| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 02 February 2025 Candlemas (The Presentation of Christ in the Temple) |
 The Presentation of Christ in the Temple by Jen Norton Welcome Today we celebrate one of the principal feasts of the church. The strange thing is that many will never have heard of it! The Feast of the Presentation occurs each year on February 2nd – exactly 40 days after Christmas, midway between Christmas and Easter. The full name of today’s feast is the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple. It’s a celebration of one of Jesus’ major life events; that’s what makes it a principal feast. You may also have heard of it called as Candlemas or The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Candlemas, because this is the feast when candles are traditionally blessed. In also marks the end of the Christmas season, which is not observed as 12 days of Christmas, but 40 days of the Incarnation. And Purification of Mary, because the law of Moses required that Mary – like the infant Jesus – participate in a rite of purification 40 days after childbirth. We celebrate at church by lighting all the candles, everywhere, and we process at the end of the service towards the font with our individual candles. The stable and nativity characters have been packed away, the cross is now placed near the door, we pray for the world and ask God to shine his light among us and ask God’s blessing on us all, that we might walk in the light of God’s love all our lives. Blessings for your week Revd Rosie COLLECT Almighty and ever-living God, clothed in majesty, whose beloved Son was this day presented in the Temple, in substance of our flesh: grant that we may be presented to you with pure and clean hearts, by your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen READINGS – Only the Gospel will be read during the Morning Eucharist Malachi 3.1-5 See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight – indeed, he is coming, says the Lordof hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lordin righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lordas in the days of old and as in former years. Then I will draw near to you for judgement; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow, and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the Lordof hosts. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Hebrews 2.14-end Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Gospel Reading Luke 2.22-40 Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord. When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons.’ Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’ And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’ There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONSFaithful God, we thank you for the example of Simeon and Anna, and their faithful service and witness, for their patient waiting for Christ to be revealed. Help us to serve you faithfully and patiently, watching for you to be revealed in our own lives. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Holy God, as we remember the older and retired people in our churches, we give you thanks for all that they do in our Sunday worship, in our church fellowship and in our communities. Send your Holy Spirit to inspire them to use and share their life experiences with wisdom, humility and gladness. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Lord God, we pray for all who work for peace and unity, and for all world leaders that they will continue to seek for an end to the suffering caused by war and violence, injustice and inequality, disease and prejudice, poverty and hopelessness and bring healing to the world. We pray especially for those fighting terrorism throughout the world, and for peace in Ukraine and the Holy Land. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Father God, we pray for our Church communities, that each of us will make use of our individual talents enabling each church group to flourish as a witness to the “One Body” of the church. Help us to spread the warmth of your love to everyone we meet. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Gracious God, we pray for the work and service of all care homes and day centres for elderly and sick people, and for the charity organisations and shops who raise money to help. We pray for all finding their life painful, lonely or uncertain, especially those who are ill or vulnerable. Help them to sense your comfort in times of need and bless their families and carers. We pray for all whose life is saddened by the death of a loved one; be with them in their loneliness Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Merciful Lord, your love reaches beyond the grave. At the end of our days on earth be with us and with those we love. May those who have gone before us rest in your eternal peace. We remember before you those who have recently died, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Everlasting God, we pray for ourselves; as we go from this church today to start the week ahead, we ask that in all we do, we may we walk more closely with you at our side safe in the knowledge that your fatherly love and care knows no bounds. 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, you fulfilled the hope of Simeon and Anna, who lived to welcome the Messiah: may we, who have received these gifts beyond words, prepare to meet Christ Jesus when he comes to bring us to eternal life; for he is alive and reigns, now and for ever. Amen Listen to Canon Brian’s Sermon from last Sunday (Seems that there is a short section missing near the beginning) LISTEN NOTICES EVENING SERVICE ON SUNDAY The Sunday evening service is a Eucharist at 5.00pm. Readings Malachi 3.1-5 Hebrews 2.14-end Luke 2.22-40 SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Church open every day 10.00am until dusk. Evening Prayer Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5.00pm via Zoom Morning Prayer Wednesdays at 8.00am in Church Sun 02 Feb 10.30am All Age Eucharist – Candlemas 5.00pm Eucharist Sun 09 Feb 10.30am Parish Eucharist – 4th Sunday before Lent 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 16 Feb 10.30am Parish Eucharist – 3rd Sunday before Lent 3.00pm Wild Worship 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 23 Feb 10.30am Parish Eucharist – 2nd Sunday before Lent 5.00pm Evening PrayerPLEASE 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: Richard Shaw, Susan Smith, all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Baptisms: Lacey-Mai, and Lily. Weddings: 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. 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 Legoland, Dedworth Medical Centre, Scouts, Cubs, Brownies, Guides, Thames Hospice, Guards Club, Tennis Club, and Windsor Gym. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: London (England), Long Island, Los Angeles, Louisiana, Western Louisiana (USA), and Luapula (Central Africa).Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe.EVENTS We will be hosting the Community Fridge in church once a month, starting on 15th Feb at 11am. Volunteers needed to help us offer a cuppa and welcome to St Andrews please. This a one way to help reduce food waste in an ever-increasing consumerist society. The Community Fridge is a local charity and just ask for a minimum donation of £3 to help their overheads. The next Wild Worship will be held on the 16th Feb, our focus will be looking for signs of Spring, don’t forget to dress for the weather. The next Pop Up Children’s Café will be 28th Feb, due to the overwhelming success of this café, we are seeking more volunteers to help. If you’d like to get involved please have a word with the Rector. PCC Away Day: please keep the PCC in your prayers as they meet to review the year and work on the Mission Action Plan for the next few years. Our next Bible Explorers Club at Clewer Green begins at the end of February, please keep this group in your prayers as the majority of children are just beginning their journey of faith.   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? Can you help us with sturdy carrier bags. We encourage clients to bring their own bags but still find we need more. If you are having a sort out this January and find you have excess bags please can we have them? 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 January 2024 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 |