Dear All Saints and St Mary’sThis Sunday’s epistle reading is taken from the shortest of all Paul’s letters. The letter to Philemon, is a very personal letter, written to a specific individual at a specific time and in a cultural and legal context far removed from our own. Yet, possibly because of that very specific context, it speaks out clearly about the Christian values of forgiveness and reconciliation.The recipient, Philemon, is a wealthy Christian. His house has served as a meeting place for the local Christians. Like all wealthy people, he owned slaves. One of his slaves, Onesimus, had run away, possibly having stolen from Philemon. When Onesimus met Paul, Onesimus became a Christian. Paul persuaded Onesimus to live up to the social expectations of the time and return to his master Philemon. However, Paul urges Philemon not to punish Onesimus, but to welcome him back with the spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation that is at the heart of the gospel. Paul also tells Philemon that, if Onesimus has stolen from Philemon, Paul will pay back what has been stolenAlthough Paul does not challenge the idea of slavery in his letters, he does challenge the attitude that many slave owners had to their slaves. Onesimus was Philemon’s brother in Christ and should be treated as such. This lays a foundation for a new way of thinking about relationships. Everyone, whether the most powerful or the weakest in society is a child of God. Those with power have a responsibility to treat those weaker than themselves with the respect and dignity that God gives to every human being. That includes forgiving those seeking reconciliation and working towards a world that supports and values all. This message, rooted in the Old Testament prophets, was proclaimed by Paul and has been echoed by Christian social reformers ever since.This Sunday we have our normal first Sunday pattern of services. There is creative church at St Mary’s at 10.00 am and Holy communion at All Saints at 10.30 am. In the evening, we have Choral Evensong at 6.30pm. This will be the start of St Mary’s Patronal Festivel, which will conclude with Holy Communion next week.This gives the following services for this Sunday, 7th September10.00 am St Mary’s Creative Church10.30 am All Saints Holy Communion with Junior Church6.30 pm St Mary’s Choral EvensongWe have our usual midweek services. Next Sunday has our normal second Sunday pattern with Holy Communion at All Saints at 8.00 am and at St Mary’s at 10.00 am. At All Saints at 10.30 am will be Messy/Muddy Church. This gives the services for the coming week:Wednesday 10th 9.00 am All Saints Celtic Morning PrayerThursday 11th 10.00 am St Mary’s Holy CommunionNext Sunday 14th September8.00 am All Saints Holy Communion (said) 10.00 am St Mary’s Patronal Holy Communion 10.30 am All Saints Messy/Muddy ChurchSo remembering the call to reconciliation and forgiveness that Paul urges in his letter to Philemon, let us pray in the words of the collect for this Sunday:God of constant mercy,who sent your Son to save us:remind us of your goodness,increase your grace within us,that our thankfulness may grow,through Jesus Christ our Lord.AmenYours in ChristMark
“Entertaining angels”Dear All Saints and St MarysI am very fond of the little snippet that comes from one of the readings for this Sunday. In the letter to the Hebrews we are invited to "Show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." Not only is there something about being abundant, without favour, in a generous way of being with people. There is also something about having that sort of experience of people who are strangers that enrich our own lives. On one very simple level, everyone we may now count as "knowing" was at some point "unknown to us" - a stranger. For me one of the keenest delights of life is meeting and being with people. Some of these have long and profound impacts on our lives, and some are but fleeting - yet all of them are filled with the possibility that we are in the company of angels, even if we don't know it at the time. May we gather together in that same way this Sunday for worship, being hospitable to all of us as known and unknown, strangers and angels. Worship this weekendSunday 31st August- Benefice services8.00am BCP Holy Communion - All Saints10.30am Benefice Service Holy Communion - All Saints(Please note there is no service at St Marys this Sunday as we worship with our sisters and brothers at All Saints)The week aheadWednesday 3rd September 9.00am Celtic Morning Prayer - All SaintsThursday 4th September 10.00am Holy Communion - St MarysFriday 5th September 11.00am Living After Loss - St Marys Parish roomsSat 6th September 10.00am to 12noon Coffee Morning & Repair Cafe - All SaintsSat 6th September 12noon to 1.30pm Saturday Lunches - St MarysSunday 7th September 10.00am Creative Church (Theme ‘Forgiveness’) - St. Marys10.30am Holy Communion - All Saints6.30pm Choral Evensong - St Marys (Patronal Festival)Please find attached the readings for this week.BlessingsRevd LizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, Fishponds
Dear Friends in Christ,August can be a strange month. For many it’s a time of holidays-especially those having to fit in their vacations with schools. Yet on the flip side it’s also when students get their exam results, with all the attendant worry and excitement that goes with it. It brings us this coming last Bank Holiday until Christmas. I always remember hating to see all the ‘back to school’ signs in the supermarkets reminding me that my lovely 6 week break was coming to an end!! Mind you-I’m sure a fair few parents also count those days down with anticipation! We also notice the nights starting to get dark again and the first hints of autumn.Change-good and bad-is a fundamental part of life. No matter how hard we may fight it, we can’t avoid it. The future is something that can excite or terrify us, the past often becomes distorted through nostalgia. I now seem to view the 1980s as the best period ever simply because I was young then with hair and lots of energy. We have to be so careful that this nostalgia doesn’t blur our vision of the present and dictate how we look at the future.In our Gospel reading this Sunday the disciples argue about which of them would be regarded as the greatest. They’re projecting to a future they don’t understand rather than being present in that moment with Jesus. He in turn challenges their views on authority but also promises them thrones to judge alongside him-a somewhat contradictory message but one that we can unpack.Ultimately, we can learn from them to not be defined only by our past and how that might shape our future, but to be in the present moments that’s where our life is happening now, and to not do so means we may miss the bad, but we also miss so much that’s good.AmenThis Sunday 24th August Bartholomew the Apostle8.00am Holy Communion - All Saints10.00am. Holy Communion - St. Marys10.30am Café Church - All SaintsThe Week AheadWednesday 27th August Morning Celtic Prayer 9.00am - All Saints ChurchAA Meetings 7.30pm - St. Marys ChurchThursday 28th August Holy Communion 10.00am - St. Marys ChurchFriday 29th AugustLiving after Loss 11.00am. St. Marys ChurchSaturday 30th AugustSaturday Lunches 12noon to 1.30pm. St. Marys Church.Next Sunday 31 August Eleventh Sunday after Trinity8.00am. BCP Holy Communion - All SaintsNo service at St. Marys10.30am. Benefice Holy Communion - All SaintsMay the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, evermore. Amen.Blessings,Fr Kester de Oliveira
Dear All Saints and St Mary’sThis Sunday’s reading from the Letter to the Hebrews completes the story of the Old Testament heroes of faith. Last week we heard of Abraham’s faith and how he trusted in God’s promise. This week, having skipped over the epistle’s recounting of the stories of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses, we have a whistle stop tour of the rest of the Old Testament. The fortunes of these people varied. Some were great kings, warriors, and judges. Some were saved from lions or enemy soldiers. Others, however, suffered mocking, poverty, imprisonment, or execution. However, all of them, through good and bad, kept their faith in God.The letter then goes on to encourage its readers to follow the example of all those heroes that they had heard about. Whether things are going well or badly, we should persevere in the way that Jesus has set before us. We look to him, who is our example and our leader. He endured the cross, never giving up his faith in his Father or his love for all people.We have a couple of opportunities to think more about this on Sunday:10.00 am St Mary’s Holy Communion10:30 am All Saints Holy CommunionWe have our usual midweek services. Next Sunday follows our usual fourth Sunday format. This gives the following services for the coming week:Wednesday 20th August 9:00 am All Saints Celtic morning PrayerThursday 21st August 10:00 am St Mary’s Holy CommunionSunday 24th August8:00 am All Saints Holy Communion (said)10:00 am St Mary’s Holy Communion10:30 am All Saints Café ChurchIn addition, the bible book club will be looking at Nehemiah in St Mary’s parish rooms on Wednesday 20th August at 2:00 pm.So let us pray that the faith described by the letter to the Hebrews may be seen in us:Lord God,your Son left the riches of heavenand became poor for our sake:when we prosper save us from pride,when we are needy save us from despair,that we may trust in you alone,through Jesus Christ our Lord.Yours in ChristMark