| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 27 August 2023 The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity |
 WELCOME The Twelfth Sunday after TrinityWhen we need to know the truth about ourselves – we ask our closest friends who have journeyed with us through thick and thin and seem to know us best, who also know what others are saying about us. Jesus asked his disciples… “who do people say that the Son of Man is?” How did you learn about Jesus, listening to people, reading the bible, being dragged to church as a youngster, by accident, because you had to do RE at school, because you wanted to know…who is Jesus? Perhaps you studied Theology or wanted to be an RE teacher? Everything we know about Jesus has been handed down, every translation of the bible we read will be at least 3 translations down the line and everyone has an opinion as to who Jesus is. Everyone has an opinion! This is one of the most difficult questions among friends- a question that seeks the truth, not for flattery, but an honest answer from the heart… “who am I to you?” Discipleship is a lifelong process and growth will undoubtedly change our answers to many questions, yet each of us must answer Jesus’ question for ourselves. If you are not quite there with the answer, ask God to help you with that, so that you may discern God’s will for your life. Blessings for your week Revd Rosie COLLECT Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray and to give more than either we desire or deserve: pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask but through the merits and mediation of 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 51.1-6 Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many. For the Lord will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples. I will bring near my deliverance swiftly, my salvation has gone out and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be for ever, and my deliverance will never be ended. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Romans 12.1-8 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. 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 16.13-20 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Everlasting God, we thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus Christ and for revealing him as Messiah and Saviour of the World. Thank you that your son gave St Peter the keys to the kingdom as a reward for his lively and outspoken faith and so became the bedrock foundation of your church here on earth. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer Everlasting God, we thank you for our church leaders; locally in our Parish and throughout the Anglican Communion. We pray too for our relationship with other denominations. We pray for all who preach your word, inspire, lead and grow us as disciples as we reach out to those in need in our communities and in our world. We keep Revd Rosie in our prayers as she embarks on her retreat, walking the Camino. Retreat is a time for reflection, and Jesus will be walking alongside her, as she meets people of faith, and visits holy places. Grant her much needed physical strength. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer Creator God, we pray for our world leaders; for our Royal Family; for Heads of State in Europe, The Commonwealth and for the United Nations. We also pray for our national and community leaders and those in public office. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer Father God, we pray for our children and grandchildren who will be returning back to school, colleges and universities to continue their education, help us pass on to them the wisdom that has been passed down to us from the generations before us. Help all students in their daily lessons; give them the wisdom to listen and learn. Help their teachers and give them patience and knowledge to teach well and help them all as together they learn the lessons of life. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer Loving God, we ask for your wisdom to discern your wishes and direction in our lives and ask for your help to discern how to deal with others in our daily lives; those we live and work with; those we meet in shops and supermarkets; those with whom we share our roads and those who serve us in cafes and restaurants. May we never be a “stumbling block” to those we meet in our daily lives. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer Gracious God, we pray for all who we know who are housebound and in nursing homes; those in hospitals, in recovery and rehabilitation. We thank you for our local hospitals, health centres and clinics and for all those working in sheltered accommodation and care homes. 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, we pray for all those departed this life and for those who are bereaved by their passing. Help us to be sympathetic, caring and loving with the bereaved and always ready to help practically and to pray diligently in their time of greatest need. 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 Holy God, we thank you that your wisdom not only to enlightens us but transforms us and guides us as we go from this place of worship and into our daily walk through life with you. 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 all mercy, in this eucharist you have set aside our sins and given us your healing: grant that we who are made whole in Christ may bring that healing to this broken world, in the name of 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 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 Sun 17 Sep 10.30am Parish Eucharist 5.00pm Evening Prayer – Zoom NO SUNDAY EVENING SERVICE Please note that this Sunday there will no evening service. 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: Liam and Amey. 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 Hong Kong. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Yola (Nigeria), York (England), Ysabel (Melanesia), Yukon (Canada), Zaki-Biam (Nigeria), and Central Zambia.Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. REVD ROSIE’S RETREAT Revd Rosie will be on retreat from 30th August, returning to work on 12th September. During that time she will be on pilgrimage in North Wester Spain, walking the Camino de Santiago. https://caminoways.com/camino-de-santiago CHURCHYARD TIDY Our end of season Churchyard Tidy will be on 30 September 10.00am-12.00. Please see Bob if you can help, or have any questions.  Macmillan Coffee Morning – Wednesday 13th September St Andrews Macmillan Coffee Morning is at St Andrews Church on Wednesday 13th September at 10.00am. Our Giving Page: https://www.justgiving.com/cm23048553 or scan the QR code HARVEST EVENSONG – DATE FOR THE DIARY There will be a Harvest Evensong with All Saints Frances Rd, 8th October 5pm. Singers welcome. CHRISTMAS MARKET – DATE FOR THE DIARY This Year the Christmas Fair/Market will be on Saturday 9th December from 11am until 3pm. Donations of plants, home-made jams etc appreciated,  Ride+Stride 2023The 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/berkshirechurchestrust And 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 CHRISTIAN ACTION MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY WCA are looking for a Membership Secretary. This is a part-time voluntary administrative role, working from home. It would involve about 4 hours work per month; also attending the annual AGM. Job Description: https://www.standrewsclewer.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/JD-Membership-Secretary-1.docx   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 ofCooking SaucesUHT MilkBiscuitsTinned FruitTea bagsWe 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 Revd Rosie 01753 852334 email rector@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 |