This week marks a change in direction. The church pivots to face the next season of the year and that begins with the celebrations of All Saints Day and the Commemoration of All Souls Day. For us that also means a celebration of a Patronal Festival, and Benefice Service, at All Saints Church. One of the readings for this Sunday is found in Pauls letter to the Ephesians 1. Here there is a very clear link to the church community and the power of the Holy Spirit, the promise that we remain connected through prayer to God and Christ and all those who have gone before us, are present with us now, and to those to come. It is a complete sense of belonging. An invisible yet tangible thread, through our experience of it, that binds us together as Christians in the church community of yesterday, today and tomorrow.

The link to the Holy Spirit and the thread that binds us is interesting, as the first celebrations of all the “Saints” used to occur just after the feast of Pentecost. Pentecost was seen as the natural season to celebrate and honour all the early Christian Saints and Martyrs. It was not until the later 9^th Century that All Saints day was moved to November 1^st by the Pope.

The shops are currently filled with pumpkins, and cobwebs, as people ready themselves for Hallow “een”. Yet even Hallow “eve” is a night linked to Christian Tradition when people would exchange prayers for gifts, prior to All Hallows Day (All Saints Day). I welcome the chance in this season to stop and reflect on the many great saints, and faithful loved ones from our families and communities whose stories teach me so much about how to live and who God is. It is a reminder to me of the connecting thread of the Holy Spirit through time and space that links us so closely to a universal communion that is far more expansive than I could ever possibly imagine. It is also a timely reminder that I belong to not just a communion of saints, but to God.

The following services this Sunday:

8:00 am – All Saints – Holy communion (said)

10:30 am – All Saints – Patronal Festival and Benefice Communion

6.30 pm – St Marys – Evensong

Please also join us for a special service of sung compline at All Saints on November 2^nd at 8pm. It will be a short, reflective, candlelit sung service by a bass and tenor choir directed by Andrew Morgan (RSCM Trustee). A chance again to belong to that communion of souls and saints.

Also this week:

The week ahead

Wednesday 2^nd 09.00 – Celtic Morning Prayer at All Saints Church

20.00 – Sung Candlelit Compline at All Saints Church

Thursday 3^rd 10.00 – Holy Communion at St Mary’s Church

Sunday 6^th 10.00 – Creative and Open Church at St Mary’s Church

10.30 – Holy Communion at All Saints Church

18.30 –Evensong at St Mary’s Church

Do join us for the Fish and Chip Quiz Supper at All Saints on Saturday 29th Oct 7pm if you fancy testing your wits against others. All Welcome.

I love the collect for All Saints Day, there is something about that phrase “knit together” that seems poignant and profound and yet at the same time joyful. And so I leave it here for your prayers.

Almighty God,

you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship

in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord:

grant us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living

that we may come to those inexpressible joys

that you have prepared for those who truly love you.

Blessings

Revd Lizzie