Just before the beginning of COVID lock-down, the New Zealand hymnwriter, Shirley Erena Murray died. Had it not been for COVID, her hymns would have featured in various UK events in that year; one such had been planned for East Suffolk.
Shirley Murray was born into a Methodist family and married a Presbyterian minister. Her long life stretched from 31st March 1931 to 25th January 2020.
If you are interested, do research her output or find out more about her hymns and collections of hymns she published. Eleven of her compositions are included in Singing the Faith, one of which, 420, is today’s recommended text in the Prayer Handbook.
Do look up ‘because you came and sat beside us’ (or use this link: https://www.hopepublishing.com/find-hymns-hw/hw334.aspx) The words express the urgent human need for forgiveness, citing reasons, while simultaneously declaring forgiveness in the Spirit. Some of the verses are challenging, such as V2 ‘Because you laughed…and lived…and we love status, steady money’.
Four verses conclude with the prayer, ‘we ask forgiveness, Lord Jesus Christ’ but the fifth expresses the faith that brings so many of us together and drives us to live, work and worship as we do.
Because you came on Easter morning,
Because you come at Pentecost,
And in the Spirit, we are forgiven,
We love to praise you, Lord Jesus Christ!
Shirley Erena Murray (1931-2020)
A Prayer
God, whose Spirit enables various gifts, we thank you for those who express what we feel but cannot put into words. We rejoice in the richness of prayerful, expressive hymnody that helps us to grow up and confront rather than avoid life’s hopes and fears. We thank you for all who help our faith to expand as they use the gifts you have enabled in them. Amen.