Be a Blessing this LentDear All Saints and St MarysThrough Lent this year we are asked to look at a number of encounters between God and specific people. This week we get a glimpse of conversations between God and Abraham in the Old Testament and the meeting of Jesus and Nicodemus in the New Testament. Both are fascinating insights into who God is.The encounter with Abraham in Genesis focuses on Blessing. We hear God say"I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing,"God blesses Abraham, but does that in order that Abraham will be a blessing to others. Like springs of water that start in a very specific place, that then ripple out to form rivers and streams to refresh, sustain and support all other life.We need God's blessing in our lives, we need that refreshment that sustains us so that we can also be a source of blessing to others. I have known a great number of people who have blessed me with their wisdom, goodness and presence. I hope that I have at times also been a blessing to others. How have we received blessing in our lives? Perhaps more importantly how have we then also blessed others.Services this Sunday - 1st March 202610.00 am - Creative Church - St Marys10.30 am- Holy Communion with Baptism, band and Junior Church - All Saints6.30pm - Evensong - St Mary'sThe week aheadMon 2nd Mar10:30am – Tiny Tots, All SaintsTue 3rd Mar 10:30am – M4T, St Mary’s Parish RoomsTue 3rd Mar 7:30pm – Lent Group One, VicarageWed 4th Mar 9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All SaintsWed 4th Mar 2:00pm – Lent Group Two, St Marys’ Parish RoomThu 5th Mar 10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’sFri 6th Mar 11:00am – Living After Loss, St Mary’sFri 6th Mar 2.00pm - World Day of Prayer - Argyle Morley URCSat 7th Mar 10:00am – Coffee Morning and Book Sale with Bristol Repair Cafe, All SaintsSat 7th Mar 12:00pm -1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’sSun 8th March8:00am – Holy Communion, All Saints10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s10:30am – Messy Muddy Church, All Saints5:00pm – GenerationsBlessingsRevd LizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, Fishponds
Lent - A time to pause“Above all, don't lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect he ceases to love.”That is a quotation from The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky (please excuse the gender-specific language). I have long treasured these words, since I know that, when faced with my frailties and enduring imperfections, the easiest way to avoid the pain is to lie to myself. It usually does not start out in a grand manner – rather, I pretend something didn’t really happen; or I excuse my own bad behaviour as I was tired. There are many other ways of avoiding – but in the end, this is about lying to oneself. And Dostoevsky points out that lying is only the first dangerous step. What follows is that we become uncertain about the truth about ourselves. Deep down, our self-respect is lessened – and so our respect for others decreases. It is a long slippery slope.Yet Lent is a time to pause – a time for a truce, with ourself and God. Can we notice and admit those little indications that things are not going well? And that we are ready to take some responsibility for this? This is not self-abasement; rather, Lent is a season for increased truth-telling. Rejoice in what is going well (that helps with noticing when things don’t). And when there are painful moments of recognition, simply acknowledge that. I find it so easy to jump immediately to promising to do better, or beating myself up for not being perfect. Wait! First, tell yourself the truth – action and reformation will follow later. God’s grace is required for that; and God’s timing is not to be rushed.1 Peter 5 has these comforting words: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that God may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on God, because God cares for you.” Lent does not promise instant change. Rather, it is a season for starting afresh, offering us a time for patience, humility and honesty. Let’s see where that lead us. Revd BobServices this Sunday - 22nd February - Lent 18am - Holy Communion - All Saints10am - Sung Holy Communion - St Marys10.30am - Cafe Church - The Holy Spirit - All SaintsThe week aheadMon 23rd Feb 10:30am – Tiny Tots, All SaintsTue 24th Feb 10:30am – M4T, St Mary’s Parish RoomsTue 24th Feb 7:30pm - 9:00pm – Lent Groups, VicarageWed 25th Feb 9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All SaintsWed 25th Feb 2:00pm - 3:30pm – Lent Groups, St Mary’s Parish RoomsThu 26th Feb 10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’sSat 28th Feb 12:00pm-1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’sSunday 1st March 10:00am – Creative Church, St Mary’s10:30am – Holy Communion & Junior Church, All Saints6:30pm – Evensong, St Mary’s
Greetings from Charlie (Ordinand)Dear All Saints and St Mary’s, This week marks a brief return to Ordinary Time, as we observe the Second Sunday before Lent. In this week’s gospel, Jesus encourages the disciples to look beyond material possessions and self-interest, instead directing their hearts towards others and the Kingdom of God. A great example of this way of living can be found in St Valentine, the saint we’ll be exploring this week at Muddy Messy Church. Valentine was martyred on 14th February, a day that is still widely celebrated today, although the focus has shifted more towards romance. The Church, however, remembers St Valentine for his faithfulness, courage, and trust in God, even when that trust came at great personal cost. His life reflects Jesus’ call to live without fear, to let go of the need for comfort or security, and to place our trust in God’s love. This Sunday’s Worship There is a lot going on this weekend with plenty of opportunities to join us for worship: 8:00 am Holy Communion, All Saints10:00 am Holy Communion, St Mary’s10:30 am Messy Muddy Church - St. Valentine, All Saints7:15 pm Generations, All Saints The week ahead Mon 9th Feb 10:30 am – Tiny Tots, All SaintsTue 10th Feb 10:30am – M4T, St Mary’s Parish RoomsWed 11th Feb 9:00 am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All SaintsThu 12th Feb 10:00 am – Holy Communion, St Mary’sSat 14th Feb 12:00 noon -1:30 pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’s Sunday 15th February 10:00 am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s10:30 am – Holy Communion, All Saints A prayer for this week Loving God, You invite us to trust you and to seek you. Help us to notice your presence in our lives. Free our hearts from worry and fear, draw us closer to you, and shape us by your love, so that we may love generously and care for those around us. Amen. Blessings, Charlie Ordinand- All Saints and St Mary's - Bristol Diocese
Bringing the Light!Dear All Saints and St MarysThere is something about how rituals originate and begin that I find really interesting. This week the Feast of Candlemas (or the Feast of the Presentation) is celebrated by the Church. Various rituals and ways of marking this feast have been given to us as a church over the years, mainly to do with blessing and light. St Marys will have Choral Evensong connecting us to some of the traditional canticles and music that has been formed over centuries. All Saints has developed its own tradition of encouraging people to bring a candle to our Holy Communion at 10.30, which is then blessed and lit and taken back to our homes and communities as a symbol of God's light in the world. It is a feast that is warmly welcomed particularly at this time of year when many of us are longing for longer daylight hours and warmth.Rituals often come from a human need, a need to mark an occasion, a moment, a season. They say something, about stopping and noticing. They are often simultaneously solemn, creative and celebratory - things that we all need in balance to continue the creator's formation of us in our daily lives. May we all know the blessing of this feast as we begin February and mark this pivot moment between Christmas and Easter.Services this Sunday, 1st February10am - St Marys - Creative Church10.30am - All Saints - Candlemas Holy Communion with Hymns and Junior Church6.30pm - St Marys - Choral Evensong CandlemasThe week aheadMon 2nd Feb 10:30am – Tiny Tots, All SaintsTue 3rd Feb 10:30am – M4T, St Mary’s Parish RoomsWed 4th Feb 9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All SaintsThu 5th Feb 10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’sFri 6th Feb 11:00am – Living After Loss, St Mary’sSat 7th Feb 10:00am – Coffee Morning & Book Sale with Bristol Repair Café, All SaintsSat 7th Feb 12:00pm-1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’sSunday 8th Feb 8:00am – Holy Communion, All Saints10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s10:30am – Messy Muddy Church - St. Valentine, All Saints7:15pm – Generations, All SaintsBlessingsRevd LizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, Fishponds
