:34; cf. 16:9; 25:10); and "Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her canopy" (Joel 2:16). Like the prophets, Matthew warns that there is a nebulous boundary between joy and sorrow in the liminal stage between waiting for the eschatological banquet and its fulfillment, between promise and final consummation, between being "out" and being "in." In this liminal stage, the members of the fictive family come to understand that their place at the banquet is not guaranteed, and that even their adoption into the Bridegroom's family does not assure an escape from violence in the final judgment.<br /><br />But what if the Greek at the beginning of the parable is read in a totally different way: it literally reads “the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man, the king……” Let us look at the story without the preconception that the king stands for God. A king sends out a summons to those who had been invited informing them that everything is now ready and he expects them to be there at the wedding of his son. For some reason they seem reluctant to come. Who would turn down and invitation to a royal wedding? He sends out more slaves instructing them to summon the guests to the wedding. Most of them just ignored the slaves and went about their ordinary business trying to pretend they had not been invited. Others beat up the slaves and some of the slaves were killed. Why should the invited ones behave in this way? The king was enraged and sent out troops with instructions to kill the murderers and burn down their city. The slaves are then commanded to go into the streets and make sure that there are guests for the wedding to prevent the king losing face. So they gathered in good and bad alike – anyone would do – to make sure that the king was not embarrassed by having no guests for the marriage of his son. But when the king came in he saw one guest improperly dressed. He interrogates him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” The man is speechless. The slaves throw him out of the party into the bitterness of the night. <br /><br />Perhaps that last action explains why people did not want to come to the wedding in the first place. Does this king remind us of God or Caesar? Jesus or Herod? We have already heard an account of Herod’s birthday party which ends up with the head of a man who dressed in camel’s skin presented on a platter to the queen. Ancient literature is bulging with stories of dinner parties that were the sort of events from which sensible people tried to excuse themselves.<br /><br />The sequence of emperors from the death of Augustine until the death of Nero was marked by a decadence that was, even its own time, regarded as deeply shocking Already Matthew has given us a shocking portrait of a king: a king with colossal resources who apparently governed not only through violent force but with a shocking disregard for budgetary control presumably keeping the goodwill of his civil servants by allowing them to cream off millions from the exchequer. We are introduced to one of them: this man owes 10,000 talents: the talent was worth 10,000 denarii. A denarius was a day’s pay. So the poor man owed 10,000 x 10,000 days’ pay: or 10 million days’ pay. Now if we say that the average working life is 50 years that adds up to 15.000 days. In modern money, the debt is about £4 billion. It beggars belief how any king could be so incompetent as to have one of his managers owing quite so much, or on what the manager could have spent so much money.<br /><br />Of course the figure 10,000 x 10,000 was just the Jewish way of saying the largest number you could think of. Even so, on the day of reckoning, the poor debtor had no hope: it was all very well the king saying I’ll sell you, your wife, your children and all your possessions: the average selling price for a slave was about 100 denarii: sometimes a slave could just fetch 200: so allowing 100denarii for him and his wife and his children he would only be able to pay off 0.0001% of the debt! Even if he had eight children.<br /><br />Even more implausible is the manager’s promise to work off the debt! Thus the king might as well let the man off: in terms of the debt any other action would amount to punishment for the sake of it. So filled with compassion for a man in such a state he did so.<br /><br />On the way home from his encounter with the king the manager met a client who owed him 100 denarii -100 days’ pay - or – the price of his own head as a slave. This was a sum that could realistically be raised. When the client said “Be patient and I will repay you” he meant it. The action of the manager was gratuitous and stupid: he clamped his client in prison thus depriving the him not only of the means of work to pay back the debt but also of feeding his family. Putting him in prison until he should pay was sheer vindictiveness.<br /><br />Now colleagues of both men enter into the story: they are outraged with the manager who has slung their workmate into prison: they report the matter to the king who calls in the manager and reinstates the debt he had cancelled. The man is to be tortured until he should pay up: which of course meant for eternity since there was no means of him ever paying.<br /><br />Since it was illegal under Jewish law for a man to sell his wife into slavery, and there was no institution of slavery for debt in Israel, and torture was illegal under Jewish Iaw this story would ring true in Jewish ears primarily in a Roman context. Such behaviour towards those sub-governors behind with the tax was common in the Roman Empire: the sub-governor was therefore likely to take a harsh line towards those behind with their tax since he would be held responsible by the king for it personally. “There was a liquidity crisis in 33CE in which interest rates rose, loans were called in and land prices collapsed. Tiberius loaned a substantial sum of money to landowners without interest for three years to restore liquidity.”<br /><br />The parable, then, at its face value is all about accounts, ledgers, debts and credit. It is also about tax, duties, relationships between governor and governed. The parable ends with the manager languishing under the eternal torture of his king. This proud, hard hearted manager discovers his master to be the sort of king who reinstates debts that once have been wiped off the slate. This is a king who gives way to popular pressure in his treatment of an unpopular manager. He is untrustworthy. Obviously this king is no more meant to be like God than the unrighteous judge in Luke 18. <br /><br />The point is that even tyrannical and venal Roman kings expected to find some compassion in their managers and could sometimes rise to the occasion and show mercy themselves. How much more will a merciful God who has released human beings of such colossal debts expect those made in his image to be forgiving in the way he is. But such forgiveness requires a total change of heart. That change of heart can only be effected when a love relationship takes over from a contractual relationship in our attitudes not only to God but our fellow human beings. Since God breaks the contract by giving his forgiveness that contractual way of looking at the world is no longer valid. Law is trumped by grace. Thus forgiveness is dependent of the one forgiven as well as on the one who forgives. Like love it is a two way process. Forgiveness has to be fully accepted to be effective, it is possible to remain unforgiven irrespective of the attitude of the wronged person. The manager in the story never knew himself to be relieved of debt – never experienced the release of his burden and so continued to behave in a mean-minded way. Far from liberating him to be a different person - he felt humiliated and thus determined to exercise the shreds of power he had left over the other poor unfortunate. Sometimes forgiveness only doubles the debt. It humiliates the debtor even more. He still wanted to pay the debt off. If we are unable to be forgiving ourselves then we are likely to be those who will never in the bottom of our heart be able to believe that we are forgiven: we therefore will live with our debts - tortured by them - unable to pay them off - burdened by the guilt for eternity. Only those who have had their heart of stone replaced by a heart of flesh can know what it is to be loved and forgiven.<br /><br />So we return to the other royal parable. If the king in the story of the debtors can easily be equated with Tiberius, so can the king in this parable. How did the listeners interpret this? They discovered that Jesus “did not regard people with partiality”. In other words they interpreted his parable as being subversive to the Romans. Of course at no point had Jesus made it clear enough that he was talking about Caesar ‘s corrupt banquets and political wedding feasts for him to be indicted. So they sought to trap him with questions about Roman taxation, and force his him to come out openly as a dissident.<br /><br />The quotation that Matthew appends to the parable simply thickens the fog. Who were called and who chosen? The chosen were surely those sent the named invitations – they after all were those whose names were on the guest list. They were chosen. Nothing in the text suggests that they were many. The many would appear to be those who were dragooned into coming. The other person to be chosen was the man thrown out into weeping and gnashing of teeth. <br /><br />Assume for one moment you were sitting next to him and witnessed his embarrassment at the hands of the king and then saw the slaves bodily throw him out into the abyss. What if he were your friend, your father, your son, your husband? Would you be able to eat your canapés with joy after that? John the Baptist had been beheaded for refusing to refrain from criticizing Herod’s marriage to Herodias. At a banquet of sycophants he remained obstinately non-conformist. He had refused to dance to the music of the pipes. But then so had Jesus. <br />Dramatically Marianne Blickenstaff has suggested that the silent one who is cast out represented Jesus himself. Jesus, enigmatically taking upon himself the title of Son of Man, resolutely refused to wear a garment thrust upon him by either his opponents or his supporters. The cardboard cut-out of Messiah was spurned whether it was placed on him by Peter or Caiaphas. He was the one thrown out into darkness and the gnashing of teeth, silently bearing the wrath of the regime because he alone would not conform to a code of ostentatious righteousness that was at odds with his humanity and fellowship with the poor and sinful. Many (which usually means all) indeed were called: few (in fact only he) was chosen.bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-42176892525936743632008-09-09T22:28:00.009+01:002008-09-18T00:35:18.050+01:00nuremberg chronicle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLHK4gMntS1znsHFlNGc8qDp7xPxNvs96ycBol8ueHbfEhHQzN9Opwv3i-04O9bUtPohbOhEFsh25lCDWprHMzgoRwzKvsInYvB7ozJavex7K2W4FJQdaLcOcLy7Iyk103_y0OvwSadg/s1600-h/nc+bamberg.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLHK4gMntS1znsHFlNGc8qDp7xPxNvs96ycBol8ueHbfEhHQzN9Opwv3i-04O9bUtPohbOhEFsh25lCDWprHMzgoRwzKvsInYvB7ozJavex7K2W4FJQdaLcOcLy7Iyk103_y0OvwSadg/s200/nc+bamberg.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244172106543419666" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarXKdur1J2iQ8ZF74T1bTuoIjVYS46IjSKmkLMePPDsxQmD2RPErM_8c8Giz-rhflzxS4Ie5Q7Dn0cih__EYpHl2eC1S3LgGQkbq2kDEfd9NA-aHa-vauRwTKukivSqXVANi5jK__RW0/s1600-h/nc2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjarXKdur1J2iQ8ZF74T1bTuoIjVYS46IjSKmkLMePPDsxQmD2RPErM_8c8Giz-rhflzxS4Ie5Q7Dn0cih__EYpHl2eC1S3LgGQkbq2kDEfd9NA-aHa-vauRwTKukivSqXVANi5jK__RW0/s200/nc2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244171470181543826" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBo1vz4md8Ys5HOGXHD9pnr8W3BXmZS4VV0lEALkY-jOepVvp_qpSlowX2BjeFZj44pD66OYSziBP_LNNlmowH-qhp2IHCL27PQE3_W1MPc5INYx5ZPOINdwkcQXrDSNEKhA28Iu7FZ90/s1600-h/nc+world.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBo1vz4md8Ys5HOGXHD9pnr8W3BXmZS4VV0lEALkY-jOepVvp_qpSlowX2BjeFZj44pD66OYSziBP_LNNlmowH-qhp2IHCL27PQE3_W1MPc5INYx5ZPOINdwkcQXrDSNEKhA28Iu7FZ90/s200/nc+world.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244170643966990418" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCo6-xPVskJYuhMZea950a291qWdu8XI8TFagbAqE5rsMAhvhT-_d2SVWQ-ZE0Ddi-sEbMXvqaAIqPnsr__j-HbePrLNyKbt5N3Kj-M5yymHBZJI9n3WThXSuFGSuD5bKszpgs17jMkHA/s1600-h/nc+athens.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCo6-xPVskJYuhMZea950a291qWdu8XI8TFagbAqE5rsMAhvhT-_d2SVWQ-ZE0Ddi-sEbMXvqaAIqPnsr__j-HbePrLNyKbt5N3Kj-M5yymHBZJI9n3WThXSuFGSuD5bKszpgs17jMkHA/s200/nc+athens.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244170434017032370" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />I managed to acquire something of a minor treasure during the summer: a leaf from the first edition (in Latin) of the Nuremberg Chronicles printed in 1493. This book purports to tell the story of the history of the world from the creation right up to the present day. It was immensely popular in its own day: 2500 copies were printed, many in German, and was possibly the first ever book to be pirated: a cheaper version was published in Augsburg in 1497.<br /><br />The glory of this book lies not so much in the text as in the illustrations. It contains 1804 pictures, mostly of people, towns, genealogies and Bible stories. My leaf as you can see from the top left illustration is quite modest, but very typical.<br />However the 1804 illustrations are created from only 652 woodblocks, meaning that many images were used more than once. Thus an image depicting a Biblical king was used again for a contemporary king. And a prophet could quite easily reappear as a pope. In the same way the picture shown below which purports to be of Alexandria is also used in other parts of the book to represent Athens, Pavia, Austria, Carinthia, Prussia and Amazonia. The repetition of woodcuts was a common practice during this time, both in order to save money and because many readers of the Chronicle accepted these as idealized renderings of distant locales. However, there are 32 authentic city views in the Chronicle, based on both contemporary illustrations and models already existing in the printer's archives. <br />Of course the world whose history the chronicle purported to describe was narrow and flat. Columbus had only just sailed the ocean blue in1493 and his conclusions remained to be formulated let alone believed.<br /><br />The best notion of the world’s shape was taken from Ptolemy’s Geographia, published in 150, rediscovered in 1300 and reprinted in the 1480s. Thus the world view that appears in the Nuremberg Chronicles was that formed 1350 years earlier. Within less than 50 years that view was itself history.<br /><br />The credit for compiling these chronicles is usually given to a Nuremberg doctor, Schedel. And here another issue arises: just as the printers were quite happy to use any old picture in their stock of woodblocks so Schedel did little more than copy chunks of narrative from other sources and link them with the occasional conjunction or linking phrase. Over 90% of the text was lifted straight out of other histories. There is nothing new in plagiarism. Of course not all of these were in print so he made more widely accessible documents that existed in manuscript only.<br /><br />So why the fuss about the Nuremberg Chronicles? It is not rare: a modest original double sided leaf of an early German edition with some illustration is available on the internet for around £50. The whole book can be bought in a fine facsimile for around £200. Many international libraries will carry an original copy and pages can easily be seen on the internet.<br /><br />Some of the pictures are original and show interesting views of the places as they were in 1490. Some of the pictures were carved into the wood by significant artists such as the young Durer, who was born in Nuremberg and whose godfather Koberger oversaw the book production. <br /><br />But perhaps what is most fascinating is the fact that these chronicles were produced right on the cusp of a significant change in human attitude to events and to mankind itself. In 1490 Germany it was quite acceptable to portray an obscure Judean king with the same features as a remote medieval one. It was their kingliness that was important not their appearance. Similarly a legendary , even make-believe, place like Amazonia (the Amazon itself was not yet discovered and was named after the myth—not the other way round) could be portrayed with the same features as Athens since both were reckoned to be places of significance: what was portrayed was aura not architecture. And yet in the same book there are magnificent realistic depictions of contemporary cities like Bamberg: we visited Bamberg this summer. It is still recognizable from this picture. Already people and places were being depicted with astonishing verisimilitude. When Cromwell, 150 years later, was painted warts and all he was by no means the first. <br /><br />There is, though a further interesting side to the Nuremberg Chronicles. They do not end in 1493 when the book was printed. There is one further chapter in which the future is predicted. It was widely believed that the end of the world would come in 1500. This belief was based on an interpretation of the prophecies of Daniel that the time and a half of time referred to a period of 1000 and 500 years respectively. Since it was believed that Jesus had been born in the year 0 the year 1500 took on a huge significance. <br /><br />So the book of the Chronicles has a purpose beyond that of simply providing Germany with a luxury picture book. It was produced to prepare a people for judgment. Durer’s first published book in his own name followed but 5 years later. It was a full, dazzling and terrifying illustrated edition of the Apocalypse. This end to the book was not speculative it was as certain as the stories of the past.<br />What was so amazing was that far from 1500 bringing the end of the world in the terms they envisaged it only brought the end of the world as they knew it. Far from closing down the world the demi millennium opened it up. For 500 years every year brought new discoveries, new continents, new rivers, new species of animals, new civilisations, new myths and new perspectives. By 1830 geologist Archibald Lyell was stating about the earth that there was no vestige of a beginning and no prospect of an end. And no longer could two people be given the same face for the very variety of the world and its peoples rather than its homogeneity is its glory. Our young people trek the frontiers of heaven from monastery to monastery in the mystic heights of the Himalayas, our old people traverse the oceans on cruise ships to the frightening ends of the earth at Terra del Fuego, in the Magellan Straits named after the man whose crew first circumnavigated the world less than 30 years after the Chronicles were printed. Now round the world racing is an annual and almost unremarkable event.<br /><br />Above all the Nuremberg Chronicles were a triumph for the recently invented printing press. They showed the glory of what could be produced. And in what numbers. It was the printing press that facilitated the Lutheran Reformation. It was the printing press that revolutionised the sharing of knowledge. In many ways it was the very medium of which the Chronicles were one of the finest examples that brought about the end of its world. That ultimately is what fascinates in this extraordinary work. Not only does it stand on the cusp of two ages, it is in itself that cusp.<br /><br />But in the same way we live on the cusp of a new age. Computers and the world wide web are to our age a not dissimilar revolution to that of printing in the 15th century. The exploration of the universe, the discovery of DNA, the ability to create life, all these are about to change our world as dramatically as did the discoveries of the sixteenth century.<br />To some extent we have learnt our lesson: not even many theologically anchored history books are bold enough to end with the last judgment as if it were an historical event. The church may laugh at the naivety of the soviet astronaut who returned to earth saying he had been out there an found no trace of heaven or God. And yet I received a book this week from an American publisher purporting to prove modern science wrong and the Bible right about the creation of the world. This book is wondrously illustrated, weighs about 8 kilos and is but the second volume in a total work of 7. It concentrates all this page power on Darwin, who lived and died an honest Christian struggling to discover a little more about God’s world than was revealed in the closed minds within which the church had imprisoned it.<br /><br />Brothers and sisters once it was a best seller but now the Nuremberg Chronicles are no longer read. No one is going to take a world view for our age even from such an impressive tome. It belongs in museums and glass cases. Its pages are just a curiosity for collectors: one of the last great works o the middle ages, one of the first great printed books. What message is the church proclaiming for this new world in which we live? Fifty years ago the gospel was still being delivered in virtually Victorian ways. In the last 50 years things have changed a little. But sadly much that the church says today is as irrelevant as the maps of the Nuremberg Chronicle were to Magellan and Drake.bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-11254649305155396582008-07-15T01:06:00.001+01:002008-07-15T01:07:21.182+01:00treasure and trash Matthew 13 24-53Throughout Matthew’s gospel it has been made clear that good and bad live cheek by jowl in God’s world. Sometimes it is by no means obvious which is which. Those who think that they can see are often those whose eyes are blinded by planks. Those who say Lord, Lord are those who are not recognized by the Lord they affirm. There will come a day when all will be revealed but at the present moment, Jesus seems to imply, it is guesswork. That is why it is unwise to judge. Even his own authority has not been revealed to anyone except the Father. In the meantime, while the ignorant think he is the Son of David, the knowledgeable think he is Beelzebub. Those who claim to preach “good things” are hypocrites, they try to sound good but they speak from an evil heart. On the day of judgment their words will be judged. <br /><br />It is in this context that Jesus tells a story about a farmer’s field. The farmer sows good seed. But in the night an enemy comes and deliberately sows weeds in the same field. By the time anyone notices what has happened the grain has already begun to form in the good plants. But to try to remove the weeds will probably result in pulling up the good with the bad because they have become so entangled. The harvesters will have to reap the good with the bad and then sort out the mess afterwards; that way the bad can be destroyed and the good will be saved. <br /><br />The essence of the passage seems to be an attack on the separatist cults of the time, the Pharisees who tried to separate themselves from other people to keep their holiness intact and in particular the even more elite Qumran communities. The world is as mixed as when a woman mixes yeast with flour. Sometimes it seems like a stony field – yet hidden within it is a treasure of untold price; a sea containing fish edible and bad. We spend our life searching for treasure, dragging our faith through the sea looking for fish, examining through prayer the haul of every day seeking to discriminate between the good and the bad. There will come a time when the difference will be obvious and the judgment made. And when that day comes not all the new will be good – nor all the antiques bad. It is not as simple as that. In vain we look for a hallmark to ascertain that which is treasure: there are no signs. <br /><br />Jonah was thought by his fellow travelers to be the cause of their troubles – they threw him overboard, but in fact he was a prophet of God. The big fish was thought to be Leviathan – the enemy of God and the mischievous and wicked ruler of the wild and uncontrollable sea. But it turned out to be Jonah’s saviour. Nineveh was being prepared for destruction but ended up being saved. The plant under which Jonah was sheltering in the sweltering heat was destroyed by a worm. The whole point of the book of Jonah is that nothing is quite as it seems. The sign of Jonah is no sign at all. That, after all is the topsy-turvy world of the gospel, where the meek inherit the earth, the poor are richly blessed, and burial in a tomb marks not an ending but a beginning. <br /><br />But Satan is a clever counterfeiter: he copies God, except that that which God does openly by day, the devil does surreptitiously by night. And that which God sows is good – since the seed is his, so that which Satan sows is evil because he is evil. Only when the plant bears fruit can it be known for sure to be good or evil. In that sense the parable is also a comment on the judgment passages of chapter 12. But it is also a comment on how the disciples will be treated. Just as the religious leaders failed to recognize Jesus as being of God so his followers also will be mistaken for those who are evil and will be persecuted. Equally there will be those who point to the weaknesses within the church and see that as an excuse to excommunicate and root people out. The parables would seem to suggest that however good it would be to be able to do that, it is not a practical option. The result will simply be to ruin the good with the bad. Indeed the implication is that by doing that weeding the apparently holy ones will be carrying out precisely what Satan hoped would happen when he planted his seeds. They will indeed be doing his work rather than the work of the God they think they are serving.<br /><br />So we take the world as we find it: and perhaps discover that even the church will be no better. Later in the gospel it will all be made even clearer in the parable of the sheep and goats. The treasure that we find is found in a field. It comes with mud attached. In order to acquire it we have to be committed to that which we do not treasure if we are to find and have that which we do. To love God means even loving enemies and those whom we normally would not respect because we cannot be sure that they are not the field in which the treasure of God’s kingdom is to be found. In our work as “fishers of men” we trawl the whole sea: we do not farm prime salmon.bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-75789122343345280102008-06-30T07:31:00.002+01:002008-06-30T07:41:26.176+01:00pipes and yokes Matthew 11 16-30<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CBob%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceType"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="PlaceName"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Shruti; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:262147 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:none; mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;} p.DefaultText, li.DefaultText, div.DefaultText {mso-style-name:"Default Text"; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:none; mso-layout-grid-align:none; text-autospace:none; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US;} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">One thing that must have baffled both followers and opponents was the contrast between Jesus and John the Baptist. Even the imprisoned John himself was surprised by the direction in which Jesus’s ministry was going. He sent out spies to try and ascertain if Jesus was the genuine article. The reply Jesus gives is not dissimilar to the keynote sermon he preached in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Nazareth</st1:place></st1:city> quoted in Luke.<span style=""> </span>His ministry is one of transformation, and therefore good news for the poor. But that did not really seem to address the issue. If that was his ministry what was John’s status? Jesus tried to show that the gulf between them was nothing like so great as it seemed. John had gone to wilderness to show solidarity with the poor. He had dressed in poor clothes. He had rejected the carpeted civilized life of the <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Jerusalem</st1:city></st1:place> smart set to preach an uncompromising need for repentance. In so doing he had been preparing the way for the coming of the kingdom in which the lives of the poor would be transformed. Admittedly John was not just a quivering reed: he was more akin to the fiery prophet Elijah: the seizing of him and imprisoning of him was in itself a sign of a violent reaction against the kingdom and a sign of the authenticity of John’s preaching to which Jesus paid ample tribute.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">There were huge differences between John and himself: the one dour and ascetic, the other celebratory and generous but because they were both radical and threatened the status quo both would set off alarm bells in the corridors of power. Jesus then tells a story about a bunch of kids playing the pipes in the market place.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">These pipes were reed instruments, loud, piercing, of rather unrefined tone. In former times they were the folk instruments of village dance ‑ ear‑splittingly loud. They were also traditionally the instruments of lament:<span style=""> </span>like the Scottish bag‑pipes, they were capable of stirring emotion with their plaintiff tone.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">Once upon a time the pipe had been an instrument of the prophets, too. In one of the earliest references to prophets in the Bible Saul sees a group of prophets coming down from the holy hill playing the pipes: this was not surprising since part of being a prophet was the cultic dance. Indeed these cultic prophets worked themselves up into a frenzy under the influence of the spirit of the Lord! We get some idea of what might have happened as we read about Saul stripping naked and freaking out. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">By the time the temple had been built, perhaps as a result of their association with this rather ill‑disciplined worship, pipes were out. They were the instruments of the brothel and the disreputable party: the accompaniment to erotic dance. Now since the rival fertility religions involved cultic prostitution this avoidance of the pipe was quite understandable; I suppose these days the equivalent would be those who refuse to countenance guitars in church because of the association of rock bands with drugs!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">By the time of Jesus, the pipes had ceased to be associated with formal Jewish religion at all:<span style=""> </span>when we see them on Greek pots they are often accompanying some scene of drinking and debauchery or with times of death. All that then is the background to the text<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">"We piped for you and you would not dance"<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">Some would say that the children represent the prophets; they play the pipes but the people won't respond: it makes no difference whether it is a dance or a dirge ‑ this generation is "stiff-necked". They just can't bend to the rhythm of the song. That certainly is a strong message.<span style=""> </span>But Matthew seems to have other ideas for the words that come afterwards don't follow from such an interpretation at all. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="margin-right: -22.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">Pipe players are sitting down in the market playing for the other children and getting totally exasperated that the other children won't join in with the tunes they are playing. Not surprisingly the two activities specifically mentioned here are dancing and mourning ‑ the very two activities associated with the pipes.<span style=""> </span>Apparently it was customary for boys to dance at weddings and girls at funerals: hence this may just have been a reference to the games of weddings and funerals.<span style=""> </span>It should also be mentioned that the words used for dancing and mourning rhyme in Aramaic ‑ therefore Jesus may have been quoting a popular proverb. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">In Matthew’s setting the pipers are the Pharisees: with all their sanctimoniousness:<span style=""> </span>they sit in the market piping but they can't get the occasion right: they play nightclub music at funerals and dirges at parties ‑ then they complain that the people don't keep in step with their perverse rhythms. When John comes preaching repentance they say ‑ we're holy we don't need it. When Jesus comes with the joyful celebration of the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placetype st="on">kingdom</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename st="on">God</st1:placename></st1:place> they say he's dissipated and needs a touch of John's asceticism. However out of touch they may be with the mood of the times, they go on playing their contrary tune trying to change the mood and remain in charge. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">Ultimately both Jesus and John died to the sound of the pipes. Ironically, John whose lifelong music was the dirge (according to this text), died to the raucous vulgar measure of Salome's sensual dance: Jesus whose lifelong music was celebration, <span style=""> </span>died to the wail of the lament, and the crowd went home beating their breasts (the very words Matthew uses here for mourning).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">And then as if to prove the difference between himself and John had been exaggerated he launches off into a prophetic assault reminiscent of John himself on the Galilean cities of Choroazin, <st1:city st="on">Bethsaida</st1:city> and <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Capernaum</st1:place></st1:city>.<span style=""> </span>John tells us a little about <st1:city st="on">Bethsaida</st1:city>, at least 2 disciples came from there, and <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Capernaum</st1:place></st1:city> was the town in which Jesus had made his home, but of Choroazin we know almost nothing. A site which we believe to have been Choroazin has been excavated but though a substantial town, including a well preserved synagogue, from<span style=""> </span>the 2<sup>nd</sup> century has been found, no remains of the 1<sup>st</sup> century have as yet been uncovered. Yet Jesus surprisingly compares <st1:city st="on">Bethsaida</st1:city> and Choroazin unfavourably with the large and significant sea ports of <st1:city st="on">Tyre</st1:city> and <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Sidon</st1:city></st1:place>, so proverbially associated with wickedness that their destruction was a cliché of Hebrew prophecy. <st1:city st="on">Capernaum</st1:city> is even less favourably compared with <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sodom</st1:place></st1:city> and he literally sends his own home town to hell. These words are so vehement that Bultmann thought that Jesus could never have said them but it is a general rule of attribution that the more difficult the saying the less likely it would have been to have been interpolated at a later date. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">It would seem that the fact that even John the Baptist was having doubts about the authenticity of Jesus’s ministry had pushed Jesus over the edge into exasperation. Presumably he had hoped for the kingdom to come with less resistance when he had set out from the <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Jordan</st1:country-region></st1:place>. But with the constant criticism and downright opposition he was experiencing from the faith leaders in the synagogues, the slowness of his chosen disciples to understand his message and the willingness for people to accept healing and other works of power without it significantly affecting their life style or state of faith, the gospel was making little progress. There may not be quite sufficient grounds here to suggest that this passage constitutes a mid-ministry crisis but it is surely encouraging to all engaged in ministry that even Jesus found it hard-going. Indeed, it appeared at that point that such was their unbelief that even his prodigious, spirit filled work was not going to be sufficient to bring them sufficiently to their knees in repentance to stave off the destruction that was surely coming. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">How did Jesus respond to this sense of exasperation? Matthew tells us that it was precisely then when he felt so negative about his ministry and untypically blamed the community to which he had come (perhaps not unlike the pipers he had lambasted earlier in the passage) that he turned to God in prayer to thank him for his mission. In his prayer he sees that it is not the experts who know best but the children and the poor, that he is not mistaken that God is his Father and that the fact that that is not universally recognized is of no consequence. Since no-one can know the Father except through Jesus’s own revelation means that his calling is not necessarily to success but to faithfulness to the will of God. His anger at being misunderstood and rejected melts to thanksgiving when committed to the Father in prayer. The prayer leads him to a profound self-knowledge of both his status and ministry which in turn leads to the most sublime invitation to come to him recorded in the gospel. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><b style=""><span style="font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><b style=""><span style="font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span>A light burden <o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><b style=""><span style="font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">Moses had tried to lead his people to “rest”. Their disbelief and rebellion prevented them from entering into it. Joshua took on the mission with similar results. Jesus, the greater Moses, had now been entrusted with this mission. The Lord of the Sabbath became, as <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">St Augustine</st1:place></st1:city> described him, the “true Sabbath”. Jesus has already enjoined his followers to be perfect as his Father is perfect. The Sabbath was that state of rest God entered into when all his work was ended. There is certainly a meaning in which that rest can be said to be the eternal rest in God of one who has been completed in his humanity by the vicissitudes of life; indeed of one whose work is ended because God’s work in her is complete.<sup> <span style=""> </span></sup>However, such a rest is probably not the comfort that most people who hear the “comfortable” words want to hear in them. Heaven is not a resort that readily springs to mind when rest-cures and spring breaks are suggested. It could, of course, be the peace of mind that confidence in that ultimate Sabbath brings: certainly in the early church that must have been a powerful support particularly in times of persecution. But the Sabbath was intended to be experienced not only as a final rest but as a strengthening and sustaining rest along the pilgrimage. Here the notion of the seventh day as complete number (the sum of odd and even) may give us a clue to the meaning of the saying. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">We are to be yoked together with Christ: the odd with the even. In so doing, that which seemed to be toil, that which was arrhythmic, now becomes by contrast rest. The heavy loads which destabilized us and we were unable to bear, yoked together with Christ seem balanced and light. He brings an equilibrium and a rhythm to life that enables it to be lived in harmony with ourselves and God. Worship and prayer provide a breathing out and a breathing in that is even and stressless. Jesus has already talked about living without anxiety because of Christ-like priorities. He has also talked about ultimate security in the way we build our lives if they are Christ-shaped.<span style=""> </span>In our daily toil we learn from him – the Lord of the Sabbath.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="DefaultText" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">If we take as broad a view of “rest” as this then we will not wish to be too restricted as to who the “weary and heavy laden” are. In the days of the early church Fathers it was usual to see them as those carrying burdens of guilt from sin. Recently the emphasis has been on those who were oppressed by the agrarian crisis we noted in our look at Mark: high rents, tithes, high taxation, the burden of cleanliness laws as well as the problems with living under the yoke of a foreign invader. The word yoke was used as a description of the law </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;">in the sense of<span style=""> </span>“law as all that God has made known of his nature, character and purpose and what he would have man be and do</span><span style="font-family: Shruti;">” </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><span style=""> </span>So those who were weary and heavy laden were likely to have been those who found the burden of religion oppressive: this may have been caused by a weight of unforgiven (or as they believed unforgivable) sin, or indeed an inability to meet all the regulations that had been imposed to enforce the Sabbath and the cleanliness laws, resulting in economic hardship; it may even have been the sense of failure of a people who regarded Roman occupation as a sign of God’s displeasure with them as a people and his apparent refusal to bring the deliverance they craved. In some cases it may have been illness (like leprosy) that was regarded by some as a punishment from God. But Jesus says to all who found their relationship with God oppressive "come to me ‑ I shall not place the burdens of failure on your shoulders; I shan't always be making you feel that you are doing wrong: I shall affirm you for who you are."<span style=""> </span>I shall not be for ever placing unbearable obligations on your shoulders. Indeed, like the suffering servant, I shall be one who carries your sorrows. The essence of his yoke is forgiveness and his affirmation of the humanity of those who come to him.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">Of course such a claim was a bold one. It is placed by Matthew immediately after the great self revelation of Jesus as the one to whom all authority has been granted. He speaks as Wisdom who was there at the founding of the world. He speaks as the suffering servant who has borne our grief; he speaks not only as Moses – who until the arrival of Jesus was the meekest man in all the earth– and who gave the law, but as the Torah itself. He talks not about the yoke – but his yoke. <sup><o:p></o:p></sup></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><sup><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></sup></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">There seems to be,<sup> </sup>of course, an inconsistency that we cannot run away from at this point. The Jesus who invites us to take his yoke on our shoulders is the same Jesus who urges us to take up our cross and follow him. The “easiness” of the yoke is not to be confused with the easiness of life. A good carpenter shaped the yoke to fit the animal: a bad one forced the animal to develop calluses to protect it from the harshness of the yoke. Religion can, by being authoritarian and fundamentalist, make people callused and insensitive. God complained that <st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">Israel</st1:country-region></st1:place> had developed a heart of stone. The yoke of Jesus is engineered to prevent us from becoming stiff-necked and thick skinned. The crosses we carry such as sitting by the bedside of one who suffers, sharing the grief of the bereaved, are carried with greater integrity by those who have not become embittered with their God. The yoke should not be a burden in itself – it is a device to help us carry the burden by sharing it with another rather than carrying it alone. Even in those instances when it seems (like the milkman carrying his churns) that we have a yoke all to ourselves, the device balances the load and makes it easier not more difficult to handle. Indeed only those who have taken his yoke upon them can even contemplate carrying the cross.<o:p></o:p></span></p> bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-18367468573127951282008-04-04T08:20:00.000+01:002008-04-04T08:23:03.514+01:00Word and sacrament Luke 24 36-49<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;">The risen Jesus had appeared to the Emmaus disciples on the first day of the week in the exegesis of scripture and the breaking of bread. <span style=""> </span>From that small beginning developed the tradition of making live the risen presence of Jesus in what became the two core elements of Sunday worship, word and sacrament. When they arrived at Jerusalem Jesus appeared again, this time to the eleven. Despite the testimony of the Emmaus pilgrims, and Simon Peter, to whom Jesus had also appeared, his arrival was still greeted with incredulity. They continued to react in the same way to the women at the appearance of dazzling young men at the tomb: with disbelief and fear. This was an encounter with the spirit world they would rather not make. The notion of a bodily resurrection was obviously totally alien to them. Whatever they believed about life after death, and at the time of Jesus it was still a doctrine that divided Jews, despite having witnessed at least a couple of raisings from the dead in the ministry of Jesus, the presence of Jesus in the room with them was a supremely uncomfortable experience. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;">Jesus’s attempts to reassure them can only have made their discomfort worse. He invites them to reach out and touch him; to put their hands in his crucifixion wounds. It is surely significant that the risen Jesus carries with him the scars of sacrifice. However he lives and reigns, Luke makes clear that he forever remains the crucified. Thus death and resurrection are made inseparable from each other. It is when the death of Jesus is celebrated (in the breaking of bread and pouring out of wine) that his risen presence is encountered. The place of the skull was transformed into paradise, and the wounds that speak of death become the signs, the evidence, of resurrection. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;">Then he called for food. For those who remembered his last meal with them this was surely deeply significant. Not only was it a device to show he was alive and bodily present in their midst it also announced the arrival of the kingdom. The eleven were now treated to a detailed exegesis of scripture to show how the suffering of the Messiah and his resurrection lay at the heart of God’s salvation from the beginning of time. And they were made witnesses to the gospel. That gospel was forgiveness and repentance. And it was for all nations. Whether Jesus’s word of forgiveness from the cross is in the best attested manuscripts or not its authenticity in terms of mission cannot be doubted. The significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus is that it opens up to all humanity the gracious mercy of God. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 6pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Shruti;" lang="EN-US">By sending his Son God makes himself vulnerable to our hate. But the willingness of Jesus to absorb our violence and not allow his love to be destroyed by it demonstrates the indestructibility of the love of God. This is of course affirmed by the resurrection. Thus the broken body of Jesus reveals the ever beating heart of God’s love. Jesus commands us to carry our cross daily. The kingdom does not come by crucifying – or by any other violent means – or by playing power games; it comes through cross bearing, absorbing suffering into love. It is in this sense that Jesus “bore our griefs and carried our sorrows.” He bore the squalour of death with the nobility of God. Paul tells us that the mind that was in Jesus should be ours too. This mindset did not seek equality with God but accepted slavery, and ultimately death on a cross.<span style=""> </span>The way of the cross is the authentic route by which we all travel. This we embrace willingly through faith, as Christ did.<o:p></o:p></span></p>bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-69564105596761295222008-04-04T08:07:00.003+01:002008-12-09T07:57:01.250+00:00the walk to Emmaus Luke 24. 13-34<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfBmGuaxD5qXu7oMj0yrYXm33QEZsq95CfqVYZG7MussLqOO16s-RkhRbUXa7wWAURjAdGGZVrJLZdSeXHdJvs_SswQHpxduTQgcfwHiY1WDXmjparHEOGWFBZbFoTr7hfF1qqk1nEDg/s1600-h/caravaggio+emmaus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrfBmGuaxD5qXu7oMj0yrYXm33QEZsq95CfqVYZG7MussLqOO16s-RkhRbUXa7wWAURjAdGGZVrJLZdSeXHdJvs_SswQHpxduTQgcfwHiY1WDXmjparHEOGWFBZbFoTr7hfF1qqk1nEDg/s400/caravaggio+emmaus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185286233501079650" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Shruti;font-size:11;" >For fourteen chapters all the traffic has been inexorably heading for <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Jerusalem</st1:place></st1:city>. Now it is flowing in the opposite direction. If at times that pilgrimage was made with faces set like flint, this return home is nothing other than a humiliating retreat. Hopes have been shattered. The one in whom they were grounded is dead and buried. A life they believed had been transformed has been sent back to square one, only this time to be lives with disillusion and zero energy. Their return is not purposeful; there are times when they simply stand still, and times when their walk slows, clearly reluctant to be admitting defeat. But a retreat it is. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Shruti;font-size:11;" >It is Cleopas and presumably his wife. A stranger joins them in their walk. This story is apart from anything else a sublime piece of teaching on bereavement counselling: about getting alongside, going at the pace of those suffering, stopping where they stop, and moving on when they resume their journey, listening to their stories, before intervening with interpretation. Theirs is not only a story of disappointed hopes but of disorientation. The testimony of the women that the tomb was empty and that they had seen a vision of angels assuring them that Jesus was alive had made that disorientation. The death of Jesus, though deeply disturbing and a loss of all in which they had placed their hopes, had a finality to it that they might come to live with. This new development was not believable so was not a ground for hope, yet it was tantalisingly suggestive, enough so to undermine the certainty with which they had begun the day. If the testimony of the women were true, and they were fairly sure it was not, that would place demands upon them that would be even greater than when they had decided to put their faith in him in the first place. To follow in faith one you had seen and eaten with, conversed with and witnessed doing remarkable things had been demanding. But to follow one whom you had seen buried but were told was now alive required a different order of faith altogether, a faith beyond your Richter scale when it came to moving mountains.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Shruti;font-size:11;" >The stranger began to unpick scripture. He talked about the Messiah. There was something about his teaching that made them want more. They reached Emmaus, their home village. He went on ahead but they called him back and invited him in. When supper was served the stranger took bread, blessed it and broke it. Suddenly they knew who he was. The painting in the National Gallery by Caravaggio says it all. The table is laid with chicken bread wine and fruit. The fruit is as fruit always is: it has its blemishes and its bloom, its wormholes as well as its refreshing ripeness. But it is placed at the very edge of the picture. The disciple flings his arms wide in a vibrant sign of the cross. The disciple on the left is caught in the act of leaping out of his seat. The fruit is about to come tumbling off the front of the table. The revelation of the crucified Jesus as risen Lord overturns all our tables. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=";font-family:Shruti;font-size:11;" >The two disciples set out with the setting sun behind their backs and heads east to benighted <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Jerusalem</st1:city></st1:place>. Their whole life has been turned back round into the right direction and a walk that was laden with sorrow becomes light footed with meaning and purpose. The story they had to tell had been transformed. This was no longer a story that everyone knew – now their testimony was exciting enough to tell the world. The fruit was out of the bowl.<o:p></o:p></span></p>bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-64803799999435452712008-03-17T15:06:00.000+00:002008-03-17T15:09:02.113+00:00Matthew 28 Women witnesses to the resurrectionAll four gospels are agreed that women went first to the tomb of the first day of the week and discovered the tomb to be empty. The plausibility of Mark’s account that they went to complete the embalmment of the body has long been questioned. Indeed Mark himself has the women question the viability of it. Matthew suggests that the women simply came to visit the tomb. The desire to visit the last resting place of a friend is a powerful motive in almost any culture. No other motive need be postulated. However, there developed a tradition in Judaism whereby the tomb was watched for three days to stay with the dead person until the soul left the body. When this became a traditional and habitual practice is disputed. But recent evidence seems to suggest that the practice went back to the 1st century CE and continued up to the Byzantine era. The women, then, go to watch over the tomb. Matthew’s account seems to suggest, also, that they went as soon as the Sabbath was over: that is at the first opportunity. They therefore form the counter witness to the false witness of the guards who had specifically been placed to watch over the tomb – not in mourning or in fulfilment of traditional burial procedure, but for reasons of security. It seems that may have even witnessed the earthquake and the descent of the angel and his rolling away the stone.<br />The main difference in Matthew’s account from that of Mark is that just as the women were leaving the tomb, in a mixture of fear and joy, to go and tell the disciples the great news Jesus himself appears to them. In marked contrast to other resurrection stories they instantly recognize him and throw themselves at his feet grabbing him round the legs in worship and love. Jesus tells them not to fear but to go and tell. Jesus gives them the same message that the young man gives to the women in Mark’s gospel.<br />When they do go back to Galilee Jesus meets them on the top of a mountain: Some of the 11 are still in doubt; they wait to hear his teaching. But it is not teaching they receive: Jesus asserts his authority as Lord. What they receive is an ordination: the mission field has no boundaries; their task is to baptize; those baptized are to be taught to obey every command of Jesus. They are to build houses on the rock. It is a renewed warning to all readers of the gospel. Jesus’s teaching as reported in this gospel is not for approval or analysis. It is not directed at the mind but at the will. It is passed on to us as an imperative not an option. And the risen Jesus in not limited in his presence to Galilee or even Palestine. He remains Emmanuel until the end of time.<br />If Mark leaves us bewildered and fearful of how the resurrection is going to impact upon us a disciples, sending us back to first principles and urging us to revisit old haunts with faith instead of fear, Matthew announces the triumph of Jesus with a fanfare of trumpets and a ring of assurance: in the words of Edmond Budry’s great hymn:<br /><br />Craindrais-je encore? Il vit à jamais, <br />Celui que j’adore, le Prince de paix;<br />Il est ma victoire, mon puissant soutien,<br />Ma vie et ma gloire : non, je ne crains rien!<br />À toi la gloire, O Ressuscité!<br />À toi la victoire pour l’éternité!<br /><br /><br /><br />He lives for ever, what is there to fear?<br />Prince of peace triumphant, him whom I adore<br />My supporting conqueror, hero ever near<br />He my life my glory, no I shall not fear!<br />To you all glory, risen Lord for aye<br />Yours the saving victory through eternity.bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3148049218190916914.post-33285732478583040532008-03-17T15:00:00.003+00:002008-12-09T07:57:01.464+00:00Matthew 27. 24 – 26, 35 - 36, 50 – 54. EarthquakesThe main effect of Matthew’s sympathetic treatment of Judas is to shift the blame for Jesus’s crucifixion further over on to the priests and Pilate. But the other changes he makes to Mark’s account of the trial before Pilate also serve to make Pilate less active in the process. Pilate emerges in Matthew’s account as a weak vacillating governor who tries to wash his hands of blame. The intervention of his wife sending word that she has had a dream and encouraging him to have nothing to do with the conviction of an innocent man, his questioning of the crowd, “What then am I to do?” and finally his own public washing of hands claiming innocence show a governor who simply had virtually abdicated decision making finally allowing the mob to make the decision. The people as whole take the unconditional blame: ”His blood be on us and on our children.” These words became the major excuse for anti-semitism which has vitiated the Christian community to some extent ever since. Matthew may well have seen them as an explanation for the destruction of Jerusalem and the fall of the temple.<br />The crucifixion of Jesus was routine; Matthew mentions it in a subordinate clause; it took place where probably hundreds were crucified at some time or other: The place of the skull. And in the place of skull the soldiers diced for his clothes. Strangely Matthew makes that the main verb in the sentence! This has been beautifully picked up by William Blake in a magnificent picture of the crucifixion; he has set in the foreground the gamblers rolling a dice for the mode<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibypczyBPXY92X4dSuyM7CaMvKOoiRdEtzp6V4bzAZOzIas1w4yINlpdryyBkfa9yIxakg-GP5efogGuZQNCRRWtI_n9gdV7wkea_Z9JT3hHqKzs5CkVaISEqeLDc6PsQdqwuWGMQhZU/s1600-h/blake+cross+reduced.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibypczyBPXY92X4dSuyM7CaMvKOoiRdEtzp6V4bzAZOzIas1w4yINlpdryyBkfa9yIxakg-GP5efogGuZQNCRRWtI_n9gdV7wkea_Z9JT3hHqKzs5CkVaISEqeLDc6PsQdqwuWGMQhZU/s400/blake+cross+reduced.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5179103732255150738" border="0" /></a>st prize of Jesus clothing. In the background are the three crosses: the central one of Jesus dominating the picture. But the soldiers are so engrossed in their game that they are totally oblivious of the suffering on the crosses behind them. One man has the smile of triumph from ear to ear: he’s thrown the six that earns him Jesus’s tunic! These soldiers have come to take crucifying slaves, robbers and rebels as routine business in a day’s work: business that has the added bonus of perks like games to divide the victim’s clothes. For the winner the crucifixion in the background is a sideshow to his victory in the game.<br />We are outraged: crucifixions should never be allowed to become routine: yet the place of the skull was the place where probably hundreds were crucified at some time or other: crosses and the mutilated bodies hanging on them were as much a part of the Roman world as starving Africans is part of ours. Like those Roman soldiers we too live out our petty victories against the background of appalling suffering: we in the Northern world gamble over the clothes of the poorer Southern hemisphere and celebrate our economic success oblivous of the context. Perhaps 2000 years from now people will marvel at the inhumanity of a time like ours when half the world could eat themselves to death while the other half starved: to them perhaps it will rank in obscenity as high as crucifixion does to us today.<br />Whatever might be let this simply be said: they led Jesus to the place of the skull, and when they had finished crucifying him they divided his clothing. Jesus joined the anonymous victims - those who were considered so low in the ranks of humanity that their bodies could be sported with, they could be nailed up on a cross naked - exposed to a hostile world - in the place of the skull. And he is with the anonymous victims still: for the place of the skull still exists in our world.<br />With only minor changes Matthew follows Mark’s account of the death of Jesus right up until the moment when the veil of the temple is torn in two. At that point he heightens the drama. A massive earthquake tears open the city, tombs are opened, the dead walk the streets. It is in response to this sign of elemental power let loose at them moment of Jesus’s death that the centurion and the other soldiers cried out in terror, “Surely this was God’s Son.” This is of course a most significant change, not only in the story but in the theology. In Mark the centurion seems to react to the splendour of God revealed in the broken body of Jesus. These soldiers react to a more orthodox and less unusual revelation of divine power. Matthew has already reported when Jesus entered Jerusalem the previous Sunday that the whole city was shaken. And as that happened Jesus took the disabled into the temple with him thus opening it up to those ritually unclean. Now as the city is shaken for the second time the veil of the temple is torn from top to bottom opening up the very heart of the presence of God to all comers. There was to be a third shaking when Jesus is raised: this time the very door of heaven is opened wide.<br />Josephus tells us that the temple veil had an embroidery upon it that represented the heavens. Just as the high priest tore his clothes when Jesus said that he would see the Son of Man seated on the right hand of God, so now as Jesus dies the temple veil is torn in testimony against priests and temple. This is getting as near as possible to the notion of God himself rending his garments in disgust at what the religious leaders have perpetrated on his Son. And it is a preparation for that much greater rending of veils when the heavens open and Jesus is revealed indeed in all his glory at the end of the gospel.<br /><br /><img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Bob/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg" alt="" />bobgardinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02753890042831593907noreply@blogger.com0