| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 04 September 2025 Back to School Sunday The twelfth Sunday after Trinity |
 WELCOME Last weekend we gathered for our first parish picnic, and we were lucky enough to be able to use the space at the top of St Leonards Hill. An incredible ancient woodland owned by the Try Family that marks part of our Clewer parish boundary. There are some significant old oak trees and the one in this week’s picture has been estimated to be at least 900 years old. One of our favourite books we use at this time of year during Wild Worship, is What do you see when you look at a tree. With beautiful illustrations it takes you through years and seasons in the life of an oak tree. There is much to reflect on giving us a sense of awe and wonder. To have lasted so long, the tree we tried to embrace, must have deep, solid roots, roots that find nutrition and moisture enough to survive storms, droughts, wind and every kind of element thrown at it. Throughout its 900 hundred years it has grown from an acorn to beyond our imagination. We now have a significant number of children and families attending St Andrews, and their faith is beginning to grow, faith is putting down roots within the hearts of the children. Their prayers, their thoughts on the bible stories, their responses during worship and willingness to learn is giving me that sense of awe and wonder, God is at work in their lives, and they know it! From small acorns come mighty oaks…so long as the roots are firm. Growing faith with children and families is a major part of our Mission Action Plan, we don’t know what elements and storms will come the children’s way during their lifetime, but here and now we are nurturing faith, the church of today is encouraging, the church of the future is hopeful. So what do you see when you look at a tree? Do wonder how old it is and what it has experienced in its lifetime so far? And our children… do you see encouragement for today’s world and hope for the future? Blessings for your week Revd Rosie The 12th Sunday after Trinity. The first reading is Deuteronomy 30, verses 15 to the end. We have a choice between life and death. Life is to be found in resisting the draw away from God towards other things that we’re tempted to worship, other gods. Life is to be found in holding fast to God, holding fast to the living God. The second reading is Philemon, verses 1 to 21. Paul writes from prison to Philemon, asking him to accept and forgive Onesimus. If we’ve done wrong and commit our lives to Jesus, we too will be forgiven. And the gospel reading is Luke 14, 25 to 33. The cost of following Jesus will spiral out of all control. It will cost everything we have. Giving up our attachment to our own life is the only way to be a disciple. The language of this Sunday’s gospel is strong and unpalatable. But there’s more to what Jesus is saying than what we read on the surface. Jesus is talking about our attitudes, our hearts and our souls. Our eyes need to be on him, our hearts turned towards him. Our trust needs to be placed in him, not in ourselves, and not primarily on the things and institutions around us. It does not mean that we shouldn’t have or even love family and friends, or that we shouldn’t have possessions and earn money. But it does mean that we shouldn’t believe that these are the things that are really important. Canon Brian SUNDAY SERVICES – PLEASE NOTE The 10.30am service will be Back to School Sunday. The readings are: Judges 6.11-16; Judges 7.9-23; Matthew 28.16-end. The 5.00pm evening service will be the twelfth Sunday after Trinity. The collect, readings and prayers below are for the evening service. 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. Amen READINGS Deuteronomy 30.15-end See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Philemon 1-21 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philemon’s Love and Faith When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith towards the Lord Jesus. I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother. For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love-and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back for ever, no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a beloved brother-especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Gospel Reading Luke 14.25-33 Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord. Now large crowds were travelling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Everlasting God, as you look down on our church family here assembled, we thank you for this place where we worship together. Thank you for the love that unites us, for the peace we enjoy today and for the hopes we have for tomorrow. We thank you too for the health we enjoy, for the work that keeps us cheerfully occupied, for the food that sustains us, for the beauty around us that make our lives delightful and for our friends in every corner of the world. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Creator God, you created us to be stewards of your creation but we have chopped down forests, polluted the air, poisoned the rivers and seas, destroyed the places where animals live and then pursued them to extinction. Help us change our ways so that we can look after the world, and to make it the way that you want it to be. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Father God, help us to recognize the people in our lives who need someone to stand up for them. Forgive us for thinking that it’s “not our problem” and help us always to love our family, friends and neighbours as ourselves especially praying for those who do not carry the cross and follow Jesus as a disciple. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Gracious God, sometimes life seems out of control and we don’t know exactly which direction to take, especially when we are, or someone we know is, ill. Thank you for overseeing our lives and prompting us in the right way through your word and your spirit. We raise before you now those on our prayer lists and those causing us concern. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Merciful God, remember, the souls of your servants now fallen asleep and for those who are saddened by their passing. Be with the bereaved in their loneliness and give them the faith to look beyond their present troubles to your Son Jesus Christ who died and rose again and who lives forevermore. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Faithful God, we praise you for all you have done in the past; we look forward with thankfulness for all you will do in the future and we thank you for today and all your blessings we experience. Merciful Father accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen Adapted from the web site of The Anglican Chaplaincy of the 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 SERMON RECORDING Revd Rosie’s Sermon for 31 Aug 2025 LISTEN NOTICES EVENING SERVICE ON SUNDAY The evening service on Sunday is Eucharist at 5.00pm. Readings As above. SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Evening Prayer via Zoom at 5.00pm Tuesdays and Thursdays Morning Prayer on Wednesdays at 8.00am in Church The church is open for private prayer etc 10.00am-5.00pm daily Sun 07 Sep 10:30am All Age Family Eucharist – Back to School Sunday 12:30pm Baptism 5.00pm Parish Eucharist Sun 14 Sep 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 13th Sunday after Trinity 3.30pm Faith Explorers – in church, followed by 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 21 Sep 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 14th Sunday after Trinity 3.00pm Wild Worship 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 28 Sep 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 15th Sunday after Trinity 5.00pm Evening Prayer PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Sam, Matt, Al, Sharon, Vivienne, Stef, John F, Joanna, Dee, Tom B, Val, and Trevor. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Baptisms: Jasmine, Matilda, Oban Weddings: Community Prayers: Clewer Green School, Mrs Branch, Mr Seymour, and all the staff, pupils, staff and governors. 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, and FoodShare, under the umbrella of the Alma Beacon Hub. Please pray for the PCC as they work through the Mission Action Plan and discern God’s mission in Clewer. Parish Cycle of Prayer: Please pray for all who live or work in Cleves Court, Carter Close, St Johns Road, Gordon Road, Dawson Close, Convent Road, and Bailey Close. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for The Church in Southern Africa. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Okinawa (Japan), Oklahoma (USA), Okrika Nigeria), Oleh Nigeria), Olo (South Sudan), and Olympia (USA). Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. UPCOMING EVENTS Ride+Stride 2025 Saturday 13th September Heritage Open Day Saturday 13th September Community Fridge pop-up Saturday 13th September 11am Churchyard Tea Saturday 13th September – 3pm – 5pm Faith Explorers Sunday 14th September – 3.30pm Pudding and Fellowship restarts 15th September Wild Worship Sunday 21st September – 3pm Macmillan Coffee Morning Wednesday 24th September – 10am – in church Prayers and Bears returns on 26 September 9.30 in church Another date for your diary – Friday 26th September at Windsor Boys School, starting at 5pm, 24-hour Sing-Along to raise money for the Night Shelter. Harvest Festival Weekend 3rd and 4th October More dates for your diary – An Introduction to Christian Meditation – 11,18,25 October and 1 November, 5pm at St Andrews   HERITAGE OPEN DAY We will participate in this year’s Heritage Open Days with history displays in the Brocas Chapel on Saturday 13th September  Details here: https://www.berkschurchestrust.org.uk/ride-and-stride-2/ Then follow the links from their menu for more information    The Poppy Project is gathering momentum, if you want to sew, knit or crochet a poppy please do, all contributions welcome.  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, X (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 currently very low on toiletries and cleaning products – these items are essential for our clients and often overlooked.  Items needed include:• Shower gel • Shampoo • Toothpaste • Deodorant • Toilet roll • Washing-up liquid • Laundry detergent • Household cleaning sprays 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! 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 |