From Father Iain, All Saints Chiang Mai
Whose land is it anyway?
Dear Friends,
I am writing this to you from England in the last week of my trip away. Of course England means the “land of the Angles” and right now there’s a lot of political discussion about who belongs here and who doesn’t. That’s a topic for another day, but a few years ago I heard of a conversation between a foreigner and a Thai. The foreigner was complaining that it was ridiculous that they couldn’t buy a house in Thailand. The Thai responded that the clue is in the name: “It’s called Thailand,” she said, “not Foreignland. Land can only belong to Thais!”
Psalm 24 says “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it.” The earth is Godsland, God’s kingdom! That is the message of our Old Testament and Gospel readings this week. The Kingdom of God was being usurped by its existing tenants, the Pharisees and Sadducees, and they even rejected the authority of the Son of the Kingdom!
Do we really let God have God’s way in the world? Do we ask, in every situation from migration to climate change, to how we treat our neighbour, what would Jesus do? This is the challenge of the Christian life!
The readings for this Sunday will be from Isaiah 5:1-7, Philippians 3:4-14, and Matthew 21:33-46, and we will be singing the hymns Morning has Broken; Beauty for Brokenness; O Lord, the Clouds are Gathering; and To God be the Glory!
We now use YouTube Live to livestream our service.
To watch our service live this Sunday please follow these steps:
1) Click on the link below, and this will take you to the All Saints Chiang Mai YouTube channel.
2) Then click on “All Saints Chiang Mai is Live” to watch the service
Use this link to join our Sunday service on YouTube Live!
Last Week’s Sermon
Please find this last week’s sermon and our catalogue of sermons on the All Saints YouTube Channel
Harvest Thanksgiving
Next Sunday, the 4th of October, I’ll be back in Chiang Mai and we will have our Harvest Thanksgiving in the church, followed by a potluck at the vicarage. Put the date in your diary and decide what you’re going to bring.
Travels Ending
I will be back with you in Chiang Mai on Sunday 4th October. I’ve been away for almost two months. It’s been a good two months helping Ratcha find a place in Paris, spending time in France and Switzerland, and then time in England with my mum, visiting old friends and my church in Sheffield. It’s also been quite a tough time. My Parkinson’s disease is not getting any better, and I’m finding it quite difficult to drive long distances. I think this will be the last long trip I’ll be doing. I suspected it might be before the start, but I’m really excited about getting back to Thailand. I’ve got lots of plans for things I want to do at All Saints. I’m sure, together, things will go forward in a great way.
Please pray for Ratcha as she adjusts to studying in France and having everything in French. Pray for me and Mum as we return to Chiang Mai and settle back into life together there.
Thanks for all your support and allowing me to have this time of travel and rest. It’s not been very restful, actually, but it has been a useful time of travel and reflection.
Coming Soon – Chili Night returns on 6th October!
Chili Night returns on Tuesday 6th October at 6pm! See you soon!
Weekly Offering to All Saints
You can still donate in person or online – and now you can use our QR code!. Thank you for your support and love for All Saints and all we are trying to do together. God has shown that God is mighty and we are in God’s hands!
God bless you,
Father Iain
