Numbers, Poems and GraceDear All Saints and St MarysOn February 27th this week, the church remembered the Poet and Priest George Herbert. (1593-1633). He was a prolific writer. Through books, poems and hymns he managed to craft something about the ordinary life with God's remarkable and extraordinary grace. He is both deeply serious and yet hopeful and light to read. I was gifted a book of poems a few months ago, a collection by Janet Morley. In it, at the beginning of Lent, is a poem by George Herbert. It is called Trinity Sunday. Weird perhaps to think of Trinty Sunday at this point in the year - but the poem, albeit it brief, is more about the way in which three's come together for good and grace. There are three verses, three virtues, three nouns, three verbs to end. It feels that it combines the whole of the three theologies of creation, contrition and resurrection. I leave it here for your prayers and ponderings as we make our way towards Lent.Trinity Sunday by George Herbert Lord, who hast formed me out of mud,And hast redeemed me through thy blood,And sanctified me to do good;Purge all my sins done heretofore:For I confess my heavy score,And I will strive to sin no more. Enrich my heart, mouth, hands in me,With faith, with hope, with charity;That I may run, rise, rest with thee.This Last Sunday before Lent - 2nd March10.00 - Creative Church - St Marys10.30 - Holy Communion with Band and Junior Church - All Saints6.30pm - Evensong - St MarysThe week aheadMonday 3rd 10.30am Tiny Tots - All Saints7.30pm - Lent GroupTues 4th 10:30am – Music for Toddlers - St. MarysAsh WednesdayWeds 5th 9:00am - Celtic Morning Prayer – All Saints10:00am – Holy Communion - St. Mary’s1.00pm - Lent Group - St Mary'sFriday 7th - 2.00pm - World Day of Prayer - All SaintsSaturday 8th 12–2:00pm - Saturday Lunches - St. Mary’sSunday 9th8:00am – Holy Communion – All Saints10:00am – Holy Communion – St. Mary’s10:30am – Muddy Messy Church – All Saints4.30pm – Generations – Crazy Golf at Frenchay.Revd LizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, FishpondsInterim Co Area Dean Bristol City Deanery
Waiting on WaitingDear All Saints and St MarysThe middle of February brings us into a betwixt and between time. The days are still cold, yet they are also noticeably longer and lighter. We are moving away from winter, but spring is not quite here. There are glimpses of what is to come, and yet it feels as if we are still in the thick of it.Easter, the ever-moveable Calendar feast comes as late as possible in 2025, and so that gives a rare opportunity of a three-week gap before Lent even begins. It feels a bit like the waiting room, before the waiting room. Or the departure area, that isn't quite yet the actual departure area. What possible purpose could this extra waiting space bring?I want to rush through it...to not consider its importance or notice its possible usefulness. Yet, perhaps it is a time to slow the steps down and not race through the year wishing it away - getting to of 2025 and looking back saying "Where did the year go?" These three weeks before Lent can be a blessing, a time of not requiring more from me than the attention to just the space it brings. So it is not a drag, or a bind to reach March - but the move from the speed of a sprint, into a steady jog, so that we can walk more easily into the year, and on the way hear more clearly God's call on our lives. This Sunday 16th February - the services are10.00am - Sung Holy Communion - St Marys10.30am - Holy Communion with Hymns - All SaintsThe week aheadMonday 17th No Tiny Tots - Half term!Tuesday 18th No Music for Toddlers – as its half term! Wednesday 19th 9:00am - Celtic Morning Prayer - All Saints Thursday 20th 10:00am - Holy Communion - St. Mary’s Saturday 22nd 12.00 - 2:00pm - Saturday Lunches - St Mary’sSunday 23rd 8.00am - Holy Communion - All Saints 10:00am - Sung Holy Communion - St Marys 10.30am - Café Church - All Saints Blessings and peace to you all.Revd Lizzie
Dear Friends,It’s been lovely this week seeing more sunshine and feeling that the days are getting a bit longer again. There are snowdrops in the churchyard and there is the real sniff of Spring in the air-though I wish the temperature was a bit higher!As we near the end of the Candlemas octave we also reach the end of the period of celebration and reflection that started back with Lent. I will miss the specialness of the services and the music but am also looking forward to what is to come. However, change is bittersweet., It’s endings as well as beginnings, and our Candlemas text reminds us of a moment of change and transfer. The Old Covenant becomes the New, with Jesus handed into the care of the aged Simeon to be blessed, knowing that at this supreme moment his role on this earth is completed, and he steps out of the narrative. Later, John the Baptist will do the same, notwithstanding the mix of drama and chronicle that ends his story.This is a meeting of the human and divine, grounded in family and community. Jesus is explicitly anchored in his society, but Simeon prophecies that that same community will be fractured and reassembled to be a new thing by what is to come. He will expand and transform Judaism, embrace the Gentile, create something new but also that contains and continues what is right from what already exists. Luke very specifically reminds us that Jesus is Jewish and remains Jewish. All that he becomes-all that he does-needs to be interpreted in this context.This Sunday 4th Sunday before Lent08.00am - Holy Communion – All Saints10:00am – Sung Holy Communion with Candlemas Procession - St. Mary’s10:30am – Muddy Messy Church – All Saints7:15pm – Generations – All Saints LinkThe week aheadMonday 10th - 10.30am - Tiny Tots – All SaintsTuesday 11th 10:30am – M4T - St. Mary’sWeds 12th 9:00am - Celtic Morning Prayer – All SaintsThursday 13th 10:00am – Holy Communion - St. Mary’s 1.00pm - Funeral – St MarysFriday 14th 12.30pm - Concert – St MarysSaturday 15th 12.00 – 2:00pm - Saturday Lunches – St Mary’s 3pm – Interment of Judith West followed by refreshmentsNext Sunday 16th Third Sunday before Lent10:00am - Holy Communion – St Marys10.30am Holy Communion – All SaintsMay the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. AmenBlessings Fr Kester de Oliveira
Handing OverDear All Saints and St MarysThis Sunday we begin our Candlemas celebrations. A pivot point between Christmas and the beginnings of Lent. In the gospel story from Luke, we hear how Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple to be "presented". A ritual of thanksgiving for a new child and also what was the re-entry into society for a mother. It is a delicate, vulnerable and yet heart warming pilgrimage that they make. At one point Mary hands over the baby Jesus to Simeon, an ancient priest who had been waiting for that moment all of his life - to hold the Saviour of the World in his arms. We all have to delicately hand over precious people at times in our lives. With hearts in our mouth that we hope that the person receiving them will not drop them (always my fear with babies!) and to entrust to others the care of our most dear and loved ones. It happens at baptisms, weddings and funerals. It happens at the school gate, the work door and thresholds to nursing homes. We do so always in trust - that like Jesus, that they will be received, blessed, adored and recognised for who they are. It is a source of trust that needs a lighted path, and so as we begin our Candlemas festivities come to church to have your own candles blessed, to hear the good news and to trust that the God holds us tightly in love and care.This Sundays Services - 2nd February 202510am - Creative Church - St Marys - (Theme is Scripture)10.30am - Holy Communion with Junior Church and Band - All Saints6.30pm - Choral Candlemas Evensong - St Marys.The week aheadMon 3rd Feb 10.30am Tiny Tots - All SaintsTues 4th Feb 10:30am Music for Toddlers - St MarysWeds 5th Feb 9:00am Celtic Morning Prayer - All Saints Thurs 6th Feb 10:00am Holy Communion - St. Mary’s Sat 8th Feb 12noon – 2:00pm -Saturday Lunches - St. Mary’s Sun 9th Feb 8:00am Holy Communion - All Saints 10:00am Holy Communion - St. Mary’s 10:30am Muddy Church - All Saints 7:15pm Generations - All Saints Link With my prayers and blessings to you all.Revd Lizzie
Dear All Saints and St MarysIf you only heard one word from the mouth of Jesus, what might that be? ‘Love’. ‘God’. No, I suggest that the key word Jesus speaks to us today (as he did 2000 years ago to the first disciples) is ‘now’!When should I do good? Now! How often should I forgive my brother? Actually, the number does not matter. What matters is: now! If you pass the person who has been beaten up in the street (while the priest and the Levite pass by on the other side), when is the best time to help? Now!St Paul captures this in a wonderful verse on 2 Corinthians. First God says to us: “at an acceptable time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation, I have helped you”. In other words, God hears us NOW – as soon as we pray. God does not delay – God’s help may not be what we expected, nor what we thought we want; but there is no delay.Martin Luther was asked: what would he do if the world were to end tomorrow? He answered, “I would plant an apple tree today.” Now! There is a Greek proverb which says: a society grows great when old people plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit. There is value in doing something today – even if the benefits will not be manifest till many years later.So, perhaps it is not surprising that the key moment in this week’s Gospel reading is when Jesus says “now”! “I am now. God’s promises are now – in me, by me, with me.” And that ‘now’ continues up to today. God’s actions are not merely found in the past. God acts today – in us, by us, with us.This Sunday 26th January the service at church are as follows8am - Holy Communion - All Saints10am - Sung Holy Communion - St Marys10.30am - Cafe Church - All SaintsCafe Church is a open and informal space which begins with coffee/tea and breakfast that enables worship with space for discussion and reflection with others. We are currently looking at the Book of Romans together and is good way to get to know people and learn together about the Christian faith)The week aheadMonday 27th 10.30am Tiny Tots - All Saints Community HallTuesday 28th. 10.30am Music for Toddlers - St MarysWednesday 29th. 9:00am Celtic Morning Prayer - All SaintsThursday 30th 10:00am Holy Communion - St. Mary’sSaturday 1st Feb 10:00am Coffee Morning, Book Sale plus the Bristol Repair Café - All Saints12noon - 2pm Saturday Lunches - St Mary’s3pm - 6pm Open Tango - All Saints Community HallSunday 2nd 10:00am Creative Church - St Marys10:30am Holy Communion and Junior Church - All Saints6:30pm Candlemas Choral Evensong - St. Mary’sRevd Bob Cotton
