St Martin's, Wells Road, Knowle, Bristol

Dear friends

I wonder what church is to you? At Morning Prayer last Friday, we read Psalm 61, and the four images of refuge, strong tower, tent, and shelter of wings which the Psalmist used to describe their relationship with God, spoke powerfully to us both in our relationships with God, and how we see our coming into our church.

There are times when it feels like a place of refuge - for us personally perhaps if the rest of our life feels difficult, as well as a refuge for those who may need warmth, food, or company. There are times when we need a strong tower - something that upholds truth, that feels secure, that is security, as the Psalm says, against the enemy. Perhaps we need this when it is difficult to discern where truth, trust and security can be found in other parts of our society. There are times we need the softness of a tent - a place to find shelter, a home, comfort. or simply a place to "be". And times when we need the gentle touch of the feather found in the shelter of the wings . I wonder if we need this particularly when we feel a bit battered and bruised by life, or other people's judgements, or our own fears and anxieties.You might like to read the whole Psalm to get the whole context.

It feels like a beautiful reminder that we need our church environment, community, even sense of being church, to be all of these at different times. Entering into the space with a sense of expectancy that church is more than just another building, and that we are more than just a random group of people, and that we seek to be transformed in our encounters, enables that expectancy of holiness. But it also requires us to be compassionate with each other, recognising that we come with our different needs - how can one place be all four images at the same time? One way is to continue to consolidate our various expressions of gathering , and I pray that you are able to participate in these as we celebrate the diversity of our community.

A further way is to pray for each other without ceasing - one of the joys of being a parish priest is the expectation that we pray every day for the cure of souls within the parish - I pray for you each day. We also send out a weekly audio prayer on email for anyone who would like to have a sense of corporate prayer.

We meet online for Morning Prayer every Monday at 9am, and in church every Friday morning at 9.30am, where we pray, read the Bible together, and share fellowship. It would be wonderful to welcome you to these.

The other way is to hope and expect that when we gather together the name of the Lord is praised , as Psalm 61 concludes.

Any structure - whether literal, or metaphorical, or made of stone, cloth, feather, or people, needs a foundation. Perhaps being reminded of these foundation stones of gathering to worship, prayer, reading scripture and praising the Lord's name will continue to allow this structure, this beautiful body of people that is the church, to grow.

So whether you need refuge, a strong tower, a place to "be", or the shelter of wings, I pray you will find it here.

With every blessing Becky

Rev Becky Waring

St Martin's, Wells Road, Knowle, Bristol

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