St Martin's, Wells Road, Knowle, Bristol

Dear friendsMy thoughts and prayers are with you all, as we navigate our way through an historic week in our national lives following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. I appreciate that there will be a wide range of feelings this week, for some there is grief that is connected to personal loss that has resurfaced because of the monarch's death. That has certainly been my experience in talking to some of those who have come into church to sign the book of condolence, where they have been reminded of the death of a family member, or they are aware of who is missing when this momentous event is taking place. For others, there will be genuine sadness because the Queen has died. I know from our last All Together Communion, when we spoke about "important people", that the Queen was particularly mentioned as someone the majority of people would have loved to meet, and who was held with much love and high regard - there is much poignancy that her death came less than 2 weeks later. There may be feelings of celebration of a long life, faithfully lived, by a woman with a strong faith. For others still there may be mixed feelings, perhaps uncertainty about the place of the monarchy, or feeling challenged at the amount of media attention when there are so many difficult and pressing issues facing our society at the moment.For myself, there have been surprising moments of sadness, particularly when witnessing the Royal family in their grief. I have felt pride at the wonderful way we do pomp and ceremony in our country. I have felt a sense of belonging together when I have watched the acts of worship, or heard interviews with people of faith, and I must admit to also feeling a sense of responsibility that we might get things "right" in the way we are responding as the local church, and some anxiety that we can't possibly meet everyone's expectations.I am reminded that the Queen knelt at the altar before she sat on the throne, on the day of her Coronation. She knew her Lord before she took her title. She prayed before she acted. She was a servant to the people, but her Master was God. This suggests to me that she "sought first the Kingdom of God" before the reign of the nation. So for me, this is the most profound point of connection - in many ways a simple discipleship in her complex and demanding role, knowing that ultimately whilst the eyes of the world watched her every move, she had an audience of one.We will be remembering the Queen in our acts of worship this weekend.On Sunday morning our 8.30 and 10.30 Eucharists will include liturgy that has been specifically prepared by the national church to be used during the time of mourning. We have a special "Sunday Spirit" for our young people to come along to, during the 10.30 service, where as well as various activities that Chris has prepared, they can also enjoy some marmalade sandwiches! (or jam, if they prefer). We will sing the National Anthem for the first time at both services.At 6pm we are holding a special commemoration service, on the eve of the Queen's funeral, as churches across the country have been asked to do. This is open to everyone of any age. It will be a solemn service, with opportunity to reflect and pray, whilst we give thanks for the Queen's life and service.I am hugely thankful to the church wardens, Andrew and Roger, for all they have done over the last week, for their support and their presence. I am also so thankful to Peter Cleave, Eileen Hayward and Margaret Hole for the beautiful way they prepared the church to welcome visitors during our open times for prayer and signing the book of condolence. This is a unique time in our life as a church.With every blessing, as everBecky

St Martin's, Wells Road, Knowle, Bristol

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