God of the Living
Greetings All Saints and St Mary’s!
As we walk this season between All Saints and Advent our thoughts turn to the people we love and see no longer. This week’s Gospel reading is very comforting because Jesus reassures his disciples that those who have died are still all alive to God.
Paul’s message to the Thessalonians likewise encourages the believers not to be alarmed at the passing of their friends. We are still connected to them – they live on through us too, when we imitate their good deeds to bless others in our turn.
Services this Sunday 6th November
Third Sunday before Advent
Readings Job 19:23-27a 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-5, 13-end; Luke 20: 27-38
10.00am St.Mary’s Creative and Open Church with Open Church Team
10.30am All Saints Holy Communion with Revd Lizzie Kesteven
6.30pm St. Mary’s Evensong with Graham Biddlecombe LLM
Coming up in the week ahead
Wednesday 9th 9am Celtic Morning Prayer at All Saints Church
Thursday 10th 10am Holy Communion at St Mary’s Church
Next Sunday 13th November is Remembrance Sunday
8am at All Saints Said Holy Communion
10am at St.Mary’s Sung Communion followed by Act of Remembrance in the Park
10.45 at All Saints All Age Remembrance Service with 13th Bristol -NOTE: later start time
This wonderful website, which my sister introduced me to, reflects on each daily Gospel reading using a work of art. I was struck by the comment given for this painting depicting female saints.
“The illuminated page we are looking at today is stunning. As the perspective takes us deeper into the composition, the faces slowly disappear and the halos take over… It is a beautiful way to show us that there are so many anonymous saints around us too… people who never get recognised but do wonderful work for God.
The saints are actually not so very different from us: they come from similar backgrounds, similar education, similar worries, fears, strengths, etc… But what distinguishes them is that they took seriously God’s invitation to holiness.”
Painting: All Saints (females), From theBook of Hours of Luis de Laval, Louis de Laval Seigneur de Chatillon, Lord of Châtillon (1411-89) French, Executed 1470–1475 and 1485–1489, Workshop of Jean de Colombe, Paint, ink, gilding on vellum
The world we live in has been described by the acronymn VUCA – volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. It is therefore humbling and a relief to remember saints are in fact forgiven sinners – people who discovered their need of God -who accepted with joy and thanksgiving that Christ died and rose again for them and the certain hope held out to them. Death and sin do not have the last word. Earth will know the peace of heaven in the end.
Special Prayer for this Sunday 6th November
God, our refuge and strength bring near the day when wars shall cease and poverty and pain shall end, that earth may know the peace of heaven through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Revd Diane, Assistant Curate for All Saints and St.Mary’s churches
St Mary's, Fishponds 