| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 20 August 2023 The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity |
 WELCOME The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity God calls the people of Israel, and also calls each of us. We know that we will face difficulties, but we are challenged to live justly and do what is right. The first reading is from Isaiah, chapter 1 vv 6-8 Not only the people of Israel shall be God’s people, but also the outcasts and foreigners, as long as they worship and are faithful to God. The second reading is from Romans chapter 11 vv 1-2a and 29-32 The people of Israel may now be resistant to the word of God, but remain the people of God because of the covenant with their ancestors. The Gospel reading is Matthew chapter 15 vv 10-28 Jesus explains that the body is defiled not by what goes into it, but by what comes from the mind, and meets the Canaanite woman who calls him Lord. She came and knelt before him saying “Lord, help me” Canon Brian COLLECT O God, you declare your almighty power most chiefly in showing mercy and pity: mercifully grant to us such a measure of your grace, that we, running the way of your commandments, may receive your gracious promises, and be made partakers of your heavenly treasure; 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 Isaiah 56.1, 6-8 Thus says the Lord: Maintain justice, and do what is right, for soon my salvation will come, and my deliverance be revealed. And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it, and hold fast my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Thus says the Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, I will gather others to them besides those already gathered. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Romans 11.1-2a, 29-32 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all. 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 15.[10-20] 21-28 Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, ‘Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.’ Then the disciples approached and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees took offence when they heard what you said?’ He answered, ‘Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Explain this parable to us.’ Then he said, ‘Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.’ Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Loving God we recognise our responsibility to encourage and uphold one another and to live together in peace and love. We also recognise our needs and our human weaknesses and come to you now with our prayers and petitions. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. Holy God, we pray for your church and ask that it might always provide a solid foundation upon which we can anchor our lives. We especially pray for Christians who pay a heavy price for their faith; who daily experience hostility, from their governments, employers and neighbours, as a result of their identification with Christ. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. Creator God, you created us to be stewards of your creation but we have chopped down forests, polluted the air, poisoned the rivers and seas, destroyed the places where animals live and then pursued them to extinction. Help us change our ways so that we can look after the world, and to make it the way that you want it to be. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. Father God, help us be reliable and honest in what we do, and friendly to all we meet in our daily lives. Help us always to give our best, to work to our fullest and never be ashamed to confess your name. In our leisure time, help us to play hard, but to play fair. Help us to win without boasting, and to lose graciously without making excuses. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. Gracious God, We pray for the ill, the lonely and distressed especially those tormented by the demon of mental illness. We pray for healing and wholeness in their lives and we pray for ourselves. Help us to bring life and love, joy and hope, to those who live in despair. We pray 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, remember the souls of your servants now fallen asleep and for those who are saddened by their passing. Be with the bereaved in their loneliness and give them the faith to look beyond their present troubles to your Son Jesus Christ who died and rose again and who lives forevermore. We pray for Cynthia Holden, all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer. Faithful God, forgive us when we only turn to you when things trouble us and when we forget to thank you for your blessings and bounty. Help us to recognise all the wonderful things in your world for which we should be grateful and send us out into the coming week ready to show our gratitude in all that we do and say. 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 Lord of all mercy, we your faithful people have celebrated that one true sacrifice which takes away our sins and brings pardon and peace: by our communion keep us firm on the foundation of the gospel and preserve us from all sin; 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 20 Aug 10.30am Parish Eucharist No Evening Service Wed 23 Aug 10.00am Wild Worship in the Churchyard 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 Sun 10 Sep 10.30am Parish Eucharist 5.00pm Evening Prayer – Zoom 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: Cynthia Holden, 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 England. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Yangon (Myanmar), Yei (South Sudan), Yeri (South Sudan), Yewa (Nigeria), Yirol (South Sudan), and Yokohama (Japan).Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe.  Please note that this is on Wednesday. If anyone can help, please let Stuart or Canon Brian know.  Ride+Stride 2023 The next date for our annual Ride & Stride is Saturday 9th September. Please put the date in your diary and join us to raise funds for Berkshire churches. Further information is available on these pages and updated forms for participants and posters and flyers for churches will be available nearer the time. If you have any further queries email the County Coordinator at rideandstrideberks@ gmail.com. Details: http://www.berkschurchestrust.org.uk/ride-and-stride-2 Ride+Stride is the major annual fundraiser for the Trust and all support continues to be much valued this year as churches face difficult financial circumstances. Ride+Stride is a nationwide church-crawl where you can visit as many (or as few) churches as you like on the second Saturday in September between 10am and 6pm. You can walk, run, cycle, ride or drive, following your own route and enjoy visiting some of our county’s fabulous churches. Sponsorship forms are available here or you and your supporters can donate via our justgiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/berkshirechurchestrustAnd remember, half of all the money you raise will go straight back to the church or chapel of your choice. The other half goes to the BHCT to help support other churches in need. HERITAGE OPEN DAYS SEPTEMBER 2023 Every September thousands of volunteers across England organise events to celebrate our fantastic history and culture. It’s your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – all of which are FREE to explore. Heritage Open Days 2023 – 8th-17th September. Details: https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/ On Saturday 9th September, St Andrews will be open as usual, but it is also the day of Ride+Stride (see above). In addition, we would like to have the Church manned during the day to mark our Heritage Open Day. If you could help, please see Jane.   WINDSOR FOODSHARE From their Facebook and Twittter Pages: https://www.facebook.com/windsorfoodshare https://twitter.com/WindsrFoodshare CAN YOU HELP? We are currently very short of Cooking Sauces UHT Milk Biscuits Tinned Fruit Tea bags 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 |