“English” language resources
Living and dying
You are invited to join in with the words of this responsive reading in bold.
Spirit of Life, God of All Love, help us to face our human predicament,
and come to terms with the knowledge that our lives will end someday.
To deny death is to deny life; may we live honestly, courageously, and wholeheartedly, knowing
Letting the story speak
This Christmas, let us open our hearts, and extend an invitation to those familiar figures, allowing the old story of the nativity to speak to us anew.
Mary and Joseph, poor and weary travellers, speak to us:
Show us the way of acceptance and love;
of saying ‘yes’ and embracing the mystery.
Shepherds, steadfast and humble
Where is the God of love?
This reading first appeared in The Inquirer, Issue 8054, March 2023
https://www.inquirer.org.uk/pages/
I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these
things. (Isaiah 45: 6-7)
I am all-powerful Time which destroys all things. (Bhagavad Gita 11: 32)
A prayer of willing well-being
For all those suffering illness and loss
For those unable to say goodbye
For all those left with too much, even everything, unsaid.
I pray to will your well-being.
For those with whom we disagree sometimes strongly
For those who offend me often wrongly
For leaders even as they appear not
Easter 2020
This reading first appeared in The Inquirer, Issue 7984, Easter 2020
https://www.inquirer.org.uk/pages/
“From midday a darkness fell over the whole land…” – Matthew 27: 45
“The angel spoke to the women: ‘You have nothing to fear. He has been raised.’ They hurried away in awe and great joy.” – Matthew 28: 5-6, 8
“There
Apple crumble – a true story
She came to my house, with flowers from the market and apples from her garden – they don’t need sugar, she said, they’re just right as they are. There’s lots there and more if you need them.
And I said, my daughters have collected some blackberries. And she nodded.
Because a wise woman can predict
Praise to this the Holy night
Tune: Gerontius
Praise to this the Holy night,
And all look on in awe.
Christ child born in Holy grace,
Under western star.
Peace to the world this Holy day,
For all who pray in hope.
Christ child born in of Bethlehem,
Under risen sun.
Joy to the world, this Holy day,
Sing we
The year gone by
In prayer we look back at a year gone by. There have been triumphs, sometimes disasters and often periods of quietness and inertia. We have gained and possibly lost. We have promised and fulfilled, promised and not fulfilled. We have known moments of joy and moments of sadness. Our