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
Are you “The One”?Dear All Saints and St MarysIn Advent we remember and reflect on the people who point towards Christ from the Old and New Testament. John the Baptist becomes the focus of our thoughts and attention this week. His ministry was a courageous one of pointing towards a new way. He is perhaps one of the most challenging people we encounter in the Bible. He is often resolute and uncompromising in his actions and words. Yet this week in the gospel we hear an unusual element of doubt as he sits in prison, constrained in his advocacy and dependent on Jesus now fulfilling all that he has championed. Was Jesus "The One"? he asks? Is this really it? How do we know? I welcome John the Baptists laser sharp focus on the person of Jesus and who he is. I also welcome his doubt and vulnerability.As we move closer to Christmas, that question of - What is this really all about? Jesus's response is to say - Look at what you see and hear? What do we see and hear? Where are the outsiders welcomed? Where are the broken invited? Where are the lowly empowered? Where do we see that happening in our lives, churches and communities? And where I see that, I see Christ. And there I see Christmas.Services this Sunday 14th December8am - Holy Communion - All Saints10am - Sung Holy Communion - St Marys4.30pm - Nativity Service - All Saints6.30pm - Generations - 10 Pin BowlingJoin us for our worship this Sunday, everyone is welcome to all and any of our services. Our young people, tiny tots and junior church have been preparing hard and practising for the Nativity Play, so come and support and sing with them to welcome Christmas in.The week aheadMon 15th Dec 10:30am – Tiny Tots, All SaintsTues 16th Dec - 7.30pm - Advent Group - VicarageWed 17th Dec 9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All SaintsWed 17th Dec 2:00pm – Advent Group, St. Mary’sWed 17th Dec 6:00pm – Fishponds Primary Carol Service, St MarysThu 18th Dec 10:00am – Holy Communion, St. Mary’sFri 19th Dec 11:00am – Living after Loss, St MarysFri 19th Dec 6:30pm – Carols around the Yew Tree, All SaintsFri 19th Dec 8:15pm – "Christmas Choir" Practice, All SaintsSat 20th Dec 12:00pm-1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St. Mary’sSun 21st December 10:00am – Holy Communion, St Marys10:30am – Holy Communion, All Saints6.30pm - Carols by CandlelightPlease find attached all the readings to read and pray about, also the weekly sheet from St. Marys.Blessings this AdventRevd LizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, Fishponds
