| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 08 September 2024 15th Sunday after Trinity |
 WELCOME The first reading is from Isaiah 35 verses 4 to 7. Isaiah speaks of a day of renewal and transformation. A day when sight, hearing, speaking and walking shall be restored, and life-giving water will transform the desert. The second reading is James 2, 1-10 and 14-17. James insists that his readers must live out the faith they proclaim, bringing it to life and learning truly to love their neighbour as themselves. The Gospel reading is from St Mark chapter 7, 24 to the end. Jesus encounters two people needing healing from him, and each encounter significantly affects the focus of his ministry. Sometimes God wants us to change course, both for our good and the good of others. Our call is to follow Jesus. It’s also a call to listen, to be flexible in our thinking and planning, and to trust in the one who is calling us ever closer to himself, Jesus, the son of the living God. CANON BRIAN COLLECT God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit upon your Church in the burning fire of your love: grant that your people may be fervent in the fellowship of the gospel that, always abiding in you, they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service; 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 Isaiah 35.4-7a Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God James 2.1-17 My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favouritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’, have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you? You do well if you really fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’, also said, ‘You shall not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgement will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgement. What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Gospel Reading Mark 7.24-end Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark. Glory to you, O Lord. From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ But she answered him, ‘Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’ Then he said to her, ‘For saying that, you may go – the demon has left your daughter.’ So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’ This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Heavenly Father, mindful of the words of the prophet Isaiah to “be strong and do not fear”, we gather our thoughts and prayers with hope and humbly call on You to help us in our needs. Give your wisdom and heavenly grace to all those who serve this Parish, and the Diocese of Oxford, especially Bishops Steven and Olivia, and to all others who hold office in your church, that, by their service, faith may abound and your Kingdom increase. Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer Creator God, Your Son entered creation that all might be made new. Look in mercy on our broken world and speak to all people that they may hear the message of peace. Guide and guard those who speak out for justice and mercy and face the wrath of undemocratic leaders and governments. We pray for our King, Charles, and our Government, and for all Heads of State. Sharpen their consciences and give them courage to make wise decisions, making wrongs right and meeting the needs of all who suffer. Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer Lord God, we pray for family and colleagues, friends and lovers, for neighbours and strangers, for those with whom we break bread at home, at work, in the church and in our community. We pray particularly for those among our friends and families who do not know you, or whose faith has been shaken or fallen away. Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer Loving God, Isaiah also foretells the time when Jesus came to open the eyes of the blind and unstop deaf ears and cast out evil spirits. We especially pray for any we know who are blind or deaf and for the specialist care which they receive to help them live a normal life. Thank you too for Guide dogs for the Blind and for Hearing dogs for the Deaf and for those who train them to be so helpful. We raise before you for those in our Parish who need our ongoing prayers at this time. Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer Loving Lord God, we pray for those kept fresh in our memory and for those long forgotten; for all who shared our homes, our places of work and our church life; for all who helped to shape our lives. We pray too for the recently departed asking that they all find rest in your Heavenly Kingdom as we commend them to your keeping for ever. Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer Almighty God, as we move into another week, deliver our eyes from tears and our feet from stumbling and walk with us on our journey of faith as we carry the cross of Christ into the world. 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 Keep, O Lord, your Church, with your perpetual mercy; and, because without you our human frailty cannot but fall, keep us ever by your help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Listen to Canon Brian’s Sermon for last Sunday Listen NOTICESEVENING SERVICE ON SUNDAY Sunday evening’s service is Evening Prayer, at 5.00pm. Readings Psalm 119.41–56 Exodus 14.5–end Matthew 6.1–18 SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Church Open every day 10.00am to 6.00pm Tuesdays and Thursdays, Evening Prayer at 5.00pm via Zoom Sun 08 Sep10.30am Parish Eucharist – 15th Sunday after Trinity 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 15 Sep10.30am Parish Eucharist – 16th Sunday after Trinity 3.00pm Wild Worship 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 22 Sep10.30am Parish Eucharist – 17th Sunday after Trinity 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 29 Sep10.30am Parish Eucharist – St Michael and All Angels 3.00pm Worship Explorers (Childrens Church) No Evening Service (5th Sunday) Sun 06 Oct 10.30am All Age Eucharist – Harvest Festival 5.00pm Eucharist PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Vivienne, Stef, John F, Joanna, Jane P, and Tom B. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: Linda Harding, James Baxter, all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Baptisms in September: Maisie and Wilfred Recently married: Val and Jeff Community Prayers: Clewer Green School, 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. Parish Cycle of Prayer: Please pray for all who live or work 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 of the Province of Myanmar (Burma). Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Ilesa (Nigeria), Ilesa South West (Nigeria), North East India (North India), Northern Indiana (USA), Indianapolis (USA), and Inhambane (Igreja Anglicana de Mocambique e Angola).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 September 14th Ride + Stride 15th 3pm Wild Worship: Michaelmas 17th 10am Coffee and more in Church (Macmillan coffee Morning) 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) – Worship Explorers  Develop a daily connection with God Connect with God with the new Everyday Faith app. Journey daily with reflections to inspire, equip and encourage you in your everyday faith. Everyday Faith [from the Church of England] is now available to download for iOS and Android. If you already have the Watch & Pray app installed, you will automatically get the update. Full details: https://www.churchofengland.org/faith-life/exploring-faith/everyday-faith  SAVE THE DATE – Saturday 14 September WHY? It’s the annual Ride & Stride event! This national event happens every year across the country, and is a great way to raise funds for the support of our historic churches. Any mode of transport is fine – you could walk, cycle, ride: simply choose a route and find lots of sponsorship from all your friends and family. Perhaps every person in your congregation could sponsor you? You can go by yourself or in a group, any time between 10am and 6pm and many people make a day of it. There are so many wonderful and interesting churches to visit, many will be open and offering refreshments too. Your nominated church will benefit hugely as they will receive half of your sponsorship. The remaining 50% goes to Berkshire Historic Churches Trust which in turn makes generous grants to churches in need. More details will be provided closer to the event from your local co-ordinator or from the BHCT Ride & Stride website http://www.berkschurchestrust.org.uk/ride-and-stride Peter Durrant Reading Area Ride & Stride Co-ordinator MACMILLAN COFFEE MORNING On the 17th of September, our 10am Coffee and more in Church is our Macmillan Coffee Morning.      Churches Together in Windsor are hosting a (non-televised!) Songs of Praise this year on the 27th of October at 6:30 at Windsor Methodist Church. This will be preceded by the AGM at 6 o’clock to which all are welcome. God bless Revd Vicci Davidson [We have been asked to chose a Hymn for the service, there is a sheet at the back of Church for this.]  Did you know you automatically get the Winter Fuel Payment if you receive Pension Credit? If you are over State Pension age, check your eligibility now using DWP’s online calculator  https://orlo.uk/neBOUIf you need help getting online, you can seek assistance at a local library, and can get in touch with our Financial Inclusion officers if you need help making a claim https://orlo.uk/fNBmq FRIENDS OF CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL The latest booklet from the Friends of Christ Church Cathedral, and details of events during the rest of the year, are available at the back of the Church. And you can find out more here: https://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/cathedral/about/cathedral-friends  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 TEA. Whether round or square, tea is an essential part of our weekly packages for many of our clients. 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 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 |