| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 22 March 2026 5th Sunday of Lent – Passiontide |
 Fresco from the Church of St. Lazarus – Lazarus rising from the tombWELCOME 5th Sunday of Lent – Passiontide As we prepare to walk with Jesus through his passion, worship with hearts full of gratitude and trust. The first reading is Ezekiel 37.1-14, the Lord shows Ezekiel a valley of dry bones, commanding the prophet to speak forth God’s life. As an enfleshed breathing multitude arises, God declares an intention to renew and restore the people. The second reading is Romans 8.6-11, St Paul exhorts his readers to focus on the spirit that dwells within them, reminding them that the spirit that raised Jesus from the dead will give life to their mortal bodies. The gospel reading is John 11.1-45, at Bethany, Jesus raises his friend Lazarus from the dead, for shadowing his own death and emergence from the tomb. Many of those who witness this miracle believe in Jesus. So often, we find our life experiences too difficult to make faith seem possible. Martha of Bethany shows us another way. She knows that, standing before her, despite what has happened, is the Lord of heaven and earth. In one hand she holds her life, with all it’s pain and bereavement, and in the other she holds her faith in the living God. God is still God. Faith is still Faith. The path continues. Canon Brian SUNDAY SERVICES 22ND MAR 5th SUNDAY OF LENT 10:30am Parish Eucharist 5:00pm Evening Prayer 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 READINGS Ezekiel 37.1-14 The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2He led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3He said to me, ‘Mortal, can these bones live?’ I answered, ‘O Lord God, you know.’ 4Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.’7 So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.’ 10I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.11 Then he said to me, ‘Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” 12Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.’ Romans 8.6-11 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. John 11.1-45 Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. 3So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ 4But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ 5Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.7 Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ 8The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?’ 9Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. 10But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.’ 11After saying this, he told them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.’ 12The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.’ 13Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. 14Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead. 15For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’ 16Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow-disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’17 When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’ 23Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ 24Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ 25Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ 27She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ 29And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ 35Jesus began to weep. 36So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ 37But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. 39Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.’ 40Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ 41So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’ 43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ 44The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. Our Lent 2026 study Each Monday, during lent, along with the weeks What’s On, we will share with you a weekly study on a particular woman in the bible, the reference for you to look up, a commentary and a series of questions to reflect on. We hope you enjoy this way of Growing Faith Together here in Clewer and friends connected online. If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact via the office email: office@clewerparish.orgLent 1 – The Midwives Lent 2 – Rahab Lent 3 – Hannah Lent 4 – Deborah NOTICES PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Jennifer, John B, Matt, Stef, and Joanna. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: Barbara Hovell and all those recently departed this life and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Baptisms: 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. For EMERGE advocacy for their work in hosptials. 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 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 Anglican Church of Korea. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Uruguay (South America), Uta (USA), Uyo (Nigeria), Valparaiso (Chile), Vanuatu (South Pacific) and Vellore (India).Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families. If you would like anyone added to our Prayer List please email the office office@clewerparish.org SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Morning Prayer on Wednesdays at 8.00am in Church No mid-week Evening Prayer during Lent Prayers & Bears – Early Years Liturgy on Fridays at 9.30am in Church The church is open for private prayer 10.00am – 5.00pm daily Wed 25 Mar 12:00pm Midday Eucharist coffee from 11am Sun 29 Mar – Palm Sunday 10:30am Eucharist 3.00pm Worship Explorers (Childrens Holy Communion Service) Daily (30, 31 Mar, 1 Apr) 12:00pm Midday Prayers 7.00pm Eucharist, followed by Compline Thu 2 Apr – Maundy Thursday 7:00pm Liturgy of the Upper Room with footwashing Followed by Tenbrae Fri 3 Apr – Good Friday 9.30am Family Activities 10:30am CTW Walk of Witness leaves from St Andrews 1:00pm Hour of Silence 2:00pm The Liturgy of the Cross 3-5.00pm Veneration of the Cross church open for silent prayer Sun 5 Apr – Easter Day 6.00am Dawn Service with Easter Bonfire in churchyard 10:30am Easter Day All Age Euchrist with renewal of Baptism vows, followed by Easter Egg Hunt Sun 12 Apr 10:30am Parish Eucharist No faith explorers in April 5.00pm Evening Prayer EASTER FLOWER REQUEST  For this years Easter displays we’re asking please for donations of white and yellow spring flowers, planted bulbs and blossom sprigs along with any variegated greenery — please bring contributions and/or come and help arrange them at church on Saturday 4th from 11am. Any questions please contact Jayne. UPCOMING EVENTS & ACTIVITIES Wednesday Midday Mass with coffee from 11am during Lent Community Lunches During Lent – Saturdays during lent (28th Feb, 7th March, 14th March, 21st March) Community Friday Saturday 21st March Worship Explorers (Childrens Church) Sunday 29th March 3pm          CHURCH GIVING Thank you to everyone who continues to contribute to our church financially as well as through their time and skills. As we see our congregation grow and our community events increase we invite you to prayerfully consider how you might support this ongoing growth. Every contribution helps us serve our parish here in Clewer. Finance Details Parish Giving Scheme – where one off payments or regular giving can be set up. Alternatively, financial contributions can be paid 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 If you haven’t already please consider downloading the Church of Englands EverydayFaith app to help with daily reflections to inspire, equip and encourage you in your everday faith. 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 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/st_andrews_clewer/ Churchwarden: Vacant Contact via email: office@clewerparish.org Safeguarding Policy: www.standrewsclewer.org/safeguarding-policy Safeguarding Officer: clewerparishsafeguarding@gmail.com |