All Saints' Chiang Mai

From Rev Iain Baxter, All Saints Chiang Mai

Last Sunday at All Saints

Dear Friends,

What does it mean when someone says they are “born again”?  What does the Bible say about it?  This week our Gospel passage is from John chapter three, where Jesus talks about being “born again” or, more properly “born from above”.  What was Jesus talking about, and what do we have to do about it?  This will be the theme of our sermon this week.

A little further ahead, we will have our next Theology on Tap session.  This will be at the UN Irish Pub on Friday 24th March, again beginning at 7 p.m.  Our theme this month is Miracles and the Supernatural.

Also, If you would like to give regularly to All Saints by bank transfer, please fill in the sheet at the back of church with your name and the name of your bank.  We will then contact you with details of how this can be done.  You can also give in pounds or dollars via the church website: https://allsaintschiangmai.com/donate/

This Sunday our scripture readings will be Genesis 12:1-4, Romans 4:1-5, 13-17, and John 3:1-17, and we will be singing the hymns The God of Abraham Praise, I have decided to follow Jesus, When in our Music God is Glorified, and All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name!  The readings can be found via this link!

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

From Rev Iain Baxter, All Saints Chiang Mai

Ash Wednesday at All Saints

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Dear Friends,

We have now entered the season of Lent.  Fifteen of us gathered for our Ash Wednesday service last night and marked the solemn beginning of this holy season with the imposition of ashes and prayers of penitence.

However, although Lent is a season for reflection, it is not a time of darkness or sorrow, for although we consider our own short-comings, we also look forward to the good news of Easter.  Lent is released from the void of darkness because we have the knowledge that our sins are forgiven and that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Pictures and video from last week’s Pancake Sunday can be found on the All Saints Facebook Page.

This Sunday our bible readings are Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Romans 5:12-19, and Matthew 4:1-11, and we will be singing the hymns O Worship the King, Forty Days and Forty Nights, Take My Life, and What a friend we have in Jesus.  The readings can be found via this link!

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

From Rev Iain Baxter, All Saints Chiang Mai

Dear Friends,

Don’t forget!

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and we will have our Ash Wednesday Service beginning at 7 p.m.

This will included the imposition of ashes and we will be singing the hymns Abide with Me, O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go, and The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended

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

From Rev Iain Baxter, All Saints Chiang Mai

Part of last year’s huge pile of pancakes!

This Friday:          Theology on Tap!
This Sunday:        Pancake Potluck
Next Wednesday: Ash Wednesday Service

Dear Friends,

This week at All Saints we will celebrate “Pancake Sunday”!  There will be a Pancake Potluck following the morning service. We will supply the pancakes, please bring toppings to share! We will also have pancake races – so bring your running shoes!  All are welcome to join!   Pancake Sunday is part of our preparation for Lent which begins on 1st March, Ash Wednesday. At All Saints we will be having our Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m.

Lent is a time for reflection and repentance – a time to consider how much we still need to change to become like Jesus – but this Sunday we will celebrate the Transfiguration when we see Jesus himself transformed.  The message of the Transfiguration may be that we need to change too, but it is the guarantee of God’s power to transform us if we allow the Holy Spirit to have her way!

Meanwhile, This Friday our Theology on Tap group will move to a new venue: The Pub!  The Pub is on Huaykaew Road opposite Maya shopping mall, and our meeting will begin at 7 p.m.  This month’s topic will be “Sin and Repentance”.  All are welcome – don’t worry if it is your first time!

This Sunday our bible readings are Exodus 24:12-18, 2 Peter 1:16-21, and Matthew 17:1-9, and we will be singing the hymns Awake My Soul, and with the Sun, Swiftly Pass the Clouds of Glory, Be Thou My Vision, and Transfiguration Hymn!  The readings can be found via this link!

God bless,

Iain

From Rev Iain Baxter, All Saints Chiang Mai

Dear Friends,

Jesus said “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  Why did he say such a thing?  In the remainder of the sentence he gives the answer: “so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.”  We are called to love our enemies, because we are called to love all people, just as God loves all people.

Those of you who are English, may have been following the debate in the Church of England General Synod on same-sex relationships and marriage.  This is an area where the Church is divided and it is easy to see the “other” as the “enemy”.  I am rejoicing in the result, which rejected a report saying that marriage could only be between a man and woman, and that sexual expression in any other context was sinful.  However, we must still remember to love those who have a different view, for only then are we acting as children of our Father in heaven.

This week at All Saints, we will be looking at those very verses which call upon us to love our enemies, as we read from Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18, 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23, and Matthew 5:38-48, and we will be singing the hymns Immortal Invisible God only Wise, They’ll know we are Christians by our Love, One Bread One Body, and Stand up stand up for Jesus!  The readings can be found via this link!

Next week our Theology on Tap group will move to a new venue: The Pub!  Our next meeting will be on Friday 24th February at The Pub, beginning at 7 p.m.  Our topic will be “Sin and Repentance”.  All are welcome!

It is the British tradition to eat pancakes on the day before Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on Wednesday 1st March. The day is known as Shrove Tuesday or, more popularly, Pancake Day.  At All Saints there will be a Pancake Potluck next Sunday, 26th February, following the morning service. We will supply the pancakes, please bring toppings to share! All are welcome to join!

A little further ahead, Lent begins on Wednesday 1st March when we will be having our Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m.

God bless,

Iain

From Rev Iain Baxter, All Saints Chiang Mai

Dear Friends,

In this week’s reading from Deuteronomy, Moses urges the people of Israel to choose life!  Every day we are offered the same choice: will we choose to really live, or will we compromise, perhaps hoping for an easy life?  Going God’s way is the way of real life – life in all its fulness!  “Do not be afraid!” said the Angel Gabriel. May God give us courage to step out in faith and live life to the full!

This week’s bible readings are Deuteronomy 30:15-20, 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, and Matthew 5:21-37, and we will be singing the hymns Praise my Soul the King of Heaven, Give me Jesus, For the Bread Which You Have Broken, and Now Thank We All Our God.  The readings can be found via this link!

This month our Theology in Tap group will move to a new venue: The Pub!  Our next meeting will be on Friday 24th February at The Pub, beginning at 7 p.m.  Our topic will be “Sin and Repentance”.  All are welcome!

A little further ahead, Lent begins on Wednesday 1st March when we will be having our Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m.

It is the British tradition to eat pancakes on the day before Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on Wednesday 1st March. The day is known as Shrove Tuesday or, more popularly, Pancake Day.  At All Saints there will be a Pancake Potluck on Sunday 26th February following the morning service. More instructions to follow! All are welcome to join!

God bless,

Iain

From Rev Iain Baxter, All Saints Chiang Mai

Dear Friends,

In this week’s Gospel reading, Jesus calls his disciples the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  That includes us too!  How are we being salt and light in our society, amongst our friends, in our work place or school?  Are we really “good news” to those around us?  This week I will be asking us these questions, and exploring how we can really make a difference in the world around us and so give glory to God!

This Sunday’s scripture readings are Isaiah 58:1-12, 1 Corinthians 2:11-16, and Matthew 5:13-20, and we will be singing the hymns All People that on Earth do Dwell, Salt of the Earth, Break Thou the Bread of Life,and A Little Bit of Salt.  The readings can be found via this link!

A little further ahead, Lent begins on Wednesday 1st March when we will be having our Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m.  It is the British tradition to eat pancakes on the day before Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on Wednesday 1st March. The day is known as Shrove Tuesday or, more popularly, Pancake Day.  At All Saints there will be a Pancake Potluck on Sunday 26th February following the morning service. More instructions to follow! All are welcome to join!

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,

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God bless,

Iain

From Rev Iain Baxter, All Saints Chiang Mai

Dear Friends,

This week we have our much-anticipated next meeting of Theology on Tap  We will gather this Friday, 27th January, and we will be discussing the Canon of Scripture and how the Bible was formed.  We will again meet at Gekko Garden beginning at 7 p.m. for food, drink, and chat!

The scriptures are at the centre of our understanding of God, so our understanding of the scriptures is a crucial part of our faith and of how we “do theology”.  I am sure we will share a wide range of views, and all ideas are welcome.  Come on Friday if you can!  Click here to read more and download some background reading to prepare for the night!

Then on Sunday, after last week’s sermon on joy, which you can read here, I shall this week be looking at God’s love, and how our understanding of that love can strengthen and develop the joy in our lives and the lives of others.   This Sunday’s readings are Micah 6:1-8, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, and Matthew 5:1-12, and we will be singing the hymns Praise with joy the world’s Creator, The world needs love, I am the Bread of Life, and Tell Out My Soul.  The readings can be found via this link!

God bless,

Iain

From Rev Iain Baxter, All Saints Chiang Mai

Are we ready to know God?

Dear Friends,

It is still the season of Epiphany when we celebrate the revelation of God to the world!  Are we ready to have God more fully revealed in our lives?  Come to All Saints this week with expectation as we encounter the living God.

This Sunday’s readings are Isaiah 9:1-4, 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, and Matthew 4:12-23, and we will be singing the hymns O Worship the King, Open my Eyes that I may see, One Bread One Body, and All My Hope on God Is Founded.  The readings can be found via this link!

Then next week, the next meeting of Theology on Tap will be on Friday 27th January when we will be discussing the Canon of Scripture and how the Bible was formed.  We will again meet at Gekko Garden beginning at 7 p.m. for food, drink, and chat!

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

From Rev Iain Baxter, All Saints Chiang Mai

We are in Epiphany!

Dear Friends,

The season of Christmas is over for another year, and we are now in the season of Epiphany.  Nate Tipton shared this visual map of the Christian year which shows us how we reflected on both the story of Jesus and the story of the people of God.

In Epiphany we emphasise that God has been revealed to us in Jesus, and this week we will be looking at how that revelation makes a different call on the life of each one of us.  What has God, and is God, calling you to do?

This Sunday’s readings are Isaiah 49:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:1-9, and John 1:29-42, and we will be singing the hymns Let All the World in Every Corner Sing, Will you come and Follow Me?, One Bread One Body, and I the Lord of Sea and Sky!  The readings can be found via this link!

A little further ahead, the next meeting of Theology on Tap will be on 27th January when we will be discussing the Canon of Scripture.  We will again meet at Gekko Garden beginning at 7 p.m. for food, drink, and chat!

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