From Ken Chase for All Saints Chiang Mai
Dear Friends,
Iain is back from Bangkok, and we will really begin our new year at All Saints this Sunday, with part of the Methodist Covenant Service.
Iain writes: “The Covenant Prayer, developed by John Wesley, makes us focus on our commitment to God as we begin a new year together. New Year is a time to take stock of things past, and to look forward to the future. Those of us from a Methodist background will be familiar with the prayer, but it is also increasingly being used by churches of other traditions, too.”
The prayer is challenging and is copied below so that we can read and consider it before we meet for worship on Sunday.
The Methodist Covenant Prayer
I am no longer my own but yours.
Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing, put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you,
exalted for you, or brought low for you;
let me be full, let me be empty,
let me have all things, let me have nothing:
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant now made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven.’
This week’s readings follow the theme of our covenant with God and are: Isaiah 49:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, and John 1:29-42, and we will be singing the hymns All creatures of our God and King, Come, let us use the grace divine, Wonder of wonders, here revealed, and Let all the world, in every corner sing. If the words are not well known to a couple of our hymns this week, the tunes should be familiar.
After the service we will share coffee and biscuits at the house and perhaps go for lunch together. Directions, as always, can be found on the Where and When page of the All Saints website. All are welcome to join us as we share the presence of the risen Jesus in our lives! We hope to see you soon and that you will enjoy worshiping with us,
God bless,
Ken
All Saints' Chiang Mai 