| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 05 January 2025 Epiphany |
 Welcome Happy New Year! The Christmas season runs through Epiphany to Candlemas at the beginning of February. There is still time to visit the manger and whisper our hopes and dreams, our longings for humanity, for ourselves, for our planet and to give the Christ-child the gift of our heart. Still time to rejoice and we are reminded of that as we celebrate the arrival of the magi, the wise ones who come to pay homage to the Christ-child. Imagine the magi. They had almost nothing to go on, they travelled a vast distance, probably close to 1,000 miles. On an adventure guided by God through the stars, the scriptures and a dream. And they believed that what they saw in the heavens reflected earthly activity that was of such incredible significance, somehow. They saw a new star rising, a unique star that they believed pointed to the birth of a new King of the Jews. So exciting and extraordinary that they set off into the unknown to find this new king, to pay him homage, to worship him. What are your hopes and dreams? What ‘journeys’ will you go on this year – physically, spiritually, emotionally? Who will be with you as you travel? How will you know when you have arrived? What will you hope to find when you get there? Blessings Revd Rosie COLLECT O God, who by the leading of a star manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: mercifully grant that we, who know you now by faith, may at last behold your glory face to face; 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 Isaiah 60.1-6 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lordhas risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lordwill arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Ephesians 3.1-12 This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles – for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given to me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Gospel Reading Matthew 2.1-12 Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord. In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.”’ Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Holy God, you sent a star to guide the Wise Men to worship your Son Jesus, send your Holy Spirit to guide our Church as we begin a New Year in our Christian life together. Inspire our Church leaders, Archbishop Stephen, Bishop Steven and Bishop Mary in all they do for the Anglican Church and for the lead they give to the government. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Creator God, as we face the start of 2025 we pray for your world. Let the star of your justice always shine in the hearts of those who are in authority. Enable all nations to recognize the sanctity of each and every human life in their care so that all may experience an abundance of peace and security. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Father God, Your Son shared the life of his home and family at Nazareth: we give thanks for his presence with us in our homes and in our lives. Guide us in our relationships with family and neighbours, especially those in trouble or need and bless those who have guided and enriched our own lives. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Loving God, we pray for all those whom we love who suffer in body, mind or spirit. May their pain be eased and may they find the strength to endure. Comfort them with your presence and help them to hold on to the knowledge that your son understood the truth of human suffering. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Merciful God, we pray for all who are coming to the end of their journey here on earth and pray that they may enter into your presence and kingdom. We pray for all those who have already died and live again with you in the fullness of life eternal. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Gracious God, as we begin a New Year, remind us of the things that are truly important and worthwhile. Help us to live in the goodness that comes from doing what you want us to do. Help us to put aside anxiety about the future and the past, so that we might live in peace with you now, one day at a time. 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 Lord God, the bright splendour whom the nations seek: may we who with the wise men have been drawn by your light discern the glory of your presence in your Son, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Listen to Canon Brian’s Sermon last Sunday LISTEN NOTICES EVENING SERVICE ON SUNDAY The Sunday evening service is a Eucharist. Readings are the same as in the morning. SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Church open every day 10.00am until dusk. Evening Prayer Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5.00pm via Zoom Sun 05 Jan 10.30am All Age Eucharist for Epiphany 5.00pm Parish Eucharist Sun 12 Jan 10.30am Parish Eucharist for the Baptism of Christ 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 19 Jan 10.30am Parish Eucharist – Epiphany 2 3,00pm Worship Explorers – Childrens Church 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 26 Jan 10.30am Parish Eucharist – Epiphany 3 5.00pm Evening Prayer 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 St Leonards Hill, Bridewell, Chestnut Drive, Gratton Drive, Fairlawn Park, Dower Park, Poolmans Road, Snowdon Close, Turnoak Park, and Brudenell. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for The Church in Wales. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Lagos (Nigeria), Lagos Mainland (Nigeria), Lagos West (Nigeria), Lahore (Pakistan), Lainya (South Sudan), and Lake (Nigeria).# 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 |