Lyrical Riffs

The first language of God is silence. Not success, Or victory, Or popularity, Or power. The first language of God is silence. Not a clamouring, Or a shouting, A vying … Read on →

To know you in all circumstances Not necessarily as an escape or a panacea Or perhaps as an excuse or explanation But as a God who has promised to be … Read on →

In the first waking moments as we enter this world, You are there. In our growing and discovering, You are there. In our learning and questioning, arguing and boundary pushing, … Read on →

Lord, we approach with bare feet, Vulnerable, humble, liberated. Letting go of so much that might get in the way. Aware of our own frailty, our humanity, Sensing the heat … Read on →

Our Christmas journeys may be Stressful and difficult and demanding, Whether trekking to a far destination Or simply making it through the season, Taking tough steps among the glitter and … Read on →

A spoken word, a tongue of fire, A burning bush, a rock, An anchor, a still small voice, A wrestling figure, a living word, A fourth figure in a furnace, … Read on →

Sometimes those blunders and regrets Can settle in the quiet corners of our being, Becoming dark creatures That bare their teeth from time to time, Frightening and subduing us. We … Read on →

Is an Hallelujah any less If we’re murmuring or mumbling? Is an Amen any less If the words come stumbling? Though it’s hard to say, My Lord, Though the praise … Read on →

If it had been me There on that dark Friday, With the words ‘Father forgive them…’ Hanging in the air, I might have been tempted to add, ‘Well… apart from … Read on →

At first the world was flooded With the colours of rainbow, Rampant, Uncontrollable, Exhilarating, Then a kind of red-grey Muddied the picture, The colour of deceit and death. Then a … Read on →

As the sun disappears behind another night sky, We wonder. As the clouds swallow the light and steal it away, We wonder. As the darkness closes in, stealing evidence of … Read on →

Entertainment can’t save us, Shopping can’t save us, The adverts can’t save us, Movies can’t save us, Fashion can’t save us, Sport can’t save us, Box sets can’t save us, … Read on →

Our lives are this strange mixture – Glory and grit, Seeing and believing, Questioning and doubting, Loving and hating, Getting it right, getting it wrong, Regretting and remembering, Trusting and … Read on →

We carry our burdens, Our friends, enemies, achievements and failures, Celebrations, frustrations and disappointments; The steps we have taken, the ground we walk on, The dust under our nails, the … Read on →

I’m the nudge inside your conscience, The anger you feel at injustice. I’m the whisper in the night, The push to keep on going, The call to take another step. … Read on →

Don’t stop believing… Though you don’t have all the answers, Though you sometimes think you do. Don’t stop believing… Though you feel like giving up, Though you want to take … Read on →

Jesus drinks the sour wine of our shame; Drinks deeply of it, drinks it down and absorbs it. Mysterious and bitter, the poison that contaminates, Seeps into our being and … Read on →

Sometimes we open the book, Take a stroll through the pages, Weave between the words, Take the hand of one or two phrases, And sidestep some of the others. Sometimes … Read on →

For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. I won’t stay at a distance. I will come out into the … Read on →

There is a whisper, a quiet call. A still small voice, Willing us to come out from life’s crevices, From the rocks we hide behind. A subtle, hopeful invitation, ‘Come … Read on →

I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life, I am the resurrection. I am a fresh start and a new beginning, A voice in the wilderness … Read on →

We all have our longings O Lord, And we bring them to you as part of our worship. As Moses stood on that mountain top and looked down, Saw the … Read on →

We can bring everything to God, nothing is off limits with Him. Nothing too difficult, too harsh, too dark, Nothing too strange, too frightening, too unexpected, We can bring everything … Read on →

When we fear for the future and wonder what it holds, When the weight of our worries brings us down, We have a God who understands. When we are angry … Read on →

To offer a cup of water, A mug of tea, A helping hand, A moment to listen. To bring a kind word, A smile of encouragement, A sign of interest, … Read on →

As they were crossing the wilderness to the Promised Land the people cried out to Moses for food. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread … Read on →

A Prayer Exercise – based on Matthew 18 vv 15-20 Begin by reading the following passage from  Matthew 18: 15 “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out … Read on →

When we are tempted to put others down Help us to overcome evil with good When we long to pass on the latest piece of gossip Help us to overcome … Read on →

They wait with bated breath as he walks to the front. ‘Love one another.’ He clears his throat and they live in hope. ‘Love one another.’ They can still recall … Read on →

Stop. Listen. Step aside From the rushing Of your mind. Take a moment, A second, A pause. His presence, Not the idea, The promise, The notion. But him, Here now, … Read on →

When sadness triumphs over joy, When darkness threatens to put out the light, Creation groans. When fear knocks at our door, When despair threatens to destroy our hope, Creation groans. … Read on →

This week’s Lyrical Riff is a reflection on a few verses from Psalm 33 verse 13-15: ‘The LORD looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From his throne he … Read on →

The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. At times we get the picture wrong Lord, we don’t see you clearly, The LORD is … Read on →

What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Will politics, or fake news, or headlines … Read on →

O LORD, you have searched us and known us. You know when we sit down and when we rise up. You know when we are full of hope and enthusiasm, … Read on →

Yet you have made us a little lower than the angels, You have crowned us with glory and honour. You have given us responsibility over the works of your hands … Read on →

1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. Bring your silence and your shouting, As introverts and extroverts. 2 Worship the LORD with gladness; Come into his … Read on →

We may gaze up at the night sky, squinting to see the lights of heaven, the shapes and wonders of God’s invention, the glimpses of his landing lights as they … Read on →

In the beginning, When all was not as it is now; In the darkness, When light was just a twinkle in the Creator’s eye; In the past, When history was … Read on →

Abraham was 75 when he followed God’s call, And took a step into the unknown. Anna was 84 when she spotted the baby Jesus, In a temple distracted by busyness. … Read on →

So many stones, Small, large, smooth, jagged, new, old, Fitting into this craggy, jigsaw body, Different sizes, different shapes. All vital, all part of a bigger picture, Not a construction … Read on →

Like badly worded emails, There are spelling mistakes, The grammar is all adrift, And the Wi-Fi signal intermittent. We veer off at random tangents, Waffling terribly sometimes, We get our … Read on →

Those dry bones get everywhere In the workplaces and job centres In the homes and high streets In the schools and colleges Those dry bones get everywhere In the shops … Read on →

We pick up our pencils, go into a booth, And put our cross in a box. Quietly, secretly, all on our own, We put our cross in a box. Considering … Read on →

I am the gate, whoever comes through me will find life. Others come to take and to steal, I have come to bring you life, and life in abundance. Others … Read on →

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, Slow to become angry and rich in love. ‘I no longer call you servants,’ said Jesus, ‘Now I call you my friends.’ The Lord … Read on →

1 Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD. My walk is not blameless, I often break your laws, O Lord. 2 Happy … Read on →

We stand on the touch line of life, and we choose our sides. Paul or Apollos. This side or that. We pick the best, the winning team. The spiritual giants, … Read on →