This Sunday’s readings have a common theme: What we do matters, but why we do it matters more. 

The first reading is from Moses final great speech to the people before they cross the Jordan and enter the Promised land. In Deuteronomy 4.1–2,6–9, Moses exhorts the people to obey all the laws that God has given them. However, this passage follows on from Moses reminding the people of all that God had done for them, bringing them out of slavery in Egypt and to the borders of the land he had promised to Abraham. Knowing their history, should help them trust in God. Out of that trust should come an understanding of what God wants and obedience to his laws.

The New Testament reading, James 1.17–end, contains James’ call to be doers of the word. However, this does not mean that we need not be hearers as well. In fact, James tells his readers not to be merely hearers, but doers as well. Hearing and doing should go hand in hand. One complements the other. Each is incomplete by itself. Again, it is knowing God and his will for us that leads towards the generosity and meekness that James commends.

The gospel reading, Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23, takes up a similar theme. The Pharisees and scribes challenge Jesus because his disciples were eating without washing their hands. Although washing your hands before eating is sensible for hygiene reasons, even today it is not always possible. Rigid adherence to such rules discriminated against the poor, who might need to eat on the job or out in the fields. Jesus criticises the scribes and Pharisees, because they are not interested in the wellbeing of the people. Instead, they are more focussed on their own importance. Jesus reminds his audience that they need to think about what their lives show about their hearts more than what is going into their stomachs. The things people do are a sign of what is going on inside.

We will have another chance to reflect on this during our 10:30 am Holy Communion service at All Saints on Sunday. At St Mary’s there is Creative church at 10.00 am. Choral Evensong at 6:30 pm will start our celebrations of the patronal festival of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (Note that different readings will be used at Evensong.) This gives the following services for Sunday 1^st September:

10:00 am	St Mary’s	Creative Church
10:30 am	All Saints	Holy Communion with Junior Church
6:30 pm	St Mary’s	Choral Evensong for the Blessed Virgin Mary

We have our usual midweek services this week with Celtic Morning Prayer at All Saints on Wednesday at 9:00 am and Holy Communion at St Mary’s on Thursday at 10:00 am. In addition, there is a memorial service for Joe Sevens on Thursday at 2:30 pm at St Mary’s. Next Sunday, we have our usual second Sunday pattern with said Holy Communion at All Saints at 8:00 am, Holy Communion at St Mary’s at 10:00 am and Messy/Muddy Church at All Saints at 10:30. This gives the following services for the coming week:

Wednesday 4th September	9:00 am	All Saints	Celtic Morning Prayer
Thursday 5th September	10:00 am	St Mary’s	Holy Communion
	2:30 pm	St Mary’s	Memorial for Joe Sevens
Sunday 8th September	8:00 am	All Saints	Holy Communion (said)
	10:00 am	St Mary’s	Holy Communion
	10:30 am	All Saints	Messy/Muddy Church

Reflecting on Jesus’ message that it is what comes from our hearts that can defile or sanctify, let us pray for pure hearts and steadfast wills in the words of the collect for this Sunday:

Almighty God,
whose only Son has opened for us
a new and living way into your presence:
give us pure hearts and steadfast wills
to worship you in spirit and in truth.
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
Amen

Yours in Christ

Mark Simms

Finish Lines!

The month of August has been a bible extravaganza as people in churches across the globe have listen to the whole of Chapter 6 of St John’s gospel and the conversations and reflections that are inspired by the miracle of the feeding of the 5’000. It has also been a month when the Letter that St Paul wrote to the very early, young and emerging church in Ephesus has been read. Both this letter and gospel chapter come to a finale this Bank Holiday Sunday. We are asked to think on the disciple St Peter and his acclamation of Jesus ” You have the words of eternal life, we have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God“. St Paul speaks uses metaphors of putting on the armour of a Christian life that seeks justice, peace and truth. 

And so Christians are asked again through these words what is it that we believe and know about Jesus? And what difference does that make to our lives and those around us? How do we protect and discern truth, peace and justice. May we be blessed with the company of each other and Christ this weekend in worship and fellowship whether that is in the breaking of bread or through shared food, reflection and discussion at cafe church.

SUNDAY 25^th AUGUST

8:00am – Said Holy Communion – All Saints

10:00am – Sung Holy Communion – St Marys

10.30am – Cafe Church – All Saints

THE WEEK AHEAD

Wednesday 28th Aug

9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer – All Saints 

Thursday 29th Aug

10:00am – Holy Communion  – St. Mary’s 

Saturday 31st  Aug 

9:00am – 11.30am – Autumn Clean  – St Marys 

12.00 – 2:00pm – Saturday Lunches  – St Mary’s  

Sunday 1st Sept

10:00am – Creative Church – St Marys 

10:30am – Holy Communion and Junior Church –  All Saints 

6:30pm – Patronal Choral Evensong – St. Mary’s 

Blessings

Revd Lizzie

This week’s gospel reading draws us even further into the conversation that Jesus has with his followers over the last few weeks about Bread. Bread is a very ordinary food, a staple of many diets, a few ingredients that when put together can feed lots of people. Yet it is this simple food that Jesus chooses as a way of life for his disciples – of how we are to be together, how we are to share together, how we are to come to know Jesus fully. And in sharing in Jesus together, we heal wounds, build unity and find the strength to lift our hearts and voices to sing a song of hope and peace for God’s world. Bread not only becomes a food source, but a community foundation, a common ground. Jesus says “I am the living bread”, one that feeds not just our stomachs, but also our heart, mind and souls. I am excited for us all as we are invited to come together this week and eat bread. 

Our services this Sunday 18^th August

10am – Sung Holy Communion – St Marys

10.30am – Holy Communion with Hymns – All Saints

The Week Ahead

Wednesday 21st

9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer – All Saints 

Thursday 22nd

10:00am – Holy Communion  – St. Mary’s 

Saturday 24th

12 – 2pm – Saturday Lunches  – St Mary’s  

Sunday 25th

8.00am – Holy Communion – All Saints 

10:00am Sung Holy Communion – St Marys 

10.30am Cafe Church – All Saints

"Lord, each day as we wait on You,
You strengthen our hearts.
So now, as we eat the food set before us, strengthen our bodies, and as we share our lives around this table, strengthen the bond between us"

(Prayer at Communion – Celtic Daily Prayer)

Blessings

Revd Lizzie

This has certainly been a week of contrasts. We’ve experienced the horror of the protests that caused so much violence and distress, but these were countered by an outpouring of calm protest that defused them and countered their message of hate. Alongside this has been the Olympics, which has been so much more than a glossy catalogue of sport. We’ve seen the joy and real humanity of athletes such as Simone Biles, and the mascot of the whole thing ending up being Snoop Dogg.

Against this backdrop of humanity in all its glory and its failings, our Gospel text this week uses the basic physical need of food and links it with the basic human need for spiritual food. For the whole person, sustenance on all levels is needed. Jesus links himself to a basic, unglamorous foodstuff, and he becomes that basic food for the spiritual life of each person who accepts him.  To be the whole person we cannot starve either the physical or the spiritual that make us who we are.

Services this Sunday

11^th August (11^th Sunday after Trinity)

8:00am – Holy Communion – All Saints

10:00am – Holy Communion – St. Mary’s

10:30am – Messy Muddy Church – All Saints

The Week Ahead

Weds 14th Aug

9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer – All Saints

Thursday 15th Aug

10:00am – Holy Communion – St. Mary’s

Friday 16th Aug

11:00am – Living After Loss – St. Mary’s

Saturday 17th Aug

12.00 – 2:00pm – Saturday Lunches – St Mary’s

Next Sunday – 18th August

10:00am – Sung Service of the Word – St. Mary’s

10:30am – Holy Communion – All Saints

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen

Blessings

Revd Kester de Oliveira

This Sunday we take a break from the gospel according to Mark. We start a series of readings from the sixth chapter of the gospel according to John that will take us through the summer. (We will be getting back to Mark at the beginning of September). This Sunday we have two of Jesus’ most spectacular miracles: the feeding of the five thousand and walking on the water. Next Sunday, Jesus contrasts those seeking purely physical food and those looking for more spiritual nourishment. The following weeks we reach the high point, with Jesus’ declaration that he is the bread of life (John 6.35) and the living bread (John 6.51). This then culminates at the end of August with many disciples finding Jesus’ teaching difficult and turning away from him.

Many of those who turned away from Jesus must have known about Jesus’ miracles. It is likely that some of them were among the five thousand that Jesus had fed. Others would have seen Jesus healing the sick. They seem to have forgotten all that Jesus had done to show to them who he was and that he could be trusted. We can easily fall into the same trap. Despite knowing all that God has done for us, we can forget that he is with us and try to succeed in our own strength. It is all too easy to do what those around us want rather than thinking about what God wants. We will be starting this journey on Sunday at our 8.00 am Holy Communion service at All Saints and our 10.00 am Holy Communion service at St Mary’s.

Our 10.30 am service at All Saints continues our series of discussions bases around the characters in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel. This week we come to the character of Bathsheba and King David’s biggest mistake. We will reflect on the use and abuse of power and how we respond to those who point out our failings.  

This gives the current services for the coming Sunday.

8.00 am	All Saints	Holy Communion (said)
10.00 am	St Mary’s	Holy Communion
10.30 am	All Saints	Cafe Church

With Holiday Bible Club over, our midweek services return to normal, with Celtic Morning Prayer on Wednesday and Holy Communion on Thursday. Next week we have our usual pattern for the first Sunday of the month. There is Creative Church at St Mary’s at 10.00 am and Holy Communion at All Saints at 10.30 am, with Evensong at St Mary’s at 6.30 pm. This gives the following services for the coming week:

Wednesday 31st August	9.00 am	All Saints	Celtic Morning Prayer
Thursday 1st August	10.00 am	St Mary’s	Holy Communion
Sunday 4th August	10.00 am	St Mary’s	Creative Church
	10.30 am	All Saints	Holy Communion
	6.30 pm	St Mary’s	Evensong

As we celebrate the end of another Holiday Bible Club, let us give thanks for this amazing opportunity to share God’s love with children from our community. May God bless all who were involved and strengthen them to walk in his ways.

Yours in Christ

Mark

“In Him the whole structure is held together“.

The words that we have from the passage in Ephesians this week speaks of Christ who binds people and brings them together. I have a strong image in my head of an adult holding the hands of two others, one either side. They are walking away from the viewer, so that only their backs can be seen as they set off into the distance. It could be the same image on a beach, or in a wood or down a busy high street. The adult in the centre holds the two together. They form the bridge. Through them the whole structure is held together. 

Similarly in the early church, the letters of the apostles speak plenteously about bringing together the Jews and the Gentiles. Accepting that the world has changed in the life of Jesus, that means that division of families, tribes and nations is now secondary to the way in which all people are called to God and asked to live. So that we are no longer aliens – but citizens with the saints. 

At St Marys we will have the honour of welcoming Maximus to the family of the church through his baptism. At All Saints there will be a celebration of Holy Communion. Both services help to remind us of ways in which we are united together. Held together. I look forward to being with you in worship.

This Weekend’s Services – Sunday 21^st July

10 am St Marys Church – Baptism with Hymns

10.30 am All Saints – Holy Communion with Hymns

The Week Ahead

Weds 24th

9:00 am – Holiday Bible Club Begins – All Saints 

2:00 pm – Funeral of Mary Biddlecombe – St Mary’s

Thursday 25th

10:00 am – Holy Communion  – St. Mary’s 

Saturday 27th

12.00 – 2:00 pm – Saturday Lunches  – St Mary’s  

Sunday 28th

8:00 am – Holy Communion – All Saints 

10:00 am Sung Holy Communion – St Mary’s 

10:30 am Cafe Church – All Saints

Please pray for us all this coming week as we begin Holiday Bible Club 2024. It has been a year of work and planning and we are so looking forward to the children being with us and learning together about Gideon, Esther and Timothy.

Gracious God

May we know the love that you extend to the world, may our footsteps be in rhythm with yours, may you guide us into your ways and may we humbly be your servants to all whom we meet. 

Amen

Revd Lizzie

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

It certainly feels like we are in times of great change and uncertainty. The use and abuse of power is forefront in the world around us. Politically , there is an ongoing process of change, with new governments in the UK and France, and the seemingly endless lead up to the American elections. Power is being abused in aggressive and militaristic ways. The ongoing conflicts across the globe are testaments to how humanity is so often its worst enemy.

The account of the fate of John the Baptist that we will explore on Sunday is a chance to  reconsider the nature of power and how it is enacted-the contrast between transitory earthly power and eternal divine power.

John the Baptist and Jesus have considerable parallels. John is the one who  steps aside, but he is essential, the last Old Testament prophet proclaiming the one who will transform everything.  Did  these cousins knew each other well? Did Jesus come to be baptised by John as a result of that ongoing relationship? At this moment of divine meeting when John baptises Jesus, the parallels start to diverge. Jesus is now the centre of attention. 

What of John? We do not hear directly from him again, but we hear of him. He has upset those in power and been imprisoned because of it. We hear of the power of his words, but not the words themselves. In the ultimate fulfilment of those parallel lives, John will be executed by someone in power in a way set to humiliate and devalue on the pretext of vows and demands of others, ultimately killed seemingly as the result of a drunken vow made at a party. The story of John’s execution is either too bizarre and dramatic to give credence to or is utterly plausible because it is so peculiar. Certainly, any vow made by those with power would have to be honoured as this was an essential part of the structure of society at the time. Today to us it feels ludicrous, but we have to be wary of making these judgements via the lenses of modern thought. 

Could it be the kernel of truth-i.e. the imprisonment  and death of John has been embroidered with this narrative to serve later purposes? It certainly could be. What is telling is that both in this story and that of Jesus, the narrative seeks to draw responsibility for the actions away from the manin power an onto others-the crowd with Jesus, Herodias and her daughter with John. It’s like the critique of power is there but is being defused by keeping the actual men in power blameless.

Whatever the dynamics, the actual power and the perceived power are significant contrasts, and John’s story is a foreshadowing of Jesus’.

Meditating on these reassures us when the actuality of the world around us becomes overwhelming. The real power and authority in this world is one of love and grace that is alongside those who seem to be powerless. God has turned the perceived order of the world on its head.

Services and Notices for week beginning 14^th July 2024

7th Sunday after Trinity

8:00 – Holy Communion – All Saints

10:00 – Holy Communion – St. Mary’s

10:30 – Muddy Church and JC Celebration – All Saints

18.30 – Generations Summer Party – The Vicarage

THE WEEK AHEAD

Tuesday 16^th July

10:30am – M4T – St Mary’s

Wednesday 17^th July

9:00am -Celtic Morning Prayer – All Saints

Thursday 18^th July

10:00am – Holy Communion – St. Mary’s

Friday 19^th July

11:00am – Living After Loss – St. Mary’s     

Saturday 20^th July

12.00 – 2:00pm – Saturday Lunches – St Mary’s      

Sunday 21^st July

10:00am – Sung Service of the Word – St. Mary’s

10:30am – Holy Communion – All Saints

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen

Blessings

Revd Kester de Oliveira

A Sunlight of Hope

Dear Friends

As we woke up on the dawn after election day with a new Prime Minister, Sir Keir spoke about a ‘sunlight of hope’ emerging from the shadows and he restated his focus on public service.  Tim Farron, a Christian and Lib Dem MP speaks of politics as a ‘mucky business’ . He encourages us both to get involved in local life and pray for our MPs

because the commitment to improving life for those who struggle is a noble but complex and demanding project. Sir Ed Davey falling off a paddleboard and getting on it again was a good illustration of that.

Jesus came that ‘they might have life to the full’. Here in Fishponds at All Saints and St.Mary’s churches the core of our faith is to see lives flourish. Our new MP Damien Egan has already popped in to meet people from the wider community at St.Mary’s weekly Saturday Lunch and we look forward to regular contact, so that people can make their views and needs known for making Fishponds not just ‘quite nice’ but a ‘very good’ place to live across all ages. We pray for MP Damien and for all local community leaders, faith leaders and support networks.

Why not come along and join in our Sunday and midweek worship.

Everyone is always welcome.

Don’t miss the Special Events on Saturday 6th July!

Place	Time	Activity
All Saints	10-12	Coffee Morning and Repair CafeA special welcome to the local Fishponds LGBT+ Meetup group who we’re helping to create their banner for Pride. Come along and have a look.
St Marys	11-2pm	Summer FairEveryone loves a fair! What’s not to like: cake, the raffle and tombola, the white elephant stall and books to browse –  plus refreshments. Come along and bring your friends.

Services This Sunday 7th July 2024

Place	Time	Type of Service
St Marys	10.00	Creative Church
All Saints	10.30	Holy Communion with Band and Junior Church
St Marys	18.30	Evensong

The Week Ahead

Date	Time	Place	Activity
Tue 9 July	10.30	St Marys	M4T Summer Party!
Wed 10 July	09.00	All Saints	Celtic Morning Prayers
Thurs 11 July	10.00	St Marys	Holy Communion
Sat 12 July	12- 2pm	St Marys	Saturday Lunches

Services Next Sunday 14th July 2024

Place	Time	Type of Service
All Saints	08.00	Holy Communion (spoken)
St Marys	10.00	Sung Holy Communion
All Saints	10.30	Messy Muddy Church and Junior Church Celebration!
Vicarage	19.15	Generations YP Summer Party !

As we pray for all in Fishponds and work with our new MPs, a poem by Ian Adams encourages us to trust that life can get better, when we look at it through the lens of resurrection hope.

See Resurrection in Everything - by Ian Adams

Resurrection is not only a future hope.
It happens now.
Vibrant and inextinguishable
And small signs of resurrection are everywhere.
In the street where you live.
In imaginative design.
In the patient turning of the seasons.
In courageous movements for justice,
And in the daily acts of devotion that so many will offer to God and neighbour today.
The invitation is to see resurrection.
To allow the resurrection to seep into your life.
To embody resurrection.
So that you live resurrection life now.

Go in Peace to Love and Serve the Lord

In the name of Christ – in Fishponds and beyond.

Revd Diane (curate)

This weekend is often called Petertide – a name which is given to a season in the church when we celebrate the Feast of St Peter and St Paul. It is also one time in the churches season when we come together to celebrate with all those who have been called to be ordained in the church. As a benefice we will have to wait a little bit longer to be part of those particular celebrations together with our own curate Revd Kester. We continue to keep him very much in our prayers as he recovers his health. 

Our readings on Sunday remind us that we are all called to be worshipers on earth and in heaven and join with the words we hear in the Isaiah reading, that cry “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts”. These words form part of our Eucharistic prayers each week, a great thanksgiving that invites us all to praise God. Holy is a brilliant word, it combines both awe and wonder, with a sense of humility before God our Creator. It is a 4 letter word that speaks of being called to something precious, special and sacred. “Holy” is to be fully whole as people, an invitation to be truly ourselves as we find we are wrapped up in God’s great big story and life. 

This weekend we gather as God’s holy people, to worship the Almighty and be drawn into God’s presence which embraces both Heaven and Earth. We will do this in our worship together as churches at the 10.30am Benefice service at All Saints.

As a blessing we welcome the preaching ministry of Revd Robert Cotton, and it will be a delight on this ordination anniversary for many of us, that we will celebrate that same Eucharistic Prayer. Join us for our worship, as we join with God in Heaven and on Earth.

Our Services this weekend – SUNDAY 30^th JUNE 2024

8am – BCP Holy Communion – All Saints

10.30am – Sung Holy Communion Benefice Service – All Saints

6.30pm – Said Evening Prayer – St Mary‘s

The week ahead

Tuesday 2nd July

10:30am – M4T – St Mary’s

Weds 3rd July

9:00am – Celtic Morning Prayer – All Saints

Thursday 4th July

10:00am – Holy Communion – St. Mary’s

Friday 5th July

11:00am – Living After Loss – St. Mary’s

Saturday 6th July

10:00am – Coffee Morning and Book Sale with Bristol Repair Café – All Saints

11.00 – 2:00pm – Summer Fair – St Mary’s

Sunday 7th July

10:00am – Creative Church – St Mary;s

10:30am – Holy Communion and Junior Church – All Saints

6:30pm – Evensong – St. Mary’s

Holy, Holy Holy Lord
God of power and might
Heaven and Earth are full of your glory
Hosanna in the Highest. Amen

Revd Lizzie

‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’

Mark 4.40

Jesus’ rebuff of the disciples in this Sunday’s gospel reading sounds a little insensitive. Was it not obvious why they were afraid? Jesus was perfectly aware of the dangers of the storms on the lake. However, it is the disciples lack of faith, their lack of trust in him that he repeatedly disappointed him. If they really understood who he was, then they would not be afraid. In a similar way in this Sunday’s epistle, Paul tried to encourage the faith of the church in Corinth by showing how God had helped and supported him. The Christians in Corinth could trust God and be confident to live the sort of lives to which Christ was calling them. I his first letter, John told his readers that “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4.18).

If we trust God and we love one another, then we can start to put the fear aside and be more open, generous, creative, and brave in the way we live out our lives. We will have more opportunities to think about this further at the 8 am service at All Saints and the 10 am service at St Mary’s.

At the 10.30 service at All Saints, we continue our look at the characters in the books of 1 and 2 Samuel. I have said that these books are primarily about King David. However, there is another character, who is present throughout these books. That character, of course is God. It is David’s trust in God that is the key theme of the books. But, like all of us, David did not always know what God really wanted. When David wanted to build a temple for God in Jerusalem, God told him through the prophet Nathan, that it was not his job, but would be for his son. (You can read the story in 2 Samuel 7.1–29.) We will reflect a little on how to be more confident we are doing what God wants and how we can help others do the same.

This gives us the following services for this Sunday 23^rd June:

8.00 am	All Saints	Holy Communion (said)
10.00 am	St Mary’s	Holy Communion
10.30 am	All Saints	Café Church

In the coming week we have our normal services, with Celtic Morning Prayer at 9.00 am on Wednesday and Holy Communion at 10.00 am on Thursday. Next Saturday 29^th June, Kester will be ordained as a priest in Bristol Cathedral at 3 pm. Next Sunday will be our benefice service at All Saints at 10.30 am. At this service, Kester will be presiding at the eucharist for the first time. Please remember him in your prayers. This gives the following services for the coming week:

9.00 am	Wednesday 26th	All Saints	Celtic morning Prayer
10.00 am	Thursday 27th	St Mary’s	Holy Communion
3.00 pm	Saturday 29th	Bristol Cathedral	Ordination
8.00 am	Sunday 30th	All Saints	Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer)
10.30 am	Sunday 30th	All Saints	Benefice Service

We are starting a new series of sessions to prepare candidates for baptism or confirmation. For further details, contact Diane or Lizzie.

As Kester prepares for his ordination as priest, let us pray for him and for the ministry of the whole people of God:

God our Father, Lord of all the world,
through your Son you have called us into the fellowship
of your universal Church:
hear our prayer for your faithful people
that in their vocation and ministry
each may be an instrument of your love,
and give to your servants now to be ordained
the needful gifts of grace;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen

Yours in Christ

Mark