ALLELUIA By Andrew Horwood

::PAGE 1:: THE BEAUTIFUL

God’s garden of beauty is graced by a flower Of sweetest perfume, bright and fairer than morn In him He delighted o’er Earth had a bower Or ocean or depth or a fountain was born His fragrance was life and his riches abounding He topped all creation in wisdom and love The Logos of God to whom favour redounding God blessed him for ever His Heavenly dove. Transplanted to Earth mid the thorn and the nettle Of sorrow and suffering of pain and of woe The odour of life unto life from each petal He diffused through the world for his people to know Our garments are scented with attar of Heaven The knowledge of God and the gift of His grace Thanks be to the Fathre to us He has given The incense of triumph, the sweets of His peace. Transplanted again by the side of the river That flower and multiplied seed shall then show The odour of life unto life to whomever Shall come to the waters his savour to know They sing every nation and shout all creation The bride and the Bridegroom their gifts do bestow Release from oppression and free full salvation The blessings of God from His garden do flow

JOSEPH

The Eternal God did speak in dreams To men in olden times To prophets, kings and patriarchs His purpose to reveal And to make known whom he did choose To execute his plans And bear his name to all mankind His power and majesty. Once God would set a mighty prince Among the sons of men And he was reaping in the field And binding precious sheaves When overcome by sleep he lay Among the golden grain Not knowing that an angel stood Beside his harvest bed. The vision broke upon his mind He saw himself a sheaf. His brethren too; eleven sheaves all bowing down to him. And God most willing to affirm His own unchanging will Sent angel with another dream In truth the dreams are one. The sun and moon eleven stars Did veil their shining faces Came down to earth and at his feet Made pledge of loyalty And Jacob who himself had dreamed When in that house of God Showed well that God had laid his hand On his beloved Son. His father’s children hated him Without a cuase ‘tis true Said Levi unto Dan, but why Should God exalt this brat? Come let us see what God can do When we shall take his life They stripped him of his goodly robe And cast him in the pit. Sold as a slave, falsely accused His feet they hurt with fetters This was the way that must be trod To bring him to the throne No prison walls can hold this man Whom God would raise on high Today a dungeon dark and drear Tomorrow decked with gold. When riding forth on his white horse The nations bow the kneww He rules to give the bread of life To save their souls from death. Exalted to the king’s right hand All power to him is given He sees the travail of his sould And glorifies his God. His brethren who had hated him Came bowing down with shame Repenting sore their wrongs and sins Oh could they be forgiven? They looked upon his face and mourned How foolish they had been! Forgiven? Yes it was for them That he had suffered pain.

OUR ACCEPTABLE PRAYER

Our Father in Heaven Who dwells in the light Whose name is Eternal, Whose limitless might Did spread out the Heavens a kingdom to own To all Thy creation Thy glory make known. Thou sendest the rain and the snow from the sky To water the earth and give men their supply Of grain and of bread and of clothing to wear Oh send out Thy Truth that the people might hear. On Earth is rebellion: in Heaven Thy law Where angels attend Thee in Reverence and awe Oh crush the rebellion, Thy kingdom restore Fill the Earth with Thy glory Thy face hide no more. Thy saints in humilty here upon Earth Seek not for their own what others call worth But raiment and food from Thy bountiful hand With forgiveness of sins that in Christ they might stand. The world and her prince would from Thee turn our hearts Oh lead us away from his snares and his darts The time it is evil for deliverance we pray Thy power and glory for ever and aye. AMEN.

::PAGE 4:: SHEDRACH ANSWERS

Be it known to the King that the God whom we serve Is One who is mighty to save We bow to no idol of wood, stone or gold Nor mind we the furnace of fire For we are His people, the sheep of His fold And we fear not the wrath of the King Though he rule all the world from Great Babylon; s throne. And the nations wait for his word. Once Pharoah defied Him in pride of his heart And sent forth his armies in haste With chariots and horsemen with swords and with spears. He sat in the Heavens and laughed He spake to the sea and the waters returned Oh Egypt! Where now is thy King? Like Locust, Great Midian once covered the land All armed with the weapons of war The sword of the Lord and of Gideon were there In torches and pitchers of clay Three hundred torches ‘gainst thousands of spears But none of His people were harmed. In armour of mail and a helmet of brass A spear like a weaver’s beam Goliath of Gath would fight with the Lord Or any brave man He could send... Or a YOUTH armed alone with the Name of the Lord A sling and a stone in his hand. But kings do forget how the Lord saves His own And their pride must be thrown to the ground For Sennacherib too, and Where is the God Who is able to save from my hand? He sent forth His angel and there on the ground Lay the breathless Assyrian host. Be it known to the King we have taken our stand And trust in our God for His care For we are His witnesses bearing His name And regard not our lives to the death Our God will deliver from furnace, from sword, From the depths of the sea, from the grave.

::PAGE 5:: INHERITANCE LOST AND RESTITUTION

Thoughts on the Book of Ruth

Elimelech: DISOBEDIENCE

Ho, this is the land of promise Of milk and honey and wine The land of the Lord where His people shall dwell In safety with plenty and peace But where is the latter rain? The former rain did not fall The ground it is fallow, the cattle are dry We shall sell our inheritence here And enter the land of a Moab The forbidden land of His curse For God doth know where the famine is And that we and our children need bread.

Comment: RESULT

So into the land they go The land that was cursed by the Lord Barley and wheat, milk and honey were there But death reigned supreme on the throne. Only the woman was left The seed it had gone to corruption The woman, the Covenant the Promise of God Old and alone now barren and dried Oh where is the hope of the Lord?

Naomi: THE TEST

Go back to your mothers, your friends and your gods Ye women my daughters in law What is there in Jacob for people like you What husband, what hope, what reward?

::PAGE 6:: Ruth: THE DECISION

Thy God is the Lord of the Covenant My mother my hope and my trust Thy people the children of Jacob Thy land is the holy and blelst. Surely I will go with thee Thy God my salvation shall be My life shall be spent in thy service My death shall be joined close to thee.

Comment: COMING HOME

Back to the land of Promise The inheritance forfeited, gone. She who has been full now was empty Oh bitter the wrath of the Lord. But His mercy endureth forever For the poor of the land there’s a law Go then and glean after the reapers And verily thou shalt be fed. Into the field of the kinsman Gleaning among the sheaves Under the sun of Israel Far from the fields of Moab The Lord of the harvest beheld her Spread wide his protection and care In his tent and there at his table There is bread and water to spare.

THE CALL OF THE BRIDE

He knew of her lost possession The inheritance forfeited, gone There was none beside him to redeem it To raise up the name of the dead If only she would be faithful True till the harvest—home He would do the part of a kinsman And make her his bride his own.

::PAGE 7:: Boaz:

Only stay close by the reapers Glean not in another’s field Work till the day is over Toil till the harvest’s done.

Comment: RESTITUTION

Now Ruth the humble Moabitess Under the wings of the Lord Is Bride and Joint-heir of the riches Of him who had price to redeem And so for their little son Obed The inheritance is made sure Purchased, redeemed, RESTITUTION Raised up in the name of the dead. Rejoice oh Naomi with laughter Thou Covenant, barren, bereft For more are the children of Promise Than Hagar was husband did set.