From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai
Dear Friends,
Our world is a place which needs lots of help. Poverty, injustice, and environmental degradation, are serious issues which require our time and our commitment, but there has to be more. Full and living life needs love, beauty, and worship. That is why some of us have been looking at new possibilities for All Saints this week. Nothing is likely to happen soon, but worship of God is the core activity of All Saints, we are a worshipping community, and while we worship in our actions and in our daily lives, we also worship by bringing our best to God in music, art, and liturgy.
This is the theme of our Gospel reading this Sunday. Mary, the sister of Martha, was devoted to Jesus and she worships him by washing his feet with costly perfume. She is criticised for “wasting money” which could have been given to the poor, but Jesus rebukes her detractor. As in most things, there is need for a balance, a need for wisdom, but part of our calling is to bring a holy worship to God and this we will try to do!
This Sunday we will have the great pleasure of hearing David McPhee preach on this passage. Our scripture readings this week will be Isaiah 43:16-21, Philippians 3:4b-14, and John 12:1-8, and we will be singing the hymns All People that on Earth do Dwell, I will offer up my life, Be Thou My Vision, and Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts!
The readings can be found via this link and past services and sermons can be viewed via the All Saints audio-visual page!
Easter Services for 2019
Palm Sunday Service 14th April 11 am
– with Parading of the Palms
Good Friday Service 19th April 7 pm
– a solemn tenabrae service
Easter Sunday Service 21st April 11 am
– followed by potluck and Easter Egg hunt
Air Pollution
Although things seem better in the afternoon, the morning air quality in Chiang Mai remains poor. All Saints’ new air-filter worked well last Sunday and this will be in operation this week.
Amplification
The air-filter, whilst cleaning the air, does add slightly more background noise to our worship. Last Sunday we used a microphone on the lectern for the first time and this was very successful and will be used again this week!
Preaching in Lent
We are mightily blessed at All Saints to have a whole host of preachers. Throughout the Season of Lent, I am handing over the pulpit to five of them. This week we will hear from David McPhee! Thanks to Nate Tipton, Taylor Pfaff, Christa Crawford, and Helga Spring for their words for the last four weeks.
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 worshipping with us,
God bless,
Iain
All Saints' Chiang Mai 