Mail order book service for churches, clergy, worship leaders, musicians, church members. We supply books from New Zealand and overseas. We publish New Zealand books of worship, liturgy and other resources that support customers’ ministries and deepen their faith. We distribute NZ Hymnbook Trust books and recordings.
Come back each Monday night for a free prayer or poem from one of the books we have published.
Prayer
God of goodness, gaps, and glitches
help us to see each other for what we are.
God of struggles, strengths, and strategies
help us to cope with what we have.
God of difficulties, disabilities, and delights
help us find joy in who we are.
God of individuality and invisibilities,
enable us to understand how life is harder
for some than it is for their peers;
Give us a readiness to ease difficulties,
remove barriers,
and create level playing fields
Bless us with the will to appreciate
the courage, creativity, and skills
required to live with impairment;
along with the discernment to realise
impairment is merely a fragment
of personhood.
Empower us all to live in fullness,
valuing what we have,
and knowing we are loved. Amen.
From: Lay Preaching Basics by Rosalie Sugrue (2018)
Here are two sample poems from Meg Hartfield’s A Celebration of Life
The book is available in print and in 3 eBook formats – see below for ordering links.
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Emmaus
We had heard Mary rapturous, glowing afire with excitement “We have seen him – he spoke to me!” Well, we know women – the harrowing, terrible last few days prostrated with grief obviously her mind unhinged – women are unreliable witnesses that is well known.
So, wearily, returning home seven miles, from Jerusalem to Emmaus – but seeming longer, discussing, despairingly the seeming futility the end of our dreams.
The stranger was not noticed was obviously ignorant of events so momentous to us – so we told him. Strange the way he responded – explaining courteously we invited him in.
And as we ate, amazingly, the stranger became host broke the bread, passed it – a stunned moment of recognition – only one man broke bread thus! Jesus! alive! here! gone! Seven miles was as nothing with winged feet returning bursting with incredulous joy.
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Swords Into Ploughshares
Ploughshares – implements for cutting furrows Swords – implements for cutting people.
Ploughshares – fixed in a frame drawn by a horse guided by a man Swords – fixed in a hand wielded by a man.
Ploughshares – used before sowing Swords – used for cutting down
Ploughshares – used for rooting out weeds Swords – used for rooting out lives
God help us to prepare our life-soil to receive your seeds of fruitful love.
Here’s another sample poem from Mark Laurent’s Redemption Songs.
The book is available in print and in 3 eBook formats – see below for ordering links.
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Forty
I’m not good at being patient but God always hears me when I call
Lifts me up when the time is right steadies my stumbling feet – I’m still walking
I was pretty depressed there for a while but now I’ve got a fresh song in my heart
People have been noticing – they seem impressed some have even started asking about Jesus
There’s not much joy in the idols of culture but great reward in simply having faith
If I think about my life, it’s full of miracles things that can’t be explained any other way
God isn’t demanding payment for this blessing that matter’s already been taken care of Jesus came, just as predicted in the stories did everything God said was necessary
Jesus delighted to do what God wanted heal us – forgive the sad things we’ve done
This is so important we should tell everyone about it it’s heartless to keep such good news to ourselves
God’s love and constancy anchors our hope we’d be adrift and lost without mercy like this
When I look at the world – so many problems – my confidence shrinks and life feels hopeless
Without Heaven’s grace I’m certainly a wreck my many faults keep catching up with me
But God gets me through – no, more than that I’m overcoming things that used to bring me down
Let’s pray everyone finds this joy, this help the poor and weak who need to know they’re loved
Here’s another sample poem from Mark Laurent’s Redemption Songs.
The book is available in print and in 3 eBook formats – see below for ordering links.
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Thirty
Lord I want to say thanks I’ve got a passionate song in my heart your love fills me with joy I’m throwing off the drab colours I used to wear I’ve a mind to dance in the street
My life was a real disaster I was self-destructive, depressed it was all about me, and I knew that was a loser’s game
When I yelled out to you for mercy I was afraid you wouldn’t notice but you came over and lifted me up out of that hole I’d dug myself into
I’m standing on solid ground again it was a long and lonely night but morning’s come, and I’m wide awake
Sing to the Lord everybody tell the world how good God is there might be anger, but it never lasts this love, however, goes on and on.
Here’s another sample poem from Mark Laurent’s Redemption Songs.
The book is available in print and in 3 eBook formats – see below for links.
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Seventy-one
Create a quiet place in me, Lord hush the babble of my mind the racing of my pulse then my heart will begin to hear your ‘gentle, murmuring voice’
Slow me down, Jesus I need to take time to see the beauty of creation the exquisite intensity of your care that way I’ll come to appreciate and be thankful
Teach me to listen, Abba to the cries of those in need the questions of the confused so I can learn compassion
In this unquiet world help me to find a quiet place and a quiet time
Lord, I need to hear the counsel of your spirit the poetry of your love then I’ll have something to share with those who cannot hear you.
Here’s a sample poem from Mark Laurent’s Redemption Songs.
The book is available in print and in 3 eBook formats – see below for links.
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Eighteen Your love, Lord, makes me strong I’ve needed safety and you’ve been my shelter when I’ve had to fight you’ve stood beside me
In the past I’ve played some deadly games got mixed up in all sorts of unhealthy schemes I was my own worst enemy much of the time
I finally cried out for help and you heard me and your answer shook my tree to its roots everything I held dear was consumed by the fire that accompanies you wherever you go
You covered me with darkness – a cloud of unknowing restless winds howled through every crack till I was broken, defenceless, and couldn’t even pray naked and exposed, and ready to be saved
When at last I stared into the dry-bottomed pit of myself and the enemy within could no longer hide his face that’s when you reached me that’s when you showed me your love
Lord, you’ve scrubbed me clean – made me well I’ll not turn my back as I did before you lit a fire in me that eats away darkness
Now I’m ready to take on the night run up the hilltop and stand there meet that old enemy of mine out in the open blow him away with the words you gave me sing out your name – ‘Save! Save!’
The full text of the reflection is shown below after the video.
Reflection: Who is my enemy?
Let’s pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts, be acceptable to you, O God, Amen.
Jesus parables were always challenging and in that style I have titled this reflection: “Who is my Enemy?”
The ideal of loving God and loving your neighbour was not new in Jesus’ time. In Leviticus 19:18 we are told “Don’t seek revenge or carry a grudge against any of your people. Love your neighbour as yourself.” The ten commandments given to Moses are rules about living harmoniously in community with our neighbours. So these ideas had been part of the Jewish tradition for many centuries before Jesus.
In Matthew chapter 5 we find Jesus sharpening, making more provocative and demanding, the commandments in the Old Testament. There are a series of teachings in the pattern: “You have heard that it was said…But I say…” For instance:
You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement;”
And…
You have heard that it was said, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.
And…
You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.
Jesus adds to the commandments to love God and neighbour, the challenge to also love your enemies.
Here is a paradox: If you can learn to love your enemy, can they still be your enemy?
Two things have brought this question into focus for me.
I have been reading Jewish academic Amy-Jill Levine’s book “Short Stories by Jesus: The enigmatic Parables of a controversial Rabbi.” She has lots of stimulating ideas about how to interpret Jesus’ parables, as they have come down to us in the Gospels, in modern translations of the Bible. In her comments on the Good Samaritan story, in which the lawyer asks, Who is my neighbour, Levine says something remarkable.
It relates to how Hebrew is written down. In the formal written Hebrew used in handwritten scrolls of scripture, only the consonants are printed. The person reading the text has to mentally add in the appropriate vowels, based on the context of the rest of the sentence.
Let me demonstrate in English with the consonants T L L.
We can form many words by adding vowels to these letters. The context will help us, for example:
“A child is short, but an adult is…. TALL.”
“Ask me no questions, TELL me no lies”
“The shopkeeper put the money in the TILL”
“She paid a TOLL to cross the bridge.”
“And for fans of early 1970s folk rock, we have the band Jethro TULL.”
You get the idea.
Back to Amy-Jill Levine.
In Hebrew, the words “neighbour” and “evil” share the same consonants (Resh ר Ayinע); they differ only in the vowels. Both words are written identically. ע ר
So on the page these two consonants can stand for two opposite ideas.
Combined with Hebrew vowels this way, the resulting word means
רֵעַ שֵם
friend, comrade, buddy, colleague ; neighbour, another
Or combined with vowels this way, the resulting word means
רַע שֵם ז’
bad, evil ; villain ; trouble, ill
(Sorry I can’t pronounce the Hebrew words.) But can you see the challenge here?
You or I reading the text have to decide whether it means enemy or neighbour based on the context. The meaning is not fixed, but flexible.
Taking this idea one step further, if we can choose to interpret the same text two different ways, can we also choose whether to consider another person as a neighbour or an enemy? I think we can.
Today is the 15th anniversary of the event that Americans call 9/11. After the twin towers of the World Trade Centre in New York were destroyed, people in the United States flew flags from their houses and many started going back to church again. In the face of an identifiable enemy and threat, they united behind traditional symbols of meaning and togetherness.
The government response was to seek revenge by going to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Horrifying wars, which have led directly to many of the conflicts we see today in the Middle East. The prophesy from Jeremiah we heard this morning brings to mind the devastation to people, and to the land itself, that war causes. It is a warning to follow the ideals of loving God and neighbour, or face catastrophe.
Many odd things happened on 9/11. There is a lot of speculation about what really happened and why?
What is clear is that people in the United States identified themselves as us the good guys under attack from them, the enemy.
That’s where the trouble starts, by identifying and naming someone else as different, as other, rather than looking for the things we have in common.
How can we discover what we have in common with another person?
I find social occasions with lots of people making small talk very difficult. What works for me is to find one person to talk to and by listening carefully to what they are saying, find a topic that is important to them to talk about. Then I can contribute my ideas and experiences and we get to know each other a little.
The second thing I want to share with you is a visual idea I have been mulling over since February.
Religious beliefs can divide or unite people.
Imagine for a moment that this segment represents Methodists. The darker shades at the top of the segment are where we find the sacred texts, rituals and traditions that we hold onto most firmly. John Wesley’s sermons, Charles Wesley’s hymns, an open communion table and a concern for social justice. These are things which Methodists identify with.
Lets say that the next segment represents Catholics. The darker shades at the top of the segment represent devotion to the Pope, rosary beads, regular confession – the things that Catholics hold dear.
Lets say the next segment represents Islamic faith. The darker shades towards the outside of the segment represent a belief in the prophet Mohammed, the Koran, pilgrimage to Mecca and the other things that Moslems hold dear.
Now lets complete the circle with other faiths.
Note the black lines separating the segments. They symbolise the divisions between people of faith. These divisions can lead to intolerance and conflict. Taken to extremes they can lead to violence and war. I imagine this as a journey into the darkness, which swallows up all the good things about faith and leads to oblivion.
[Show slides of circle receding into blackness]
What if instead we look inwards to the centre of the wheel, towards those things which we have in common with other people and other faiths. And let’s remove the borders between us. Now as we journey towards the light at the centre, we are free to sample the ideas and ideals of other faiths and discover the things we have in common.
Loving God (or Gods) and loving neighbour are universal ideas, shared by people of faith.
[Show video of turning circle]
And what if the Holy Spirit blows and the circle rotates, pivoting around the light in the centre and blurring the distinctions between us?
Is world peace really that easy? No, but Jesus pointed us in the right direction.
In the Good Samaritan story the lawyer wants an easy, tick the box answer to eternal life. Instead Jesus tells him to love his neighbour, a lifelong commitment. So the lawyer asks, OK who is my neighbour? and gets an unpalatable answer. Your enemy, the Samaritan, is your neighbour too.
Jesus’ wisdom that we should love our enemy still challenges us profoundly today.
If you can learn to love your enemy, can they still be your enemy?
No, because of your change of heart, they are now your neighbour.
Getting ready for my concert 12:30pm this Thursday 9 June to launch the Winter at Wesley free lunchtime series for 2016. I’ll be singing some favourite singer-songwriter classics and 4 of my originals. Soup and bread to follow. I’d love to see you there – Wesley Church, 75 Taranaki Street, Wellington.
Imagine for a moment that this segment represents Methodists. The darker shades at the top of the segment are where we find the sacred texts, rituals and traditions that we hold onto most firmly. John Wesley’s sermons, Charles Wesley’s hymns, an open communion table and a concern for social justice. These are things which Methodists identify with.
Lets say that the next segment represents Catholics. The darker shades at the top of the segment represent devotion to the Pope, rosary beads, regular confession – the things that Catholics hold dear.
Lets say the next segment represents Islamic faith. The darker shades towards the outside of the segment represent a belief in the prophet Mohammed, the Koran, pilgrimage to Mecca and the other things that Moslems hold dear.
Now lets complete the circle with other faiths.
What if instead we look inwards to the centre of the wheel, towards those things which we have in common with other people and other faiths. And let’s remove the borders between us. Now as we journey towards the light at the centre, we are free to sample the ideas and ideals of other faiths and discover the things we have in common.