| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 12 July 2026 |
 WELCOME Welcome Trinity 6 As you know my husband is a gardener but the vegetable patch falls to my responsibility. Due to being home more this year I was able to get ahead of the game with my seed planting. Seeds sorted, the right compost, small pots to receive the seeds. A whole variety of seeds were duly sown and nurtured for the foreseeable. Everything started off great. This year I decided to put the runner beans into large containers in front of the green house, which I thought would give some much needed shade if it got hot. Despite my nurturing, companion planting and watering, the beans have all died. It would appear that the problem was the containers, they have been so hot in all this heat that the roots have died. Gardening is a completely open- ended hobby, you can do as much or as little as you want and spend any amount on plants. It is also open-ended because it is unpredictable. You can read all the books, websites and packet instructions but in the end in order for nature to flourish, it’s a mystery, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. We cannot control nature and we cannot control God. Faith is about growth and the grower is God. Today’s gospel reading is the parable of the sower. The sower is a farmer, not a gardener and he’s just trying to grow one essential crop but the same uncertainty applies. Farmers at that time and climate meant a real sense of uncertainty as whether you could grow anything was a matter of life and death. The farmer could have meticulously placed the seed in the good soil, but he scattered and trusted nature despite everything. This is all about growing faith. We try to control God and we can’t. Sometimes churches want to control God, God do this, God do that for us. God wants to bless, challenge and grow us but if the church is the ‘wrong pot’ there is trouble. Things die, groups, studies, activities and functions which may have worked once may in fact have come to the end, people leave because they feel God is not answering. We have to learn from our mistakes, strategy is not going to see church growth. We can’t sow the word of God then control how it grows. Don’t blame God, it may be the pot! As disciples of Christ we are tasked with sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ, we are to scatter the Word wherever and let God give the growth. I put my beans in the wrong container, despite controlling and nurturing, they died, my understanding was wrong and I won’t do that again. Faith and growth within a church is what God does, we need to clear out the pot, and have more faith to just scatter the seed and see where the growth begins and give thanks. Blessings for a cooler week! Revd Rosie SUNDAY SERVICES 12TH JULY 6TH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY 10:30am Parish Eucharist 5:00pm Evening Prayer COLLECT Merciful God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as pass our understanding: pour into our hearts such love toward you that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; 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 55.10-13 10 For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.12 For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. Romans 8.1-11 8There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. Matthew 13.1-9, 18-23 13That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. 2Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with ears listen!’18 ‘Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’ Sermon Recording from Sunday 5th July 2026 (Rev Adam) NOTICES PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Bill, Jennifer, Matt, Stef, and Joanna. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: John Bruce and all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Baptisms: Weddings: Those preparing for marriage Amber and Phillip 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. For EMERGE advocacy for their work in hosptials. 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 Hermitage Lane, Longbourn, Maidenhead Road, Rays Avenue, Wells Close, Vale Road and Buckland Crescent. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for the Episcopal Church of South Sudan. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: South Ankole (Uganda), West Ankole (Uganda), Antananarivo (Indian Ocean), Antsiranana (Indian Ocean), Aotearoa (Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia) and Araucanía (Chile).Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families. If you would like anyone added to our Prayer List please email the office office@clewerparish.org SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Morning Prayer on Wednesdays at 8.00am in Church Evening Prayer on Tuesday and Thursdays at 5pm on Zoom Prayers & Bears – Early Years Liturgy on Fridays at 9.30am in Church The church is open for private prayer 10.00am – 5.00pm daily Sun 12 July 10:30am Eucharist 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 19 July 10:30am Eucharist 3.00pm Wild Worship (at the allotments – meet at Church) 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 26 July 10:30am Eucharist 5.00pm Evening Prayer UPCOMING EVENTS & ACTIVITIES Churchyard Tidy Dates – Save the Date – 9-11am Saturday 15th Aug Sat 5th Sept Churchyard Tea Saturday 11th July 3-5pm Childrens Pop-Up Cafe End of Term Party!! 17th July 4pm Wild Worship Sunday 19th July 3pm at the allotments, meet at Church and walk together Bat Watch 21st July 8.30pm       CHURCH GIVING Thank you to everyone who continues to contribute to our church financially as well as through their time and skills. As we see our congregation grow and our community events increase we invite you to prayerfully consider how you might support this ongoing growth. Every contribution helps us serve our parish here in Clewer. Finance Details Parish Giving Scheme – where one off payments or regular giving can be set up. Alternatively, financial contributions can be paid 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 If you haven’t already please consider downloading the Church of Englands EverydayFaith app to help with daily reflections to inspire, equip and encourage you in your everday faith. 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 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/st_andrews_clewer/ Churchwarden: Vacant Contact via email: office@clewerparish.org Safeguarding Policy: www.standrewsclewer.org/safeguarding-policy Safeguarding Officer: clewerparishsafeguarding@gmail.com |