Christ is Risen Alleluia - He is Risen indeed - Alleluia!Dear All Saints and St MaryHappy Easter (Again!) because Easter is more than a weekend but lasts a full 6 weeks. During this we have some of the most vivid gospel stories of Jesus risen life, starting this Sunday with Jesus' encounter with Thomas who is full of doubt and faith.2000 years later CS Lewis, a person who was full of faith and doubt, wrote the Chronicles of Narnia, detailing in fantasy fiction a story which speaks of resurrection and love. A story which has invited people across generations to connect with the Christian faith story. CS Lewis also wrote poetry and one of those that I rediscovered this Easter, speaks of love found in the elements - water, fire, air and earth. It reminds me that the joy of Easter is only possible because of the love that God shared in all things from Creation to the Cross. I wanted to share it with you this week as a poem and prayer for our faith journeys. It is one I will be taking with us on Youth Pilgrimage this coming week - do pray it with us as we walk. Loves' as warm as tears - CS LewisLove's as warm as tears,Love is tears:Pressure within the brain,Tension at the throat,Deluge, weeks of rain,Haystacks afloat,Featureless seas betweenHedges, where once was green.Love's as fierce as fire,Love is fire:All sorts - infernal heatClinkered with greed and pride,Lyric desire, sharp-sweet,Laughing, even when denied,And that empyreal flameWhence all loves came.Love's as fresh as spring,Love is spring:Bird-song hung in the air,Cool smells in a wood,Whispering, "Dare! Dare!"To sap, to blood,Telling "Ease, safety, rest,Are good; not best."Love's as hard as nails,Love is nails:Blunt, thick, hammered throughThe medial nerves of OneWho, having made us, knewThe thing He had done,Seeing (with all that is)Our cross, and His.This week we worship together as a Benefice at All Saints - 10.30am Holy Communion. Join us there for our continued Easter celebrations and worship. Sunday 12th April8am- Holy Communion - All Saints10.30am - Benefice Service of Holy Communion - All Saints6.30pm - Evening Prayer - St MarysThe week aheadMon 13th Apr - Fri 17th Apr – Youth PilgrimageWed 15th Apr 9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All SaintsThu 16th Apr 10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’sFri 17th Apr 11:00am Living After Loss, St Mary’sSat 18th Apr 12:00pm-1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’sSunday 19th Apr 10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s 10:30am – Holy Communion, All SaintsBlessingsLizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, Fishponds
Happy EasterDear All Saints and St MarysThere will be imperfection in heaven – thank goodness. Otherwise, I won’t stand much of a chance. However, not everyone would agree with that. One traditional perspective is that we first need to spend some time in purgatory. That is where we will be straightened out, our sins purged away, our mistakes removed, and everything will be put right. Then, and only then, will we be fit for heaven, to spend eternity in the glory of God’s presence. I see it differently.Our mistakes and brokenness are not eradicated; rather they are incorporated into God’s plans. God’s holiness will not be diminished by being in the presence of us, fallen humanity. After all, the body of the risen Jesus still bears the marks of crucifixion. The cross, with all its horrors and woundedness, does not scare God away; rather, this is drawn into God’s persistent, faithful, compassionate care and healing of the world. Thomas – doubting Thomas, puzzled Thomas – needed both to see the marks of the cross and also to meet with the risen Lord. Only then did it start to make sense. Jesus is the wounded healer. Jesus descended into the grave so that the fear and sting of death would no longer be a barrier between us and God.Francis Spufford has just published his latest novel, Nonesuch. It’s on my pile of books to read during the Easter holidays. A recent review by Andrew Brown says this: “Right at the end, Iris, who has been so joyful, brave, and ultimately successful, is offered the chance to undo a terrible mistake she had made years before the story opens. She takes the chance, and wakes in another timeline, where — it seems — she never will meet her husband. I found myself longing for her not to undo the past. Put in theological terms, Spufford shows us that a world without sin is also one without the possibility of redemption, that the first Adam is needed if the second Adam is to come.” This does not give us licence to sin. Rather, it gives us confidence that, because of the power of the resurrection, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.Sadly, I have many memories of times that I wronged someone. I am not being flippant about the pain I caused. Yet, especially as we celebrate Good Friday and Easter Sunday, I know that these mistakes are woven into God’s overall plan of redemption and healing.Revd BobServices this Easter Sunday - 5th April 10am - Easter Sunday Communion with Baptism - St Marys10.30am - Easter Sunday Communion with Junior Church and Band - All Saints6.30pm - Easter Sunday Choral Evensong - St MarysThe week aheadWed 8th Apr 9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All SaintsThu 9th Apr 10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’sSat 11th Apr 12:00pm-1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’sSun 12th April 8:00am – Holy Communion, All Saints10:30am – Benefice Holy Communion, All Saints6:30pm – Evening Prayer, At Mary’sMon 13th Apr - Fri 17th Apr – Youth Pilgrimage
What kind of King is this?Dear All Saints and St MarysThis Sunday the churches mark the beginning of Holy Week. This last week of Lent we journey with Jesus and the disciples as we remember together the places and events of that week of Jesus life. It is a turbulent time, full of joys, sorrows, crowds and conversations. We are invited to ask some of the most profound questions about life and death. What does this mean for me? What does this mean for the world? Palm Sunday marks the beginning of this moment. All over the world people will gather, as we are also invited to do, to join processions which retell the story of Jesus entry into Jerusalem. The people were eager for change, enthusiastic in their desire for a new leader, on the verge of revolt as they welcomed Jesus into the city. The King that they wanted so badly came on a donkey, offering peace and non violence as a response, rather than aggression or war. In a world where some see war and violence as a possible solution to global friction and disagreement, perhaps it is most pertinent that Jesus offers the world a very different path to follow. We are invited this week to look on, journey with, the humble Son of God, who radically came to show us a new way to live. The services this Palm Sunday - 29th March8am - BCP Holy Communion - All Saints10am - Palm Procession and Holy Communion - St Marys10.30am - Palm Procession and Holy Communion - All SaintsServices in Holy WeekTuesday 31st March 6.30pm - Celtic Holy Communion - All SaintsWednesday 1st April 6.30pm - Taizé Service - All SaintsThursday 2nd April 6.30pm - Agape Meal - All SaintsThursday 2nd April 7.30pm - Washing of Feet and Holy Communion with Vigil - St MarysGood Friday 3rd April 1.30pm - Liturgy of Good Friday - St MarysGood Friday 3rd April 2.00pm - Last hour at the Cross - All SaintsSaturday 4th April 7.30pm - Easter Eve Vigil - St MarysEaster Sunday 5th April10.00am - Easter Communion with Baptism - St Marys 10.30am - Easter Communion - with Band and Junior Church - All Saints 6.30pm - Easter Choral Evensong - St MarysWeekly sheets and readings attached - and remember the clocks go forward this SundayRevd LizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, Fishponds
Dear All Saints and St Mary'sThis Sunday is the start of Passiontide, and our attention is fixed even more firmly on Holy Week and the suffering or passion of Jesus. Our Old Testament reading tells of Ezekiel's vision of a valley of dry bones being brought back to life. Our New Testament reading is the story of Jesus bringing his friend, Lazarus, back to life. Both these stories point forwards to Easter and Jesus' resurrection.However, to look at these stories as no merely a pointer, is to miss the richness and depth of what both these stories have to say to us.Ezekiel's vision is a message of hope for a people feeling rejected and downtrodden. In the despair of Israel's exile in Babylon, God spoke to the people of restoration. This was not just a restoration of their land, but also a restoration of their spirit. But above all it was a restoration of their trust in God.At the heart of John's telling of the story of Jesus and Lazarus is Jesus' declaration "I am the resurrection and the life". It is in Jesus that we get the new life that we long for. That life is more than just bringing a a dead person back to the life that they knew before. It is a life that gives us the hope that the pain and suffering in the world can and will be overcome. It is a hope that even death itself has been defeated.We will have more opportunities to reflect on this in or communion services at 8.00 am at All Saints and at 10.00 at St Mary's. The 10.30 am service at All Saints is our monthly café service, where we will continue our discussions around the creed. This week we will be thinking about the church and what it means to believe in the church. At 6.30 pm there is a service of Passiontide music and readings at St Mary's.This gives the following services for this Sunday 22nd March:8.00 am All Saints: Holy Communion (said)10.00 am St Mary's: Holy Communion10.30 am All Saints: Café Church6.30 pm St Mary's: Passiontide music and readingsIn the coming week we have our usual midweek services. Next Sunday is Palm Sunday. As such, there will not be a benefice service. St All Saints and St Mary's will each have their own services for Palm Sunday at the usual times. However, there will be service of Holy Communion at 8.00 am at All Saints. In addition, our Lent groups will continue on Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon. This gives the following services for the coming week:Tuesday 24th March 7.30 pm Vicarage Lent groupWednesday 25th March 9.00 am All Saints Celtic morning prayerWednesday 25th March 2.00 pm St Mary's parish rooms Lent groupThursday 26th March10.00 am St Mary's Holy CommunionSunday 29th March8.00 am All Saints Holy Communion (said)10.00 am St Mary's Holy Communion10.30 am All Saints Holy CommunionAs we continue our journey towards Holy Week and Easter, let us pray for the guidance and strength of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives.Yours in ChristMark
