Connections Track 15

A Place near Your Altar

Written by Francis Cummings. Verses from Zephaniah;

In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands. (Psalm 102:25)

They will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.

You will roll them up like a robe;

like a garment they will be changed.

But You remain the same,

and Your years will never end."

(Psalm 102:26-27 and Hebrews 1:12)

Gather together, gather together,

O shameful nation, before the appointed time arrives

and that day sweeps on like chaff,

before the fierce anger of the LORD comes upon you,

before the day of the Lord’s wrath comes upon you.

Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land,

you who do what he commands.

Seek righteousness, seek humility;

perhaps you will be sheltered

on the day of the Lord’s anger.

Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD is the Rock eternal.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,

all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for You;

Your name and Your renown are the desire of our hearts.

My soul yearns for You in the night;

in the morning my spirit longs for You.

Lord, You will grant us peace,

for all we have accomplished comes from You.

O Lord, other lords have ruled us,

but You alone are the one we worship.

The LORD within her is righteous;

He does no wrong.

Morning by morning He dispenses His justice,

and every new day He does not fail,

yet the unrighteous know no shame.

"Then will I purify the lips of the peoples,

that all of them may call on the name of the LORD

and serve Him shoulder to shoulder.

On that day you will not be put to shame

for all the wrongs you have done to me,

because I will remove from this city

those who rejoice in their pride.

Never again will you be haughty

on my holy hill.

But I will leave within you

the meek and humble,

who trust in the name of the LORD.

Sing, O Daughter of Zion;

shout aloud, O Israel!

Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,

O Daughter of Jerusalem!

"Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands hang limp.

The LORD your God is with you,

he is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

And quiet you with his love,

As He rejoices over you with singing."

Connections Track 14

Prayers by Richard Rolle and Bishop of Chichester

Back in the fourteenth century, while studying for the priesthood at Oxford, Richard Rolle came to hate the way his teachers spoke about God as if we were an intellectual concept rather than a living person. He went to live as a hermit on the Yorkshire moors, and came to know God in a deep and intimate way. He subsequently toured the country, praying for the people he met, and singing to them out of the sweetness he had experienced in the presence of the Lord.

This is one of his prayers.

I ask you, Lord Jesus, to inspire within me, Your lover,

an affection that is unbounded,

a desire that is unrestrained,

and a yearning that throws discretion to the winds.

May reason not hold my love in check.

May fear not inhibit my devotion.

May decorum not temper my fervour.

The sweetness of Your love, my Beloved,

so vastly exceeds the pleasure of any earthly joys

that if those who lust after the things of this world

and who know nothing of the delights of Your love

had a single taste of Your sweetness,

they too would become Your lovers.

This is a prayer by Richard of Chichester

Thanks be to you, my Lord, Jesus Christ, For all the benefits that you have given me; For all the pains and insults you have borne for me.

O Holy Jesus, most merciful redeemer,

Friend and brother

Help me to see you more clearly,

love You more dearly

and follow You more nearly.

Connections track 13

Destiny - written by Francis Cummings (Verses from Psalm 45) Scottish Psalm

Psalm 45

My heart is stirred by a noble theme

as I recite my verses for the king;

my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.

You are the most excellent of men

and your lips have been anointed with grace,

since God has blessed you forever.

Gird your sword upon your side, O mighty one;

clothe yourself with splendor and majesty.

In your majesty ride forth victoriously

in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness;

let your right hand display awesome deeds.

Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of the king's enemies;

let the nations fall beneath your feet.

Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;

a sceptre of justice will be the sceptre of your kingdom.

Connections Track 12

Music by Vivaldi. Winter, Four Seasons, lead violin, Francis Cummings

Connections Track 11

Thank you, Lord, that from times of old,

You have raised up seers and prophets bold,

who share Your heart

and show what makes a people great.

and yet the people's choice has all but swallowed the prophet's voice.

Praise God for that company of prophets

who refuse to forsake their God-given task,

who never cease to seek and ask

for the removal of people’s masks.

Raise up an anointed band

Who hear Your voice and stride out through the land.

Music by Linda Louisa

The roll call grows

of those whose blood no longer flows

and who have moved on to higher things.

I thank and praise You, Lord,

for the memory of those heroic ones

who have passed at last

beyond the ravages of time and dust

to take their place

in the great communion of saints.

May we play our part now to the full,

so that we ourselves will be no less

when our time comes.

Lord God of History,

Author of all Mystery,

How fiercely the enemy seeks to smother

the wisdom of every other time,

so that each generation struggles up the climb,

unable to perceive the clear connections

that deeper reflections would bestow.

Lord, hold our spirits fast

to lessons from the past,

and then display true skill

to implement Your will.

God of our fathers,

those pioneers and settlers,

conquerors and seers,

when my lens is true

I can begin to view

the links and patterns

that perpetuate Your blessing

as well as those that cause such strife in my life;

strong invisible threads

that Heavenly hands have meshed together

but which fleshly fingers seek to pull asunder,

and demonic claws to shred.

Free us from the deadweight of diseased inheritance,

So that we, Your beloveds, can inherit

the blessings bestowed in prayer

by those who learned to weep.

God of History,

when I am feeling daunted and taunted

and inclined to snap,

help me call to mind

the memory of Your many past deliverances,

and to trust that You will do the same

with the seeds I give you now.

God of explanation,

drop Your plumb line and open wide

the lens that reveals our hidden pride,

and the weaknesses that are our special temptation.

Then let the searchlight of Your love

enable us to face our deep seated dissonance

so that we may shine like the brightest stars

and rise above our ever present scars.

To those that are crying out for Grace

be assured there is no drought in heaven.

No lessening of God's seventy times seven.

You are indeed the God of the 2nd, 3rd and 30th chance.

But we cannot ask You to re-strand and re-launch our lives

unless we are willing to allow You

to apply Your lance

and resist all backward glance.

Connections Track 9

Agnus Dei

Linda Entwistle

Connections track 8

Song of the Lord sung by Linda Entwistle

Welcome to this lovely version that Linda Louisa Entwistle has written of one of Charles Wesley’s best loved hymns. Right at the beginning you will hear the remarkable context in which it is said to have been written. Charles Wesley was preaching in the fields of the parish of Killyleagh, County Down, Ireland, when he was attacked by men who disapproved of his doctrines.

Seeking refuge in a house located on what was known as the Island Barn Farm, the farmer’s wife, Jane Lowrie Moore, told him to hide in the milk house, down in the garden. When the mob came in search of Wesley, she offered them refreshments, whilst at the same time arranging for Wesley to escape through the rear window and to hide under the hedge until they had gone. We can well imagine how such an episode would have fuelled what was destined to become an immortal hymn, which majors on the theme of God being a refuge from physical danger and every kind of temptation.

Words by Charles Wesley, Music by Linda Louisa

You yearn for our company more than we desire Yours,

and Your Spirit constantly explores

how to develop some new dimension

as You watch for our love and comprehension

You love to speak, Lord,

beyond the need for words.

You listen to our inmost thoughts

and bring us to a place of inner quiet.

Guard our hearing

for listening is the gateway

to the intimate communion

that both we and You

are longing for.