| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 22 December 2024 Fourth Sunday of Advent |
 Bethlehem Square with the Church of the Nativity in the background 2020 WELCOME Advent 4 and Christmas 2024 Today we draw near to the end of our Advent journey, on the final Sunday before Christmas Day. The picture that has been building up over Advent comes to a climax with the wonderful story of Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, pregnant women, greeting each other in reverence and joy. And in our picture today we see Bethlehem Square, in front of the place where it is said that Jesus was born. The Peace Light in church comes from the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem Square, sadly it was not possible to get the light out of Bethlehem this year, so we have the light that has kept going from last year. Bethlehem is surrounded by war and violence yet; awe and wonder continues to emanate from this place. We can’t go to it, but it is still there, Jesus is still in the centre of it, as he is in the centre of our lives here, now. During Advent we have been reflecting on the carol Silent Night, particularly the line …all is calm, all is bright. In a world of darkness and brokenness, it can sometimes feel that we have lost the sense of awe and wonder, including in our own Church of England. But it is there. The peace that people crave is there, if only we can see it. Calm and bright is awe and wonder! Mary and Elizabeth shared a moment of awe and wonder, so much so that John the Baptist jumped for joy in Elizabeth’s womb. Together these women were on a journey to bring the light into the world. And that story is what Christmas is about, the story revisited each year is a reminder that in amongst everything that is happening all around us- God is with us. How do we prepare ourselves, open our hearts and minds to welcome the awe and wonder of the presence of Christ in the eucharist, our lives and our world? God with us, as one of us, Love incarnate, Love divine. Christmas blessings Revd Rosie and Canon Brian The Shepherds’ Field Chapel, or the Sanctuary of Gloria in excelsis Deo, in Beit Sahour, southeast of Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine. The chapel commemorates the annunciation of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds, said to have taken place in Beit Sahour. COLLECT God our redeemer, who prepared the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the mother of your Son: grant that, as she looked for his coming as our saviour, so we may be ready to greet him when he comes again as our judge; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen READINGS Micah 5.2-5a But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel,whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labour has brought forth;then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace. If the Assyrians come into our land and tread upon our soil,we will raise against them seven shepherds and eight installed as rulers. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Magnificat (The Song of Mary) 1 My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; he has looked with favour on his lowly servant. 2 From this day all generations will call me blessed; the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name. 3 He has mercy on those who fear him, from generation to generation. 4 He has shown strength with his arm and has scattered the proud in their conceit, 5 Casting down the mighty from their thrones and lifting up the lowly. 6 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty. 7 He has come to the aid of his servant Israel, to remember his promise of mercy, 8 The promise made to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children for ever. Luke 1.46-55 Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen. Gospel Reading Luke 1.39-55 Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord. In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’ And Mary said,‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’ This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Everlasting God, we share today with Mary and Elizabeth their love and joy as the waiting for Jesus’s birth nears its end. Quieten our hearts and lives so that we can hear your voice amongst the hustle and bustle of everyday life as Christmas approaches. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Holy God, we give you thanks for all of our Carol Services, Concerts and Social events that have been held during Advent and we pray that all who have attended will have had a glimpse of the life of the Gospel. We pray for all of our clergy leading Christmas worship and for our Bishops, Archdeacons and all the staff of The Diocese of Oxford giving thanks for the work they do for us. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Creator God, we pray for our world leaders; for our Royal Family and for Heads of State in Europe, The Commonwealth and for the United Nations. We remember before you all those from aid organisations who will spend the Christmas period away from home bringing aid to those in conflict in Syria, the Middle East and Ukraine, praying earnestly for an end to war and terrorism. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Father God, give you thanks for our community leaders and for the way that they make our towns and villages so beautiful and bright with colourful lights and decorations at this time of celebration. Thank you too for the shopkeepers, for their seasonal produce and nativity displays; for hotels, restaurants and bars that provide seasonal and special menus for our delight and for all the staff who serve and cater for us. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Gracious God, we call to mind all those who we know who are struggling with life. We especially ask for your comfort and healing for all those who are coping with terminal illness and ask you to be close to those who care for them. We give you thanks for those who have been healed or are in the process of recovery and recuperation. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Merciful God, we remember those who have departed this life and thank you for the good that you have worked in their lives. Comfort all whose lives are saddened by the death of a loved one, be with them in their loneliness and help them to know that Jesus born in Bethlehem is the light of the world which no darkness can quench. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Son of God, your mysterious coming is beyond our understanding. Yet like your holy mother, Mary and her cousin Elizabeth, we pray that you come to us, as you promised. Help us to serve you in any way that we can knowing that you are with us day by day, through the joys of Christmas and into the uncertainty of the New Year whatever it might bring. Merciful father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen Adapted from the Chaplaincy of the Holy Spirit Costa Blanca POST COMMUNION Heavenly Father, who chose the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the mother of the promised saviour: fill us your servants with your grace, that in all things we may embrace your holy will and with her rejoice in your salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Listen to Revd Rosie’s Sermon and Meditation last Sunday LISTEN NOTICES NO EVENING SERVICE ON SUNDAY There is no Sunday evening service. NO PEWS NEWS NEXT WEEK There will not be a Pews News email in Christmas week. The next will be on Saturday 04 Jan 2025. The readings for Christmas Eve are: Isaiah 52.7-10 Hebrew 1.1-4 John 1.1-14 The readings for Christmas Day are: Isaiah 9.2-7 Titus 2.11-14 Luke 2.1-14 SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Church open every day 10.00am until dusk. No Tuesday and Thursdays Evening Prayer next week. Sun 22 Dec 10.30am Parish Eucharist – 4th Sunday of Advent Tue 24 Dec 3.00pm Crib Service 10.30pm Carols before … 11.00pm Midnight Mass Wed 25 Dec 10.30am Christmas Eucharist Sun 29 Dec 10.30am Parish Eucharist – 1st Sunday of Christmas Sun 05 Jan 10.30am All Age Eucharist – Epiphany 5.00pm Parish Eucharist PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Sam, Matt, Al, John C, Sharon, Vivienne, Stef, John F, Joanna, Jane P, and Tom B. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: Robert Powell, Roger Napper, Annie Bowden, all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Baptisms: Weddings: Francine and David. Community Prayers: Clewer Green School, Mrs Branch, Mr Seymour, and all the staff, pupils, staff and governors. The 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 live or work in Byron Court, Mayfield Close, Kimber Close, Harrington Close, Sherbourne Drive, Woodland Avenue, and Illingworth. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for the Church of Uganda. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Kubwa (Nigeria), Kuching (South East Asia), Kumasi (West Africa), Kumi (Uganda), Kurunegala (Sri Lanka), and Kushtia (Bangladesh). Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe.     Please consider supporting the work of the Baby Bank. You can donate your second-hand baby clothes/supplies or even volunteer your time. Alternatively, you can help us out with a cash donation to help with the day-to-day running costs of The Baby Bank. Simply click on the link below to see how you can get involved.https://thebabybank.org  WINDSOR FOODSHARE Loving our neighbours From their Facebook, Twittter and Website Pages: https://www.facebook.com/windsorfoodshare https://twitter.com/WindsrFoodshare https://www.windsorfoodshare.org.uk And their new page https://taplink.cc/windsorfoodshare CAN YOU HELP? We are running very low in stock on several items. One of these is CARRIER BAGS. We need these to put the food packages together. We ask clients to bring back bags, but they don’t last forever. Also any EGG BOXES you may have. There are many ways to donate food to us – https://www.windsorfoodshare.org.uk/donating-food. We have a permanent donation box at Tesco Superstore, Dedworth and also at Waitrose & Partners in Windsor town centre. So if you are shopping it is easy to pop a pack or two in the donation box. Or why not try our Wishlist on Common Good and Amazon (you can click through to these from our linktree at https://taplink.cc/windsorfoodshare). You can also drop off to us on: – Wednesdays 09.00-13.30; or – Thursdays 09.00-15.00 at Dedworth Green Baptist Church (Smiths Lane, Windsor SL4 5PE). Thank you all so much for your continued support! Click here for the Windsor Foodshare July Newsletter 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 Rector Revd Rosie Webb 01753 852334, email: rector@clewerparish.org Parish Office email: office@clewerparish.org Parish Website: www.standrewsclewer.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/standrewsclewer Churchwarden: Vacant Contact via email: office@clewerparish.org Safeguarding Policy: www.standrewsclewer.org/safeguarding-policy Safeguarding Officer: clewerparishsafeguarding@gmail.com |