| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 13 August 2023 The Tenth Sunday after Trinity |
 Jesus pulls Peter from the water WELCOME The Tenth Sunday after Trinity Let us rejoice in the God who never loses faith in us, whatever our background, whatever our weakness, whatever troubles there may be in our lives, may our worship together strengthen our faith in the one who alone has the power to save. Our first reading this morning is from the first book of Kings, chapter 19 vv 9-18 Elijah had lost faith in himself, had heard God calling to him after the silence. Sometimes small things can restore our faith in God’s purpose for us. The second reading is from the letter to the Romans, chapter 10 vv 5-15 St Paul reminds us of our calling to help others believe in Jesus. For it is faith in him which has the power to save. And the gospel reading is St Matthew, chapter 14 vv 22-33 When Peter took his eyes off Jesus he momentarily lost faith in his own ability to do as Jesus commanded, but still knew Jesus would save him. And a text for us to remember, Matthew chapter 14, v29 Jesus said “Come!” So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water and came towards Jesus Perhaps we could remember “Take heart” said Jesus. “It is I. Do not be afraid” May you believe in the impossible, may you walk on the water of life, may you know that God is with you in stillness and in strife. Canon Brian COLLECT Let your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of your humble servants; and that they may obtain their petitions make them to ask such things as shall please you; 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. All Amen READINGS 1 Kings 19.9-18 At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lordwas not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.’ This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Romans 10.5-15 Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that ‘the person who does these things will live by them.’ But the righteousness that comes from faith says, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?”’ (that is, to bring Christ down) ‘or “Who will descend into the abyss?”’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. THE GOSPEL READING Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord. Matthew 14.22-33 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’ Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’ This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONSSisters and brothers in Christ, God invites us to hold the needs of friends and loved ones before Him. And so, loving our neighbours as ourselves, we offer our thanksgivings and our petitions on behalf of the church and the world. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer Faithful God, we pray today O Lord for your blessing to be upon this congregation, upon this church and upon our Parish, and for your presence to be seen vividly in what we do and say each day. We pray that your joy and your love will flow freely in and through us and that we might never be a temptation to those around us. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer Creator God, we pray for all in authority that they may never be tempted to abuse or misuse their power. We continue to pray for persecuted Christian believers and for minority Christian communities where they are under pressure and for all who suffer for their faith. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer Father God, we pray for the times when our blinkered vision prevents us from taking care of our immediate family and household or when through our busyness, we take no part in the life of our neighbourhood or wider community. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer Loving God, friend of those in need, your Son Jesus can free us from our burdens and heal our bodies and spirits. We pray for those still burdened, those seeking healing, those in need within the church and the world. We pray too for those suffering from addiction of any kind and ask that you help them to put the temptation of Satan and the world behind them. We pray especially today for Blake, Sam, Don, Karl, Sarah, Joanna, Holly, Frank and Barbara, Bill, Suzanne, Christopher, Jackie, Diane, Sylvia, Mary, Gracie, Carmel, Christine, and Vivienne. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer Merciful God, we commend into your hands those who have departed this life. You gave them breath and loved them through their journey of life. Receive them now at the end of that journey into your eternal presence and may their sousl rest in everlasting peace. We pray for all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer Gracious God, as we go out into the world we pray that we may reflect your love in our families, our church and our community; so that the world can witness that we are followers of Christ and draw others into his loving care. 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 POST COMMUNION God of our pilgrimage, you have willed that the gate of mercy should stand open for those who trust in you: look upon us with your favour that we who follow the path of your will may never wander from the way of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Listen to Canon Brian’s Sermon last Sunday morning LISTEN NOTICES SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS No Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday Evening Prayer during August Church Open every day 10.00am – 6.00pm Sun 13 Aug 10.30am Parish Eucharist No Evening Service Sun 20 Aug 10.30am Parish Eucharist No Evening Service Sun 27 Aug 10.30am Parish Eucharist No Evening Service Sun 03 Sep 10.30am All Age Family Eucharist (Back to School Sunday) 5.00pm Parish Eucharist NO SUNDAY EVENING SERVICE Please note that this Sunday there will no evening service. This will be the same throughout August. PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Blake, Sam, Don, Karl, Sarah, Joanna, Holly, Frank and Barbara, Bill, Suzanne, Christopher, Jackie, Diane, Sylvia, Mary, Gracie, Carmel, Christine, and Vivienne. 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: Weddings in August: Liam and Amy. 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 Shirley Avenue, Kingsbury Mews, Rutherford Close, West Crescent, East Crescent, and Hatch Lane, Firs Avenue (off Hatch Lane) Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for the Churches in Chile. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Worcester (England), Fort Worth (USA), Wulu (South Sudan), Wusasa (Nigeria), Wyoming (USA), and Yambio (South Sudan). Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe.  Wonderfully Made – All Saints Dedworth Summer Fun Festival 14 to 18 August, 10am to 4pm, with some evening events. This is for the whole community with full days of fun and faith-filled activities for all ages. Each day there will be Lego, crazy golf, bouncy castle, toddler toys and a cafe open throughout these times. Please note: this is a public event so kids will need to bring their adults. Feel free to bring a packed lunch. For more details, visit the church’s website: https://allsaintschurchdedworth.com/wonderfullymade   WINDSOR FOODSHARE From their Facebook and Twittter Pages: https://www.facebook.com/windsorfoodshare https://twitter.com/WindsrFoodshare CAN YOU HELP? We get less food donations in the spring and summer, even though we are still feeding the same amount of people. 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. email: office@clewerparish.org Parish Website: www.standrewsclewer.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/standrewsclewer Churchwarden: Stuart Cockman Contact via email: office@clewerparish.org Safeguarding Policy: www.standrewsclewer.org/safeguarding-policy Safeguarding Officer: clewerparishsafeguarding@gmail.com |