My kingdom is not from this world (John 18.36)Dear All Saints and St Mary'sThis Sunday we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. In our readings we have various images of kingship. In Daniel, we hear of the "one like a son of man", to whom God gives power and glory, and whom all the people of the earth serve. In Revelation, John reminds us that we are citizens of Christ's kingdom now and that there will be a time when all will see and know him.In the reading from the Gospel according to John, we get a very different image of kingship. Jesus is on trial before Pilate, who asks him if he is king of the Jews. This is a loaded question. Being or claiming to be a king could be considered rebelling against the emperor. Jesus response is simple, yet loaded with meaning. "My kingdom is not from this world".The Greek word translated as "world", does not mean the earth or creation. Rather it means the way things are arranged or ordered. In our current passage, it specifically refers to the way that human political and economic systems work. This is why Jesus says that if his kingdom was of this world, then people would be fighting for him. That is the way the "world" works. But Jesus' kingdom is different.Christ rules in those who do the will of God (Matthew 7.21–23) and follow the teaching of Jesus (Matthew 7.24–27). It is way of humility (Matthew 5.3, Matthew 18.1–5), healing and wholeness (Luke 10.9), endurance (Matthew 5.10), and of sacrifice (Luke 18.18–30).In baptism we offer our allegiance to Christ as our king and commit ourselves to follow in his service. His rule is not restricted to a time or a place. It is within us, both as individuals and as a Christian community (Luke 17.20–21). As his subjects, he calls us to bear witness to his truth and follow in his way.This Sunday, there will be opportunities to reflect further on the rule of Christ at the 8.00 am Holy Communion at All Saints and at the 10.00 am service at St Mary's. At 10.30 am at All Saints, we continue our look at Paul's letter to the church in Rome, using the material from the Bible Society. This month we will be looking at what sin is and how it harms us, our society, and our world. In addition, we have the Christingle service at All Saints at 4.30 pm, in aid of the Children’s Society.This gives the following services for Sunday 24th November:8.00 am All Saints Holy Communion (said)10.00 am St Mary’s Holy Communion10.30 am All Saints Café church4.30 pm All Saints ChristingleWe have our usual midweek services with Celtic Morning Prayer at All Saints on Wednesday at 9.00 am and Holy Communion at St Mary’s on Thursday at 10.00 am. Next week is the Guides Toy Service at St Mary’s at 10.00 am. At All Saints there is Holy Communion at 10.30 am. As it is Advent Sunday, there will be Advent Carols at St Mary’s at 6.30 pm.This gives the following services for the coming week:Wednesday 27th November 9.00 am All Saints Celtic morning prayerThursday 28th November 10.00 am St Mary’s Holy CommunionSunday 1st December 10.00 am St Mary’s Guide Toy Service 10.30 am All Saints Holy Communion 6.30 pm St Mary’s Advent CarolsSo, let us pray that we might hear the call of Christ the king and respond to that call in loving service:God the Father,help us to hear the call of Christ the Kingand to follow in his service,whose kingdom has no end;for he reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,one God, one glory.Amen.Yours in ChristMark
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
