| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 04 May 2025 The Third Sunday of Easter |
 WELCOME During the Easter season this year we’re thinking about people whose lives are changed by that first Easter day; people who encounter Jesus, risen from the dead and bringing new hope and meaning to their lives. Last week we thought about Thomas. One man whose own personal experience of Easter enabled him to move from doubt to faith in his risen Lord. This week we hear about a number of people who witness Jesus coming among them, showing them his wounds and eating food to convince them that he really is alive. They are convinced and the experience changes their own lives and their life together as a community of believers. As a community of believers here in Clewer, we are growing! And it is such a privilege to be able to welcome in and get to know all those who come through our doors and worship with us. Everyone has a story to tell, everyone is on a journey and for what ever reason, they have turned up at our door and our lives are being changed by new relationships. Easter has changed our lives!! The life, death and resurrection of Jesus is still impacting people’s lives, the friends, and disciples in the room after the event, frightened and unsure, yes, like them we too have so many questions. We may never find the answer we think we want and need, but we are talking about it and that is the difference for us here and now. Each of us follows Jesus in our own way, shaped by our life experiences and who knows where the journey will take us, but we take it together growing together in faith, hope and love, as Easter people. Alleluia Christ is risen! Blessings Revd Rosie READINGS FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER The risen and glorified Jesus invites us to recognise him in our midst, calling us to offer our lives afresh to him, and to hear afresh his words of comfort and call. First reading from Zephaniah chapter 3, verses 14 to the end. Much of the prophecy of Zephaniah pronounces judgment against God’s people and their enemies. These verses from the end of the book restore hope through the promise of God’s ultimate salvation. The second reading from the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 9, verses 1 to 6. The encounter for Saul with the resurrected Jesus radically turning his life around mirrors the encounter in today’s gospel with Peter. It contains both reprimand and invitation to true discipleship. And the gospel, which is John 21, 1 to 19. This, ‘additional’ scene from the end of John’s gospel, underlines the restoration of Peter as a disciple and as Jesus’ rock who would lead the community of faith. Canon Brian COLLECT Almighty Father, who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen Lord: give us such knowledge of his presence with us, that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life and serve you continually in righteousness and truth; 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 Zephaniah 3.14-end Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lordhas taken away the judgements against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Acts 9.1-6 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’ This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Gospel Reading John 21.1-19 Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. Glory to you, O Lord. After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you have no fish, have you?’ They answered him, ‘No.’ He said to them, ‘Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the lake. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’ So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’ (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Mighty God, your Son revealed himself again and again and convinced his disciples of his glorious resurrection. Help us to feel his risen presence so we can lovingly feed his sheep, and care for the lambs of his flock here in Clewer. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Creator God, we thank you for the example of leadership given to us by your Son, Jesus Christ, in his life on earth and how, in a very practical sense, he showed his followers a new way to fish. We pray for the peoples of the world who are learning to do new things with their lives and we continue to pray that such changes will hasten the day when all of your world has enough of the basic essentials and comforts of life. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Almighty God, you have called us to follow in the way of your risen Son, and to care for those who are our companions, not only with words, but with acts of love. As we seek to be true friends of all, we pray for our families, our friends and our neighbours especially in areas where there are problems with our relationships. Let us always be the ones to make the first steps towards reconciliation. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Gracious God, we remember this morning those who are sick, sad or lonely and those who are brave and patient when things are going wrong. We pray that they may be aware of your comforting presence and know that in your hands they are safe and loved. We pray too for those recently bereaved. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Creator God, through the glorious resurrection of your son Jesus Christ you have freed us from the grip of the tomb. We pray for those who have departed this life and ask You, through your loving kindness, to have mercy on their souls. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Lord, at the start of this new week help us to be an example to others. Show us, as you did with your fishermen friends, the practical steps we need to take so that we can change the ways in which we do things and so develop consistency and integrity in all that we do in our lives. Merciful father accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen Adapted from the web site of The Chaplaincy of the Holy Spirit Costa Blanca POST COMMUNION Living God, your Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: open the eyes of our faith, that we may see him in all his redeeming work; who is alive and reigns, now and for ever. Amen Canon Brian’s Sermon last Sunday LISTEN NOTICES EVENING SERVICE ON SUNDAY The service on Sunday evening is Eucharist at 5.00pm. SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Church open every day 10.00am until 6.00pm Evening Prayer via Zoom at 5.00pm Tuesdays and Thursdays Morning Prayer on Wednesdays at 8.00am in Church Sun 04 May10:30am All Age Eucharist – The 3rd Sunday of Easter 5.00pm Eucharist Sun 11 May 10:30am Parish Eucharist – The 4th Sunday of Easter 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 18 May 10:30am Parish Eucharist – The 5th Sunday of Easter 3.00pm Wild Worship 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 25 May 10:30am Parish Eucharist – The 6th Sunday of Easter 5.00pm Evening Prayer Thu 29 May 12.00 Midday Eucharist – Ascension Day PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Sam, Matt, Al, John C, Sharon, Vivienne, Stef, John F, Joanna, Jane P, Tom B, Val, and Bronwyn. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: Craig Waldren, all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Baptisms: all who were baptised this Easter. 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, 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 Parsonage Lane, Errington Drive, Chantry Close, Rectory Close, Haslemere Road, Oak Lane, Orchard Avenue, and Dedworth Road. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for The Church of Ireland. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Northern Michigan, Western Michigan, Milwaukee, Minnesota (USA), Micronesia, and Minna (Nigeria).Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. UPCOMING EVENTSThe first of this year’s Churchyard Teas starts with VE Day celebrations on Thursday 8th May at 3.00pmThe APCM will be held on 11 May, after the 10.30 service The Christian Aid Open Garden fundraising coffee morning etc is at the Rectory on 17th May 10.00-12.00. Please see poster below for details The next Wild Worship is at 3.00pm on 18th May Our new Bishop, Bishop Mary is due to visit the deanery on 22nd May and we are all invited to meet her at an evening event. If you would like to have an evening out and meet the Bishop, put the date in your diary. St Andrews Volunteers Day Sat 24 May from 9.00-12.00. Please see notice belowCoffee and More is starting again on 4th June at 10.00am Churchyard tidies are being organised, please keep an eye out for dates, and help when you can. ST ANDREWS VOLUNTEERS DAY – SAT 24 MAY 9.00-12.00 Did you sign to help volunteer for roles within St Andrews? Now is the time action! Come along on 24th for churchyard tidy, silver and brass cleaning, training on chalice assistant, sound system, serving and the ministry of welcome. Training lasts an hour, starting promptly on the hour, come for one or rotate round each. Churchyard tidy will be continuous outside. Refreshments available See you then. APCM The APCM will be held on 11 May, after the 10.30 service, and we are looking for new PCC members plus two church wardens. If you are interested in becoming a Trustee of the church and are passionate about the mission and ministry here at St Andrews, then why not join the PCC? Church Wardens are appointed by the Bishop and they have responsibility for the furnishings and fabric of the building and looking after the Rector, if you are interested in this side of church life and can offer time and talents (even if you can help with one aspect) then please have a chat with Revd Rosie. Also, a reminder that if you haven’t already applied to be on the Electoral Roll for this year, please do so. Forms are at the back of the church.CHURCHES TOGETHER IN WINDSOR EASTER NEWSLETTER The latest CTW newsletter includes information on Christian Aid Week (11-17 May) and services during Thy Kingdom Come period (Ascension to Pentecost). It is not yet on the CTW web site, but can be downloaded from here.      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 URGENT APPEAL We’re running low on some essential items at Windsor Foodshare and need your help! If you can donate, we’d be so grateful for:  Tinned Pasta Tinned Pulses Tinned Fruit Jars of Sauces Biscuits Strong Carrier BagsThere 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 2025 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 |