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
Encouraging Advent HarmoniesDear All Saints and St MarysThe churches seasons and year are often shown through different colours. Frontals, vestments change colour according to where we are in each Calander year. Advent, like Lent, is the colour purple. Purple is the colour of royalty (and of bishops!) but more importantly it is for the church the colour of penitence. So here in the second week of advent our readings start to focus on repentance, starting with the prophets this is a call to change.What is it that this Advent we are willing to ask, brave enough to pray to change in us so that we might be ready? What are we prepared to put down, give up, make up, pivot to or away from to be as ready as possible for Christ (mas)? For each of us that will be something different. Is it a temptation that we need to be honest about? Is it a relationship that needs attention? Knowing what our weaknesses might be, holding them up to the light of God and examining them gently, carefully in prayer, can be the beginnings of this movement. As Paul notes this week it is a time of "encouragement" for us to a place of harmony. Like all good harmonies, it doesn't mean that we will all sing the same note, or even start or end at the same time - but that when we do this examination of ourselves, that the resulting music with all others is one that brings blessing to the world. As well as St Marys Christmas Fair this Saturday (11am - 2pm) we have as worship the following.Services this Sunday, 7th December 202510am - Toy Service with the Rainbows, Brownies and Guides - St Marys10.30 - Holy Communion with Band and Junior Church (Nativity rehearsal) - All Saints6.30 - Advent Candlelit Procession - St MarysThe week aheadMon 8thDec 10:30am – Tiny Tots, All SaintsTue 9th Dec 10:30am – M4T, St. Mary’s Parish RoomsWed 10th Dec 9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All SaintsThu 11th Dec 10:00am – Holy Communion, St. Mary’sFri 12th Dec 1pm-2pm – Christmas Concert - Veterans Band, St MarysFri 12th Dec 7:00pm – "Christmas Choir" Practise, All SaintsSat 13th Dec 12:00pm-1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St. Mary’sNext Sunday 14th December8:00am – Holy Communion, All Saints 10:00am – Holy Communion, St. Mary’s10:30am – Advent service of the word, with Nativity rehearsal, All Saints 4:30pm – Nativity, All Saints 6:30pm – Generations, Avonmeads 10 Pin BowlingMay you have a Joyful Advent.Revd LizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, Fishponds
Dear Friends in Christ,Supermarkets are a constant pointer to what time of year it is. The cycle from season to season seems to get swifter and also increasingly blurred. We’ve had Halloween, with every possible opportunity taken to shove witches and skeletons onto anything. Some of the items are creative and entertaining, but its created a massive selling opportunity completely out of proportion to the event itself. And of course, the moment its done there’s Christmas merchandise in all its forms, only punctuated by the massive hype around the recent growth of Black Friday (and I’m no more immune to this particular hype than anyone else-the temptation to score that bargain that I don’t actually need is very alluring).But what of Christmas? What are we actually encouraged to engage with over the next 4 weeks is the season of Advent? Most people’s only contact with Advent is via the plethora of admittedly lush Advent calendars. There’s nothing wrong with this, but surely the season of Advent is more than this.Advent’s a period of reflection. It’s a thoughtful, positive anticipation, the excitement of Christmas set alongside the invitation to see beyond the busyness and prepare us to meet with God and truly rejoice with arrival of Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Jesus.This Sunday the 1st Sunday of Advent 30th November 8:00am Holy Communion - BCP, All Saints10:00am Benefice Sung Holy Communion, St. Mary’s4:30pm Christingle Service, All SaintsThe week aheadMon 1st Dec 10:30am – Tiny Tots, All SaintsTue 2nd Dec 10:30am – M4T, St. Mary’s Parish RoomsWed 3rd Dec 9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All SaintsThu 4th Dec 10:00am – Holy Communion, St. Mary’sFri 5th Dec 11:00am – Living After Loss, St. Mary’sFri 5th Dec 7:00pm – "Christmas Choir" Practise, All SaintsSat 6th Dec 10:00am – Coffee Morning, Book Sale & Bristol Repair Cafe, All SaintsSat 6th Dec 11.00am - 2.00pm Christmas Fair - St. Marys Next Sunday Second of Advent 7th Dec 10:00am – Toy service with Guides & Brownies, St. Mary’s10:30am – Holy Communion, All Saints10:30am – Junior Church, All Saints6:30pm – Advent Carol Procession, St. Mary’sMay 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
