| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 26 March 2023 The 5th Sunday of Lent |
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| WELCOME – Fifth Sunday of Lent – Passiontide Today, on the 5th Sunday of Lent, we experience a gear change, we cross the threshold into Passiontide. Jesus has set his face towards Jerusalem, and he now takes us with him into new territory, as the cross looms nearer. At our church school we have moved into the Easter story, a story which fascinates the children. During our Wild Worship session with Yr4, we explored the story from the desert, into Palm Sunday, sharing the Last Supper and the sadness of the Crucifixion, the pictures included above. We took the approach of creating a drawing of the events using the outside space around us. Having created our pictures, the children then retold their section of the circle to the others. Let me tell you, they knew the story! And what they didn’t know, they asked the storytellers- not me! They talked about what they would have heard, and how it might have felt to be there. Please note the 12 foam footballs for the disciples, the stick donkey, and tyre tomb. The children clearly described betrayal by using a stick, I quote…Judas stabbed Jesus in the back! The story of Holy Week and Easter can be a challenge, but you can’t just arrive at the chocolate eggs on Easter morning without going through the crucifixion first. Crucifixion AND resurrection, the cross is not merely a prelude to resurrection, nor is the resurrection a postlude to the cross, the two belong together. The whole story has to be told. Today we have the story of Lazarus, in order to be raised, he had to die first, its likely he wasn’t old, and his death would have been traumatic for the family and friends. And Jesus weeps with them. Everyone of us has a story to tell of our lives, and something of our story is told at our funeral. A time to go through the story, the life, loves and achievements, challenges and the things we learn from that person, the impact of them on our lives. The whole story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is essential to our lives as Christians and todays gospel reading is a reminder that Jesus is with us, that God, in Jesus – the resurrection and life- suffers with us and weeps with us, as well as offering everlasting life in all its fullness. Blessings for your week Revd Rosie |
| COLLECT Most merciful God, who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ delivered and saved the world: grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross we may triumph in the power of his victory; 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 Gracious Father, you gave up your Son out of love for the world: lead us to ponder the mysteries of his passion, that we may know eternal peace through the shedding of our Saviour’s blood, Jesus Christ our Lord. All Amen |
| READINGS |
| Psalm 130 1 Out of the depths have I cried to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice; let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication. 2 If you, Lord, were to mark what is done amiss, O Lord, who could stand? 3 But there is forgiveness with you, so that you shall be feared. 4 I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; in his word is my hope. 5 My soul waits for the Lord, more than the night watch for the morning, more than the night watch for the morning. 6 O Israel, wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy; 7 With him is plenteous redemption and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins. |
| Romans 8.6-11 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law – indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. 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 11.1-45 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.’ After saying this, he told them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.’ Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’ Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow-disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’ When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’ When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’ Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’ Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. |
| INTERCESSIONS Times and Seasons Let us pray to the Father through his Son who suffered on the cross for the world’s redemption. Fill with your Spirit Christ’s broken body, the Church … Give to Christian people everywhere a deep longing to take up the cross and to understand its mysterious glory. By the Saviour’s cross and passion, All Lord, save us and help us. Bless those who lead the Church’s worship at this solemn time … In the preaching of the word and the celebration of the sacraments draw your people close to you. By the Saviour’s cross and passion, All Lord, save us and help us. Strengthen those [among us] who are preparing for baptism, together with their teachers, sponsors and families … Teach them what it means to die and rise with Christ and prepare them to receive the breath of his Spirit. By the Saviour’s cross and passion, All Lord, save us and help us. Look in your mercy upon the world you loved so much that you sent your Son to suffer and to die … Strengthen those who work to share the reconciliation won at such a cost upon the cross. By the Saviour’s cross and passion, All Lord, save us and help us. Bring healing by the wounds of Christ to all who are weighed down by pain and injustice … Help the lonely and the betrayed, the suffering and the dying, to find strength in the companionship of Jesus, and in his passion to know their salvation. By the Saviour’s cross and passion, All Lord, save us and help us. Welcome into paradise all who have left this world in your friendship … According to your promises, bring them with all your saints to share in all the benefits of Christ’s death and resurrection. By the Saviour’s cross and passion, All Lord, save us and help us. All Holy God, holy and strong, holy and immortal, have mercy on us. |
| PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters we do also for you: give us the will to be the servant of others as you were the servant of all, and gave up your life and died for us, but are alive and reign, now and for ever. Amen |
| Listen to Revd Rosie’s Sermon last Sunday |
| NOTICES |
| SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Tuesdays and Thursdays, Evening Prayer at 5.00pm via Zoom Church Open every day 10.00am – 6.00pm Sun 26 Mar 10.30am 5th Sunday of Lent, Parish Eucharist Passiontide begins 5.00pmEvening Prayer Sun 02 April 10.30am Palm Sunday Procession around Clewer Village, includes reading the Passion Narrative 5.00pm Parish Eucharist for Palm Sunday Mon 03 Apr 12.00 Eucharist in Holy Week Tue 04 Apr 12.00 Eucharist in Holy Week Wed 05 Apr 12.00 Eucharist in Holy Week Thu 06 Apr 7.30pm Liturgy of the Upper Room, with foot washing Fri 07 Apr Good Friday 10.00am Family Activities, making the Easter Garden 1.00pm Hour of Silence 2.00pm The Liturgy of Good Friday 3.00pm Veneration of the Cross, Church open until 6.00pm Sun 09 Apr Easter Day 6.00am Dawn Service with Easter bonfire in the churchyard 10.30am Easter Day Family Eucharist followed by Easter Egg Hunt Sun 16 Apr 10.30am Second Sunday of Easter – Parish Eucharist 5.00pmEvening Prayer Sun 16 Apr 10.30am Third Sunday of Easter – Parish Eucharist 5.00pmEvening Prayer Sun 30 Apr 10.30am Fourth Sunday of Easter – Parish Eucharist No Evening Service (fifth Sunday of the month) |
| 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, Gracie, and the Flisher family . 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 preparing for baptism Those preparing for marriage Our Bible Explorers group at Clewer Green 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, work at, or take part in activities in, all Retail Premises, Mill Stream Houseboats, Boatyard, Windsor Race Course, Forest House Veterinary Group, Petworth Court, Care Homes (Sandown Park, Queens Court, Mountbatten Grange and Winton House). Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. Please pray also for the churches in these dioceses: Rokon (South Sudan), Rorya (Tanzania), Ruaha (Tanzania), Rukwa (Tanzania), Rumbek (South Sudan), and Rumonge (Burundi). Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. |
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| Last date 29 March |
| EASTER EGGS Donations of Easter eggs are needed for our stall at the community Easter Fair on Palm Sunday afternoon, 02 April. Thanks to all who have donated so far, and more are needed. |
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| Clewer & Dedworth Together Easter Fair Join us for a fun-filled afternoon – we will have a children’s farm, bouncy castle, fairground rides for children, Easter tombola, craft stalls and lots of fun things happening. All money is ploughed back into the community. Free to attend. |
| GOOD FRIDAY MORNING We are looking for volunteers to help with Family activities on Good Friday morning. Please see Revd Rosie if you can help. |
| EASTER DAY EGG HUNT We are looking for donations of small individual wrapped eggs to hide. |
| PARISH PILGRIMAGE TO CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL OXFORD CHANGE OF DATE 28th April. A chance to visit our mother church, have a personal guided tour, have tea in the Great Hall, share in worship at Choral Evensong and a tour of the gardens. If you would like to go, please sign up. The cost for tea depends on which menu we decide on, we will be the only parish tour that day and it will be a wonderful experience for us to enjoy together. Our date has had to be cancelled by the cathedral, but the new date they have given us is Friday 28 April. If you would like to go please let Revd Rosie know as we will need to arrange transport. |
| CORONATION WEEKEND IDEAS? The Coronation of The King and The Queen Consort takes place on 06 May. https://www.royal.uk/coronation The Big Help Out is just one of the nationwide activities planned for that bank holiday weekend. https://thebighelpout.org.uk If you can think of some things we could do as a Church around these times, please let Revd Rosie know. |
| TURKEY-SYRIA EARTHQUAKE APPEAL Please see details of the Oxford Diocese appeal on our web site: https://www.standrewsclewer.org/turkey-syria-earthquake-appeal Or see the DEC appeal: https://donation.dec.org.uk/turkey-syria-earthquake-appeal God of refuge, You are an ever present help in time of need. Please be this to the people of Turkey, Syria and Iraq today. Provide people with safe shelter and the essentials they need. Be a comfort to those who are grieving and who are traumatised. Be people’s strength and rock as they work together to rescue people, treat the injured, care for those in need and rebuild after this tragedy. In Jesus’ name, Amen. |
| CHRISTIAN AID REP We are still looking for someone to be our Christian Aid representative. This does not need to be a PCC member or other church official. Please see Revd Rosie if you can help. |
| WINDSOR FOODSHARE From their Facebook and Twittter Pages: https://www.facebook.com/windsorfoodshare https://twitter.com/WindsrFoodshare CAN YOU HELP? We are completely out of biscuits and very low on desserts. We have many ways to donate food to us. We have a permanent donation box at Tesco Superstore and also at Waitrose & Partners. So if you are shopping it is easy to pop a carton or 2 in. Or why not try our Wishlist on Common Good and Amazon. https://www.forcommongood.co.uk/…/giftr…/registry/215636 https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/23EUESGGRMAVZ… You can drop off to us on Wednesdays 9.30-1.30 or Thursdays 9.30-3.00 at Dedworth Green Baptist Church. We do not like to ask as we know times are tough for lots of people right now. Imagine if your whole street donated one tin each to us how this would help our stocks. |
| 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 |