| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 04 August 2024 10th Sunday after Trinity |
Bread of Heaven WELCOME The 10th Sunday after Trinity. The first reading is Exodus 16, verses 2-4 and 9-15. God’s provision of manna is a response to Israel’s complaining and a sign of God’s faithfulness to the covenant. But the people still do not truly trust God or understand what this bread is. The second reading is St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4, verses 1-16. St. Paul invites us to allow our lives to be wholly formed and shaped by the Holy Spirit, flowing into all our thoughts, words and actions. And the Gospel reading is St. John, chapter 6, verses 24-35. Faced with questions from the crowds, who have yet to recognize him fully, Jesus explains the deeper significance of the miraculous feeding of the five thousand as a sign of his gift of the bread of eternal life to those who believe. We’re all hungry people. No matter how strong our faith, we’re all looking for something to sustain, nourish, feed and energize us. Something that will fill and satisfy us. The problem is not that we are hungry, but the kind of bread we eat. And it is the work of a lifetime of faith to find it. In the wilderness, the Israelites were hungry. They were homeless and they were complaining. In the morning, they woke to a layer of dew on the ground. And when it lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance as fine as frost. Their first reaction was to ask, what is it? Moses said to them, it is a bread that the Lord has given you to eat. That which truly sustains us is revealed to us. Our part is to recognize it. Canon Brian COLLECT Let your merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of your humble servants; and that they may obtain their petitions make them to ask such things as shall please you; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, Amen READINGS [Only the Gospel reading will be used in the morning] Exodus 16.2-4, 9-15 The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lordin the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’ Then the Lordsaid to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, “Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.”’ And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked towards the wilderness, and the glory of the Lordappeared in the cloud. The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ‘I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, “At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.”’ In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat’. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Ephesians 4.1-16 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said, ‘When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.’ (When it says, ‘He ascended’, what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Gospel Reading John 6.24-35 Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. Glory to you, O Lord. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Everlasting God Help us to understand the way that you would like things to be done and to be ready to follow your ways until we too can enter the wide open doors of heaven. Almighty God you want us hold the needs of our sisters and brothers in Christ as dear to us as ourselves. Help us to love our neighbours as ourselves as we offer our thanks and our intercessions on behalf of the church here in Clewer, and throughout the world. Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer Creator God, you call us all to love and serve you with body, mind, and spirit. Help us to demonstrate our love for your creation and the world in the way that we live. Open the hearts of those in positions of power, both elected and non-elected, and give them compassion in all that they do for the good of the people that they lead. Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer Creator God we pray for all those who visit our town this Summer. Thank you for the refreshment which holidays bring to their lives, for the freedom from routine and for the new experiences and opportunities they have. Thank you for the gift of your wonderful creation and help us to be good stewards especially in our leisure time. Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer Loving God friend of those in need, your Son Jesus has healed so many in body, mind and spirit. We hold before you those still burdened, those seeking healing, those in need within the church and the world. Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer Merciful God we pray for all who grieve for loved ones who have died. Be with them in their sorrow, lead them with your love to accept their loss and to go on with their lives. We raise before you those who have died recently and those whose anniversary falls at this time Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer God of power, hear our prayers, and through the ministry of your Son free us from the grip of the world and all that is evil. Lead us as we go forward into another week strengthened and upheld by your love, the knowledge of the Gospel and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Merciful Father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen From the Chaplaincy of the Holy Spirit Costa Blanca POST COMMUNION God of our pilgrimage, you have willed that the gate of mercy should stand open for those who trust in you: look upon us with your favour that we who follow the path of your will may never wander from the way of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Listen to Revd Rosie’s Sermon for last Sunday Listen NOTICES EVENING SERVICE ON SUNDAY Our Sunday Evening Service is a Eucharist at 5.00pm. Readings Exodus 16.2-4, 9-15 Ephesians 4.1-16 John 6.24-35 SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Church Open every day 10.00am to 6.00pm No Evening Prayer during August. Sun 04 Aug 10.30am All Age Family Eucharist -10th Sunday after Trinity 5.00pm Eucharist Sun 11 Aug 10.30am Parish Eucharist – 11th Sunday after Trinity Sun 18 Aug 10.30am Parish Eucharist – 12th Sunday after Trinity Sun 25 Aug 10.30am Parish Eucharist – 13th Sunday after Trinity PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Vivienne, Stef, John F, Joanna, John B, Jane P, Tom B, and Tom P. 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 in August: Community Prayers: Clewer Green School, all the staff, pupils, staff and governors, during the summer holidays. 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 Shirley Avenue, Kingsbury Mews, Rutherford Close, West Crescent, East Crescent, Hatch Lane, and Firs Avenue (off Hatch Lane). Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for The Anglican Church of Kenya. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Huron (Canada), Hyderabad (Pakistan), Ibadan (Nigeria), Ibadan North (Nigeria), Ibadan South (Nigeria), and Ibba (South Sudan).Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. Key to Events Blue- Social events Amber- Children and Families Green- Creation/Environment Black- Liturgy August 7th 10am My Time outing to the Café by the Lake/ Thames Hospice 12th 8.30pm Creation Meditation Bat Watch 21st 3pm Churchyard Teas 27th to 30th 10am – 12pm Family Activity Week September 1st 10.30am Back to School Sunday/blessings backpacks 4th 10am My Time outing to Windsor Farm Shop 15th 3pm Wild Worship: Michaelmas 17th 10am Coffee and more in church 22nd Dawn Creation Meditation Autumn Equinox 27th 3.45 – 5pm Children’s Pop-Up Café 29th 3pm Children’s Church (5th Sunday of the month)   Use your excellent admin skills to make a difference to the most vulnerable in our Windsor Community The Opportunity An exciting opportunity has arisen for a new Board Secretary to support the charity on key internal processes that are intrinsic to the smooth running of the charity. There will be a broad range of activities that will draw on your administrative and process expertise from experience in similar roles either in the charity, public service or business sectors. You will be involved in the heart of what we do as a charity and you will understand the breadth and depth of the support we provide to our “clients”. The Requirements Excellent organisational and process skills Good computer literacy Strong communication skills – oral and written This voluntary role requires approximately 12 hours per month, and these hours are generally flexible, although attendance at Alma Beacon (73a Alma Road, Windsor) for quarterly Board meetings and the AGM is required. For a copy of the Job Description pleasecontact Jane@windsorhomelessproject.org For more information about our charity please go to www.almabeacon.org INTINCTION We have received confirmation from Bishop Olivia that intinction (dipping the wafer into the wine) should only ever be an exceptional practice, not a normal one. Read the full advice in the letter here: https://www.standrewsclewer.org/intinction-jul-2024/  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 beans – mainly baked beans, but also canned / boxed kidney, haricot, butter beans etc. We have a permanent donation box at Tesco Superstore and also at Waitrose & Partners. So if you are shopping it is easy to pop a carton or two in. Or why not try our Wishlist on Common Good and Amazon. https://www.forcommongood.co.uk/…/giftr…/registry/215636 https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/23EUESGGRMAVZ… We still ask that any food donations for Windsor Foodshare are dropped into Dedworth Green Baptist church as this will still be our main base. 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 |