Red Letter Days
Dear All Saints and St Marys
I always enjoy finding out new things! This Sunday 21st September happens to also be what was traditionally called a "Red Letter Day". It's a way of describing a special feast day that occurs in the calendar, often linked to saints and therefore in medieval times they were also always holidays! St Matthews feast day falls this Sunday and is a Red Letter Day. Researching the term was fascinating, as what I discovered is that they got their name when the printing press was invented. These festival days were marked out in the calendar in red, instead of black, so that they stood out, hence the name. Adopted almost universally when the Book of Common Prayer came into print, it meant that they were easy to spot and look forward to.
They provide interruptions in our rhythms, sometimes welcome, sometimes not! They often require an ability to pivot, embrace a change, stop and consider rather than ploughing on. Jesus was a good interrupter. His call on people like St Matthew, marked moments of change, pivot and disruption in life, presenting opportunities to rethink and discover something new about God. The choice becomes ours, to either embrace them or avoid them, but my spiritual hunch is that that God will continue to put these disrupters in our lives until we are ready to listen and learn and grow.
Services this Sunday 21st September
10.00am - Sung Holy Communion - St Marys
10.30am - Holy Communion with Hymns - All Saints
The week ahead
Mon 22nd Sept 10:30am – Tiny Tots, All Saints
Tues 23rd Sept 10:30am – Music for Toddlers, St. Mary’s Parish Rooms
Weds 24th Sept 9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All Saints
Thurs 25th Sept 10:00am – Holy Communion, St. Marys
Sat 27th Sept 12:00 - 1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St. Mary’s
Sun 28th September
8:00am – Holy Communion, All Saints
10:00am – Harvest Festival Communion, St. Mary’s
10:30am – Café Church, All Saints
Harvest Festival at All Saints will be on the 5th October, with a barn dance on the evening of 4th October.
Blessings
Revd Lizzie
Vicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, Fishponds