Since Ash Wednesday we have spent the period of Lent in prayer and reflection. Our mood then swung from the deep agony we felt at the crucifixion of Jesus on Good Friday to the joy of his resurrection on Easter Day, and we are probably feeling drained.

Jesus had gone into death with the power of life and could not be held there. He broke out into a new kind of life which was never going to end. The offer of forgiveness and eternal life is there for each one of us

In St.John’s Gospel chapter 20 we see how Jesus stood among the gathered disciples and announced “Peace be with you.” Jesus breathed on his disciples and said receive the Holy Spirit - he had to do this physically so they would believe and the Holy Spirit is still with us to-day and assures us of communion with God.

Sometimes we get weighed down with problems which overcome us and just like candles with wicks which get too soaked in oil and will not burn – we flicker and waver and drift away from the light of Christ. This can easily happen as the year progresses. After over 2000 years that promise is still with us – God is with us – the tomb was empty – through Christ we have been put right with God.

At Easter tide surely our faith should be stronger than any other time in the year, we need to hold onto that throughout the coming year.

Keeping the light of the risen Christ alive in our hearts shining brightly in our lives – lighting our paths: Psalm 119 v 105. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” But we must continually keep our path alive with God through prayer – through faith that the Holy Spirit of God is continually with us – do not allow it to become saturated with doubts – like the candle flickering and wavering in oil.

In the book of Revelation to John we are asked to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches in the first century. God is saying the same thing to the churches in this century. We must share with others what God has shared with us – (As St.Francis said “not only in words but in our actions”) we have all been given a gift by God which he expects us to share with others.

To-day our hearts should be alight with the knowledge of the presence of the Holy Spirit. The church is the creation of the Holy Spirit – not the building - but a group of believers who owe their spiritual life to Him so let us open ourselves to the Holy Spirit – and allow Him to direct our lives – Open our hearts to the gift of God’s Grace which he gives freely to each one of us. May we know the joy of leading others through the door of salvation and out through the doors of service.

To-day we are alive with the Holy Spirit let us keep our hearts alive to Him in the year ahead. I wish you all a Holy Easter tide and God’s Blessings on the year ahead.

Wendy Simpson

Continue reading

May I suggest you simply spend time holding or focusing on a cross – maybe your Palm Sunday Cross, and remembering our Lord’s death and resurrection.

Continue reading

Services for Holy Week 2015. Please contact us for details

Monday of Holy Week

19.30 40 Reflection

Tuesday of Holy Week

12:00 Reflection & Lunch at the Harvester
19.30 Stations of the Cross

Wednesday of Holy Week

19.30 Eucharist & Anointing

Thursday of Holy Week

19.30 Eucharist & Foot Washing. Watch.

Good Friday 

09.30 Children's Workshop (until 13.30)
14:00 The Liturgy of the Cross

Holy Saturday

20.00 The Service of Light

Easter Day 5th April

08.00 BCP Eucharist,
10.00 Family Eucharist
18.30 Evensong

Easter Monday

08.30 Breakfast then Easter Pilgrimage

Continue reading

Dear Friends

When we gather to worship on Sunday we are in a way taking part in two different services.

The first is the Ministry of the Word: A welcome, a reflection on our sins, the reading of Scripture and the proclaiming of the Gospel, Sermon, Creed and prayers.

The second part is the Ministry of the Sacrament where are focus switches to the table and the offering of bread and wine, Christ’s Body and blood.

In the early church the first part of the service would have been open to all, and very close to the services in the synagogue that Jesus was a part of. The second part of the service would have been more private - those who were not yet baptised would have left before the bread and wine were offered. Being baptised wasn’t a case of booking a service either. Baptisms frequently happened at Easter and adult candidates would undergo forty days of prayer, fasting and preparation before they became full members of the church. This discipline was eventually adopted by all Christians and became the season we now celebrate, Lent.

At the hinge of the first and second parts of the service we now have the peace, rooted in Paul’s and Peter’s commands to “Greet one another with a Holy Kiss of Love”. It may seem to be a disruptive break in our worship, but then so would have been the leaving of the unbaptised in the earliest church. The children come back in, we move around and greet one another, sharing Christ’s Peace.

And it is the Peace of God that we share.

New Zealand Anglican Priest Bosco Peter’s writes:

“The Peace is part of worship …To seek out our friends and ignore the stranger or visitor or the one with whom we really need to seek reconciliation is to miss the point of the Peace. The Peace anticipates the coming kingdom … it is the Peace which should shape the atmosphere of morning tea after church, rather than the atmosphere of … morning tea being that which shapes the way we relate at the Peace.”

Jean Lebon lays down a challenge:

“It (the Sign of Peace) is a point where one sees whether the liturgy holds together. If the congregation has not really been welded together during the course of the Mass, then it is useless and inappropriate to perform this action.”

None of this is a criticism of how we share the Peace at All Saints! Rather it is a reminder of why we share the Peace with one another. And not just one another. At the end of the service we ‘Go in Peace’ – taking all that we have shared out into the wider world. Bringing God’s peace and the joy of our Christian family to our friends, family and neighbours.

So Peace be with you this Lent,

Much Love,

Fr. Eddie

Continue reading

Spring – the time for sowing and planting – and it’s nearly here!

The Bible contains many references to plants. Jesus described himself as the vine; Hosea wrote about ploughing the soil prior to planting. In Psalm 1 we read, “He (a man who follows God), is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.”

Perhaps as you choose and sow your seeds, in the place you have prepared, and water them and watch them grow, until you can harvest the crop, or enjoy the flowers, you may consider your spiritual life, and include the thoughts in your prayer time. 

• How have you prepared yourself to receive God’s word? 
• What choices have you made? 
• What could you do to nurture God’s life within you? 

At the same time, we need to remember and pray for those who struggle with these matters, and, on a much more practical note, to pray for farmers everywhere as they work to produce food: this is a Coptic prayer from Egypt printed in the Christian Aid Prayer Diary:

Bless, O Lord, the plants, the vegetation and the herbs of the field,
that they may grow and increase to fullness and bear much fruit.
And may the fruit of the land remind us of the spiritual fruit we are to bear.
Amen

Continue reading

Something to do

Light a candle and sit quietly, watching the flame. Think how a flame gives warmth and light: both of these are essential for life. Remember how God spoke to Moses from the burning bush. Remember how Jesus came as ‘The Light of the World’. Pray that your heart will be warmed by hearing God’s word, and your path lit as you follow Jesus.

A Prayer of St. Columba

My dearest Lord,
Be thou a bright flame before me,
Be thou a guiding star above me,
Be thou a smooth path beneath me,
Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me,
Today and for evermore.

Continue reading

Dear Friends,

All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.
1 Cor 12:27

This month I want to say two simple words – Thank you.

Thank you to all the people who volunteer at All Saints and contribute to our life together. People who volunteer in different ways, some practical, some spiritual, many that are both. Churches run on volunteers and they are frequently not easy to replace when for whatever reason they are no longer able to continue their service.

Service is a good word for volunteers. We may think of the servers as those who robe and assist at the altar during Holy Communion. We may think of ‘The Service’ as what we gather for on Sunday (or during the week). Both are related to worship. When we volunteer at church it is a part of our worship – our offering to God. And like all of our worship volunteering not only is a gift to God but enriches each of us spiritually.

http://www.cartoonchurch.com/

So do we have enough volunteers at All Saints? Well I have never known a Vicar who said that we had enough Volunteers! At All Saints we do pretty well however. Many congregations struggle, especially for the more spiritual roles such as serving, welcoming, hospitality, interceding or leading children’s work. There are many other areas of church life where we are well served too – after 16 months I still feel I am only exploring the tip of the iceberg of who does what! Whilst we would always welcome more people in these areas I am very impressed by the quantity (and quality) of those who give of themselves in these roles.

However where we struggle a little is in volunteers for some of the more one off practical things that need doing - working parties for example! There are a number of things that need special attention through this year. One is the impression we give at the entrances of the Church – our car park entrance is in good condition, but many people walk through the vicarage driveway. Another is the impression we give from the front of our hall, which is beginning to look a little tired. Those of us on the Mission Action Group have been thinking about these and other areas as we look towards the future.

Volunteering should never be about compulsion but vocation. Vocation means every one of us being who God has called us to be - it is not just about the ministry team! God has called each of us to a rich and rewarding life with him as part of his family the church. The Bible speaks of how we are one body with many parts – each with an essential role to play. If you would like some help reflecting on what your part may be in the body of the church then please drop me a line – I will be glad to talk and pray with you.

So here’s to the volunteers in all aspects of All Saints life. Every single one is valued and appreciated.



God bless,
Eddie

Continue reading