Dear All Saints and St Mary’s
This Sunday, we turn away from the joyful thanksgiving of Mothering Sunday and towards the events of Holy Week. The season is often referred to as Passiontide, from the Latin passio, meaning suffering. It is a time to reflect on Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, and death. In the early church, many Christians struggled with the idea that an almighty and perfect God could suffer and die in the way that Jesus did. Yet through the debates and discussions that followed, the church fathers came to the realization that perfection is not about standing aloof from the sufferings of the world. Jesus was born into the world to be with humanity and to identify with us in our joy and our sorrow. It is when we remember Christ’s suffering, that we know we are not alone in anything that we go through. God can understand our fears and temptations, recognize our pains and our sufferings, because, in Christ, he has been there before us. He has led the way and can lead us through the worst that the world can throw at us.
This Sunday, we have several services, where we can reflect further on this. In the morning there are services of Holy Communion at both St Mary’s at 10.00am and All Saints at 10.30am. In the evening, there is a service of readings and music for Passiontide at St Mary’s, 6.30pm. This gives the following services for this Sunday:
10.00 am | St Mary’s | Holy Communion |
10.30 am | All Saints | Holy Communion |
6.30 pm | St Mary’s | Music and readings for Passiontide |
This week we have our normal weekday services with Celtic Morning Prayer at All Saints on Wednesday and Holy Communion at St Mary’s on Thursday.
Next Sunday, we start Holy Week with our Palm Sunday celebrations. There is Holy Communion at 8.00 am at All Saints and 10.00 am at St Mary’s. The 10.30 am service at All Saints will be a Service of the Word with a procession round the local streets and a Palm Sunday drama.
This gives the following services for the coming week:
Weds 20th | 9.00 am | All Saints | Celtic morning prayer |
Thurs 21st | 10.00 am | St Mary’s | Holy Communion |
Sun 24th | 8.00 am | All Saints | Holy Communion |
| 10.00 am | St Mary’s | Holy Communion |
| 10.30 am | All Saints | Service of the Word with procession and drama |
As we approach Holy Week led us pray that God will guide us in our reflections on Jesus’ road to Jerusalem and Calvary:
Gracious Father,
you gave up your Son
out of love for the world:
lead us to ponder the mysteries of his passion,
that we may know eternal peace
through the shedding of our Saviour’s blood,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Yours in Christ
Mark
Mark Simms
Licensed Lay Minister
Benefice of All Saints and St Mary, Fishponds
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