Yes, ‘Easter Advent Calendars’ are all the rage – and there’s lots available, as you can see above. This is your chance to forget the dreariness of Lent and its grim associations with fasting and penance; instead we can have … Continue reading ‘Easter Advent Calendar?!’ Update from Taiwan: Surviving Lent, Looking to Easter!
It’s December 1, the first day of #MyAdventCalendar2021 and so here I start with a photo a day for the next 24 days of people here in Taiwan who I would like to ask you to pray for. It’s not really well-planned in advance, but they will all be real people who I invite to open that day’s window on the Advent Calendar to enjoy the chocolate inside, yum yum! Day 1: this is Yi-Ting 依婷, our newest and youngest colleague on the staff at St. John’s University (SJU) Chaplaincy, Taipei, she’s here sponsored by the Taiwan Episcopal Church. Yi-Ting … Continue reading My Advent Calendar 2021: Day 1 🕯️🎶🧸
Today’s tragic news is of a train accident early this morning in a tunnel in Hualien County, on Taiwan’s east coast, with many killed and injured. News is still coming in. We mourn and lament such terrible loss of life on this the first day of the Tomb-Sweeping Festival. Please do pray for all the victims, and for all those in shock and grief. Today is also Good Friday. We hear the words again of Jesus on the cross, ‘It is finished’. Last night we marked Maundy Thursday at Advent Church with a service which included foot-washing. This year, we … Continue reading ‘It is finished’: Maundy Thursday & Good Friday @ Advent Church
#AdventWord #Pray It is not easy to pray. The apostles knew that. That is why instead of a lesson on preaching, they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Jesus replied, “When you pray, say ‘Our Father.’” Prayer is relationship. When we say, “let us pray,” we open ourselves to a deeper and intimate relationship with God. We also open our hearts to humanity so we may intercede for the world. The Rev. Fred Vergara is the Missioner for Asiamerica Ministries for The Episcopal Church. Following the bombing of the mediaeval Coventry Cathedral in 1940, Provost Howard had the words ‘Father … Continue reading Advent Word 2019, Day 17 ‘Pray’
Ah, Green Island. What a place it is. For some in Taiwan it evokes memories of their youth and a taste of freedom as they rode motorcycles around the island enjoying the scenery. For others, it evokes terrible stories of … Continue reading Off to Green Island 綠島 Lyudao, Taitung, Taiwan with the Taiwan Episcopal Church 台灣聖公會2018年蒙恩得福家庭生活營!
Where to start with world peace?! A few weeks ago at St. James’ Church Youth Group in Taichung, we had the challenge of praying for the world. Challenge accepted! We prayed for the 16 countries officially listed as being located on the Tropic of Cancer, of which Taiwan is one (see that post here). This past Saturday was part 2, this time with a focus on world peace. We prayed for countries where war is a current reality. Wikipedia’s List of ongoing armed conflicts is very extensive, so we focused on 16 of the worst-affected countries. Not all are ‘at … Continue reading Praying for World Peace….
But where to start?! It’s quite a task to take on ‘praying for the world’ ~ so on Saturday night at the St. James’ Church Youth Group in Taichung, we started with, well, where else to start, but, of course, Taiwan! And we prayed around the Tropic of Cancer for all 16 officially-listed countries, one of which is Taiwan. Interestingly, many of those countries are very arid and dry ~ the Tropic of Cancer actually passes right through the middle of the Sahara Desert. And the highest mountain on the Tropic of Cancer is …… (drum roll here)… Yushan in … Continue reading Praying for the World…
It’s Maundy Thursday, and there’s an air of anticipation in our chaplain’s office here at St. John’s University as our students get ready for the service tonight ~ many have volunteered to take part in the foot-washing, and they’re excited! Excitement in Holy Week?! OK, it’s also the birthday of the leader of the student fellowship, and they’re all trying to keep their plans secret, but he knows something’s afoot and, well, we’ll just wait and see what happens! While I was in the UK last year, I was given a copy of the CMS publication, ‘365 Days of Yes’, … Continue reading Reconciling the World with God: Holy Week and Easter Reflection
The Church of England’s Holy Week and Easter short film of Psalm 22…. “My God, My God why have you forsaken me ?” The words spoken by Jesus on the Cross from Psalm 22 inspired our new JustPray video for Easter. The film follows on from The Lord’s Prayer advert launched by the Church last Christmas which was banned by cinemas for its religious content. The stars of the film have struggled with drug addiction, crime and homelessness on their journey to faith. Find out more about their stories here: http://www.justpray.uk/Psalm%2022/ Visit http://www.justpray.uk to learn more about prayer and to share your … Continue reading “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
Catherine Lee 