Dear All Saints and St MarysThe Church’s winter season is now over, although the weather outside may still be very wintry. The season begins with Advent, is centred on Christmas and concludes with Epiphany. Yes, some say that it should be thought to extend to Candlemas (February 2nd), but with Easter eggs already on sale in the supermarkets, I think Epiphany provides an appropriate seasonal ‘full stop’. But which of these three days is most significant? Of course, each one is important.Advent Sunday kicks it all off and is best symbolized by a candle in the darkness. I always listen to Handel’s Messiah on this and the following days. This famously begins with the aria: “Comfort my people”, the opening words from Isaiah 40. We need comfort, and we are also called to offer comfort. Christmas day is the centre, around which so much happens: from Carol services, to mince pies and presents, to visits with family and neighbours. Just as a wide variety of people were drawn to Bethlehem at the birth of Jesus, so we also recognize the need to be with others, “bearing one another’s burdens, sharing one another’s joys”.Yet, I could not do without Epiphany. There is so much in that story: the Magi have to travel far, and arrive late (just like many of us, I imagine, who only become aware of some deeper truths in our later years). The birth of Jesus is not merely a personal family affair – the Epiphany sets this birth in the context of world affairs, untrustworthy rulers and horrific killings (the massacre of the innocents, Matthew 2.16 – 18). The Epiphany reminds us that, though Jesus was born a Jew, he is given to all humankind – our faith can never be solely a matter of personal preferences, it requires us to look beyond.But the saying I love most occurs in the second half of Matthew 2.12: “having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road”. The Magi had to go back home – but they were different and their route had to be different. Faith takes us onwards, even when our surroundings may be familiar. 2026 cannot merely be a replay of 2025. I may already have failed with my New Year Resolutions – but this verse encourages me to try afresh, to experiment, to seek out new paths and companions. All the Gospel readings for the Sundays of the Epiphany season (from now until the start of Lent) nudge us to look at what is familiar in fresh ways: how may God be revealing something now that we have not seen and tried before.Revd Bob CottonThis Sunday, 18th January, Services are10am - Sung Holy Communion - St Marys10.30am - Holy Communion with Hymns - All Saints6.30pm - Epiphany Carols - St MarysThe week aheadMon 19th Jan 10:30am – Tiny Tots, All SaintsTue 20th Jan 10:30am – M4T, St Mary’s Parish RoomsWed 21st Jan 9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All SaintsWed 21st Jan 2:00pm – Bible Book Club, St Mary’sThu 22nd Jan 10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’sSat 24th Jan 12:00pm-1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’sNext Sunday, 25th January 8:00am – Holy Communion, All Saints10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s10:30am – Cafe Church, All Saints
Courage and ConfidenceDear All Saints and St Marys"I shall sustain you in courage and confidence" Isaiah 42:4After the New Year has been celebrated, and we start to see the Christmas Trees being put out for collection January can feel like one of the longest months of the year and so I reach eagerly, like a hungry child, for these words at the start of 2026. And what a promise it is - The promise of God to sustain us in courage and confidence.The Church looks in different ways at "Who Jesus is" in the month of January, and this week it sees us dwell on the Baptism of Jesus. At the very start of his adult ministry Jesus is baptised in the river Jordan and he hears the voice of God from heaven. There are words of affirmation, ones which like Isaiah give him courage and confidence for his ministry. We all need times of feeling sustained, of being given courage and confidence in life's journey and so I hope and pray that at this time, in this moment, we all are able to quieten the noise that so often surrounds us and hear God's promise to us all.Services for this Sunday - 11th January8am - Holy Communion - All Saints10am - Sung Holy Communion - St Marys*10.30am - Muddy Messy Church - St Mungo - All Saints7.15pm - Generations*Please be aware that the heating is not working in St Marys Church currently, so do wrap up warm, bring a hot water bottle/blanket/cushion and we will do all that we can to provide warmth and welcome*Muddy Messy Church start a year of looking at SAINTS - and begin with St Mungo - What do we know about this person? What can we learn about their lives - for a engaging way of looking at faith creatively then why not come and along and see what we can discover as a church.In courage and confidenceRevd LizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, Fishponds
Dear All Saints and St Mary'sThis Sunday we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany, or as the 1662 Prayer Book puts it, the Manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles. This name is used to emphasise that, right from the start, the the gospel tells us that Jesus is for all people. Many artists took up this theme by depicting Jesus' visitors coming from the three extremes of the known world. One was from Europe, one from Asia or Arabia and one was from Sub-Saharan Africa. Although this is a contradiction to the actual Biblical text, which says that they came from "the east", it reminded people that Jesus came for everyone, including those that did not look like them, think like them or behave like them.Historically, the Church of England in Bristol does not have a good record, when it comes to welcoming people who are different. Today, we need to make sure that we extend the love of God to all, whatever their circumstances or background. Differences of race, social class, disability and sexuality should not come between us. As Paul put it in his letter to the church in Galatia, "There is no longer Jew or Greek; there is no longer slave or free; there is no longer male and female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28 NRSVue). This Sunday we will have an opportunity to think a little more about Epiphany and its meaning at the 10:30 am Holy Communion at All Saints and the 6:30 pm Evensong at St Mary's. In the morning at St Mary's, there is creative church. This gives the following services for this Sunday, 4th January: 10:00 am St Mary's Creative Church 10:30 am All Saints Holy Communion 6:30 pm St Mary's Choral Evensong This week we have our normal pattern of services with Celtic Morning Prayer on Wednesday at All Saints and Holy Communion at St Mary's on Thursday. Next Sunday has our normal services for the second Sunday of the month with Messy/Muddy church at All Saints and Holy Communion at St Mary's. Wednesday 7th 9.00 amAll Saints Celtic Morning Prayer Thursday 8th 10:00 am St Mary's Holy Communion Sunday 11th 8:00 am All Saints Holly Communion (said) Sunday 11th 10:00 am St Mary's Holy Communion Sunday 11th 10:30 am All Saints Messy/Muddy Church Wishing you a happy New Year. May God bless you and all you do in 2026.Yours in ChristMarkMark SimmsLicensed Lay MinisterBenefice of all Saints and St Mary Fishponds
Very Nearly Happy Christmas Dear All Saints and St MarysAs Christmas draws closer, this weekend marks the turning point from Advent to Christmas. The weekend sees Carols around the Yew Tree (All Saints) and Carols by Candlelight (St Mary's) start to move us from Advent to Christmas. Schools have broken up for the holidays and many people are now traveling like the magi did across fields and mountains to be with family and friends. If you have people visiting then do extend our warmest invitation to our worship at Christmas to them as well as yourselves.As we get ready for those final preparations I would like to share with you a poem I am fond of at this time of year from Malcolm Guite - O Emmanuel - I have always found it helpfully reflective on why we celebrate with Joy, Love and Hope this ChristmasO come, O come, and be our God-with-usO long-sought With-ness for a world without,O secret seed, O hidden spring of light.Come to us Wisdom, come unspoken NameCome Root, and Key, and King, and holy Flame,O quickened little wick so tightly curled,Be folded with us into time and place,Unfold for us the mystery of graceAnd make a womb of all this wounded world.O heart of heaven beating in the earth,O tiny hope within our hopelessnessCome to be born, to bear us to our birth,To touch a dying world with new-made handsAnd make these rags of time our swaddling bandsServices this Christmas are as below. Look forward to seeing you at both All Saints and St Marys.Sunday 21st December10am - St Marys - Sung Holy Communion10.30am - All Saints - Holy Communion with Carols6.30pm - St Marys - Carols by Candlelight Wednesday 24th December - Christmas Eve4pm - Family Carols with Christingle -St Marys7.30pm - Carols by Candlelight - All Saints11.30pm - Midnight Mass - St Mary's Thursday 25th December - Christmas Day10.00am - Family Communion with Carols - St Marys10.30am - All Age Communion with Carols - All SaintsSunday 28th December8.00am - Holy Communion - All Saints10.00am - Holy Communion with Carols - St Marys10.30am - Cafe Church - All SaintsBlessingsLizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, Fishponds
