The Wonder of the Cross – 40 Days with the Music of Vicky Beeching

Day 7 – Wednesday after Lent 1 – Everyone Under The Sun

To Read: 

From the Scriptures:

Jesus said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the wealth that will belong to me.”  So he divided his assets between them. ¹³ A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant region, and there he squandered his wealth in dissolute living. ¹⁴ When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that region, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that region, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶ He would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, and no one gave him anything. ¹⁷ But when he came to his senses he said, “How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘“Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”’ ²⁰ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.

(Luke 15v11-20)

From Vicky Beeching:

Everyone Under The Sun

Come if you’re joyful, happy, laughing
With a song spilling out of your soul
Come if you’re broken and all that you know is
Your life is spinning out of control

Come if you’ve never had a father and
You’re looking for a Father who will hold you in His arms
Wherever you’ve been, just come on in
No distance is too far

Come everyone under the sun
Lift up your heart to the Saviour
Come everyone under the sun
And feel how it feels to be loved
Everyone, everyone under the sun

Come if you’re addicted, in chains and afflicted
Welcome to freedom’s embrace
Come if you’re hiding your struggles inside
To the One who loves you anyway
Come and find the meaning of life is
To worship the God who can heal every heart
Wherever you’ve been just come on in
No distance is too far

Chorus – repeats

Millions of voices, just one song
Come to the place where we belong

Come everyone under the sun
Lift up your heart to the Saviour
Come everyone under the sun
And feel how it feels to be loved
Come everyone who walks this earth
Lift up your song to the heavens
Everyone, everyone under the sun (x3)

To Listen:

To Reflect:

How do you cope with personal failure and rejection?  It’s not easy is it?  I have never been someone who is ‘backward in coming forward’ and give fools a bad reputation when any opportunity to rush in presents itself.  My competency in this area gives me plenty of time for ‘repenting at leisure’.  Ouch!

Though I am the first born in our family I find myself again and again like the impulsive younger brother in the Parable of the Two Sons.  Always knowing best, I strike out on new sure-fire ventures and end up coming home with my tale between my legs.  I remember one particular occasion when I left Cape Town for a job in Windhoek.  All went well until I crashed the company car and was ‘let go’ by my boss.  When I returned home my father, a dour Scotsman with his own challenges, not known for affection met me with a rare hug and instead of questioning and judging and blaming invited me into the Mess on his ship for a pint and didn’t bring up the topic of my failings at all.  Sometimes parables are mirrors of real-life events…

My relationship with my father was not profound.  Consisting mostly of nods and an occasional grunt, he watched my life from afar but knowing he was there, watching over me from afar, meant a great deal.  My prayer is that all of us has, as George Gershwin wrote, Someone to Watch Over [us].

And this is the care and generous love of which Vicky speaks in today’s song.  

Yes, I know not everyone finds the imagery of a ‘father figure’ helpful but human metaphors breakdown (not all people are ‘mothered’ well) when it comes to trying to describe the comprehensive welcome of the One who not only Loves us Best.  However we meet or name that Love or wherever we have been we remain loved.

To Pray:

To Do:

If you can; Say ‘thank you’ and give a small gift to whoever watched over you with care as you grew up.

If you can’t; Pray about someone who needs some tender loving care to let them know that they are welcomed by God and take steps to offer that welcome.

Just for Joy…

Listen to this version of ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ from the movie Mr Holland’s Opus.

oooOOOooo

If you would like to find out more about Vicky and her work here is a link to her Wikipedia entry.  For a fuller picture her autobiography ‘Undivided’ is highly recommended

Please Note:  These reflections are also published on my blog: suffolkvicarhomes.com   on Bluesky as @suffolkvicar.bsky.social, and on my public Facebook page  Suffolk Vicar – Rev Andrew Dotchin.  

If you would like them as a daily email please send a request to revdotchin@gmail.com

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Acknowledgements:

These Reflections, ‘The Wonder of the Cross – 40 Days with the Music of Vicky Beaching’ are copyright © Andrew Dotchin 2026 and may be reproduced without charge on condition that their source is acknowledged.

All of the music on the video clips are from YouTube and are © Vicky Beeching.  

If you enjoy listening to her songs please consider buying her recordings.  A full discography and other information about Vicky can be found on her website vickybeeching.com.

Scripture quotations are from The New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition.  Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Prayers are from A Diary of Prayer compiled by Elizabeth Goudge and are copyright © 1966 The Estate of Elizabeth Goudge.