Dear All Saints and St MarysOne of my favourite story books as a child was "The owl who was afraid of the dark" by Jill Tomlinson. For me it evokes good memories, it was both a book that my mother read to me and also one that I was first able to read by myself. The baby owl Plop (what a great name!) discovers new things about the dark, that it can be a place of excitement and discovery and need not always be a place to be feared.Yet the darkness can be a scary place. As the nights draw in and the days shorten, so too do the readings we hear in church take on more sombre and darker notes. The bible stories remind me that the whole compass of life will involve rupture and darkness, uncertainty and fragility. How do God's people navigate the darkness and yet remain a people of light and hope? That is a question that has been asked time and time again.These past weeks of elections, budgets, remembrance and fracture illuminate a vulnerability and fragility of the world. The Church is not immune from the darkness, and it necessitates a need to be both repentant and reflective about how harm done is acknowledged and amendment keenly sought.In the Letter to the Hebrews it speaks of "how to provoke one another to love and good deeds" and to "not neglect meeting together". I was struck by how important both elements of this were to being able to discover the guiding lights when it feels dark outside. That we are called to be a people who "agitate" ourselves and others in love and that this is done most effectively when we meet others. Some of the most poignant, challenging and yet hopeful of moments in life are when we seek to be with others in the flesh, face to face.I wish to encourage us to do so, be it in church, cafes, parks or elsewhere in the spaces we work, play and encounter others. Meeting together, even when fragile and wobbly, is a possible way to be able to see in the darkness, so that it doesn't confound or frighten us, but allows us a path of light to follow.This week we meet to worship together - Sunday 17th November10.00am - St Marys - Sung Holy Communion with Baptism10.30am - All Saints - Holy Communion with HymnsThe week aheadMonday 18th 10.30am Tiny Tots - All SaintsTuesday 19th 10:30am Music 4 Tots - St. MarysWednesday 20th 9:00am Celtic Morning Prayer - All SaintsThursday 21st 10:00am Holy Communion - St. Mary’sThursday 21st 12.00 Funeral - St MarysSaturday 23rd 12.00 Wedding - St Mary’sSunday 24th 8.00am Holy Communion - All Saints10:00am Sung Holy Communion - St Marys10.30am Café Church - All SaintsBlessingsRevd Lizzie
Dear All Saints and St. MarysWhen a young boy, my family subscribed to a weekly comic which routinely told ‘war stories’. These were daring tales of soldiers and sailors who overcame mountainous odds, defeated enemies, and often won medals. This stirred the hearts of young lads. As the years rolled by, I noticed that the stories became more varied. We heard about spies, or radio operators, or scientists – all of whom eventually contributed to victory in the Second World War.And, more years further on, we now hear tales of the Women’s Land Army, or the Lumberjills (as the Women’s Timber Corps were affectionately known). There were plenty of others who contributed their part to the war effort, many of whom stayed at home and undertook mundane ordinary tasks which were vital to keep the country alive and flourishing. In this week of Remembrance Sunday, all these people deserve to be remembered. Of course, we must recall those who made the final sacrifice. Yet they were not alone. Many made a “living sacrifice” as Paul names it in Romans 12: “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”In addition, it is right that we remember those who have opposed injustice through their peaceful objection. Think of Rosa Parks who in 1950s Alabama courageously stood firm (or should it be “sat firm”?!), against racial prejudice. And here in the 1960s, there was the determined brave efforts of those involved in the Bristol Bus Boycott. There are many forms of evil in this world, each of which demands a different type of resistance. We may not personally be able to address each one of this world’s troubles; but we can choose what our particular contribution can be, to advance God’s kingdom. When we remember, we honour those who made for us the possibility of a better today. We honour the past partly by choosing well today. As the Kohima Epitaph says:When you go homeTell them of us and say:For your tomorrowWe gave our today.Best wishesBob
Dear Friends in ChristAfter a summer which has seemed very short of summeriness, we are in the time of year where there is a real change of mood. We transition to Autumn, with its golds and reds, but also the clock changes making the nights longer. The change from October to November takes into the season of remembrance, and then the gradually intensifying journey to Christmas.I was in Page Park with a friend and as we walked around it I was struck by the beauty of the trees, but also the mix of people and their pets simply enjoying being in this space. Being there felt so special and harmonious, creation in all its forms co-existing.Sadly, our readings remind us that the world isn’t like this. We’re admonished and commanded to welcome the stranger, something that should be second nature, but sadly isn’t the real experience of so many.The Beatitudes, the wonderful sermon where Jesus turns round the accepted social order in a series of timeless statements, recognises and values the poor, the grieving, the downtrodden, the people shoved down into the lowest parts of society. But they are not just identified, they are assured blessings. They are seen and loved by God, who sees so differently to how we see. The norms of the world that value success, fame and power will be utterly reversed, God’s order circumvents ours, valuing those we devalue, seeing those we are blind to, promises of hope and joy.Our services and activities for the week ahead:This Sunday 3rd November: All Saints Day10:00am Creative Church : St Marys10.30am All Saints Patronal Festival: Holy Communion with Baptism : All Saints6.30pm Choral Evensong : St MarysThe week aheadMon 4th Nov 10.30am Tiny Tots - All Saints Community HallTues 5th Nov 10:30am Music for Toddlers: St Mary’sWeds 6th Nov 9:00am: Celtic Morning Prayer: All SaintsThursday 7th Nov 10:00am: Holy Communion: St. Mary’sSaturday 9th Nov 10:00am: 12.00 – 2:00pm - Saturday Lunches: St Mary’sNext Sunday 10th November.08.00am: Holy Communion; All Saints10:00am: Remembrance Sunday Holy Communion St. Marys, followed by civic Act of Remembrance in Fishponds Park10:45am: All Age Remembrance Service with Scouting Groups: All Saints7.15pm: Generations Youth GroupMay the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. AmenBlessingsRevd Kester de Oliveira
To all God’s beloved in Fishponds, who are called to be saints:Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.Since we are on the cusp of Bible Sunday I couldn’t resist opening my message with this beautiful greeting by the apostle Paul. He uses it to begin his letter to the Romans. This Sunday marks the launch of our new Cafe Church year studying Romans, animated by Bible Society’s dynamic presenter, Andrew Ollerton.The Last Sunday after Trinity is commonly celebrated as Bible Sunday and the Collect gives thanks for the Holy Scriptures and asks that God would help us ‘hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them’ So how where do we start so our Bible studies don’t give us indigestion?Over the years, I have valued tools for Bible Study e.g. consulting commentaries, using a Lectio Divina method of hearing the Bible as if God is engaging in a conversation with me through a phrase or passage. I find the so-called ’Swedish Method’ particularly helps me engage with any passage by using a range of questions (one version of the Swedish Bible Study Method is attached with this email). Four key questions are:What stands out to me in this passage? What don’t I understand? Does the passage remind me of something going on in my life, or the world at the moment? What will I do as a result of reading this passage?If I apply these questions to this week’s Gospel reading about the healing of Blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46 - 51 this is the sort of thing that emerges for me… For you, it may look different.What stands out to me in this passage?The care of the people around Bartimaeus: ’Take heart, he (Jesus) is calling you!”The courteous way Jesus addresses the blind man without making assumptions: ‘What do you want me to do for you?’Bartimaeus chose the better, more life-transforming thing- not more money (he was begging), but the recovery of his sight.Bart’s faith made all the difference. He trusted Jesus and Jesus healed him.What don’t I understand?I wonder why Bartimaeus addressed Jesus as ’Son of David’? I will need to consult a commentary to find this out, or a local Bible expertDoes the passage remind me of anything?My thoughts turn to those who sit and beg around Fishponds and God’s greatest desire for their flourishing and how that might happen for them and how God might use our churches to be a part of thatWhat will I do as a result of reading this passage?I will ponder the question of Jesus (What do you want me to do for you?) and, like Bartimaeus, try to identify and then dare to ask for something I would really like God to do in my lifeServices on Sunday 27th October 20248.00am Holy Communion – All Saints10:00am Sung Holy Communion, Trinity – St Marys10.30am Cafe Church –Book of Romans (Episode 1)- All SaintsEvents in the week aheadMonday 28th October: No meeting for Tiny Tots, Beavers, Cubs or Scouts - Half TermWednesday 30th October: Celtic Morning Prayer - 9.00am at All Saints ChurchThursday 31st October: Holy Communion - 10.00am in St. Marys Parish Room (enter via back door)Friday 1st November: Living after Loss - 11.00am in St. Marys Parish RoomSaturday 2nd November: Coffee Morning - 10am to 12noon at All Saints Church. Plus Bristol Repair TeamSaturday Lunches - 12noon to 2.00pm at St. MarysServices on Sunday 3rd November 202410:00am – Creative Church – St Marys10:30am – All Saints Patronal Festival: Holy Communion with Baptism and Junior Church – All Saints6:30pm – Choral Evensong – St. Mary’sAs you can see, there are three services to choose from to come and worship God together in Fishponds this Sunday. We look forward to seeing new and old faces. And you even get a lie-in, as the clocks go back one hour! I wonder what points your preacher will draw out and what you will hear this Sunday? While we can read the Bible alone, it is even better when we explore the Bible in community. We can learn from a preacher who has studied the Gospel text and consulted commentaries and read what contemporary theologians are drawing out for today’s world. Or we can meet around a table and hear how a passage is resonating with members of the church family (e.g. at Café Church). Hearing from each other helps us care for one another better as we come to know what others are going through.Additional Collect for Last Sunday after TrinityMerciful God, teach us to be faithful in change and uncertainty,that trusting in your word and obeying your willwe may enter the unfailing joy of Jesus Christ our Lord.May God bless you with a healing message from the Scriptures this Sunday, Revd Diane (curate)
