May 28, 2025

All Saints Gazette: Above All Things

This week at All Saints:
Monday to Friday, 9:00 and 18:00—Morning and Evening Prayer on Zoom
Sunday, 1 June, 17:30—Eucharist and Potluck Meal at Vrijburg (also on Zoom)
For online events, see church calendar for links.

Since you live in the Netherlands, you are probably aware that Thursday is the Feast of the Ascension. Not just a Dutch holiday, the 40th day after Easter is one of the principal feasts of the Church Year. We will not be able to have a Eucharist, but will commemorate the occasion during morning and evening prayer on Zoom. And if I hear that any of the other Convocation churches is live casting their service or having something on Zoom, I’ll pass it along on the WA group. If you are up for a service in Dutch, our friends at the Old Catholic parishes in Amsterdam and Haarlem are having services, both at 10:00, and Haarlem will have a livestream.

Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
(Collect for Ascension, BCP)

You can find the readings and prayers here if you wish to meditate on them on your own.

Sunday Eucharist and Meal

This Sunday, the final Sunday of the Easter season, takes us to the tensions of Jesus’ simultaneous presence and absence. The Gospel reading presents us with his prayer for his followers in all ages, that all may be one. We will pray and reflect what it means to be a community of the present and absent Jesus, particularly when we disagree and hurt each other. As usual, we will use an online bulletin, so bring a device that can access Wifi if you have one (and if you have an extra you can share, bring that too). And naturally, stick around for the semi-official sacrament of dinner. If you can, bring something to share (friendliness to common dietary restrictions is appreciated where possible, but no gift will be refused).

Support All Saints!

There are countries where churches receive a fair amount of support from their governments, or where the government collects a “church tax” from members and passes it along. There are (or historically have been) churches that can depend on the philanthropy of a few rich people to support their lives. While there are definite advantages to these models, neither is an option for us. So we make a virtue of a necessity! All Saints is what we make it, and what God makes it through us. Can you give something this week? How about every week? Try on a practice of regular giving and see if God doesn’t bless you and us through it!

Use the QR code or this link, or make a transfer through your banking app (the latter saves us a few cents). Please consider making your offering recurring, and pray about what you are called to pledge when we have our winter pledge drive.

Bank details
All Saints Amsterdam
IBAN NL32 TRIO 0320 8657 62
BIC TRIONL2U

“Did you forget about us after you had flown away?”

Here’s one from the vaults (at any rate, the vaults of my youth in the 90s). This song is from the last album of the Christian singer Rich Mullins (he died before it was complete). Mullins is one of those artists who was mainly known for the way one song was somewhat unfortunately claimed by a particular agenda, but was so much more than that. This one takes a different tone with the Ascension than the joy and triumph we normally highlight, and it asks it asks a fair question.

That’s all for Today! Want to talk to a priest? We want to talk to you too!

Website: https://allsaintsamsterdam.church
Mpho: mpho@allsaintsamsterdam.church
Kyle: kyle@allsaintsamsterdam.church
General: info@allsaintsamsterdam.church
Instagram: @allsaintsamsterdam.church