| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 05 November 2023 All Saints’ Day |
 WELCOME Last weekend the clocks went back, the darkness now starts creeping in. There is also a turn in the church calendar, All Saints to Christ the King, we now enter Kingdom Season and the season of Remembrance. Remember November as we say at school. So, we begin by remembering the Saints, all those people of faith who gave their life to Jesus and were determined to make a difference in the world. Yes, we are all saints and we are also all sinners. We have failed in so many ways: failed to care for God’s creation, our planet; failed to care for our neighbour, failed to care for ourselves. We continue to pray for all in the Holy Land, Ukraine and everywhere in the world where it seems darkness has taken over. As part of our ‘remembering’ we will be holding our All Souls service at 5pm this Sunday, our time to thank God for loved ones no longer with us, the saints and sinners gone before us. Join us for tea at 4pm and help us light up the churchyard in memory. On this Feast of All Saints, we reflect on how all of life is light and dark, good, and evil, you and me, them and us, past, present and future. Being true to God means living as he wants. Jesus lays down some pretty tough standards in the Sermon on the Mount, our Gospel for today. The beatitudes overturn the standards of the world, God calls us to display the character of Jesus, this is the way it is with God. We are one with those who have been true to God through the ages and throughout the world today. What difference did those early saints make in their time? Can we learn from them? Does their story still speak to us today? Blessings for your week Revd Rosie COLLECT Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: grant us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that we may come to those inexpressible joys that you have prepared for those who truly love 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. Amen READINGS Revelation 7.9-end After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, singing, ‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.’ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’ Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’ This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 1 John 3.1-3 See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 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 5.1-12 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Loving God, we remember today all who have gone ahead of us in the journey of faith, running the race set before them, and holding firm to the end. Grant to them and to us your eternal blessing. We remember those you called at the beginning – like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – examples of faith who have been an inspiration to generations since. Grant to them and to us your eternal blessing. We remember those you called to lead your people through adversity – like Moses, Joshua, Gideon – examples of commitment and determination against all odds. Grant to them and to us your eternal blessing. We remember those you called to speak your word – like Samuel, Elijah, Elisha – examples of wisdom and insight into your will. Grant to them and to us your eternal blessing. We remember those you called to rule your chosen nation – like Saul, David, Solomon – examples of human greatness and human fallibility. Grant to them and to us your eternal blessing. We remember those you called to proclaim judgement and renewal – like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah – examples of openness to your word and courage in proclaiming it. Grant to them and to us your eternal blessing. We remember these and so many more leading up to the coming of Christ, and we remember also your servants who were a part of his ministry, or a part of his Church. Grant to them and to us your eternal blessing. We remember John the Baptist, the voice in the wilderness, Mary, the mother of Jesus, the twelve apostles, his friends and confidantes, the women at the empty tomb, looking in vain for his body, and all those countless individuals who were touched by his earthly ministry. Grant to them and to us your eternal blessing. We remember Peter, the Rock of the Church, Paul, apostle to the Gentiles, and those who have followed in their footsteps, saints known and unknown, near and far, yet each a part of the great company of your people in heaven and on earth. Grant to them and to us your eternal blessing. We remember those we have known, those who have been part of our own church, who have influenced our lives, who have inspired and encouraged us through their lives. Grant to them and to us your eternal blessing. We remember those around us, the churches of our town, Christians across the country, fellow-believers throughout the world. Grant to them and to us your eternal blessing. And we pray finally for those who will come after us, all who will come to faith, offer their service, and live for Christ. Grant to them and to us your eternal blessing. Loving God, we remember today all who have gone before us in the journey of faith. Help us and all who follow to run the race as they did, holding firm to the end. Grant to them and to us your eternal blessing. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Nick Fawcett POST COMMUNION God, the source of all holiness and giver of all good things: may we who have shared at this table as strangers and pilgrims here on earth be welcomed with all your saints to the heavenly feast on the day of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Listen to Canon Brian’s Reflection on Bible Sunday’s Service Listen NOTICES EVENING SERVICE ON SUNDAY Our Sunday evening service is remembering All Souls at 5pm. Join us at 4pm for tea. SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS Tuesday and Thursday 5.00pm Evening Prayer on Zoom Church Open every day 10.00am – 6.00pm Sun 05 Nov 10.30am All Age Eucharist – All Saints Day 5.00pm Service for All Souls Sun 12 Nov Remembrance Sunday – No 10.30 service in Church 10.45am Service at the War Memorial in the Rec 5.00pm Parish Eucharist for Remembrance Sunday Sun 19 Nov 10.30am Parish Eucharist – 2nd Sunday before Advent 5.00pm Evening Prayer – Zoom Sun 26 Nov 10.30am Parish Eucharist – 3rd Sunday before Advent 5.00pm Evening Prayer – ZoomPLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Blake, Sam, Hugo, 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: David Wallis, all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Those baptised: Weddings: 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 Little Buntings, Tyrell Gardens, Duncroft, Perrycroft, Ryecroft, Rydings, Ellison Close, and Addington Close. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for the Church of Mexico. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Arkansas (USA), Armagh (Ireland), Armidale (Australia), Arochukwu / Ohafia (Nigeria), Aru (Congo), and Asaba (Nigeria).Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe.   Our Remembrance Day Service will be at the Clewer Memorial Park, not in Church, our Eucharist service will be at 5pm in Church.  WHP’s Sleep Out 2023 A wonderful evening of information, music, presentations, raffle and delicous food but most importantly it ended with many sleeping OUT so our guests can sleep IN! Read the whole article here: WHP Sleep Out 2023 MY TIME COFFEE MORNING – CHANGE OF DATE Our coffee morning at the Tea Room, Dorney Court Kitchen Garden, will now be on WEDNESDAY, 15th NOVEMBER, not Tuesday 14th as originally planned. I hope this date will be convenient for you. If you need transportation please let either Maureen or Mulle know. If you can think of anyone else who may like to join us, please pass on the details.    WINDSOR FOODSHARE  From their Facebook, Twittter and Website Pages: https://www.facebook.com/windsorfoodshare https://twitter.com/WindsrFoodshare https://www.windsorfoodshare.org.uk 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. We prefer 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 in Church, or contact the Parish Office by email office@clewerparish.org Alternatively, 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 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 Rector: Revd Rosie Webb 01753 852334 rector@clewerparish.org Churchwarden: Stuart Cockman Contact via email: office@clewerparish.org Safeguarding Policy: www.standrewsclewer.org/safeguarding-policy Safeguarding Officer: clewerparishsafeguarding@gmail.com |