A remarkable circa 1990 recording of Martin Luther King's favorite gospel hymn, "Precious Lord," has been posted on YouTube, accompanied with visuals and quotations from the Civil Rights Era

But no one knows me no one ever will if I don’t say something, if I just lie still Would I be that monster, scare them all away If I let the-em hear what I have to say I can’t keep quiet, no oh oh oh oh oh oh

1. The fragrance of Spring lies not in judgement's intervention but in love's nurturing of the interior goodness. 2. Spring is not so much a moment as a movement, a manifestation of the sometimes hidden but always present life-force of God.

The ‘Sacred’ has so many names By which we do adore The mys’try of the universe, The ever puzz’ling ‘More’.

Searching for the Christmas spirit – Is it heard when angels sing? Is it found in deeds of merit? Is it heard when church bells ring? Come and treasure Jesus’ memory; All the beauty it can bring.

Sometimes the footfall seems incessant, a challenge to our selfish greed, how can we clothe and house such numbers, our fears well up and veils their need.

If we are unwilling to learn from history, we commit ourselves to reliving the mistakes of our ancestors.

I heard a contemporary hymn on Sunday morning during the Eucharist and fell in love with the melody. It was the “Untitled Hymn

To live as fully as we can In every human way Is to fulfil our sacred right Each moment of each day.

Idyllic beaches break the waves as bathers line the shore This view of peace is now disturbed: an aftermath of war.

If we claim to love our neighbour while the hungry queue for food, are we prey to self deception? Is perception quite so crude?

THEME Dreams and Harsh Reality THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION For the rich poverty is obscene. For the poor wealth is obscene. For God both are obscene.

Moving further into the Inspired by Hollywood series, we went to see the movie Selma. What a powerful film and so timely. That black men are still twenty-one times more likely to be killed by police than white men* in America is staggering and the media’s attention, drawn to this truth by the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, has drawn our attention, too. Watching Selma brought home the shameful truth that in far too many places, racism still rules the streets.

Hopeless to help in this violence, this crisis, here in the focus of bloodshed and fear, common humanity binds us together, love at the centre, not hatred's veneer.

Within the shadows of our thinking Dwell glimpses of an ancient past; Dark tales of vengeance and of terror Beyond what gentle hearts can grasp.

What can we learn from war? Gazing at ancient graves; Name upon name preserved, Marking the battle’s phase; The lives of those who gave their all That we should not be tyrants’ slaves.

We thank you God for history’s tales But which version should we tell? The story of the powerful rich Or the poor’s oppressive hell?

So the hymns in this collection are my attempts to express aspects of a positive progressive theology. They are not meant to give a systematic statement of that theology; there are plenty of topics unaddressed here, and there’s plenty of room for a sequel. These hymns are, in the old sense, occasional pieces. They were written for particular occasions in my spiritual journey.

Who maims life today? We maim life today When we see the wood and not the tree, When we fail to dream of what could be, We maim life today.

Spirit’s golden fire, God’s life-force in our depth, * Fan within our hearts Your just and caring warmth.

Deep in the human heart The fires of justice burn; With visions of a world renewed Through radical concern.

The dough is rising, The frond unfurling, The people’s hope is growing For justice everywhere.

Gladly we address our burdens Through the mystery of prayer, Lovingly support each other In the privilege of care.

Most noble of creatures on Earth are we Yet gifted with power to both hurt and kill. Are money and things our most sought for goal? Or Earth and its life what transforms our will?

Holy Spirit as you speak To both challenge and console Every church and all the world To empower and to make whole

“The meek shall inherit the Earth” said Christ But what could this mean for the people today? While corp’rates and rich folk gain more and more land The poor live in slums where they’re still forced to stay.

Repaying force with counter-force, Can this deliver peace? Revenge for death, revenge for loss Is this how wars will cease?

When the picture haunts my mind Of a starving child who dies, When my silence is disturbed By the mother’s plaintive cries How dear God shall I respond To the tears that flood my eyes?

A sacred community, if it is to be an authentic representation of the life and teachings of Jesus for today, needs to express its concerned opposition in both words, worship and actions, to injustice, violence and corruption – just as Jesus did. There is truth in the statement that “Jesus confronts more than he comforts.” When sacred communities look to the needs of its members in preference to the needs of non- members something is not quite right. The church is one of those organisations which exists for people who do not belong to it. As Jesus was a man for others, so the church is to be there for others.

Aid will never save the world Without changes in our lives. Systems which embrace us all Foster wealth’s destructive drives.