An Easter message from the Licensed lay ministry teamDear All,As we enter Holy Week, where we relive the Passion of Christ, I have looked upthe word Passion wanting to know what it means in the biblical context. Itsimply means ‘hurt,’ which seems a bit of an understatement knowing thebrutality, pain and suffering Jesus endured for us.Passion can also mean ‘a strong and barely controllable emotion,’ which couldexplain how we might feel, as we relive Jesus’s journey to the cross, throughvivid scenes depicted in the Bible readings we will hear during our Holy Weekservices and the words of the Liturgy itself.This can be difficult, and we must be mindful of the sad emotions this mightstir within. If we walk hand in hand, as a united and caring church things will beeasier, and this is what Chris, Frank and I have witnessed in the time Becky ourvicar has been away. As a church we have rallied together and worship andpraise to our God has continued unabated, St Martin’s Church, what a team!Let us keep walking together, hand in hand until we see the new dawn of theresurrection and beyond.May the risen Christ bless you all.Happy Easter.Steve, Chris and Frank
Hi friends! It feels so lovely to be writing to you again- it feels like no time at all, but also like lots of change has happened both for you and for me as well. Firstly, thanks so much for everyone who was able to make my licensing service at St Mary Redcliffe- to see so many friendly and familiar faces gave me a real boost and really encouraged me. It’s such a great reminder of the family of God of which we are all apart of and that even though I don’t see you all as regularly, we are still family. I hope, like me, you are all noticing the signs of Spring in the air. The slightly milder temperature (!), the beautiful daffodils and tulips are on their way. I think that the Spring season appearing is such an important part of our Lenten journey. It reminds us that new life is on the way and to begin to gently shift our focus from penitence to hope. I wonder if you gave something up or took something up for Lent and how is it going? For some, it might be an established new routine now and for others you did it for a few days or weeks and that felt enough. Whatever your Lent journey has been like, I pray that as you see these signs of Spring it reminds you of the joy that has come and is coming in knowing Jesus. I’m so happy to be back this Sunday at the 10.30am for the All Age Communion Service. We will be thinking about Ezekiel’s prophecy of the valley of the dry bones and how God can refresh, rebuild and renew something with God’s breath of life. A perfect reminder and link to the signs of Spring! I look forward to touching base with you this weekend, In love and prayers Laura
I am pleased to be with you all at St Martins this Sunday. I did my years placement as an ordinand with you in 2020/21 and felt so welcomed by you, so am pleased to be coming back to see some familiar faces and meet some new people as well.This week is Mothering Sunday, a time which in recent years has come to celebrate the role of a mother, which can have mixed feelings for many people. Back in the 16th Century it was less about mothers and more about visiting your ‘mother’ church, a church near to you or your home church. It was also a tradition that if you worked in a place like an estate you would have been given the fourth Sunday in lent off to visit your family, and would probably go to church to. As I come to St Martins this week I will be thinking of it as coming home to the church family that I was part of for the year, and still feel part of.On Sunday I will be thinking about being a risk taker or an opportunity maker, and how God is with us in all of our lives, and how we make the most of where we are placed. As well as taking our own risks, as mentors for others we also can allow others to take risks and make opportunities. I was given many new opportunities when I was with you a few years ago and took those things I’d learnt away with me to the churches I was going back to. We worship a God who is the perfect nurturer and parent. As The Mothers Union service introduction says ‘On Mothering Sunday we gather to praise God our Heavenly Parent for his constant perfect love, which protects and surrounds us through good and hard times.’I look forward to catching up with you over coffee this week.Ruth
Dear Friends at St Martin’s, I’m very much looking forward to being with you again this Sunday and I hope that Lent is progressing well for you. In conversation with a colleague this past week, he pointed out that although nowadays we rightly focus on our journey towards the Cross during Lent , in the past the focus was on journeying towards both the Cross and the font. This was because Lent was the time when people were traditionally prepared for baptism at Easter. I hadn’t thought about this before, but it makes sense of this week’s Gospel reading, when Nicodemus asks Jesus what it means to be ‘born again’, i.e. baptised. Even today we don’t baptise or conduct weddings during Lent (or Advent) as these are times of preparation and not the right time for new, celebratory beginnings. There are no flowers in church, no gloria, no alleluias, images and crosses are often veiled and everything is kept as simple as possible. The purpose of this is to highlight our reliance on God: when all the props are removed, our faith is laid bare and inevitably our gaze turns to the One who loves us so much that he sent his Son to live as one of us, and to die for us. Through our baptism we are all reborn in the Spirit and as we continue our Lenten preparation, I pray that you will know the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life. With all good wishes, Nicola Stanley Canon Pastor and Vice Dean, Bristol Cathedral
