| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 27 November 2022 The First Sunday of Advent |
 WELCOME Are you ready for Christmas? Have you bought all your presents, made the pudding and cake? Even though the days are shorter and colder there are lots of things to keep us busy and warm, especially as we are all now watching our fuel bills. Have you got your Advent calendar at the ready? Advent candle? These are some of the things we do to help mark the run up to Christmas. The run up to Christmas is an important season in itself, it is the Season of Advent, our Churches New Year, which as you know starts today. Our liturgical colour changes to purple and we light the first of our advent candles. All in preparation for the coming of Christ. Advent is our time of waiting. What are we waiting for? What is it we are hoping for this Christmas? A new flat screen TV, a new compost bin, a chance to rekindle friendships, or world peace, commitment to climate change from world leaders? Advent is the season of hope, time when we prepare inwardly aswell as outwardly. Advent encourages us to face the things we are frightened of, to open ourselves to God so that we may discover what God’s hope and purpose is for us and for our world. Not an easy task, we’re all abit busy! It is important to allow ourselves the time to let God come to us. How do we do that? By slowing down, for being quiet for a time each day, to take up a daily reading and reflection, which is based on scripture. Time to light a candle and reflect on our behaviour and attitudes and count our blessings. One of the simple things you can do this year is to sign up for our Advent WhatsApp message, a psalm and prayer will be sent to you every day. At some point during the day, or evening sit and read and reflected on the message. It is not always easy to fit in time to be quiet, God speaks to us in many ways and more often than not, we are not listening, we are not ready to listen. To be able to hear God we have to reflect on our behaviour and attitudes, which makes us uncomfortable and we try to avoid it, but by facing up to the things we have done wrong, laying those fears before God to enable us to appreciate more the arrival of the infant Christ. Use this season to prepare yourselves, face those things that make you uncomfortable and lay them before God. Discover afresh with Joy God’s love in your lives and light a candle to show that there is hope for all of. Good things come to those who wait ..Yes…. Jesus is coming, Maranatha…Come Lord Come! Blessings for your week. Revd Rosie COLLECT Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility; that on the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. All Amen READINGS Isaiah 2.1-5 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. Many peoples shall come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lordfrom Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord! This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Psalm 122 I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’ And now our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem; Jerusalem, built as a city that is at unity in itself. Thither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as is decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. For there are set the thrones of judgement, the thrones of the house of David. O pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you. ‘Peace be within your walls and tranquillity within your palaces.’ For my kindred and companions’ sake, I will pray that peace be with you. For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek to do you good. Romans 13.11-end 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; 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; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. 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 24.36-44 ‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Eternal God, on this the first Sunday of a new Church year we sing with joy in anticipation for the coming of God to earth at Christmas. Help us to sow peace around us, live like Jesus and pave the way for the King as he comes to reign as the Prince of Peace, giving people a glimpse of his kingdom. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Gracious God , hear us today in our words of prayer, in each hymn and melody we sing, in our silent thoughts and pleas and may our worship today connect us with heaven and unite our hearts with the sound of eternity. We thank you for the music all around us, the sounds of life. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Loving God we pray for your church throughout the world, for those people persecuted for their faith, whose songs are freedom songs. We pray for their safety and ask you to give their praise the strength to convince and convert, the power to ward off war and divisions and the love to bring peace. We especially pray for the peace of Jerusalem as Psalm 122 reminds us to do. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Creator God drive away despair from our politics, revive our dreams of justice and truth, restore our passion for what is good and right. Establish your just and gentle rule throughout the world where there is conflict and where peace has been powerless and violent people hold sway. We pray for all those who lead our nations of the world and for those in authority that they may always work for peace and for the good of their people. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Father God, in our daily life, help us never to forget the supremacy of love. May love motivate the way we live our lives in our neighbourhoods throughout our parish, helping to heal those situations which so often drag us into despair. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Faithful God, we pray for all who sing a sad song today: the grieving, the lonely, the lost and the bereaved. We pray especially for those who have lost their voice and feel silenced or oppressed. May we bring light into dark places, restore hope and vision to all who struggle, and bring well-being and comfort to all those who suffer. We pray for Blake, Sam, Don, Karl, Sarah, Joanna, Holly, Hugo, Frank and Barbara, Bill, Suzanne, Christopher, Jackie, Norman and Diane, Sylvia, and Mary. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Everlasting God, give us ears to hear and minds to understand the message of immortality for the children of your kingdom so that we may look forward with patience and confidence to that time when we will join you in the peace of eternity. We especially pray for any we know who recently died and are now on that journey to you. We pray for Beryl Roche, and all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Holy God during this season of Advent, as we move towards the festivities of Christmas, we pray that peace will flow from all of our actions and interactions this week. Merciful Father: Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen From the Chaplaincy of the Holy Spirit Costa Blanca PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION O Lord our God, make us watchful and keep us faithful as we await the coming of your Son our Lord; that, when he shall appear, he may not find us sleeping in sin but active in his service and joyful in his praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Listen to Revd Rosie’s Sermon from last Sunday Morning PLAY NOTICES BELLS FOR ST ANDREW A peal will be rung this Sunday between 2.30-5.30pm to celebrate St Andrew. SUNDAY EVENING There is no Sunday evening service this week, as there is a carol service at the Pirate park at 4.15pm. SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS No Tue/Thu EP via Zoom during Advent Advent Study every Wednesday during Advent 7.30pm (see below for details) Church Open every Wednesday 10.00am – 12.00 Sun 27 Nov 10.30am 1st Sunday of Advent, Eucharist No Evening Service, 4.15pm Carol Service in the Park instead Wed 30 Nov 12.00 Eucharist for St Andrews Day Sun 04 Dec 10.30am 2nd Sunday of Advent, All Age Eucharist 5.00pm Eucharist in Church Sun 11 Dec 10.30am 3rd Sunday of Advent, Eucharist 5.00pm Carol Service and switch on of Christmas Lights Sun 18 Dec 10.30am 4th Sunday of Advent, Eucharist 5.00pm Carols for loved ones PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Blake, Sam, Don, Karl, Sarah, Joanna, Holly, Hugo, Frank and Barbara, Bill, Suzanne, Christopher, Jackie, Norman and Diane, Sylvia, and Mary. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: Beryl Roche, and all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Those baptised this month: Russell and Dexter. 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. We pray also for Windsor Christian Action, and the work of the Homeless Project, Street Angels, FoodShare, and The Night Shelter. Parish Cycle of Prayer: Please pray for all who live or work in Little Buntings, Tyrell Gardens, Duncroft, Perrycroft, Ryecroft, Rydings, Ellison Close, and Addington Close. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for The Nippon Sei Ko Kai (the Anglican Episcopal Church in Japan). Please pray also for the churches in these dioceses: Nsukka (Nigeria), Nyahururu (Kenya), Nyamlel (South Sudan), Nyang (South Sudan), Nyanza (Kenya), and Nzara (South Sudan). Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe.  Our Christmas flyers are available, please take some and give to your neighbours and friends. COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS FAIR – 27 NOV 2022 St Andrews will have a stall at the Community Christmas Fair, at the Pirate Park on 27 Nov. Donations of Chocolate for the Chocolate Tombola would be welcome.  THE RETURN OF THE POSADA It will be lovely to send out the Posada on Advent Sunday – please ensure you have signed up to take part and host the Holy Family on its journey to the stable, returning at the Crib Service on Christmas Eve.  CHRISTMAS MARKET On 03 December we’ll be having our Christmas Market from 11.00am to 2.00pm. Donations of cakes and biscuits for the refreshment area, plants, home-made jams etc appreciated, and help generally. Please see Jane if you can help.  CAROLS ON THE HILL NEEDS YOU!!! The Event will run from 6:15pm until 7:15pm, with music provided by The Band of The Household Cavalry, and WCA and The Baby Bank will benefit from this year’s donations. Churches Together in Windsor are seeking volunteers to help with stewarding and the charity collection during “Carols On The Hill” which will take place on Friday 9th December on Castle Hill. We’d be extremely grateful if one or more volunteers from each CTW member church could help with setting up for the event from around 5:15-5:45pm, before the arrival of The Band and invited dignitaries including The Mayor of RBWM at 6:00pm, handing out copies of the Order of Service, and circulating the charity donation buckets. The ‘Living Advent Calendar’ musical interlude (6:15-6:30pm) will precede the Carol Service which starts at 6:30pm and run until approximately 7:15pm. Audience members will be able to donate throughout the period from 6pm until the event finishes and road closures have been lifted at approximately 7:30pm. Please contact Susy Shearer as soon as possible if you can help on Friday 9th December! Thank you so much in advance for your generous support and help with this wonderful event! Best Wishes, Susy Shearer CTW Event Co-ordinator Carols On The Hill shearersj@btinternet.com 07530 974455 CHRISTMAS LIGHTS & CHURCHYARD TREE DECORATION On 11 December we’ll be lighting up the churchyard again, as we did last year. If you would like to support this popular event, by contributing towards their cost, please see Revd Rosie. Alternatively, you could provide some battery powered lights. Battery lights need to have a timer on them please so that we don’t have to keep switching them on and off every day. If you’d like to decorate a tree please see Revd Rosie. ADVENT WHATSAPP DAILY This year the Rector is offering a daily Psalm and Prayer, like opening an Advent Calendar but on your phone! Please sign up on the form in Church if you would like to receive a daily message, or email the office office@clewerparish.org including your mobile number. CHRISTIAN AID REPRESENTATIVE We are looking for someone to be our Christian Aid representative. This just involves liaising between Christian Aid locally and our church. Its not an onerous role. Please see Mulle for more details if you could help. ADVENT PREACHING For Sunday morning preaching during Advent, Canon Brian will be leading us in a series of study/reflection on the lectionary readings as we prepare the coming of Christ at Christmas. ADVENT STUDY ONLINE VIA ZOOM ON WEDNESDAY EVENINGS TRAVELLING LIGHT The Bible is full of comings and goings. People travel, sometimes long distances, sometimes just locally. Some travel willingly, others reluctantly; some carry a lot of stuff with them, others take little or nothing. All these movements become times of learning for those involved, part of how they grow in relationships with each other and with God. In this Advent course, we come alongside a few of those travellers. We journey with them, reflecting with them, almost getting into conversation with them about their experiences. As we walk together with them, we notice things about where we ourselves have come from and where we are heading. We hope to find inspiration, to put a spring in our step; also guidance about the route ahead; and perhaps some warnings which may prompt us to change our own direction of travel. In all this, we move on – towards the celebration of Christmas and towards the new year that lies beyond it. As followers of Jesus Christ, we walk with him, discovering more of the light which Christ brings and finding ways to share that light with others. Email the office if you would like to join us 7.30pm on 30 Nov, 7, 14 and 21st Dec. office@clewerparish.org WINDSOR FOODSHARE From their Facebook and Twittter Pages: https://www.facebook.com/windsorfoodshare https://twitter.com/WindsrFoodshare PLEASE CAN YOU HELP ? We are low on some of our toiletries and cleaning products. We give out toiletries once a month from foodshare. We make up over 80 bags for the families. In the bags they receive shampoo, deodorant, shower gel, razors and shaving gel when we have them. Toothpaste, toothbrush, cleaning spray, washing up liquid, washing detergent and toilet rolls. Also, we are still in need of strong plastic carrier bags for our clients to collect food in.. If you can drop some to us that would be really helpful. All items can be dropped off to the church: Dedworth Green Baptist Church, Smiths Lane, Windsor, SL4 5PE 9.30am-1.30pm Wednesdays 9.30am -3.00pm Thursdays. or alternatively they can be brought from our Amazon wish list. The address they are delivered to are saved to Amazon to make your life a little easier 😀. https://amzn.to/3a1IMAk Thank you all for your continued support and for helping to feed local families. More information, and to donate online: https://www.windsorfoodshare.org.uk/food-donations Did you know that Windsor Foodshare has its own just giving page. If you are donating with just giving don’t forget to tick the gift aid box that way we get an extra 25% on top of your donation. Every single penny we get given goes to help feed local families. https://www.justgiving.com/windsorfoodshare If you would like any further information please contact manager@windsorfoodshare.org.uk CHURCH FINANCES – MESSAGE FROM ANDREW Thank you to everyone for all you have been able to give in this difficult time. Please 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 or if your bank doesn’t like this Parochial Church Council St Andrews Clewer Parish You may wish to consider transferring to the Parish Giving Scheme, which we promoted in previous years. Details are on our page on their web site: https://bit.ly/2XCLuCr [https://www.parishgiving.org.uk/donors/find-your-parish/clewer-st-andrew-windsor/] We also have the printed application forms available, please contact the Parish Office by email. CONTACTS The Parish Office is now closed. The Office Number is: 07490 094261 Email: office@clewerparish.org Parish Website: www.standrewsclewer.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/standrewsclewer Churchwarden: Stuart Cockman Safeguarding Policy: www.standrewsclewer.org/safeguarding-policy Safeguarding Officer: clewerparishsafeguarding@gmail.com |
Pews News – 27 Nov 2022