Bringing the Light!
Dear All Saints and St Marys
There is something about how rituals originate and begin that I find really interesting. This week the Feast of Candlemas (or the Feast of the Presentation) is celebrated by the Church. Various rituals and ways of marking this feast have been given to us as a church over the years, mainly to do with blessing and light. St Marys will have Choral Evensong connecting us to some of the traditional canticles and music that has been formed over centuries. All Saints has developed its own tradition of encouraging people to bring a candle to our Holy Communion at 10.30, which is then blessed and lit and taken back to our homes and communities as a symbol of God's light in the world. It is a feast that is warmly welcomed particularly at this time of year when many of us are longing for longer daylight hours and warmth.
Rituals often come from a human need, a need to mark an occasion, a moment, a season. They say something, about stopping and noticing. They are often simultaneously solemn, creative and celebratory - things that we all need in balance to continue the creator's formation of us in our daily lives. May we all know the blessing of this feast as we begin February and mark this pivot moment between Christmas and Easter.
Services this Sunday, 1st February
10am - St Marys - Creative Church
10.30am - All Saints - Candlemas Holy Communion with Hymns and Junior Church
6.30pm - St Marys - Choral Evensong Candlemas
The week ahead
Mon 2nd Feb 10:30am – Tiny Tots, All Saints
Tue 3rd Feb 10:30am – M4T, St Mary’s Parish Rooms
Wed 4th Feb 9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All Saints
Thu 5th Feb 10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s
Fri 6th Feb 11:00am – Living After Loss, St Mary’s
Sat 7th Feb 10:00am – Coffee Morning & Book Sale with Bristol Repair Café, All Saints
Sat 7th Feb 12:00pm-1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’s
Sunday 8th Feb
8:00am – Holy Communion, All Saints
10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s
10:30am – Messy Muddy Church - St. Valentine, All Saints
7:15pm – Generations, All Saints
Blessings
Revd Lizzie
Vicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, Fishponds