Dear Son,Thank you for your letter dated March 21. It was good to hear about what you have been up to. You’ve always had a knack for telling a good story. Once again, you are doing everything being asked of you, and doing it so well, under such trying circumstances. Keep it up, my boy! I suspect that things are going to get more difficult, as you seem to be putting a fair few powerful...
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I've had folk get in touch wanting to know what words or music they can use to respond to the unspeakable violence that occurred in Christchurch on Friday. I confess I am numbed by this act, and do not have anything new at hand to offer. A dear friend text me last night saying she and her gathering were singing my song, 'How Long O Lord.'If you haven't heard it, here it is. It might...
Read MoreRead MoreImage by Pexels on PixabaySongs for the Saints by Malcolm GordonHere's a congregational song based on the ancient Christian hymn, embedded in Paul's Epistle to the Philippian Church (Phil 2:5-11). It focuses on the humility of Christ which paradoxically, is his pathway to being given the 'name above all names.' It names the complicity of humanity in Christ's death, and the hand of God in raising him. As we journey into Lent, this combination of...
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I was asked by a friend in the States for a song her congregation might sing throughout Lent. I didn't think I had anything, until I remembered one Lent over a decade ago when I went without shoes for 6 weeks. It was an amazing experience, feeling the different textures of the earth under my feet, textures I was so often oblivious to and ignorant of. I realised how insulated I was from the world...
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I've been making myself pay attention to Advent this year. Weirdly its meant I've found more depth in my reflections on Christmas. Go figure.The God who is all powerful and sovereign over all creation is not revealed through might and majesty at Christmas, but in vulnerability and powerlessness. Jesus is born the helpless baby of a helpless young woman. Without Mary, Jesus is lost. Without Joseph, Mary is lost. Oddly, the one who comes to...
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I've been wrestling with Luke 21:25-36, which is the lectionary reading for this week - the first week in Advent. It's an easy passage to avoid. But as I've stayed with it, I've noticed some things worth paying attention to. This song grew out of that.[caption id="attachment_3711" align="alignright" width="300"] Leon Thomas' 'Apocalypse' from MARK: The Illustrated Gospel[/caption]Lyrics: We strain our ears for hope's whisper is rising We train our eyes on the farthest horizonFor the clarion call...
Read MoreRead MoreSomeone recently asked me for a list of my favourite resources for prayer and liturgy. As I compiled them, I started to write little descriptions, or quote passages to demonstrate what I liked so much. In many cases I just wrote out the prayer where the bookmark was left. Here is the first part of what I wrote.Body Prayer by Pagitt and Prill (USA) This is an interesting one. Its about moving prayer beyond words and intellect,...
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A few years back, I was asked to write a song to celebrate the 50th anniversary of women's ordination within the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand. As a result, 'Mothers of Faith' emerged.The story behind the song can be read more fully here.On Monday, the Very Rev Margaret Reid Martin, the first woman ordained into ministry in the PCANZ in 1965 passed away. She was a pioneer. You can read something of her story...
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Until a little more than a week ago,I was involved in a production of Les Miserables. It has been a bit of a life goal. Without a doubt it is my favourite musical, for its gritty story of grace and its anthemic music. Over the last four months I have immersed myself in the character of Marius, the young man who falls in love, loses his love, risks his life for a revolution, and then...
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Recently I was at a worship service and there were a variety of others leading bits of the service. At one point someone led us in a prayer of confession. I think it might have been responsive, in that we (the congregation) had bits to say throughout it. Then afterwards, the leader led us in a further prayer, asking God for forgiveness for what we had confessed.Later in the service, in fact, right at the...
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