| WELCOME I don’t remember much about my O’ Levels, but I do remember RE, our course covered Luke’s Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. I didn’t really appreciate then way back in the 70’s, how good these books really are! Luke was a friend to the apostle Paul and Paul mentions him quite a few times in his letters, describing him as ‘the beloved physician’. Luke even accompanies Paul in prison at one point. Luke is a Gentile and, in his gospel, he covers everything from the full nativity story through to Jesus’ death and resurrection. There are stories of healings which don’t occur in the other gospels, healing, restoration, community and salvation. Luke is always depicted in icons with a book, either to study theology or medicine, but Luke really makes it clear that the good news of salvation is for everyone, regardless of gender, social position or nationality. Perhaps you could dip into St Luke’s gospel this week whilst you are sat having a cuppa? I leave you in the very capable hands of Canon Brian as I rest my feet after my long trek! So today we give thanks to God for: St Luke – an evangelist and physician of the soul. 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 called Luke the physician, whose praise is in the gospel, to be an evangelist and physician of the soul: by the grace of the Spirit and through the wholesome medicine of the gospel, give your Church the same love and power to heal; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. |
| READINGS Isaiah 35.3-6 3 Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.’ 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Gospel Reading Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord. Luke 10.1-9 10 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. |
| REFLECTION – BY CANON BRIAN Today’s Readings First Reading Isaiah 35:3-6 These are words of comfort and encouragement to those who feel weary and weak. They also promise healing and restoration. Second Reading 2 Timothy 4:5-17 These are some very personal words from Paul as he recognises that the end of his earthly life is near. He feels his life has been well lived and is confident of God’s mercy. Gospel Luke 10: 1-9 Soon after he begins his journey to Jerusalem, Jesus sends seventy people ahead of him into all the places he will stay along the way. A woman in hospital after suffering a stroke. her left arm lay limp in her lap. On the day she was due to go home , the hospital chaplain visited her. “I’m glad you’ve come,” she said. The physiotherapist has been to see me and given me exercises to do on my hand and arm. And I am finding the exercises are helping me to pray – instead of using my rosary beads, which keep getting tangled up in my fingers, I am opening my fingers on my left hand with each prayer. And when I do the exercise of dragging my weak arm across my body, I find I can make the sign of the cross with it.” She beamed. “God is meeting me here, even in this horrible weakness. I believe my exercises and prayers can help the whole of me recover.” The Gospel passage set for St. Luke’s Day, is about our part in helping people to see that the kingdom of God is right here. It’s about healing in its deepest sense, not just for our bodies but for our whole lives, as we find that we ourselves are included in the kingdom. It really is GOOD NEWS. As it’s St. Luke’s Day just four things for you to remember or forget! 1. A woman in hospital discovers God is with her in her weakness. 2. The Gospel tells us how we too have a part to play in helping people to see that God is with them. 3. Jesus sends the seventy into towns and villages to be with people and share their lives. 4. We too have a calling to be with our neighbours, to share our stories, to listen and to help one another see how God’s kingdom still draws near. |
| PRAYERS – BY TREVOR MORGAN Heavenly Father, today we pray especially for our church of St Andrews, for Rosie as she leads us, for our churchwarden and PCC members that they may be given guidance and wisdom in their deliberations and decision making and for those whose task is to oversee the work of our church . Especially we pray for the annual church meeting next Sunday. We give you thanks for all who have served tirelessly in your service over the past year and pray that many in our church community will answer the call to serve in the forthcoming year. Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer A prayer of Miles Coverdale Lord Jesus Christ, draw our hearts to yours with a love that is irresistible; unite our hearts to yours with a love that is inseparable; and bind our hearts to yours with a love that is immeasurable, through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen. God of us all, we thank you that you place us in community to enable and encourage each other, to share and to grow together. Help those of us who are usually silent or silenced to speak and be heard. Help those of us who are always heard to learn to make space for others to have voice. Help us all to be people who listen with their hearts, value each other’s differences and work together as we listen to your word and wisdom. Please broaden our minds and hearts to be in tune with yours that we may see as you see and love as you love. Help us to recognise that in enabling and encouraging each other with your goodness, our communities and each of us in them may grow and flourish. Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer Gracious God, we pray for peace, justice and reconciliation in all those places in the world where there is strife and conflict. And we especially uphold before you all those places in the world suffering as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic, thinking today particularly of those places lacking the facilities and resources which we take for granted. Heavenly Father, we despair at the unspeakable suffering which continues even as we lift up our voices in prayer. Lord God, inspire all who have any influence whatever to use it mightily to bring an end to the suffering of your children in those places and help us to remember that they are our brothers and sisters in Christ Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer Heavenly Father, we remember in our prayers the young people of our country who have recently gone up to University and especially those from our town or otherwise known to us. Give them courage and determination in the face of the challenges in their path. We pray for a swift and just solution to their difficulties and a clear indication of their pathway for the future. Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer Father, we thank you for all those who bear illness and suffering with courage and patience. We thank you for the way their lives enlighten and inspire our own. Give them a sense of their high calling. May they find strength in knowing that they are sharing in the sufferings of their Master and following his perfect example. Be close to them and grant them your strength and your peace. Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer O God who brought us to birth and in whose arms we die, we pray for all who have been bereaved. In their grief and pain we pray for comfort and the embrace of your love. Give them hope in their confusion and sorrow and grant them the grace to move forward into a fuller understanding of your love for all. We commend to God’s mercy the souls of the recently departed, Andrew Wood, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord and let light perpetual shine upon them Merciful Father accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ Amen |
| PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Almighty God, who on the day of Pentecost sent your Holy Spirit to the disciples with the wind from heaven and in tongues of flame, filling them with joy and boldness to preach the gospel: by the power of the same Spirit strengthen us to witness to your truth and to draw everyone to the fire of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen |
| Blessing May the Father from whom every family in earth and heaven receives its name strengthen you with his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you always. Amen |
| 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. SUNDAY COFFEE ZOOM AT 11.45am 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 11.45 for about half an hour. We have moved it to slightly later due to finishing up at church, getting home and putting the kettle on! 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 142 Proverbs 4.1-18 1 John 3.16-4.6 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. 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 amount of seating. PRAYERS AND BEARS Prayers and Bears will now be held at the Pirate Park every Friday at 10.00am as we can’t meet in church. This is an act of worship, therefore is exempt from the six person rule. |
| OXFORD DIOCESE CHURCH AT HOME We join together in worship with Bishop Alan Wilson and contributors from across the Diocese of Oxford. We are especially delighted to welcome The Revd Dr Guy Harrison, as our preacher. On Sunday the Church celebrates the feast of St Luke the Evangelist or the ‘beloved physician’ as Colossians 4.14 refers to him. Believed to be the author of both the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel in his name, Luke provides a brilliantly descriptive, event-focussed narrative of the life of Jesus Christ and (in Acts) of Luke’s own time accompanying St Paul. As ever the order of service, together links to view, listen or dial in will be available on this page later today. Live-streamed and ‘as live’ worship is available for everyone across the Diocese of Oxford, these services complement the prayers, meditations and worship offered bylocal churches. Our principal Diocesan services take place at 10 am each Sunday. 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 |
| PLEASE PRAY FOR The suffering: Blake, Sam, Reuben, Margaret, David, Don, Karl, Hugh, Sarah, Elsie, Lesley, Joanna, Pam, Andy, Jean, Victoria, Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The departed: those recently departed this life, Andrew Wood, 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. 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 Nelson Road, Bridgeman Drive, St Johns Drive, Clewer Green School, St Edwards First School, St Edwards Middle School, and Windsor Girls School. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: pray for the Episcopal Church. Please pray also for the Churches in Quebec (Canada), Coventry (England), Krishna-Godavari (South India), Raiwind (Pakistan), Cuba (The Episcopal Church), Kubwa (Nigeria), Rajasthan (North India), Cueibet (South Sudan), Rayalaseema (South India), Cuernavaca (Mexico), Curitiba (Brazil), Recife (Brazil), Cuttack (North India), Rejaf (South Sudan), Cyangugu (Rwanda), and Kuching (South East Asia). Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. |
| NOTICES WhatsApp group – Revd Rosie is starting a WhatsApp group for St Andrews. The idea is to post a daily prayer, thought for the day, picture or music. Its not about everyday chitchat and discussion, its aimed at our prayer life and living as disciples in the world in the current climate, a climate where we all need encouragement and a sense of hope. We all need to be closer to God and this is one way we can help to deepen our faith together. It may be that you have read something from the bible that has given you encouragement and you’d like to share it. Or verse from the psalms? A photo of the changing of the seasons that makes you reflect on God creation. You can reply to it if you want to or send a symbol/emoji. Revd Rosie has most of your mobile phone numbers, if you’d like to be involved then send her a text or accept the invitation, or not, when it arrives on your phone. It will come as an invitation to join St Andrews Pray As You Go Sunday Morning Eucharist directions 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 for test and trace purposes, so will be keeping a log. A data protection (GDPR) statement is available. It is also now mandatory for all places of worship to display the NHS Test and Trace QR codes, and there will be one on the door as you enter the Church, and another with the paper Test and Trace log. If you can check in with the NHS COVID-19 App on your phone, you do not need to be recorded in the paper log. The QR code is on an NHS poster in the porch. 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 and, try to go straight home as the rule of 6 applies outside the church. It is lovely to see you all but we need to move off quickly. Thank you |
| 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 91 subscribers. If you know anyone without internet access who would like to receive a printed copy of the Pews News, please send their name and address to office@clewerparish.org 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. Church Finances – message from Andrew Thank you to everyone for all you have been able to give in this difficult time. Sunday and Wednesday services and private prayer – you can put your envelopes in the collection plate in Church on the table outside the bell tower. Note that we have a card reader in Church that accepts payments from debit and credit cards, and phones. 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 A BIG thank you from Revd Rosie! Funds raised for the Alzheimer’s Society reached over £1000, amazing! Thank you all for your generous donations. Harvest Thanks The Food Share express their grateful thanks for all the donations we took this week. As we know there is an ongoing need for donations, particularly as the current national economy changes and people find themselves in situations they did not expect. Please continue to donate via the collections boxes that are around the community, the locations can be found on the Windsor Food Share website. Thanks again. |
| 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 |