All Saints Gazette: Magnify!
Greetings from All Saints!
Upcoming events:
Christmas Eve Service, 24 December, 17:00, Vrijburg
Morning and Evening Prayer: Every weekday at 9:00 and 18:00
Next Sunday Service: 5 January, 17:30, Vrijburg
For online events, see church calendar for Zoom link
In this Sunday’s Gospel reading, Mary visits Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s baby leaps in the womb when she enters. And Mary, whose body is magnifying God, sings a song about her soul magnifying God. Oh, and the might are cast down, the lowly lifted up, the hungry filled, and the rich sent away empty, presumably so that they can return empty and be full. What do you need to be emptied of? What do you want to be filled with? Pray for God to help with that—God has some experience in these matters. You can also text a fellow churchgoer and ask them to pray for you. And you’ve got your priests’ numbers!
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_the_Sign#/media/File:Oranta.jpg
What does Christmas Eve look like at All Saints Amsterdam? Let’s find out!
You have this one in your calendar, right? 17:00 in our usual place! If you don’t have to bolt afterward, stick around for a borrel, and bring some borrelhapjes if you can.
Bible Study and Prayer lab Paused
We need to think and pray a little about what the Thursday programing is for, whether it’s perhaps served its purpose, and what we might do instead. So let’s call it on hiatus until further notice. Weekday morning and evening prayer continue on Zoom, including on Thursday evening (see calendar for link).
Beloved Community Corner
The Convocation’s Racial Justice and Beloved Community ministry (Mpho is the canon in charge of that) has made its Third Advent Devotional available. Click here for the whole thing!
…it is the expectation of a group, a community,
a Christian family who, every year during the month of December, choose to slow down the hectic pace of their lives to rest, to listen (Hear, O Israel), to observe, to scrutinize, and to wonder if this unimaginable, incredible good news, that of the arrival of a Savior, a Messiah, God's chosen one—His Son—isn't, against all odds, delicately right here, so close to us…
Welcome to our new bishop’s committee!
We once again express our gratitude to the inaugural bishop’s committee for all of their work getting us set up last year. Loud applause for Erin, Zinzy, and Hans! Welcome and gratitude to Bart and Chris for being willing to join the committee, and to Zinzy and Hans, who will return for another go!
Newsletter paused, but community and priests still available!
Let’s just say that this is the last newsletter until the new year, though there will be a reminder about our (Eve of) Epiphany liturgy on 5 January. Put that on your calendar! Many of us are traveling in the coming weeks, but Mpho and I anticipate having access to email and WhatsApp, and the church WA group will remain active. Send us pictures and stories of your travels and celebrations!
Keep a good thing going!
Keep investing in the community you want, in the person you want to be, and in what God is doing among us. 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
You can’t improve on perfection!
Gospel singer and civil rights activist Mahalia Jackson recorded what I think is about the best version of one of the most theologically rich songs the black church in America has come up with (and that’s saying something)! I feel like my commentary could only ruin it, so have a prayerful listen.
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
