06 September 2020 – Thirteenth Sunday of Trinity

WELCOME
It’s cold, it’s murky, it’s muddy and, it brings a sense of liberation. It is Open Water Swimming! Over the summer I have discovered a new pastime, I never thought I would as I’m the kind of swimmer who really likes to see what’s underneath me. I try to keep my feet as near to the surface as possible in the sea and you won’t get me swimming through seaweed!

But, open water swimming seems to have changed something within me, I’ve found a new sense of freedom and liberation. Taking that first plunge in, remembering to breath and let my body adjust to the cold water, then stretching out to swim across the lake. Soon my body relaxes, all the tension begins to disappear because my mind focusses on what is going on around me. The bulrushes and reeds blow gentle and rustle along the waters edge, a duck comes out to say hello and the moorhen sits on her nest watching me as if to say ‘don’t mind me, I’m just minding my babies’. As I try to keep my breaststroke rhythm going around the 400m course, I feel a tickle, something is wrapping itself around my neck, weeds! Keep going, don’t panic, don’t stop, its only weeds, swim through them and try not to think about fish! The weeds gradually slip off as I continue my way. Onto my back for a change of view, wow the sky massive! The wind gently blows across my face as I look up at the clouds and begin to feel at one with God’s creation. I am bound to God not the weeds, set free by the crucified Christ, who takes away the sins of the world to liberate creation into a loving relationship with God.

I am reminded of Moses, he was bound in his basket by the rushes and God sent a princess to loose him. Naman didn’t want to wash in the murky waters of the Jordan, he nearly wasn’t liberated from his illness, God sent a servant girl to help him.

Binding and Loosing as you have probably gathered is the theme for today’s readings, they are the keys to the kingdom given to Peter in Matt 16 and then to all the disciples in today’s gospel. We all struggle with things that bind us and burden us, things that tie us down, things that prevent us from moving forward. And we are reminded in the previous passage that we are not to be a stumbling block to others but to be like children.

Last week I talked about Christian in the story of Pilgrims Progress, he carried the burdens of the world on his shoulders, he stepped out with a feeling of burden in his body and as he progressed the burdens got heavier, then as he reached the cross at the top of Hill Difficulty the straps broke/loosed and the burdens rolled away.
There are things that bind us in a negative way, like holding onto things, moaning, holding grudges, or grumbling or undermining each other.  In a positive way, how is it therefore that we are to hold together?

Books are bound to keep the pages together, bias binding and thread hold a garment together. We are to bind ourselves and one another to Jesus. God has bound himself to us through a loving covenant, Jesus Christ, his incarnation, and death and resurrection.

Sometimes its easier to swim in a nice clean swimming pool, we can see the bottom clearly so nothing to be afraid of or challenge us in that way. And we’d rather lead a simpler life as Christians, but, is it exciting? Is it liberating? But… we still have to jump in! Jumping in is allowing God to lead us, binding ourselves to him means we recognise our sins, our weaknesses, our faults. I can tell you, swimming in open water is tough!

Loosing is about liberation, about letting things go and setting people free. We don’t like to face people or things that make us feel uncomfortable, none of us do. By jumping in with God we are set free and therefore, can help set others free to start again. In Ezekiel, God longs for people to turn away from their wickedness and live. When we loosen someone, we give them the space to be themselves, we can help to remove the weeds that tangle them. Fear, anger, grief, envy, poverty, discrimination, oppression, to name but a few. These are forces that besiege us in body, mind and spirit. Liberating people means they are truly free to walk away if they choose. And the good news of the Christian faith declares that God loves everyone and just wants them to live a life in all its fullness.

Today we return to our Eucharist, a blessed sacrament that we have missed so much. In the NT reading, Paul, urges us to ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ’, clothing that binds us to Christ, to take up the responsibility of binding and loosing, being part of the transformative work of Christ in the world. The Eucharist is an important sacrament that binds us to Christ and feeds us and frees us and liberates us to go out and flourish.

When the water is murky and the thought of fish nipping your feet, that’s the time to just keep swimming, the time to increase our faith and trust in each other, not in isolation, but together. What stops you from sharing your faith? What is it that God wants you to jump in and do?  Faith is binding and liberating, it’s exciting and takes your breath away, it powers you on and gives you strength to face the cold and weeds and mud of the world. We aren’t all called to jump into the river to swim but we are all called to jump into God and all that he offers.

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

Almighty God,
you search us and know us:
may we rely on you in strength
and rest on you in weakness,
now and in all our days;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

READINGS

Ezekiel 33.7-11
 
7 So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. 8 If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked ones, you shall surely die’, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. 9 But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.
 
10 Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?’ 11 Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?
 
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
 
Romans 13.8-end
 
8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
 
11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; 12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; 13 let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. 14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
 
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 18.15-20
 
15 ‘If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’
 
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ. PRAYERS – (Adapted from Intercessions Year A by Ian Black)

Lord of faith and truth
We bless your holy name
 
Lord, you are among us even when we are few in number physically, gathered in your name in so many ways. Strengthen and bless all who meet to celebrate your sacraments and feed on your word.  We give thanks today as we return to our Eucharist and we pray for all those taking services back in church for the first time today. In your love, fulfil all that your law upholds.
Lord of faith and truth
We bless your holy name
 
Lord, you are among us in disputes and agreements. Open our hearts to your reconciling grace. Heal the hurt of injuries borne and evil intent.
Lord of faith and truth
We bless your holy name
 
Lord, you are among us when we share food and tell stories of your guiding presences. Encourage and sustain us in your fellowship. We give thanks for Prayers and Bears who restarted out in the Pirate Park this week and for our new young mums zoom study group on starting next week.  Come alongside us as we accompany one another on our journey of faith.
Lord of faith and truth
We bless your holy name
 
Lord, you are among us in sickness and health. Teach us to see through our frailty to your loving mercy that always holds us. We pray especially for those known to us and to you alone oh Lord, Blake, Sam, Reuben, Margaret, David, Don, Karl, Hugh, Sarah, Elsie, Lesley, Joanna, Pam, Andy, Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. And for those who continue to suffer the affects of Covid 19.
For clinicians’ skill and friends who are there whatever befalls, we give you thanks.
Lord of faith and truth
We bless your holy name
 
Lord, you are among us when tears flow and day turns to night. Gather to yourself all who have died, Joyce Doe and all whose anniversary falls at this time. Bring us to the joy of the dawning new day of your resurrection.
Lord of faith and truth
We bless your holy name
 
Lord, you are among us, be with our schools, colleges and universities as they welcome the student in. Be with those youngsters as they begin this new part of their journey in education. Support them in their anxieties, may they not be overwhelmed but find friendship, care, compassion and kindness. We give thanks for staff and leadership and their commitment to education particularly in the current constraints and challenges.
Lord of faith and truth
We bless your holy name
 
Merciful father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

God our creator,
you feed your children with the true manna,
the living bread from heaven:
let this holy food sustain us through our earthly pilgrimage
until we come to that place where hunger and thirst are no more;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
 
Amen

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

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SUNDAY EUCHARIST AT 10.30am
 
This Sunday’s service in Church is a Eucharist.
The order of service may be downloaded from here
The service will be recorded, and should be uploaded to YouTube later.
The readings are the same as the readings above.

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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. 

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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 108
Ezekiel 12.21-13.16
Acts 19.1-20

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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.

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WEDNESDAY HOLY COMMUNION AT 10.00am
 
The Church is still open on Wednesdays from 10am-12 for private prayer. Revd Rosie will conduct a short Eucharist service at 10am for those who wish to take communion. This gives us an additional or alternative opportunity to receive the Sacrament and also to help with limited number of seating.

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PRAYERS AND BEARS
 
Prayers and Bears will now be held at the Pirate Park every Friday at 10.00 am as we can’t meet in church.

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OXFORD DIOCESE CHURCH AT HOME

06 September 2020 10am

A very warm welcome to Church at Home this thirteenth Sunday after Trinity. We are delighted that the Rt Revd Steven Croft, Bishop of Oxford, is presiding and that the Rt Revd Olivia Graham, Bishop of Reading, is giving the address from her home. This Sunday we celebrate the theme of Nature and Creation and encourage churches to think about holding their own Climate Sunday services this autumn. The order of service is available to download now and, as ever, all links to view or listen to the service will be available around an hour before the service starts on Sunday. Download the order of service (PDF) Set a reminder to watch on YouTube at 10am Listen online at 10am Other video and audio links will be posted on Sunday Please note: our dial-in telephone service is unavailable this weekend.  Live-streamed and ‘as live’ worship is available for everyone across the Diocese of Oxford, these services complement the prayers, meditations and worship offered by local churches. Our principal Diocesan services take place at 10 am each Sunday, except during August. https://www.oxford.anglican.org/coronavirus-covid-19/livestream
 
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

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PLEASE PRAY FOR

The suffering: Blake, Sam, Reuben, Margaret, David, Don, Karl, Hugh, Sarah, Elsie, Lesley, Joanna, Pam, Andy, Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn.
 
The departed: those recently departed this life, Joyce Doe and those whose anniversaries fall at this time.
 
Community prayers: Clewer Green School, the head teacher Martin Tinsley and all the pupils, staff and governors, who returned to school this week. 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 Cleves Court, Carter Close, St Johns Road, Gordon Road, Dawson Close, Convent Road, and Bailey Close.
 
Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Pray for the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. Please pray also for the Churches in Oru (Nigeria), Canberra & Goulburn (Australia), Osaka (Japan), Canterbury (England), Osun (Nigeria), Cape Coast (West Africa), Osun North (Nigeria), Cape Town (Southern Africa), Carlisle (England), Osun North East (Nigeria), Cashel & Ossory (Ireland), Ottawa (Canada), and Central Buganda (Uganda).
 
Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe.

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NOTICES

SUNDAY MORNING EUCHARIST


Please be patient as we implement the recommendations to ensure everyone’s safety.  Please note that in the event that all available pews are taken, we may not allow any more people into Church, as we must not exceed our maximum capacity, for everyone’s’ safety.
 
At all times, please keep at least two metres away from people not in your own household, this includes when entering and leaving the church, receiving communion, and when taking your pew.
The advice from the Church of England and Oxford Diocese is that we must all wear face coverings in Church unless we have an exemption. However, this does not apply to worship leaders, who do not have to wear face coverings when leading worship.
 
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 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.
 
After the Eucharistic Prayer and Agnus Dei, we will go up to receive communion at the high altar. Please ensure you keep well spaced out (two metres or more). Please wear your face covering. Hand sanitiser is available in the Chancel, and near the main door of the Church. Revd Rosie will drop the consecrated wafer into your outstretched hands. Please either take the wafer back to your pew to consume it, or lift your mask to eat it immediately after receiving it. Please return to your pew through the Brocas Chapel and the South aisle, not back down the centre aisle.
 
We will not be taking a collection during the service; your envelopes may be left in the brass collection plate as you leave. We also have a credit card reader available.
 
After the service, please leave the building promptly, keeping social distancing at all times.
                                      
On leaving the Church, please use the hand sanitiser again.
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 90 subscribers.

Welcome back to Sharon as she returns to the parish office, which will be open 3 mornings a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Its good to have her back and have some ‘normality’!

Christmas Market– advance notice. This year’s market is hopefully going to continue to be held, but outside in the churchyard. We’ll keep you posted.
 
Wanted – plums, apples etc, any excess orchard fruit. Revd Rosie is appealing for orchard fruit to make jams and chutneys etc to sell at the Christmas Market. Please let her know if you have any spare and jars with lids. With thanks.
Church Finances – message from Andrew
Now Sunday services have resumed, you can put your envelopes in the collection plate in Church on the table outside the bell tower, or if you come to private prayer, on Wednesday.
Or 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
Don’t forget to keep on crafting so that we can make something to reflect our time away from church.
Windsor Foodshare – are now putting boxes in various locations in the area for donations. They welcome all non-perishable foods. At the moment they are short of tinned fruit. Details on their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/windsorfoodshare
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.
 
Revd Rosie will be trekking 13 miles for Alzheimer’s Society on 17th October, if you haven’t yet sponsored her and still want to, then please do so. See Andrew or Revd Rosie. With thanks.

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 open Monday Wednesday and Friday mornings.
Out of hours office number: 07490 094261
Email:  office@clewerparish.org

Revd Rosie Webb: rector@clewerparish.org Tel: 01753  852334

Parish website: www.standrewsclewer.org

Churchwarden: Stuart Cockman

Pastoral helpline number: 07946 590223

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