Tag: women

Women of Holy Week

bible, church resources, easter, holy week, lent, pictures, worship

Last year I worked on a project with the fabulous Paula Gooder to illustrate her nine short stories entitled ‘Women of Holy Week’. The resulting book was hugley popular last Lent, and I suspect it will be again this year, so it’s absolutely not too late to get hold of copies and use them in your church or in your personal devotions, or as a gift for friends. It’s wonderfully readable, and includes ideas for reflection as well as historical / scriptural details drawn from Paula’s scholarly wisdom that really enrich the narrative.

Buy the book here (links to Church House Publishing)

If you would like to use the images alongside the book in worship or Lent groups etc, you can download them from my book illustrations page. There are nine individual paintings, and one large composite image, to be ‘read’ in a spiral direction starting at the top left hand corner, following the order that the stories appear in Paula’s book. Because the stories are all interwoven with each other, so are the paintings – you can enjoy them separately or together.

NB if you don’t have the means to do high quality colour printing you may find projecting the images more satisfying.

Women of Holy Week

art, church resources, easter, holy week, lent, pictures, worship

As we prepare to enter Holy Week, I wanted to post something about the wonderful collection of stories by Paula Gooder, which explore the events of Holy Week and Easter through the eyes of nine of the women. It was my absolute joy and privilege to provide the artwork for the book.
You can buy the book directly from Church House Publishing (and from other online and high street bookshops) and you can also download the pictures (for a limited time only) so you can use them in your own personal reflections or in Church over Holy Week and beyond.

25th anniversary of women’s priestly ministry in the C of E

church resources, hymns, worship

This was written for the service in York Minster on 17th May 2014, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of women priests in the Church of England – anyone is welcome to use it, and it may be useful for those now celebrating 25 years.

The tune is Londonderry Air.

Glory to God, the mother of creation,

in love you brought the universe to birth,

then gave your life to purchase the salvation

of all the sons and daughters of the earth.

Glory to you, for love that’s shown through history:

the warp and weft that patterns time and space.

By grace you’re known, yet known to be a mystery,

and we can touch eternity in your embrace.

Glory to you for calling us to service,

shepherds and stewards, messengers and priests,

we give ourselves in gratitude and gladness

as guests and hosts at your thanksgiving feast.

Our hearts exult in loving affirmation,

We sing with joy, your greatness we proclaim.

Your praise resounds in every generation,

Our souls with Mary magnify your holy name.

We are united, in Christ’s body dwelling,

one in the Spirit: wind and fire and dove;

one in the grace and hope of every calling,

to lift the ways of earth to heav’n above.

Through all our lives your power is ever flowing,

To show your work of love is underway;

Stir up your gift in us, your grace bestowing,

so we may speak and live your Word afresh today.

 

New hymn, to celebrate 100 years since (some) women were able to vote in the UK

church resources, hymns, music, worship

The following words were written to the tune ‘Ewing’ (Jerusalem the golden), at the request of St Martin in the Fields, for a BBC Radio 4 Sunday Worship broadcast in February 2018.  It would also go to pretty much any 77676D iambic tune, of which there are many.

There came a generation
Who rose to claim the hour.
They broke oppression’s silence
By speaking the truth to power.
Their courage met with conflict,
Yet still their hearts were stirred,
Their sole determination
To make all voices heard.

They claimed a shared vocation
As stewards of this earth,
Affirming all God’s people
In dignity and worth.
May all our children’s children
Take their intended place
In all that God has purposed:
One equal, human race.

O God, in whose great kingdom
The first and last shall meet,
With love and justice freeing
The mighty from their seat;
May all your kingdom-builders
Continue true and strong,
Creating, in our own day,
A place where all belong.

With a few amendments (as in the version below) this hymn might also be suitable for occasions reflecting on issues of social justice and equality more generally:

In every generation
Some rise to claim the hour
and break oppression’s silence
By speaking the truth to power.
When courage meets with conflict
Our hearts must still be stirred,
Our sole determination
To make all voices heard.

We claim a shared vocation
As stewards of this earth,
Affirming all God’s people
In dignity and worth.
May all our children’s children
Take their intended place
In all that God has purposed:
One equal, human race.

O God, in whose great kingdom
The first and last shall meet,
With love and justice freeing
The mighty from their seat;
May all your kingdom-builders
Continue true and strong,
Creating, in our own day,
A place where all belong.

I was delighted when the lovely @onehymnaweek chose to set these words – you can listen to it here: