A friend of mine, who was a priest working in London in the 1980s, received an unexpected phone call one day, asking him to visit a lonely man. He duly went to the address, to find Anthony Blunt (no longer ‘Sir Anthony’, as, by then, he had been stripped of his knighthood, having been disclosed as a Soviet spy). Blunt seldom ventured out of his flat, being both scared of public disapproval and suffering in his old age. But he wanted to talk to a priest before he died. My friend never told me what Blunt said – but he did mention that what had drawn Blunt back to wanting to be in touch with God was the sound of church bells. Blunt could hear them from his flat, and their confident, calm, resonating sound gave him courage to reach out, perhaps for the last time, to speak with God.
In rather different circumstances, I experienced something a bit similar while on holiday in St David’s Pembrokeshire this summer. Sitting in the city square with my coffee, I was enjoying deeply the sights and bustle of people on holiday. For a moment, the cathedral bells started to ring. In that sound, I heard those beautiful words from Julian of Norwich – words that belong in the mouth of God: “All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well”. I was fully aware of the tragedies happening around the world – but the deep notes of the bells seemed to be proclaiming: amidst all such difficulties, I (God) am here; I love you and I will never let you go.
Revd Bob
Services this Sunday – 30th August 2026
8:00 am – BCP Holy Communion Service – All Saints
10.30 am Holy Communion with Hymns – Benefice Service – All Saints
(Please note this is a Benefice weekend and so services are at All Saints this Sunday)
The Week Ahead
Wed 2nd September
9:00 am – Celtic Morning Prayer, All Saints
Thu 3rd September
10:00 am – Holy Communion, St Mary’s
Fri 4th September
11:00 am – Living After Loss, St Mary’s
Sat 5th September
10:00 am – Coffee Morning & Book Sale with Bristol Repair Café
12:00 pm Saturday Lunches, St Mary’s
Sun 6th September
10:00 am – Creative Church, St Mary’s
10:30 am – Junior Church & Holy Communion, All Saints
6:30 pm – Patronal Choral Evensong, St Mary’s
St Mary's, Fishponds 