Holy Undivided TrinityDear All Saints and St MarysWe are blessed that our Cathedral in Bristol is named "The Holy and Undivided Trinity". In fact "Holy Trinity" is the 7As we come to the end of our festival seasons of Easter, Ascension and Pentecost we arrive at Trinity Sunday - a day when the fullness and foundations of what Christians believe is expressed in believing God to be One and Three.....And "Undivided". There is so much division in the world that to name something as undivided seems rather niche, perhaps even naive. And yet that word is diamond. To know that at the heart of the Christian faith is not a squabbling triplet, but a God who coexists in symphony and harmony. A place where difference does not mean division. We can know God as Creator, as Saviour and as Life giver and still know that is not in competition with each other but as equal aspects of God. I learn so much from that. There are many complex and complicated explanations that tangle us up in theology of the how does the Trinity work? - when perhaps we are asked to look beyond and to the heart of something that is quite simply beautiful and sustaining. May we celebrate that difference and undivided nature of God.\Join us for our worship this Festival Holy Trinity Sunday in the following ways - its a 5th Sunday so we join together for our morning worship at St Marys this month as we say Thank you to Charlie Blackett for having been our Ordinand in Training for 2 years.Services for this Sunday 31st May8am - Book of Common Prayer Communion - All Saints10am - Benefice Sung Holy Communion - St MarysTHE WEEK AHEADMon 1st Jun 10:30am – Tiny Tots, All SaintsTue 2nd Jun 10:30am – M4T, St Mary’s Parish RoomsWed 3rd Jun 9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All SaintsThu 4th Jun 10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’sFri 5th Jun 11:00am – Living After Loss, St Mary’sSat 6th Jun 10:00am – Coffee Morning & Book Sale with Bristol Repair Cafe, All Saints Sat 6th Jun 12:00pm-1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’sSunday 7th June10:00am – Creative Church, St Mary’s10:30am – Holy Communion & Junior Church, All Saints6:30pm – Evensong, St Mary’sBlessingsLizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, Fishponds
Dear All Saints and St Mary's Pentecost is often described as the birthday of the church. We remember the day when a small group of frightened people were transformed into a movement that swept the Roman Empire and, eventually, much of the world. However, to simply describe it in these terms is to completely miss the point of what happened on that day and what the church really is.At the heart of the feast of Pentecost is the coming of the Holy Spirit. It was the Spirit that brought about the transformation of that small group of disciples into the growing community of believers that we hear about in the Acts of the Apostles. It is the Spirit that guides and strengthens the church today. It is the Spirit that reveals to each one of us the path that God has set before us.This Pentecost is an opportunity to open our hearts and minds afresh to the guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, to seek the truths that he reveals to us, develop the gifts that he gives and bear the fruits that he nurtures.We have a few opportunities to take this further on Sunday. There is Holy Communion at All Saints at 8.00 and 10.30 and at St Mary's at 10.00:08.00 All Saints Holy Communion (said)10.00 St Mary's Holy Communion10:30 All Saints Holy Communion We have the usual services this week. Next Sunday there is a Benefice service at St Mary's. As such, there will be no 10.30 service at All Saints.Wednesday 27th 09:00 All Saints Celtic Morning prayerThursday 28th 10:00 St Mary's Holy CommunionSunday 31st May08:00 All Saints Holy Communion (said BCP)10:00 St Mary's Benefice Communion Let us pray for that the Holy Spirit may dwell in our hearts and minds using the words of the collect for Pentecost:Holy Spirit, sent by the Father,ignite in us your holy fire;strengthen your children with the gift of faith,revive your Church with the breath of love,and renew the face of the earth,through Jesus Christ our Lord.Yours in ChristMarkMark SimmsLicensed Lay MinisterBenefice of all Saints and St Mary Fishponds
Dear All Saints and St MarysLaziness breeds laziness. Excuses breed excuses. If you are a leader and choose to cut corners, you will find that your followers follow your behaviour. If, as a leader, you are strict about rules - yet make excuses for when you yourself fall short - you will establish a culture of excuses. That may sound gloomy; but what about the opposite?Volunteers breed volunteers. I am far more likely to put up my hand, saying “I’ll do that”, when I am confident that I know that others will do likewise in turn. Who would want to be churchwarden, with all its consequent responsibilities? Yet, knowing that there are other volunteers doing their bit - and still others who will put their shoulder to the wheel if the warden asks for assistance - then the role becomes less onerous, and, indeed, pleasurable. Who would want to be treasurer? Even worse, who would dare to volunteer to be Safeguarding Officer? The other day, I read a Safeguarding Policy which was over 180 pages long. In the midst of all those words, there was only one sentence that truly stood out: ‘safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility’. We all have our part to play in making this parish safe, welcoming and a breeding ground for faith. Thank goodness we have people to take a lead, with buildings, money and safeguarding - but everyone has a part to play.Edward Thomas wrote a poem called ‘Adlestrop’. The last verse goes like this:And for that minute a blackbird sangClose by, and round him, mistier,Farther and farther, all the birdsOf Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.In the silence of a train stopping for a moment at Adlestrop station, Thomas hears one blackbird. Yet, as he listens more closely, he realises that that bird evokes a response from other blackbirds nearby, and that in turn sets off “all the birds of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire”. Our role as Christians is to live lives of kindness, generosity and holiness. We do so with the hope that a chain reaction will happen, until all creation is singing to the glory of God.PS: Say a prayer of gratitude this week for Church Wardens, Treasurers, Safeguarding Officers, and “all the birds of All Saints and St Mary’s Fishponds.Revd BobServices for Ascension Sunday - 17th May10:00am Holy Communion, St Mary’s10:30am Holy Communion, All Saints11.45 - All Saints APCM5:00-7:00pm Generations - All Saints - Joint Youth BBQ and Pilgrimage CelebrationThe week aheadMon 18th May 10:30am – Tiny Tots, All SaintsTue 19th May 10:30am – M4T, St Mary’s Parish RoomsWed 20th May 9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All SaintsWed 20th May 2:00pm – Bible Book Club, St Mary’sThu 21st May 10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’sSat 23rd May 12:00pm -1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’sSunday 24th May 8:00am – Holy Communion, All Saints10:00am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s10:30am – Holy Communion, All Saints
Living by the power of the SpiritDear All Saints and St MarysJesus is a fabulous storyteller. He would also use images and pictures to help us understand who God is and what that means for the world. In this week's gospel as we approach the feasts of Ascension and Pentecost, Jesus uses the image of an "Advocate" to describe the Holy Spirit. "Advocate" is often the word that is associated with courtrooms. An advocate is a person who can speak on our behalf, who will champion our cause.Advocacy is a real gift - the ability to find the right words, the most persuasive way of changing hearts and minds. Often, I view this as the Holy Spirit being my advocate before God. It's a good place to start. However, there is another way of viewing this. What if the advocate is there to also plead to me, not just for me? As we enter the end of the season of Easter, then we are assured by Jesus of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives - an advocate - who is will speak the truth to us about who God is and how that directs and guides us. The Holy Spirit is "The Advocate" in our lives, one who as we meet in prayer and worship promises to speak to us the truth of God so that our lives can be shaped more closely to reflect that of Jesus Christ. May the Spirit advocate for us and to us in our lives and may we open ourselves to listening.This Sunday at All Saints we return with Muddy Messy Church at 10.30am - come and enjoy the spring garden and learning about our Saints (What do you know about St Dunstan?). St Mary's holds its APCM annual meeting after the 10am Holy Communion service. I look forward to seeing you there.Services this Sunday, 10th May8am - Holy Communion - All Saints10am - Holy Communion (and APCM) - St Marys10.30 - Muddy Messy Church - All Saints(Generations will meet the following week on the 17th May with another young people at All Saints at the earlier time of 5pm).The week aheadMon 11th May 10:30am - Tiny Tots, All SaintsTue 12th May 10:30am - Music 4Tots, St Mary’s Parish RoomsWed 13th May 9:00am - Celtic Morning Prayer, All SaintsThu 14th May 10:00am - Ascension Day Holy Communion, St Mary’sFri 15th May 11:00am - Living After Loss, St Mary’sSat 16th May 12:00pm - 1:30pm – Saturday Lunches, St Mary’sSat 16th May 12:00pm - 3:00pm – Spring Fayre & Crafts, All SaintsSun 17th May 10:00am - Holy Communion, St Mary’s10:30am - Holy Communion and APCM All Saints5:00pm - 7:00pm - Generations BBQBlessingsRevd LizzieVicar of All Saints and St Marys Churches, Fishponds
