"Doing Good"Dear All Saints and St MarysThe Acts of the Apostles was written about 100 AD, a generation after the first Gospels. It contains stories about the growth of the church, and reflects some of the concerns they were having, as local Christian communities were becoming more established. Yet, preserved within these chapters, there are some very early summaries of Jesus’s life. These verses show how the earliest Christians talked about Jesus, before later refinements were made (such as we say each week in the Creed). One important early description is found in Acts 10.38, with four different descriptions of Jesus. Each of these captures something true about Jesus, as they experienced him in his own lifetime, and also as we experience him now. ‘God anointed Jesus with power’: yes, God’s power was evident, as he taught and as he fed people in amazing ways. ‘Jesus healed those who were oppressed’: yes, Jesus released people trapped by illness, stigma, or lack of love. ‘For God was with him’: yes, when we meet Jesus, we meet God. But my favourite phrase is this: ‘Jesus went about doing good’. It is such a simple phrase, but it condenses into five words so much of what I believe about Jesus. Whatever troubles he met, whoever he came across, whatever difficult circumstances he encountered, Jesus simply did good. He made goodness happen, and not only left people in a better place – but also gave them the power to continue doing good themselves. In our culture, being a “do-gooder” is a critical description, usually delivered with a sneer. But I don’t think it should be. How about this wonderful quotation from a Quaker missionary, who was saying in different words what Acts 10.38 is pointing us towards: “I shall pass this way but once. Any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”This Sunday's Worship on 22nd June8:00 - Holy Communion, All Saints10:00 - Holy Communion, St Mary’s10:30 - Café Church, All Saints The week aheadWeds 25th June 9:00am - Celtic Morning Prayer - All SaintsThurs 26th June 10:00am - Holy Communion - St. MarysSaturday 28th June 12noon - 1.30pm - Saturday Lunches - St Mary’sSunday 29th June 8:00am - BCP Holy Communion - All Saints10:00am - Holy Communion, St Mary’s10:30am - Holy Communion, All Saints Revd Bob.
Dear All Saints and St MarysHappy Holy Trinity Sunday! Did you know that Bristol Cathedral's "name" is "The Holy and Undivided Trinity"? I have always found it inspiring and comforting that the "mother" church of this city and the diocese bears this name. Trinty Sunday comes straight after the feasts of Pentecost and the Ascension. In many ways bringing full circle the whole theological journey that Christians live from the beginning of creation, through Jesus life and death and resurrection to the sending of the Spirit. It is when we celebrate all that is unique about the Christian faith. And it is a unique and radical claim that God can be both one and three all at the same time. That we can know God in all ways simultaneously, and experience God in this dynamic relationship of God who creates, redeems and sustains us in one community and one communion. A day when we sing three fold "Holy!Holy!Holy!"Sunday 15th June are worship is 10am - Sung Holy Communion - St Marys10.30am - Holy Communion with Hymns - All SaintsThe week aheadWednesday 18th 9.00am Celtic Morning Prayer - All SaintsThursday 19th 10.00am Holy Communion - St. MarysFriday 20th 11.00am Living after Loss - St. MarysSaturday 21st 12noon to 1.30pmSaturday Lunches - St Mary’sSunday 22nd June 8.00am Holy Communion - All Saints10.00am Holy Communion - St Mary’s10.30am Café Church - All SaintsBlessingsLizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, FishpondsInterim Co Area Dean Bristol City Deanery
Come Holy SpiritDear All Saints and St Mary's,This Sunday, we remember the day when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the first disciples, equipping them with courage, unity, and a new language of love to proclaim the gospel to all nations. It was not the end of the story, but the beginning—the birth of the Church.As an Ordinand, walking this journey of discernment and formation, I am struck with how Pentecost reminds us that ministry is not something we take up alone. It is God’s Spirit who calls, who equips, and who sends. The same Spirit who hovered over the waters of creation now dwells in each of us, empowering us to live as Christ’s body in the world.What might it look like to truly open ourselves to the Spirit’s work in our lives and in our communities? Where is God inviting us to speak hope, act justly, and love boldly?With three different styles of Worship this Sunday, we hope that you can join us at one of them.This Sunday 8th June – Pentecost8:00am – Holy Communion - All Saints10.00am – Holy Communion, St Marys10:30am – Messy Muddy Church, All Saints7:15pm – Generations – All Saints LinkThe week aheadWeds 11th June 9:00am - Celtic Morning Prayer – All SaintsThurs 12th June 10:00 Holy Communion - St. MarysSaturday 14th June 12.00 – 2:00pm - Saturday Lunches - St Mary’sNext Sunday 15th June10:00am – Holy Communion St Mary’s10:30am – Holy Communion, All SaintsCome, Holy Spirit.Fill the hearts of your people and kindle in us the flame of your love. Renew your Church and send us out in the power of your Spirit, to the glory of your name.AmenWith every blessing,Charlie BlackettOrdinand -All Saints and St Mary’s - Bristol Diocese
Dear Friends in Christ,This Sunday falls between Ascension day where we contemplate Jesus’s ascension to the Father and the events of Pentecost. The disciples and his followers are left confused and emotionally drained, having lived through weeks of promise, despair, fear and rejoicing, and now their beloved leader is leaving them. But he promises the Comforter-an agent who will connect and witness to each all who believe..Those first followers wouldn’t have fully understood what was going to happen. The Spirit of God has previously been attached to specific events rather than interacting with all believers. This would be a new level of personal, intimate connection.In this week’s Gospel Jesus talks of the destruction of divisions, the erasing of barriers. He and the Father are one, and they in turn enfold us into their intimacy of relationships when we accept Jesus as Christ. The writer, theologian and Franciscan priest Richard Rohr wrote in his book The Divine Dance of his concept of the Trinity as a constantly fluid dance of equality and love with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This vibrant living and harmonious dance is not one of exclusion, but inclusion, and we are invited to join in. When we do we become connected to the dynamic spiritual reality of this inter-relationship.This Sunday, 1st June - 7th Sunday of Easter10.00am Creative Church - St. Marys10.30am Holy Communion - All Saints6.30pm Evensong - St. MarysThe week aheadWednesday 4th June 9.00am Celtic Morning Prayers - All Saints ChurchThursday 5th June 10.00am Holy Communion - St. Marys ChurchFriday 6th June. 11.00am Living after Loss - St. Marys Church.Saturday 7th June 10.00am Coffee Morning & Repair Cafe- All Saints ChurchSaturday 7th June 12.00noon Saturday Lunches - St. Marys ChurchNext Sunday 8th June - Pentecost8.00am Holy Communion-All Saints Church10.00am Holy Communion-St. Marys Church10.30am Messy Muddy Church-All Saints ChurchMay the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. AmenBlessingsFr Kester de Oliveira
Peace and Pentecost"Peace is what I leave with you,it is my own peace that I give you.I do not give it as the world doesDo not be worried and upset, do not be afraid"John 14: 27I have often found the word "Legacy" interesting. It often refers to a legal term of an amount of money that is left by someone in their will to another person or a charity. Churches have been the recipient of legacies, and they are hugely appreciated as a lasting gift. All Saints and St Marys' over the years have been blessed with such generosity. Yet "Legacy" can also mean "the long lasting impact of particular actions or events that took place in a person's lifetime". It is what they "leave us with".So, what does Jesus "leave us with" after the resurrection?As we come to celebrate the festivals of Ascension and Pentecost, Jesus tells us he leaves us his Peace. What is the difference between the peace that the world gives, and the peace that Jesus leaves? What does that look like? Why are they different? Are they ever compatible?The world has been striving for peace since its earliest beginnings. Countries, families, cultures find peace a struggle. The world, humanity, seems keenly drawn to conflict and clashes. And yet peace is something that the world and humanity also strives to achieve, with many dedicating their lives to inspire and encourage people and places to reconciliation and peaceful solutions. Jesus was not immune to conflict. He was born into a time and place where conflict was constant, with struggles between emperors and rulers, with his own people being under occupation. Jesus, as recorded in the gospels, is himself often in conflict with the religious rulers of his Jewish faith. He had flashes of anger, turning over tables. He gets testy with his own family and disciples. Yet he was also someone who healed, inspired, brought people together, told parables about people who forgave each other and welcomed strangers.Perhaps then the peaceful path is to start at the end of the sentence of John 14:27 - "Do not be afraid". Being frightened of someone or something is often central to conflict, be it with others or ourselves. That inner sense of worry that we do not have enough, are not good enough, are going to lose out, are alone, fail at something or get hurt, And that makes sense, lots of sense if our experience and that around us tells us that is how the world is. Yet Jesus says clearly at Ascension and Pentecost that we are not alone and that we are not to be afraid, that we are enough, that there will be enough. When I am frightened, a ball of fury and ready to unleash that on the world, then prayer is a place that I can take all of that. It changes me. It challenges me. It makes me ask the deeper vulnerable questions of Why are you so afraid Lizzie? What is really going on here? And what are you going to do with that now? It does not always make the conflict disappear, but it does cast Jesus peace into the conversation, enough perhaps for me to remember the times, places and people who have left me their legacies of wisdom and peace.Wishing you a prayerful and peaceful Pentecost.Revd LizzieHoly Spirit, sent by the Father,ignite in us your holy fire;strengthen your children with the gift of faith,revive your Church with the breath of love,and renew the face of the earth,through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Dear All Saints and St Mary’sThis Sunday’s Café Church brings us to the mid-point of our journey through Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. It is also the summit of the mountain we are climbing as we see the grand vista that hope in Christ gives. In chapter 8 of his letter, Paul summarises this hope using three images, which look at the past, present and future.Looking the to the past, Paul reminds us that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8.1). The forgiveness that Christ brings allows us to step away from our past failings and put hope in the future. If God does not condemn us, then we do not need to condemn ourselves. This frees us to turn to Christ and follow in his way. It also allows us to return to that way whenever we wander from it. This is what is sometimes called “justification”.Looking to the present, Jesus has shown us that we have a new relationship with God. The Almighty Creator of all that is wants us to live as his children. This leads to a new relationship with God and with one another. We are family with God as our father. We share in his work in caring for one another and for his creation. To illustrate this, Paul uses the image of “adoption”.Looking to the future, there is something bigger and better on the way. What we have now is only the first stage of God’s redeeming work. We wait in hope for what God will do next. We do not know what this will look like or when it will be. Paul reminds us that "we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience” (Romans 8.25). This future we hope for is sometimes called “glorification”.This is the hope that Paul sets before us in Romans 8.1–30: justification, adoption and glorification. We will look more at this on Sunday at all Saints at 10:30. This will help us to “always be ready to make our defence to anyone who demands from us an accounting for the hope that is in us”. (1 Peter 3:15)In addition, there is Holy Communion at All Saints at 08:00 and at St Mary’s at 10:00.This gives the Following services for Sunday 25th May:08:00 All Saints Holy Communion (said)10:00 St Mary's Holy Communion10:30 All Saints Café ChurchWe have our usual midweek services with Celtic Morning Prayer at 09:00 on Wednesday at All Saints and Holy Communion at 10:00 at St Mary’s on Thursday.Next Sunday follows our normal first Sunday pattern with Creative Church at St Mary’s at 10:00 and Holy Communion at All Saints at 10:30. In the evening will be Evensong at St Mary’s.This gives the following services for the coming week:Wednesday 28th May 09:00 All Saints Celtic Morning PrayerThursday 29th May 10:00 St Mary's Holy CommunionSunday 1st June 10:00 St Mary's Creative Church10:30 All Saints Holy Communion18:30 St Mary’s EvensongSo, as we look to affirm the hope we have in Christ, let us pray in the words of this Sunday’s collect:God our redeemer,you have delivered us from the power of darknessand brought us into the kingdom of your Son:grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life,so by his continual presence in us he may raise us to eternal joy;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,Amen.Yours in Christ Mark
Dear Friends in Christ,This last week we have taken time to mark the 80th anniversary of VE day. It’s a time of celebration, nostalgia and sober reflection. The relief that was felt at the end of the European war inextricably linked to the reality of years of loss and suffering and a realisation that WWII was still raging.Watching the special events on tv, I was especially moved by the last remaining survivors of the services as they reflected on what this meant, all of them now in their 90s and older-a sombre reminder that soon these events will pass from living memory. Their dignity, strength and decency were tangible, as was the sense of the loss of so much to the war.The plea for peace was framed with the awareness of ongoing conflicts, especially with the presence of Ukrainian troops. We need to remember, learn and reflect.Where is God in war? Nations and leaders may invoke their version of God to support their side, but Jesus is not with them. He is with all the people caught up in war. Jesus suffers alongside us when we suffer, shares our pain, our grief., stands alongside, knowing what is like to suffer. Let us be inspired by God to see the image of Christ in all of humanity, in all its richness and diversity but especially alongside those who suffer in the wars that continue to bring pain and suffering. AmenSunday 11th May Fourth Sunday of Easter8.00am Holy Communion - All Saints10.00am Holy Communion - St. Marys10.30am Muddy Messy Church - All SaintsThe Week AheadMonday 12th May 10.30am Tiny Tots - All Saints Link RoomTuesday 13th May 10.30am Music 4 Tots - St. Marys ChurchWednesday 14th May. 9.00am Celtic Morning Prayer - All Saints ChurchThursday 15th May. 10.00am Holy Communion - St. Marys ChurchFriday 16th May. 11am-12noon. Living after Loss - St. Marys, ChurchSaturday 17th May. 12noon - 3.00pm. All Saints Spring Fayre - All Saints Community HallSaturday 17th May 12noon-1.30pm Saturday Lunches St. Marys ChurchMay the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. AmenBlessingsFr Kester de Oliveira
BBQ's on the beachDear All Saints and St MarysOne of my enduring memories as a teenager was being part of a youth pilgrimage to Whitby. After a 70 mile week of walking, we awoke early in the morning at Whitby and made our way to the beach. There a group of 30 young pilgrims and their leaders celebrated communion and had a BBQ on the beach for breakfast. Every time I read John 21, the gospel for this Sunday, and hear how Jesus meets his disciples on the shore of Lake Galilee for a resurrection fish breakfast, I remember this faith moment. We had all been changed by our weeks walking together, tired from our journeying but full of hope for what might be next. May we know and notice this Eastertide the changes that God brings about in our lives, as we pilgrimage together in this season.Our worship this Sunday 4th May10am - Creative Church - St Marys10.30am - Holy Communion with Band and Junior Church - All Saints6.30pm - Evensong - St MarysPlenty of times to join together this weekend, with the Fishponds Arts Trail, Repair cafe and Saturday lunches. Please find attached posters and weekly email sheets and readings.The All Saints fair is in a fortnight on Saturday 17th May. The week aheadMonday 5th May 10.30am Tiny Tots - All SaintsTuesday 6th May 10:30am Music 4 Tots - St. MarysWeds 7th May 9:00am Celtic Morning Prayer - All SaintsThursday 8th May 10:00am Holy Communion - St. Mary’sFri 9th May 12.30pm Lunch Time Concert - St MarysSaturday 10th May 12.00 – 2:00pm Saturday Lunches - St Mary’sSunday 11th May 8.00am Holy Communion - All Saints10:00am Holy Communion - St Marys10:30am Muddy Messy Church - All Saints11.30am All Saints APCM7.15pm Generations - All SaintsBlessingsRevd Lizzie KestevenVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, Fishponds
Dear Friends in Christ,It’s that wonderful time of year when Spring feels really tangible. After the cold and dark of winter we start to see sunshine and colour everywhere. The days are longer and brighter, and you can smell the new fragrances of Spring in the air.We are celebrating Christ’s resurrection, the event that remade us as Easter people, a rebirth-the spring-of our own lives of faith. It is appropriate that we are doing so this coming Sunday in a Joint Benefice Service at St Marys to celebrate as a whole church community. Like Spring, this is a wonderful time, but also one of promise. Nature does not stay permanently in Spring. Spring is beautiful, but part of that beauty is its transitory nature. Christ's resurrection is our spiritual spring, but then it becomes the spiritual summer with his ascending to be once more with God and the gifting of the Holy Spirit. Our own spiritual spring leads onto our spiritual summer where we grow and develop.Thomas, aka Doubting Thomas, represents an important part of this faith journey. He is not reprimanded for his question. Instead, Jesus responds and provides the answer he seeks. And he continues to do so when we also ask questions. God does not force blind, unexplored faith. Our journeys with faith are unique and are all the richer for their questions, their times of doubt and reflection. God welcomes our most honest and heartfelt questions and will provide an answer-even if it is not immediately or not in the way we expect. Thomas is our example, so instead of Doubting Thomas he can be Bold Thomas, Thoughtful Thomas, even Faithful Thomas.AmenThis Sunday 27th April Second Sunday of Easter8.00am Holy Communion - All Saints10.00am Joint Benefice Service Holy Communion - St. Marys NB. NO 10.30am service at All SaintsThe Week AheadMonday 28th 10.30am Tiny Tots - All Saints Community HallWednesday 30th 9.00am Celtic Morning Prayer - All SaintsThursday 1st May 10.00am Holy Communion - St. MarysFriday 2nd 11.00am Living After Loss - St. MarysSaturday 3rd 10.00am to 12noon Coffee Morning - All SaintsSaturday 3rd 12noon - to 1.30pm Saturday Lunches - St. MarysNext Sunday 4th May Third Sunday of Easter10.00am Creative Church - St. Marys10.30am Holy Communion - All Saints6.30pm Evensong - St. MarysMay 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
Happy EasterDear All Saints and St MarysFor most of the last week, I have greeted people with a "Happy Easter" with the caveat...."when it comes". Not knowing if I will see that person again before the "Big Day" it seems the right greeting. And we are still in that paused moment, when Easter has not yet arrived, but it is very very near.Easter, when it comes, is the moment that Christians believe changed the world absolutely and forever. Having walked the road of Lent and Holy week, of foot washing, agape meals, silence and Good Friday we are now almost at that time. A time when around the world in all shapes and sizes people will gather and sing and say "Alleluia - Christ is Risen". A statement of faith and truth for Christians. So may I also wish you a Happy Easter here, in the hope of seeing you and being with you to celebrate this over the coming weekend. EASTER SERVICES - 19th and 20th APRIL7.30pm - SATURDAY NIGHT - 19th APRIL - Easter Vigil, Fire and First Holy Communion. - St Marys10am - SUNDAY AM - 20th APRIL - All Age Holy Communion - St Marys10.30 - SUNDAY AM - 20th APRIL - All Age Holy Communion - All Saints6.30pm - SUNDAY EVE - 20th APRIL - Easter Choral Evensong - St MarysBlessings and Happy EasterRevd LizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, FishpondsInterim Co Area Dean Bristol City Deanery
Palms - Hands, Branches and DonkeysDear All Saints and St MarysEvery story has a beginning, a middle and an end. (or so some say) This week Palm Sunday arguably marks all three. It is an ending of Lent. A beginning of Holy Week. And it marks an interjection in the midst between the two. A day of remembering, retelling, taking part in the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. A day which marks the beginning but also draws us to the ending . A week which sees processions, fickle crowds, rowdy temples, unjust trials, eating, sleeping, praying, dying and rising. It is the story which for Christians holds profound truth about who God is and how God acts. May we all be invited into this Holiest of weeks together.This Sunday our worship allows us to open the palms of our own hands to receive God with the palm branches as we re discover again this life giving story.Palm Sunday - Sunday 13th April8.00am - Holy Communion - All Saints10.00am - Sung Palm Sunday Holy Communion Service - St Marys10.30am - Palm Procession Service - All Saints7.15pm - Generations Youth Group - All SaintsThe week aheadTuesday 11.00am Pat Jones Funeral - All SaintsTuesday 6.30pm Holy Communion - All SaintsWednesday 9.00am Celtic Morning Prayer - All SaintsWednesday 6.30pm Taizé - All SaintsThursday 10.30am Chrism Mass - Bristol CathedralThursday 6.30pm Agape - All SaintsThursday 7.30pm Maundy Thursday Holy Communion - St MarysFriday. 10.30am Good Friday Children's Activities - All SaintsFriday 1.30pm Liturgy of Good Friday - St MarysFriday 2.00pm Last Hour - All SaintsSaturday 12noon to 1.30pm - Saturday LunchesSaturday 7.30pm Easter Eve Holy Fire, Vigil and First Communion of Easter - St MarysEaster Sunday 20th April 10.00am Easter Sunday Holy Communion - St Marys10.30am Easter Sunday Holy Communion - All Saints6.30pm Easter Choral Evensong - St Marys.Oh....and a interesting poem I discovered this week to ponder about a Donkey by GK Chesterton ( because...why not on Palm Sunday)When fishes flew and forests walkedAnd figs grew upon thorn,Some moment when the moon was bloodThen surely I was born.With monstrous head and sickening cryAnd ears like errant wings,The devil’s walking parodyOn all four-footed things.The tattered outlaw of the earth,Of ancient crooked will;Starve, scourge, deride me: I am dumb,I keep my secret still.Fools! For I also had my hour;One far fierce hour and sweet:There was a shout about my ears,And palms before my feet.God BlessRevd LizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, FishpondsInterim Co Area Dean Bristol City Deanery
Dear All Saint’s and St Mary’s, This week brings us to the Fifth Sunday of Lent, and the beginning of Passiontide, leading us through the final weeks of Lent to Holy Week and Good Friday.In John’s Gospel this week some of those closest to Jesus are beginning to understand where the road to Jerusalem is leading in the interaction with Mary, Lazarus and Judas. A time for us to particularly turn our thoughts and reflection to the Passion of Christ in the light of his suffering, taunting and subsequent crucifixion. We all have the chance to delve into this together at St Mary’s this Sunday evening with Passiontide readings and music.Our worship this Sunday 6th April 10am – Creative Church – St Mary’s10:30am – Holy Communion with hymns and Junior Church - All Saints6:30pm – Passiontide Readings and Music- St Mary’sThe week AheadMonday 7th - 7:30pm Lent Group 1Weds 9th 9:00am Celtic Morning Prayer – All SaintsWeds 9th 2.00pm Lent Group 2 – St Mary’sThurs 10th 10:00am Holy Communion – St Mary’sFri 11th 12:30pm Lunchtime Concert – St Mary’sSat 12th 12 noon – 2pm Saturday Lunches - St Mary’sSat 12th 11.00am Stations of the Cross at Dither Wood (Bring a picnic, lifts available sign-up sheet at St Mary’s or speak to Charlie or Kester) Sun 13th April: Palm Sunday8:00am Holy Communion – All Saints 10:00am Palm Sunday – St Mary’s10:30am Palm Sunday– All Saints7:15pm Generations – All Saints Link Blessings,CharlieDiocese of Bristol Ordinand – All Saints and St Mary’s, Fishponds
I want to tell you about something I find achingly beautiful - something that blows my mind and heals my soul.Did you know that Jesus is signed by tapping the palm of one hand with the middle finger of the other, and vice-versa? This tactile sign indicates the wounds Jesus sustained when he was nailed to the cross. The creators of British, American and Australian sign language chose the wounds of Jesus as the defining hallmark of his identity. It's a fact that makes me sit up and take notice.We might wonder why God chose not to wipe out these scars from Jesus's resurrected body. In one sense Jesus needs those scars to prove to Thomas, the apostles and us, that he really is the same Jesus, the Crucified One whom God has brought back to life. But is there more we can learn from his wounds?Reflecting on Christ and the cross in his first letter, the apostle Peter tells his readers:He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2: 24)Peter is quoting words from a passage in the Old Testament (Isaiah 53:4-5), to make a powerful link between Isaiah's Suffering Servant and Jesus the Crucified Messiah.Handel's Messiah picks out those same words (using the King James Version) in his famous Chorus. You may like to listen to it during this season.Surely, surely, he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him: and with his stripes we are healed.Handel's emphatic repetition of the words: 'Surely, surely' encourages me to hope that suffering - my own and the world's - may not turn out to be as pointless as it first seems. I am reassured it can be transformed into something better.Peter's letter points out a dual purpose of Christ's cross and resurrection: the healing of suffering and the forgiveness of sins. Some suffering just happens to us, but there is also pain we cause. The risen Christ bearing his scars gives us courage to face both.When the risen Jesus appears to different people we see different aspects of healing taking place. With the gentle greeting, of ‘Mary!' in the garden Jesus brings solace in sorrow (John 20:16). With his command: 'Feed my sheep!'(John 21:17) Jesus brings restoration after remorse and repentance to Peter who denied him. And with 'Put your finger here and see my hands', Jesus offers Thomas concrete certainty to dispel his doubt.(John 20:27)Are you feeling downcast today? Are you feeling guilt, shame or humiliation? Have you ever felt rejected or betrayed? Are you tempted to doubt God's power and goodness? Take heart! Jesus's closest disciples and even Jesus himself experienced trials and overcame them. We too are beloved and forgivable. God is with us and for us. During my life I've experienced and observed how God still comes to meet people and refresh their hope. During this Passiontide and Easter, I invite you to tap the palm of one hand with the middle finger of the other, and vice-versa, and say Jesus. Ponder. What healing does God want to hold out to you? How will this Easter mystery: 'By his wounds you have been healed' ring true for you? Like Thomas, may you find yourself exclaiming in amazement, 'My Lord and my God!'Risen Christ,your wounds declare your love for the worldand the wonder of your risen life:give us compassion and courageto risk ourselves for those we serve,to the glory of God the Father.Collect for the 5th Sunday of EasterEaster Peace, Revd Diane, assistant curate.
Clothing ourselves in God's love.Dear All Saints and St MarysThis week we have a mini pause from Lent and celebrate "Mothering Sunday". A mix of traditions and emotions Mothering Sunday comes originally from people returning from their work places to their Mother Church and parishes. One of the readings for this week is from Colossians. It speaks of humility, kindness, compassion and patience, all things that all people are encouraged to practice in daily life, rhythms and rituals. As a church we gather as a "family", a hybrid of people of different ages and stages, life experiences, wisdom and folly and together collectively try to understand how these Christ centred practices might be lived out in life. Our worship this Sunday 30th March - (Remembering that the clocks go forward!)8am - BCP - Holy Communion - All Saints10am - Sung All Age Communion - St Marys10.30 - All Age Communion (with band) - All SaintsTHE WEEK AHEAD Monday 30th 10.30am Tiny Tots - All SaintsMonday 30th 7.30pm. Lent Group 1Tuesday 1st 10:30am. Music 4 Tots - St. MarysWeds 2nd 9:00am Celtic Morning Prayer - All SaintsWeds 2nd 2.00pm. Lent Group 2 - St. MarysThursday 3rd 10:00am Holy Communion - St. Mary’sFriday 4th 11.00am Living after Loss - St MarysSaturday 5th 10:00am to 12noon Coffee Morning and Book Sale with Bristol Repair Café –All SaintsSaturday 5th 12.00noon to 2:00pm Saturday Lunches - St Mary’sSunday 6th 10:00am Creative Church – St Marys10:30am Holy Communion and Junior Church – All Saints6:30pm Passiontide readings and Music– St. Mary’sBlessingsRevd LizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, FishpondsInterim Co Area Dean Bristol City Deanery