If you don't have BPW then you won't have this hymn, which I recently discovered and think is worth singing.  If you do, it is number 103 but I don't know the set tune, so I substituted 'Ellers' which is 624 (ii) (are you impressed?  I am!).  Chris Ellis, who wrote it, is currently minister of a church in Nottingham.

Open this book that we may see your word

Embodied in the drama of our earth -

Stories of people that your Spirit stirred,

Glimpses of hope and visions of new birth.

 

Open this book that we may meet the one

Who came as word-made-flesh for all to see;

Show us his life, all that was said and done,

That we might see ourselves as we could be.

 

Open our ears that we may hear you still;

Teach us to live as well as speak your word.

Open our eyes that we might face your will -

The word-made-flesh in those who call you 'Lord'.

(c) Christopher Ellis

Yesterday I met with my deacons to review the offers we'd received for sale of our building.  Secretly, I was pleased we'd had any offers at all in the current market.  We have now agreed to proceed with one of them (the highest, obviously).  The 'youch' factor was that it was 23% lower than the valuation we had in April - an average fall of almost 2% per week.  What use this sum of money (net of fees and repayment of advances from the trust company) will be remains to be seen, but at least (if it all goes through) it will allow us to close a chapter, to move on and put our energies into something else.  I hope - and pray - that church folk will see it this way when we report back on Sunday.

Many thanks to those loyal readers who have offered practical and prayerful support during the process so far - hopefully the 'end' is now in sight...