 WELCOMEToday we open the church doors for our first service back together since March. There is going to be some very mixed emotions from us all, from those able to attend and those worshipping at home, together yet apart. I’m not sure how I feel at this time of writing, a slight anxiety, a sense of relief, certainly some anticipation and also a great need to be fed spiritually. Let’s face it, I could never be a hermit! My spirituality is fed by a balance of personal and corporate prayer, silence and worshipping together. For me, time away from the humdrum of life is as important as regular collective worship. Some of us clergy have abstained from taking Holy Communion at home as we have felt it was the right thing to do, nobody else was able to, so why should we be any different? The eucharist is the central part of our worship, it feeds us, builds us up in order to be sent out into the world to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Living as disciples in the world. So to be without for so long has not been easy and there is a sense that we have missed being fed, we’re feeling a bit hungry? Nurturing my spirituality on pilgrimage to the Holy Land earlier this year is something I have shared with you on many occasion! And today’s gospel is the story of the feeding of the 5000. The picture above is the Church of the Multiplication, situated on the North West shore of the Sea of Galilee and is run by the Roman Catholic, German Benedictines. A short distance further along the coast is Peter’s House, where Jesus proclaimed Peter as the head of the church, and just inland is the Mount of Beatitudes, so a significant area where Jesus spent time teaching. The floor of the Church of the Multiplication is covered with the most amazing mosaics, and just in front of the very simple altar, is this mosaic of two fish and four loaves. Why only 4 loaves, because the 5th is Jesus, the Bread of Life! All four gospels have the story of the multiplication- ‘you give them something to eat.’ Being ‘hungry’ is not something that many of us really experience and I certainly am not one of those people who can purposefully fast during Lent. And life with growing children means there is usually a running noise…I’m hungry! At the moment we are encouraged to support the DEC appeal to help the people in places like Yemen and Syria, who are starving and having to cope with Covid-19. There are many pictures on the TV showing starving children and people standing in line for food. And then we hear these words from Jesus, ‘you give them something to eat!’ Jesus has withdrawn in a boat to a deserted place where he can pray and grieve. Grieve because his cousin, John the Baptist, had been brutally beheaded by Herod, on the whim of his wife and daughter. Jesus needs some time alone, I don’t blame him, and yet, there is no peace. People rush around the lake to try to catch up with him, they are hungry for more teaching. Jesus doesn’t seem to get annoyed or irritated by them all, he has compassion for them, these people are hungry for help and hope. So he spends more time with them, teaching and listening, and it is his compassion that draws these troubled people in. He turns to his disciples and says..’you give them something to eat.’ Jesus is teaching them to be compassionate so that they too can carry the message of Christ into a hungry world. At this point though they have no idea how to feed all these people, 5000 men plus the women and children! Jesus uses the little to help the multitudes, and even has some left over, this offers a real sense of hope, it is a powerful symbol. Remember in the Magnificat, Mary praises God who ‘has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty’ and in our OT reading from Isaiah, God calls ‘Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters…come, buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without price.’ When we see the appeals on TV and constantly being asked to help the local Food Banks etc, we could easily feel a sense of compassion burn out. So many people need help in so many ways, but I am just one person, what can I do? There is an overwhelming need in our society now more than ever. The pandemic has affected every single one of us and we may feel like saying….I have nothing here except five loaves and two fish. Jesus never runs out of compassion, his love is there for every individual and every crowd, and it is eternal. The theme for all our readings today is that God can take all our ‘not enough’ and turn them into ‘more than enough’. Amazing things can happen when we look with the eyes of Jesus and make ourselves open to the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t matter how much or little you have; it’s what God can do with it that matters. Small amounts of anything can give hope to others. How can I help? Sometimes a phone call, a £1 or a loaf of bread is enough. And if you are hungry in any way, we are here to help, together. ‘Give them something to eat’ I’ll finish today with my prayer I wrote sitting in the Church of the Multiplication. Heavenly Father, I pray for the way we share the Good News, the inclusivity of the gospel and that nothing is impossible with Jesus Christ. Turn our not enough into more than enough. Give us compassion to listen and share, and in all our weakness sustain us by your mighty power, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen I’m taking a break at the end of this week so I leave you in the very capable hands of churchwarden Stuart. Blessings. Revd Rosie Welcome in the name of Christ. God’s grace, mercy and peace be with you. and also with you. Faithful one, whose word is life. Come with saving power to free our praise, inspire our prayer and shape our lives for the kingdom of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. COLLECT Lord God, your Son left the riches of heaven and became poor for our sake: when we prosper save us from pride, when we are needy save us from despair, that we may trust in you alone; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. READINGS Isaiah 55.1-5 1 Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. 3 Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. 4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. 5 See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Psalm 145.8-9, 15-end Refrain: Great is the Lord and highly to be praised. 8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, long-suffering and of great goodness. 9 The Lord is loving to everyone and his mercy is over all his creatures. 15 The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all those who are bowed down. 16 The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, and you give them their food in due season. 17 You open wide your hand and fill all things living with plenty. [R] 18 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving in all his works. 19 The Lord is near to those who call upon him, to all who call upon him faithfully. 20 He fulfils the desire of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 21 The Lord watches over those who love him, but all the wicked shall he destroy. 22 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever. [R] Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen Romans 9.1-5 9 I am speaking the truth in Christ – I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit – 2 I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; 5 to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Gospel Reading Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord. Matthew 14.13-21 13 Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. 15 When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ 16 Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ 17 They replied, ‘We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.’ 18 And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’ 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. PRAYERS Give thanks to the Lord Call upon his name. Jesus, living bread, we come together as your guests. Unite all whom you invite into a closer body. Today we give thanks for our Archbishop Justin, Bishop Steven and Bishop Olivia, and for all local clergy. In this time of pandemic we pray for all those working together to bring worship back into our churches and for new and innovative ways of change, change to help us live as disciples of Christ here in Clewer. Jesus, living bread, you ensure none go hungry from your banquet. Stir leaders and governments to change structures that impoverish and lead to destitution. Forgive and overturn injustice whatever form it takes. Jesus, living bread, crowds came to you. Be among those who gather in what ever way they are able to celebrate your Word. Those in church and those at home. Refresh in us a zeal for your gospel. Jesus, living bread, your healing touch reached out to the sick. Pour out your restoring presence on all who call out to you. Help us to understand that our small offer of help to others can mean so much more. We pray for – Blake, Sam, Reuben, Margaret, David, Don, Karl, Hugh, Sarah, Elsie, Lesley, Joanna, Miriam, Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. Keep us all safe and help us to keep others safe, that we may remain healthy in body and mind. Jesus, living bread, you mourned the death of John the Baptist. Look with compassion on all who mourn the loss of Julie Boyd, Linda Smith, John Kempton, and Gwendoline Brocklehurst and those whose anniversary falls at this time. Raise us to new life with you. In this time of pandemic: Keep us, good Lord, under the shadow of your mercy. Sustain and support the anxious, be with those who care for the sick, and lift up all who are brought low; that we may find comfort knowing that nothing can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Merciful Father – we ask you to accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen Prayers adapted from Ian Black, Intercessions for Year A Blessing Go forth into the world in peace, be of good courage, hold fast that which is good, render to no one evil for evil, strengthen the fainthearted, support the weak, help the afflicted, honour everyone, love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit, and the blessing of God almighty, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you always. Amen SUNDAY MORNING PRAYER AT 10.30am This Sunday’s service in Church is Morning Prayer for all the Church Family. The order of service may be downloaded from here The service will be recorded, and should be uploaded later in the day. Details of arrangements below MP Readings Psalm 145 8-9, 15-end Matthew 14.13-21 —————————————————————-—————————————— SUNDAY COFFEE ZOOM AT 11.30am After you have attended Church, or watched or listened to this Sunday’s online service of your choice, we invite you to join us for a chat over coffee via Zoom at 11.30 for about half an hour. We will resend the meeting details later. —————————————————————-—————————————— SUNDAY EVENING PRAYER AT 5.00pm BCP evening prayer will continue this Sunday at 5pm via a Zoom link. We will send out the order of service, and the readings, later. EP Readings Psalm 80 1 Kings 10.1-13 Acts 13.1-13 —————————————————————-—————————————— EVENING PRAYER DURING THE WEEK We are continuing to hold Evening Prayer meetings every Tuesday and Thursday at 1700 (5.00pm). The liturgy is Common Worship in contemporary language. The best way to follow along is using the Church of England’s Daily Prayer App. It can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. We will resend the meeting details later. OXFORD DIOCESE CHURCH AT HOME 02 August 2020 10am – watch online or dial in The Rt Revd Humphrey Southern, Principal of Ripon College, Cuddesdon, and an Assistant Bishop in the Diocese, presides. The address is given by the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Olivia Graham. The service has been recorded in Cuddesdon’s Edward King Chapel. This week we are supporting the Disasters Emergency Committee’s COVID-19 Appeal. The pandemic has badly hit a number of countries, including Yemen, Syria and South Sudan. The effects of this have been especially felt in refugee camps and amongst displaced people who have little access to medical care, basic food, shelter and water. By supporting the DEC appeal there is a chance of protecting millions of vulnerable people and saving many lives. At the end of the service there will be an opportunity to donate to the appeal online, but you can donate at any time using the link below. Watch and participate in the service Remember to click the play button Download the order of service (PDF) Donate to the DEC appeal via Christian Aid Other ways to participate Watch on YouTube Watch on Facebook Listen on Soundcloud For those unable to watch or listen online dial 01865 920930 and, once connected, dial 0 for the full version of the service, or dial 1 a short version of the service. Standard call rates apply. There will be a few seconds of silence before the service starts. Reflections for a Church in Lockdown Episodes are available to listen to now, or download it wherever you get your podcasts (search ‘My extraordinary family’) https://blogs.oxford.anglican.org/podcast PLEASE PRAY FOR Community prayers: Clewer Green School, the head teacher Martin Tinsley and all the pupils, staff and governors now taking a well earned summer break. For all our Care Homes, for the safety of residents and staff. Parish Cycle of Prayer: Please pray for all who live or work in Shirley Avenue, Rutherford Close, West Crescent, East Crescent, Hatch Lane, and Firs Avenue. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Pray for the new Province of Alexandria – created from the former Diocese of Egypt with North Africa and the Horn of Africa in the Episcopal Church of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Pray also for the Churches in: Karnataka Central (South India), Karnataka North (South India), Karnataka South (South India), Ogbaru (Nigeria), Bondo (Kenya), Kasai – Mbujimayi (Congo), Ogbia (Nigeria), Bor (South Sudan), Umzimvubu (Southern Africa), Ogbomoso (Nigeria), Botswana (Central Africa), Brandon (Canada), Ogoni (Nigeria), Brasilia (Brazil), Brazzaville (Congo), Ogori-Magongo (Nigeria), Brechin (Scotland), Katakwa (Kenya). Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. NOTICES  Please be patient as we implement the recommendations to ensure everyone’s safety.The advice from the Church of England and Oxford Diocese is that we should all wear face coverings in Church. The one way system we used for Private Prayer is no longer in place, and all three aisles are in use. On entering the Church, please use the available hand sanitiser. We need to record who is attending Church, so will be keeping a log. A data protection (GDPR) statement is available. Please take an order of service, take it home after the service, and bring it back next Sunday. Please find a pew marked with the green Available Pew sign. One person, or one household/bubble per pew. If you would like to light a candle, please do so one by one. Take an unlit candle from the top of the candle stand, light it and then put it back. We will not be taking a collection during the service, your envelopes may be left in the brass collection plate as you leave. After the service, please leave the building promptly, keeping social distancing at all times. On leaving the Church, please use the hand sanitiser again. A short video showing the changes recently implemented PARISH MAILING LIST If you know of anyone who would like to receive the Pews News by email, please ask them to email office@clewerparish.org to be added to the list. We currently have 89 subscribers. We are still waiting to hear from you and share your stories. Please email them to rector@clewerparish.org or office@clewerparish.org Church Finances – message from Andrew If you are filling your envelopes and have a stack at home, if you can, please bring them round to the Rectory and we can get your giving paid in. Thank you In the light of this suspension of services you might like to consider continuing your regular giving by paying directly to our bank account, the details of which are: HSBC Bank, High Street, Windsor Sort Code: 40-47-37 Account number: 11373366 Account name: PCC St Andrews Church Symbols of hope and happiness – I would like to set you all a creative challenge. How about knitting or crocheting symbols of hope and happiness, flowers, hearts, crosses, doves etc. Any colours and shape. Then when we are able to gather, we can join them all together to make an altar frontal or a banner, in celebration of faith, hope and love. Let me know if you’d like to join in. Revd Rosie Pictures can be posted to the St Andrews Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/standrewsclewer Piano Appeal – St Andrews has been gifted a baby grand piano. This generous donation will be a wonderful addition to our music. The only drawback is that it needs to be moved from its present location to our Church, which will cost approximately £250, and needs to be moved ASAP. So if you would like to contribute to this appeal, please contact Revd Rosie or the parish office – office@clewerparish.org Windsor Foodshare – are now putting boxes in various locations in the area for donations. They welcome all non-perishable foods. Details on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/windsorfoodshare/ Christian Aid group appeal for DEC Coronavirus Appeal Dear Christian Aid friends and supporters As you may have seen on the BBC and ITN last week and from other reports in the media the Disasters Emergency Committee has launched a major Global Coronavirus Appeal. Millions of lives are at stake as Covid-19 hits refugee camps and war torn countries like Yemen, Syria, Somalia, South Sudan, DR Congo, Afghanistan and the Royingha camps in Bangladesh. Many people are living in crowded camps with little access to medical care, clean water or enough food, making them extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. The virus is now spreading much more rapidly in the developing world and this is likely to become, sadly, a bigger story in the next few weeks. Christian Aid is one of 13 major aid agencies who are part of the DEC, along with CAFOD, Oxfam and TearFund and here in Windsor we are supporting their work raising funds for this appeal. We know that many of you have given generously already this year but we believe it is important to get behind this appeal and ask you to consider giving generously again. Please either donate directly to the DEC website: https://www.dec.org.uk/appeal/coronavirus-appeal Or through our own justgiving website (the advantage to this is we can see how much we have raised): https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/windsorca Thank you for considering this appeal. Mulle Price Windsor Christian Aid Group Trevor Morgan’s Fundraising for a school in Kenya Trevor has asked us to remind you that he is still collecting banknotes and coins, from any country, any age. The need for funds in the school in Nakuru, Kenya is even greater as a result of the pandemic and like here, the school has had to close, and children are struggling. Trevor is happy to collect coins and notes from anyone. Please email the Parish Office – office@clewerparish.org – if you can help. Psalm Resource Robert, our organist, has sent us a link to a YouTube video of Psalms being sung by Guildford Cathedral Choir, directed by Barry Rose, during services at Guildford Cathedral and elsewhere, 1961-1974. It is many hours in length, and there is a key to which psalms are where in the recording in the first comment on the video. Click ‘Read more’ to expand the comment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9uHfqSnU94 You might find that it helps to reflect and relax in these times. Thanks to Robert.  WEST WINDSOR HUB A PROVISION FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY – A SUPPORT HELP-LINE CONNECTING YOU TO RESOURCES AND ASSISTANCE OR A FRIENDLY CHAT OVER THE PHONE If you have help from family or friends we encourage you to continue to accept help from them as usual. If any of your circumstances change and you need help from outside these support groups then please contact us to let us know. If you are having difficulties we advise you to call the HUB number above and we’ll arrange help for you. More information: https://allsaintschurchdedworth.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/WestWindsorHub CONTACTS The Parish Office is now closed. Sharon (our administrator) is currently on furlough. Out of hours office number: 07490 094261 Email: office@clewerparish.org – Stuart will pick up any emails Revd Rosie Webb: rector@clewerparish.org Tel: 01753 852334 Parish website: www.standrewsclewer.org Churchwarden: Stuart Cockman Pastoral helpline number: 07946 590223 |
02 August 2020 – Eighth Sunday after Trinity
