| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 15 January 2023 Second Sunday of Epiphany |
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| The River Jordan |
| WELCOME Have you considered how quickly and powerfully news of something can spread simply by one person sharing it with another, who shares it with another and so on? Look at the way trends develop on TikTok or YouTube videos become viral, because someone has seen it and shared it, sparking off a chain reaction. In our house there is a fascination for the recent launch of Prime Hydration drink, here is a good example. Developed by YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI, word spread so quickly that the manufacturer couldn’t keep up with supply. Last week, there were chaotic scenes in some supermarkets when quantities of the drink were stocked as ‘special buys.’ People came, saw what was on offer, told others and this repeated until news had soon spread far and wide. Needless to say, we’ve not managed a purchase yet! What have you seen or discovered that you couldn’t wait to tell others about? In this week’s reading from John 1:29-42, Jesus invites two people to come and see more about him for themselves. They realise that Jesus is the Messiah that John has been telling them about and want to share this with others so one of them, Andrew, goes and brings his brother Simon Peter to see Jesus too. This story contains the same pattern of come, see, tell, repeat as was shown by those who found the hydration drink in stock at a supermarket. What do you see in Jesus that you would like to tell other people about? Can you find an opportunity this week to share your faith with someone else? Blessings for your week Revd Rosie |
| COLLECT Almighty God, in Christ you make all things new: transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your heavenly glory; 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. or Eternal Lord, our beginning and our end: bring us with the whole creation to your glory, hidden through past ages and made known in Jesus Christ our Lord. All Amen |
| READINGS Isaiah 49.1-7 Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb he named me. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me, ‘You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ But I said, ‘I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God.’ And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honoured in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my strength— he says, ‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’ Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, ‘Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.’ This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Psalm 40.1-12 I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me out of the roaring pit, out of the mire and clay; he set my feet upon a rock and made my footing sure. He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many shall see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, who does not turn to the proud that follow a lie. Great are the wonders you have done, O Lord my God. How great your designs for us! There is none that can be compared with you. If I were to proclaim them and tell of them they would be more than I am able to express. Sacrifice and offering you do not desire but my ears you have opened; Burnt offering and sacrifice for sin you have not required; then said I: ‘Lo, I come. ‘In the scroll of the book it is written of me that I should do your will, O my God; I delight to do it: your law is within my heart.’ I have declared your righteousness in the great congregation; behold, I did not restrain my lips, and that, O Lord, you know. Your righteousness I have not hidden in my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your loving-kindness and truth from the great congregation. Do not withhold your compassion from me, O Lord; let your love and your faithfulness always preserve me, 1 Corinthians 1.1-9 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind – just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you – so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. GOSPEL READING Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. Glory to you, O Lord. John 1.29-42 The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’ The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter). This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. |
| INTERCESSIONS During our prayers, the response to the bidding “Lord for the years” is “we give our thanks and praise”. Father God. We come before you at the beginning of another year, conscious of many memories, thoughts and feelings. We look back at times bathed in sunlight, sometimes too much, but at other times cast in shadow. We see faces and places, times and feelings, love and loss. We offer you our memories – in a moment of silence let us look back to what gave us the most pleasure this last year and at what we want to put behind us …………………………. Gracious God, this last year has been well filled. Thank you for your quiet, solid presence through every part of it, rejoicing with us, weeping with us, loving, persuading, nudging and comforting. Lord for the years we give our thanks and praise. As the year tips over into 2023 we look down the slope into the new year with both eagerness and anxiety. This year could hold so much that would be wonderful, but we’re never more than a phone call away from a crisis. In a moment of silence, we consider what we most long for this year, and what we intend to do differently this year …………………………. Gracious God, you hold the coming year in the palm of your hand, not to control but to cherish. You promise that your love will be inexhaustible and that you will work at full stretch for our wellbeing. Thank you for those good promises to remember and to claim afresh each day. Lord for the years we give our thanks and praise And for the world around us, we hold our breath. So much to desire, so much to fear. But the better way is surely this: so much to pray for, so much to work for. In a last moment of silence let us consider which places are most in need of peace and hope? Which world leaders are most in need of our prayers? …………………………. Gracious God, it is your will to hold together the nations of the world in a single peace. Let the imprint of your love be seen in every troubled country. Let the Earth breathe more freely at the end of this year. And may we have made our own contribution to the Earth’s freedom. Lord for the years we give our thanks and praise Lord of this year – we give you our faith and our hunger for your Kingdom. AMEN |
| PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION God of glory, you nourish us with your Word who is the bread of life: fill us with your Holy Spirit that through us the light of your glory may shine in all the world. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen |
| Listen to Revd Rosie’s Sermon for last Sunday |
| NOTICES |
| SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Tuesdays and Thursdays, Evening Prayer at 5.00pm via Zoom Church Open every Wednesday 10.00am – 12.00 Evening Prayer on the 2nd, 3rd & 4th Sundays of the month is back in Church. Sun 15 Jan 10.30am Second Sunday of Epiphany, ParishEucharist 5.00pm Evening Prayer in Church Sun 22 Jan 10.30am Third Sunday of Epiphany, ParishEucharist 5.00pm Evening Prayer in Church Sun 29 Jan 10.30am Candlemas, ParishEucharist No evening service Sun 05 Feb 10.30am Third Sunday before Lent, All Age Eucharist 5.00pmEucharist in Church Sun 12 Feb 10.30am Second Sunday before Lent, Parish Eucharist 5.00pmEvening Prayer in Church |
| PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Blake, Sam, Don, Karl, Sarah, Joanna, Holly, Hugo, Frank and Barbara, Bill, Suzanne, Christopher, Jackie, Norman and Diane, Sylvia, Mary, and Gracie. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Those baptised this month: 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 St Leonards Hill, Bridewell, Chestnut Drive, Gratton Drive, Fairlawn Park, Dower Park, Poolmans Road, Snowdon Close, Turnoak Park, and Brudenell. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for The Church of Nigeria. Please pray also for the churches these dioceses: Owerri (Nigeria), Owo (Nigeria), Oxford (England), Oyo (Nigeria), Pacong (South Sudan) and Panama (Central America). Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. |
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| WILD WORSHIP Wild Worship returns – 15th January, 12 February, 12 March at 3.00pm in Clewer Park. |
| AFTER SCHOOL CLUB The rector will be holding an after school club at Clewer on Tuesdays 3.30 to 4.30, starting 31st January, called Faith Explorers. If you would like to be a helper please let the rector know, as we need to get the ratio of adults and children right. The club will be a bit like Sunday School, exploring the story of Jesus together through activities. |
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| —————————————————————————————————————– Christian Aid Candlemas Service of Light Sunday 29 January, All Saints, Frances Road at 4pm Windsor Christian Aid Group warmly invite you to join them for this candlelit service of thanksgiving for the work of Christian Aid and for our supporters in Windsor. All our welcome – we look forward to seeing you. Sarah Gardner Chair: Windsor Christian Aid. sarah.gardnerlobo@gmail.com |
| A308/MILL LANE ROUNDABOUT PLANS – CONSULTATION In this week’s newsletter, RBWM are asking for comments on the plans to redevelop the A308/Mill Lane roundabout. From the newsletter: “Give us your views on plan to upgrade A308 junction in Windsor to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists “You are invited to have your say on our proposal to upgrade a mini roundabout on the A308 in Clewer, Windsor to a new signal-controlled junction, improving road safety for pedestrians and cyclists. “Two drop-in events for people to find out more will be held at The Swan pub in Mill Lane, Clewer on: Monday 16 January – 5pm to 6.30pm Monday 30 January – 5pm to 6.30pm”. For further details and to take part, visit their online consultation webpage: https://rbwmtogether.rbwm.gov.uk/cyclops |
| WINDSOR FOODSHARE From their Facebook and Twittter Pages: https://www.facebook.com/windsorfoodshare https://twitter.com/WindsrFoodshare Sorry to have to ask but PLEASE CAN YOU HELP ? We are very low on: Long life UHT milk (please no skimmed milk) Tinned spaghetti Tinned desserts(Custard, rice pudding) We are also desperately low on strong carrier bags. At the moment we have plenty of cooked pasta, rice, tea and soup. If you have a permanent donation box for us please can you encourage the above donations. Remember if you are shopping in Tesco Superstore we have a permanent donation box in store. Items can be dropped to us Dedworth Green Baptist Church, Smiths Lane, SL4 5PE. 9.30am-1.30pm Wednesdays 9.30am -3.00pm Thursdays. Or purchased from our Amazon Wish List. https://bit.ly/3CKqPBF Thank you all for your continued support. |
| 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 |