| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 04 September 2022 The 12th Sunday after Trinity |
 Welcome I wonder if you remember your first day at school or college/university? I certainly remember my first day at boarding school aged just nine. The school was huge and I had to sleep in a big room with lots of other girls, and share a bathroom! When I left home to start my nursing career, there was an element of the same nervous feeling, living in the nurses home with others, sharing a kitchen and finding my way around the hospital. Even at theological college, there were nervous doubts, doubts about formal learning again and meeting new people. The place was much smaller so I never got lost, but there was always that hint of….getting lost in the text! Everyone seemed to know the bible more than I did! With the help of teachers and tutors, I made it through…praise the Lord! The first Sunday in September at St Andrews, we keep Back to School Sunday/Education Sunday (normally kept on the second Sunday in September). It gives us the opportunity to reflect on the way that teaching and learning takes place day by day in many different formal settings in our community including preschools, lower, middle and upper schools, and other education settings, as well as in our daily lives. On this Sunday we take time to explore ways that teachers help us though our learning, to engage with the world around us. Teachers help those they are teaching to thrive in their thinking, allowing individuals to push the boundaries as they develop their own skills as independent learners. Jesus did this with his disciples as he encouraged them to learn together and to explore the world, looking afresh in their response to the insights that he shared with them about God, about themselves and about the inclusive community that they would help to shape. For the 10.30am All Age service we are using the gospel for Education Sunday, which is Luke 15.1-10. It shows something of the way that Jesus taught when he spoke about that which was lost, in this case a sheep and a coin. He often told stories to get his message across and was able to fire people’s imagination in their thinking about God. He does so again here, and he does this so that the farmers he was speaking with would take note! Whether your little one is going to school for the first time, or you might be thinking about joining a course, learning is lifelong. Being a community of faith we are constantly learning how to live, love and grow together, and how to help those who may feel lost for whatever reason. Jesus the teacher….what has Jesus taught you? How much more do you want to learn about God’s love? Why not join us at St Andrews as we learn together? Interestingly we will be keeping the lectionary readings, which is Luke 15, so if you have any interesting interpretation of this passage yourself, please share it with me, I love to hear it as it is great to learn from one another. Blessings Revd Rosie Please note: the readings here are the lectionary readings for Trinity 12, and will be used for the 5pm Eucharist. 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. All Amen READINGS (for 5.00pm Service) Deuteronomy 30.15-end See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lordyour God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lordyour 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. Psalm 1 1 Blessed are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the assembly of the scornful. 2 Their delight is in the law of the Lord and they meditate on his law day and night. 3 Like a tree planted by streams of water bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither, whatever they do, it shall prosper. 4 As for the wicked, it is not so with them; they are like chaff which the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked shall not be able to stand in the judgement, nor the sinner in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish. 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. 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 Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord. Luke 14.25-33 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 in which 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 Lord we ask you guide your Church especially when differences amongst us seem to threaten our very existence. We face each other, but often do not see the face. We too easily make ‘an other’ of one another. Help us now to look again, to see Jesus in the face and to recognise hopes, aspirations and desires. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Creator God in this uncertain time politically for the British nation, as a change of Prime Minister and the tensions in Parliament dominate the headlines, we pray for our New Prime Minister and Party Leaders as they negotiate the political future of the nation. We pray for those who represent their communities in Parliament; for the media as they interpret events, and for ourselves and our future. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Father God, help us to recognise 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 does 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 for evermore. 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 Costa Blanca Anglican Chaplaincy PRAYER AFTER 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 Listen to Canon Brian’s Sermon last Sunday NOTICES SUNDAY EVENING EUCHARIST As this is the first Sunday of the month, Sunday evening’s service is a Eucharist, in Church at 5.00pm. Readings Deuteronomy 30.15-20 Psalm 1 Philemon 1-21 Luke 14.25-33 SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Evening Prayer on Tuesday and Thursday at 5.00pm via Zoom Church Open for Private Prayer, every Wednesday 10.00am-12.00 Sun 04 Sep 10.30am 12th Sunday after Trinity, Back to School Sunday 5.00pm Eucharist, in Church Sun 11 Sep 10.30am 13th Sunday after Trinity, Parish Eucharist 5.00pm Evening Prayer, Zoom Sun 18 Sep 10.30am 14th Sunday after Trinity, Parish Eucharist 5.00pm Evening Prayer, Zoom Sun 25 Sep 10.30am 15th Sunday after Trinity, Parish Eucharist 5.00pm Evening Prayer, Zoom   AWAYDAY The PCC are having an awayday, a quiet day at Burnham Abbey on 10 September, all day. There are still a few places for non PCC members, so if you would like to join us, please let Revd Rosie know. HARVEST FESTIVAL Our Harvest Festival service is on 02 October, followed by a bring and share lunch, in Church. NEXT CHURCHYARD TIDY The next, and end of season, churchyard tidy is 08 Oct 10.00am-12.00 THANKSGIVING FOR PETS To remember the feast day of St Francis, on 09 October we will be having a thanksgiving for pets service at 3.00pm. Bring your pets! PAM HOCKEDY’S MEMORIAL Pam Hockedy’s memorial service is on 14 October at 11.00am. There will be refreshments, so help would be appreciated. Please speak to Revd Rosie if you can help. WILD CHURCH Our new Wild Church service starts on 16 October, in Clewer Park at 3.00pm. Look our for further details nearer the time. PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Blake, Sam, Reuben, Don, Karl, Hugh and Sarah, Joanna, Holly, Hugo, Frank and Barbara, Bill, Suzanne, Christopher, Jackie, Norman and Diane, Frank, and Louise. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: Patricia, Pam Hockedy, and all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Those baptised this month: Matthew Harris Community Prayers: Clewer Green School, the head teacher Martin Tinsley and all the pupils, staff and governors. For all our Care Homes, for the safety of residents and staff. Parish Cycle of Prayer: Please pray for all who live 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 Australia. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Missouri (USA), West Missouri (USA), Mityana (Uganda), Mombasa (Kenya), Monmouth (Wales), and Montana (USA).Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. WINDSOR FOODSHARE From their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/windsorfoodshare CAN YOU PLEASE HELP We are still very low on long life milk. We had some brilliant donations of milk this week but we go though around 150 of them a week. We are also low on tinned fruit and desserts. All items can be dropped off to the church: Dedworth Green Baptist Church, Smiths Lane, Windsor, SL4 5PE 9.30am-1.30pm Wednesdays 9.30am -3.00pm Thursdays. or alternatively they can be brought from our Amazon wish list. The address they are delivered to are saved to Amazon to make your life a little easier 😀. https://amzn.to/3a1IMAk Thankyou all for your continued support and for helping to feed local families. More information, and to donate online: https://www.windsorfoodshare.org.uk/food-donations Did you know that Windsor Foodshare has its own just giving page. If you are donating with just giving don’t forget to tick the gift aid box that way we get an extra 25% on top of your donation. Every single penny we get given goes to help feed local families. https://www.justgiving.com/windsorfoodshare CHURCH FINANCES – MESSAGE FROM ANDREW Thank you to everyone for all you have been able to give in this difficult time. Please consider continuing your regular giving by paying directly to our bank account, the details of which are: HSBC Bank, High Street, Windsor 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 You may wish to consider transferring to 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, please contact the Parish Office by email. CONTACTS The Parish Office is now closed. The Office Number is: 07490 094261 Email: office@clewerparish.org Parish Website: www.standrewsclewer.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/standrewsclewer Churchwarden: Stuart Cockman Safeguarding Policy: www.standrewsclewer.org/safeguarding-policy Safeguarding Officer: clewerparishsafeguarding@gmail.com |