Advent!

From Rev Iain Baxter, All Saints Chiang Mai

Decorating the Church on Advent Sunday!

POTLUCK THIS WEEK!

Dear Friends,

The Christmas season is nearly upon us.  This Sunday we will celebrate Advent Sunday!  The 11 a.m. service will be followed by a potluck as we all join together to decorate the church for Christmas.  This was a wonderful introduction to the Christmas season last year, as you can see in the picture above, so please bring food to share and enjoy this beginning of our festivities!

This week the liturgy will include the lighting of the first candle on our Advent Wreath, and we will also sing a new setting of the Gloria.  This version was written by Healey Willan in 1928 and should be familiar to some of the American Episcopalians among us.  Members of our choir for the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, have also been practicing!

All Saint‘s Advent Crown!

Meanwhile, our Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Saturday 12th December is now just over two weeks away!    The service will begin at 7pm and is being held in The Prince Royal’s College Chapel.  Representatives of foreign consulates and other organisations have already agreed to take part and it should be a wonderful community event.

Tickets are being sold for THB100 in aid of the McKean Rehabilitation Center and are now available for sale at the church, in Bake and Bite, and at the Chiang Mai International School front office.  The service will be followed by coffee and cake, and maybe mulled wine, back at All Saints.  Volunteers are still needed to take charge of this.

Tickets, and posters advertising both the Nine Lessons and Carols, and our other Christmas events will again be available for distribution this Sunday and can be seen below.

Also, coming up on Wednesday 9th December at 7:30pm there will be a performance of Handel’s Messiah at Payap University.  It will be in the Leviticus Auditorium (on the MaeKhao Campus – in the Law Building east of the Ring Road 1) Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. Let me know if you would like to go.

This week our readings are Isaiah 64:1-9, 1 Corinthians 1:3-9, and Mark 13:24-37, and we will be singing the hymns O Come O Come Emmanuel, God you alone know what you’ve planned, Sing we the King who is coming to reign, and Come thou long expected Jesus!   The readings can be found via this link!

Our sermon is entitled Come, Lord Jesus!

If you don’t know the way to All Saints, directions can be found on the Where and When page.

Most people get to hear about us via the internet or by word of mouth, so please feel free to pass on this email to others.

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,

Iain