| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 17 March 2024 Lent 5, Passiontide begins |
 Icon by Kelly Latimore: Christ the Mother Hen. Inspired by our Lent Study.WELCOME Lent 5, Passion Sunday The first reading is Jeremiah 31, vv 31-34 God promises to make a new covenant with the people, and that everyone will know God intimately. The second reading is Hebrews 5, vv 5-10 Through prayerful obedience Jesus was appointed a high priest by God his Father, becoming the source of eternal salvation. The Gospel reading is St John 12, vv 20-33 Jesus explains to some Greek god-fearers how a new and abundant life will come from his death and resurrection, and following him may require the same. These days it’s unlikely many of us will be called to follow Jesus to our death, but we can consider whether the way we live is life-giving and fruitful. Remembering the first part of Dickens’ story A Christmas Carol, Scrooge has clearly been holding on to life in this world too tightly. He has essentially lost his life, as it bears no good fruit. Jesus said that if you love life, if you, like Scrooge, can hold onto it too tightly, you are losing it in the here and now. He doesn’t say that you’ll lose it in future, but that you are losing it already. But if you hate life, and here Jesus seems to be exaggerating for effect, you will hold onto it in Jesus’ everlasting kingdom of eternal life. Eternal life that starts in the here and now, but lasts beyond the present, just as Scrooge’s story has influenced people’s actions in real life beyond the story world. Scrooge had to lay down his life of self-interest in order for his life to bear good fruit. His miserliness may, at first, have sprung from self-control and a fear of poverty, but he went too far and needed to die. There may be things in our lives or the life of our church that need to die so that we can bear good fruit. Things that need to be buried so the cycle of life can resume, producing good fruit that brings a joyful life to others as well as to ourselves. So three things for us to remember or to forget this Passion Sunday:In A Christmas Carol Scrooge lives a lonely, joyless life, owing to his focus on self-preservation. He ransoms his life when confronted by the ghosts and becomes an affable, generous man.Jesus tells Greek inquirers that following him may lead to death, but that this leads to fruitful witness, drawing people to God.Are we living lives that bear good fruit, or are we, like Scrooge, too focussed on ourselves? What needs to die so that we can be fruitful? Canon Brian 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. Amen READINGSJ Jeremiah 31.31-34 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt – a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Hebrews 5.5-10 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, ‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you’; as he says also in another place, ‘You are a priest for ever, according to the order of Melchizedek.’ In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God THE GOSPEL READING Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. Glory to you, O Lord. John 12.20-33 Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, ‘Sir, we wish to see Jesus.’ Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour. ‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say – “Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’ The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to him.’ Jesus answered, ‘This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.I INTERCESSIONS Everlasting God, your son chose twelve disciples to work together to spread the good news of the Gospel, help us as we work together in our Parish for the common good. May we delight in sharing in each other’s spiritual gifts and enabling everyone to make their own contribution however small. May we always be ready to toil and not to seek for rest, to labour and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do your will. Lord in your mercy, Hear our Prayer Creator God, we pray for peace in our world; may all lands that suffer violence and injustice find peace and reconciliation. We pray for the peoples of the world and all who offer their services in the leadership of the affairs of the world that they may uphold what is right and good. We pray particularly at this time for peace in all places where there is violence, war and terrorism. Lord in your mercy, Hear our Prayer Father God, we thank you for all those who help our community to run smoothly because of their jobs, voluntary work or neighbourliness. Help us to be supportive and encouraging and to step in to situations where we can serve. Bless our neighbours and strengthen those who are working in your name in order to bring healing and comfort to those in need. Lord in your mercy, Hear our Prayer Merciful God, your Son Jesus Christ healed the lame with a touch and raised the dead with a word – hear our prayers today for those who are laid low by sorrow and illness, or by fear and weakness; breathe new life into them as we name them before you now. Lord in your mercy, Hear our Prayer Merciful God, we thank you that our movement towards death and decay is not the final sentence in our life story. We thank you that by your faithfulness we are born to a new and living hope in a future where love will never be terminated and life will never end. May we always trust in you as we pray for those who have departed this earthly life. Lord in your mercy, Hear our Prayer Loving God, as we go forth from this time of worship, help us to remember that you do infinitely more for us than we can ask or imagine. Hear our prayers for all your creation and gather us in the embrace of your abundant and life-giving Spirit. Merciful Father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen Amen. POST 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 for Mothering Sunday Listen Listen to Part 4 of Canon Brian’s Series on Prayer Listen NOTICES EVENING SERVICE ON SUNDAY Sunday Evening’s Service is Evening Prayer, in Church, at 5.00pm. SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, INCLUDING EASTER Church Open every day 10.00am to Dusk Sun 17 Mar 10.30am Parish Eucharist – Lent 5, Passion Sunday 3.00pm Wild Worship 5.00pm Evening Prayer – in Church Palm Sunday, Holy Week & Easter Services on the poster below  PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Blake, Sam, Hugo, Don, Karl, Sarah, Joanna, Holly, Frank and Barbara, Bill, Suzanne, Christopher, Jackie, Diane, Sylvia, Mary, Gracie, Christine, Vivienne, the Brocas family, Martin and Ishbel, and Jane. 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 Community Prayers: Clewer Green School, the head teacher Martin Tinsley, all the pupils, staff and governors, and the Bible Explorers. Busy Buttons CORE Charity and for all the work that they do. 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 Alma Beacon Hub. Parish Cycle of Prayer: Please pray for all who work in, or visit, 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 Episcopal Church in the USA. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Colombo (Sri Lanka), Colorado (USA), Congo Brazzaville (Congo), Connecticut (USA), Connor (Ireland), and Cork, Cloyne and Ross (Ireland).Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. THANKS TO DARLING BUDS OF WINDSOR Thank you to Darling Buds of Windsor for the Mothering Sunday flowers last week, they were lovely. EASTER EGGS We are looking for eggs for the Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday. Any and all donations welcome. Thank you.  LENT STUDY Our Lent Study this year will take place over five sessions to be held via Zoom on Wednesday evenings at 8.00pm. This will be based on the book A Christian Look at the Environment. The sessions will be held as Zoom meetings. We will send a reminder email each Wednesday.    Come and Sing Stainer’s CrucifixionWindsor Parish Church and Thames Valley Church Music invite you to come and take part in a devotional performance of Stainer’s Crucifixion in Windsor Parish Church. Details available on the posters in Church  LENT STUDY Copies of our Lent Study booklet are avilable in Church, for a suggested £3 donation. Alternatively, you can opt in to receive the section for the day by email from the Diocese of Oxford: https://oxford.anglican.org/come-and-see#register https://mailchi.mp/oxford.anglican.org/come-and-see This has the advantable of having a link to an audio version, so you can listen to the Bishop of Oxford reading it.  A Warm Hub will be running at the Alma Beacon starting on the 7th of January. Please share the poster where you can. Download here: https://www.standrewsclewer.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Alma-Beacon-Warm-Hub.pdf  FUNDRAISING FOR A NEW SOUND SYSTEM We are raising money to pay for a new sound system for St Andrews, to replace the aging system we use currently.If you can help, please use either: * Our bank account (details below, please use a reference of “Sound System”). * Our Parish Giving page: https://www.parishgiving.org.uk/donors/find-your-parish/clewer-st-andrew-windsor/ The QR code above goes to the same page Thanks to everyone for all the donations towards the sound system so far, if anyone would like to help with fundraising and events please talk to Revd Rosie.  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 very short of: UHT milk, Tinned Fruit, Cooking sauces, Rice, Tinned tomatoes & Tinned veg This week we helped 212 people with the food that the community has donated 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 two 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… We still ask that any food donations for Windsor Foodshare are dropped into Dedworth Green Baptist church as this will still be our main base. 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 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 |