Merry Christmas!

From the Rev. Iain Baxter, All Saints Chiang Mai

Midnight Mass at All Saints

Dear Friends,

God willing, I will be back in Chiang Mai this Thursday.  When I left on 19th November I did not expect to be away for over a month, nor did I expect to lose my father and be returning to Thailand with my mum.  But God has been with us all through this difficult time.  Although we did not expect to lose my dad anything like so soon – his parents lived into their nineties – I feel it was God’s timing and he would soon have been very ill and unhappy.  If any of you would like to see the funeral and celebration of his life it can be viewed via this link.

I cannot express my thanks enough to all the support you have shown me over the last month.  All Saints has gone from strength to strength in my absence, and it shows what a great bunch of people we have!  Thank you!

We have three Christmas services this week: our Sunday morning Eucharist at 11 a.m. on Christmas Eve, then our Midnight Mass at 11:30 p.m., and our Christmas morning service at 11 a.m. on Christmas Day!  You are welcome at any or all of the services!

Nate Tipton will be preaching on the morning of Christmas Eve, and I will be back in place, preaching for Midnight Mass and Christmas morning!  I am looking forward to being back and seeing you all again – I have missed you!

Our readings for this fourth Sunday of Advent are 2 Samuel 7:1-16, Romans 16:25-27, and Luke 1:26-38, and the hymns are O Come All Ye Faithful, The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!

Then for Midnight Mass we will read from Isaiah 9:2-7 and Luke 2:1-20 and be singing O Come All Ye Faithful, Infant Holy Infant Lowly, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Silent Night, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!

On Christmas morning we will read from Isaiah 52:7-10 and Luke 2:1-20 and be singing O Come All Ye Faithful, Away in a Manger, See Amid the Winter’s Snow, Ding Dong Merrily on High, and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!

The readings can be found via this link !

Advent and Christmas Events

Full details of all Advent and Christmas events below:

Christmas Eve
Sunday Morning Eucharist at 11 a.m.
Midnight Mass at 11:30 p.m.

Christmas Day
Family Eucharist at 11 a.m.
followed by shared lunch.

Christmas Day Lunch

This will be a full sit-down Christmas lunch with all the traditional trimmings!   I will be bringing turkeys and Christmas pudding from England!  Please call me or Gene if you have not already signed-up and would like to come!

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 Christ of Christmas in our lives!  We hope to see you soon and that you will enjoy worshiping with us,

God bless,

Iain