| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 10th August 2025 The Eighth Sunday after Trinity |
 Chloe Kelly, winning England team, UEFA Women’s Euros 2025 (and World cup 2023) WELCOME The 8th Sunday after Trinity. In the letter to the Hebrews today we read that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. So let us hold these words in mind as we worship God today, seeking ways to deepen and strengthen our relationship with the Living God. The first reading is Genesis 15, 1-6. The Lord visits Abram in a vision, promising, despite his protestations, that although he is childless, his descendants will be innumerable. Finally, Abram believes. The second reading is Hebrews 11, 1-3, 8-16. In faith, Abraham obeyed God, even though he and Sarah would not live to see God’s promises fulfilled. The reference to all these who died in faith is about Abel, Enoch and Noah. They were, as we are, strangers and foreigners on the earth. Our true home is our heavenly home. The Gospel is St Luke, chapter 12, 32-40. Words of comfort and assurance that God wants to give us the kingdom are followed by an exhortation to live simply and charitably, relying on heavenly rather than earthly treasure. Jesus likens faithful people to slaves waiting for their master to return from a wedding. Those who wait in a state of watchful preparedness will be rewarded. We may not be cut out to be top-class footballers, but each and every one of us, without exception, no matter what our background or brokenness, has the potential to achieve more than we can possibly imagine. To reach our goal, we need to tap into the elusive quality of relaxed alertness that already exists within, but which we lose when we take our eye off the ball. To get to this point, we need discipline and practice, and this involves engaging fully with the Word of God, the Word of the Living God, training in prayer, honest reflection and worship, and practice in love and charity all day and every day. COLLECT Almighty Lord and everlasting God, we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern both our hearts and bodies in the ways of your laws and the works of your commandments; that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever, we may be preserved in body and soul; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen READINGS Genesis 15.1-6 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’ But Abram said, ‘O Lord God , what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?’ And Abram said, ‘You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.’ But the word of the Lord came to him, ‘This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.’ He brought him outside and said, ‘Look towards heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ And he believed the Lord ; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Hebrews 11.1-3, 8-16 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old – and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, ‘as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.’ All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Gospel Reading Luke 12.32-40 Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord. ‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ‘Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. ‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.’ This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Everlasting God, we give thanks for this new day and as we gather here to worship you we pray that we might be so filled with joy through our belief in you that our hearts overflow with love for you and for all who we meet along our journey. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Holy God, give your wisdom and heavenly grace to all bishops, and priests and deacons, 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, in this uncertain time as the wars between Russia and Ukraine and Israel and Palestine continue, drive away despair from our politics, revive our dreams of justice and truth, restore our passion for what is good and right and give to our leaders wisdom and sensitivity to work for unity and the common good so that our children and grandchildren might enjoy the kind of peace in Europe which our generation has known. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Father God, we pray that, in our communities, all will be welcome and accepted regardless of nationality, colour or status and that we will seek always to serve God in one another Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Loving God, we pray that all those who seek healing of body, mind or spirit will be touched by the loving hand of God and know his peace and his presence alongside them each and every step of their journey. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Gracious God, and Lord of Life, look in mercy on the departed that they may see your salvation and find their peace and final rest in you: Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer God, and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, hear these prayers we offer you in his name. By the power of your Holy Spirit work within us and among us to bring your kingdom values into this world. Let your will be done so that all people may live only for your praise and glory Merciful Father accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen Adapted from the web site of The Anglican Chaplaincy of the Costa Blanca POST COMMUNION Strengthen for service, Lord, the hands that have taken holy things; may the ears which have heard your word be deaf to clamour and dispute; may the tongues which have sung your praise be free from deceit; may the eyes which have seen the tokens of your love shine with the light of hope; and may the bodies which have been fed with your body be refreshed with the fullness of your life; glory to you for ever. Amen SERMON RECORDING LISTEN NOTICES NO EVENING SERVICE ON SUNDAY As in previous years, there is no Evening Prayer during Agust. SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Church open every day 10.00am until 6.00pm No Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday Evening Prayer during August Sun 10 Aug 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 8th Sunday after Trinity Sun 17 Aug 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 9th Sunday after Trinity Sun 24 Aug 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 10th Sunday after Trinity Sun 31 Aug 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 11th Sunday after Trinity 3.00pm Worship Explorers – Children’s Church PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Sam, Matt, Al, Sharon, Vivienne, Stef, John F, Joanna, Dee, Tom B, Val, Bronwyn. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: Patricia Faulkner, Janet Gammons, all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Baptisms: 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 Shirley Avenue, Kingsbury Mews, Rutherford Close, West Crescent, East Crescent, Hatch Lane, and Firs Avenue. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for The Church in Rwanda. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Norwich (England), Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island (Canada), Nsukka (Nigeria), Nyahururu (Kenya), Nyamlel (South Sudan), and Nyang (South Sudan.Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. UPCOMING EVENTS Churchyard Teas – the next afternoon tea in the churchyard will be for Peace and Hope on Friday 15th August. Please see poster below. A date for your diary – Saturday 30 August 12.00-3.00pm, Parish Picnic at St Leonards Hill. Details to follow. The next Worship Explorers will be on 31 August at 3.00pm The next Coffee and More is on Wednesday 03 September, 1000am in church Another date for your diary – Friday 26th September at Windsor Boys School, starting at 5.00pm, 24-hour Sing-Along to raise money for the Night Shelter.   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, X (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 currently very low on toiletries and cleaning products – these items are essential for our clients and often overlooked. 🧼 Items needed include: • Shower gel • Shampoo • Toothpaste • Deodorant • Toilet roll • Washing-up liquid • Laundry detergent • Household cleaning sprays 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! 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 |