All Saints Gazette: Into the Harvest
Greetings from All Saints! This week:
Monday t/m Friday, 9:00 and 18:00: Morning and Evening Prayer on Zoom
Sunday, 6 July, Eucharist at Vrijburg (also join on Zoom)
For online events, see church calendar for link (note: Sunday is the same link as morning and evening prayer)
In the coming Sunday’s Gospel reading, Jesus sends seventy people out in groups to all the places he himself intended to go. “The harvest is plentiful,” he says. They shared God’s peace, received whatever food or shelter was provided, and announced the coming of the kingdom of God. On that note, with so many of us gone for the summer and a few taking their leave for the foreseeable future, it seems fitting to make this our big sending out service. We will pause our twice-monthly Eucharist for the remainder of July and the first and third Sundays in August.
When the seventy find their way back to one another and to Jesus, they are amazed that demons submitted to them. We can spend all day working out (or not) exactly what that meant then or would mean now. But whatever else, it means that the member’s of Jesus’ community have a power that comes from their relationship with him and one another. And this is the bit that a certain sort Christianity which we often view with suspicion gets half right: we are not powerless. It take some doing to discern just what power we have, but commit yourself to that. Ask God to show you. And then come back. Meet us in August and September to rejoice over this and even greater things!
We will join the Kerkasiel in Kampen again with a simple Eucharist and Agape meal at noon on 31 August, and then have our first Welcome Back Eucharist on 7 September at Vrijburg.
Mark your calendar: Kerkasiel Eucharist on 31 August
On 31 August, those of us who are able will return to the Kampen to once again hold a Sunday Eucharist in support of their Kerkasiel action, which is all the more critical as the Second Chamber considers sharper restrictions on refugees (and I’ve already poured out my heart to God about recent judicial, legislative, and executive actions in my own country, so I’ll spare you just this once). It would be good to have a strong showing, and we will of course need readers, perhaps someone to accompany music, and people to help out in ways that will become apparent. So plan to come!
Daily Prayer in July and August
We will pause our online daily morning and evening prayer from 15 July to 15 August. I strongly encourage you to continue praying some portion of the office on your own, and feel free to reach out if you would like some help figuring out how to do that. If you don’t have a Book of Common Prayer (or find the format cumbersome), you can use the tools from Mission St. Clare, Forward Day by Day, or Venite (these also have apps for Apple products; apparently Google is being stupid and has blocked their apps in the Android store).
Planting, Watering, and Harvesting
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
Bringing in the Sheaves
Okay, so my brain is fried by the heat and I’ve got nothing this week, EXCEPT this beloved (if, strictly speaking, kind of stupid) classic of old time American Protestant hymnody that is… well, it’s so bad it’s awesome. And if you love me, please pretend to love it. Offered in two versions: a knee-slappin’ sing-a-long from Tennesee Ernie Ford (who was apparently not just a character in two I Love Lucy episodes, #iykyk), and a one-man-show-with four-parts from a Nigerian Youtuber whose channel I’ve just bookmarked and will be listening to obsessively for the next few months because he’s awesome.
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
