| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 16 March 2025 The Second Sunday of Lent |
 JERUSALEM Welcome In Lent we seek to walk more closely with Jesus, mindful of his costly obedience to the Father for our sake. So this second Sunday of Lent, let us focus our minds and set our hearts on him as we gather together to worship in the Eucharist. The first reading is Genesis 15, 1-12, 17-18. God makes a covenant with Abram, gifting land to his promised blood heir and descendants. God ratifies this with holy fire and Abram’s sacrificed animals. The second reading is Philippians 3, 17-4, 1. St. Paul exhorts the Philippians to follow his example of steadfast faith by focusing their minds on heavenly citizenship, confident in Jesus’ power to transform them into his likeness. The Gospel is St. Luke 13, 31-end. Jesus responds to reported threats to kill him by declaring that God’s purposes will not be thwarted. He grieves over those who refuse his love. Divine resistance, not divine reluctance, blocks God’s grace. This Lent it’s our desire to be on the way with Jesus. This Lent can we walk with him step by step, wherever he may take us, trusting that, as the writer Warren Viersbe wrote, the safest place in all the world is in the will of God. Canon Brian COLLECT Almighty God, you show to those who are in error the light of your truth, that they may return to the way of righteousness: grant to all those who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s religion, that they may reject those things that are contrary to their profession, and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same; through our Lord 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 15.1-12, 17-18 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. Then he said to him, ‘I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.’ But he said, ‘O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?’ He said to him, ‘Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon.’ He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him. When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire-pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lordmade a covenant with Abram, saying, ‘To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Philippians 3.17-4.1 Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation so that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Gospel Reading Luke 13.31-end Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord. At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”’ This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Mighty God, you spoke to your servant Abram telling him not to be afraid; to use you as his shield; and to expect a great reward. Help us in our times of fear and worry; and constantly remind us of the reward of everlasting life that we can expect through faith in your son Jesus Christ. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Almighty God, help us as a church to avoid the temptations of the world and dilute the Gospel message and to recognise that a watered-down gospel has tragic results which are eternal. May we all join in imitating St Paul, and live according to the example set to us by the life of Jesus. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Creator God, as we pray for the world, its peoples and leaders, especially The Ukraine. Be with all those people who live in places troubled by disaster, natural or man-made. We thank you for all of the wonders of the world which belongs to you but was given into our care at the beginning of time. Help us to be good stewards, always mindful of the tragic consequences of our lack of care. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Merciful God we raise before you those we know and love who are ill or in need at this time and we pray for all who care for them at home or in hospital. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Gracious God, we pray for those who have died especially those who have died recently and for all who mourn their passing. May they rest in peace and rise in glory. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Loving God, as we go out into the world today help us to resist temptation, remembering that your son was tempted by the world and the devil but chose faithfulness over popularity, service above fame and sacrifice instead of power. Lord, in your mercy: hear our prayer Merciful father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen Adapted from the website of The Anglican Chaplaincy of the Costa Blanca POST COMMUNION Almighty God, you see that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Listen to Canon Brian’s Sermon from last Sunday evening LISTEN NOTICES EVENING SERVICE ON SUNDAY The Sunday evening service is Evening Prayer at 5.00pm. Readings Psalm 135.1-14 Jeremiah 22.1-9,13-17 Luke 14.27-33 SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Church open every day 10.00am until 6.00pm. Morning Prayer on Wednesdays at 8.00am in Church Contemplative Eucharist on Wednesdays at 12.00 during Lent, followed by Lent Lunch Sun 16 Mar 10.30am Parish Eucharist – 2nd Sunday of Lent 3.00pm Wild Worship 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 23 Mar 10.30am Parish Eucharist – 3rd Sunday of Lent 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 30 Mar 10.30am All Age Eucharist – Mothering Sunday No evening service (5th Sunday) Sun 06 Apr 10.30am All Age Eucharist – 5th Sunday of Lent Passiontide begins 5.00pm Eucharist PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Sam, Matt, Al, John C, Sharon, Vivienne, Stef, John F, Joanna, Jane P, and Tom B. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: Mary Brown, Andrew Morley, all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Baptisms: Felix, and Willow. Weddings: Community Prayers: Clewer Green School, Mrs Branch, Mr Seymour, and all the staff, pupils, staff and governors. The new Bible Explorers Group. 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 All Retail Premises, Mill Stream Houseboats, the Boatyard, Windsor Race Course, Forest House Veterinary Group, Petworth Court, Care Homes: Sandown Park, Queens Court, Mountbatten Grange and Winton House. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for the Church in Central Africa. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Malek Rup (South Sudan), Malindi (Kenya), Manawa o Te Wheke (Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia), Manchester (England), Mandalay (Myanmar (Burma)), and Manicaland (Central Africa)Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. EVENTS The next Wild Worship will be held on the 16th March at 3.00pm Pudding Club 17th March 7.30pm at 3A Peel Close Mary Brown’s Funeral is on 21st March at 12.00 at Slough Crematorium, and a Memorial Service at 2.30pm at Windsor Methodist church. The next Pop Up Cafe will be held on the 28th March at 3.45pm The next Pop Up Community Fridge at St Andrews is on 5th April, 11.00-12.00. For otyher locations please see the poster below.  CHURCHES TOGETHER IN WINDSOR SPRING NEWSLETTER The link below goes to the Churches Together in Windsor Spring Newsletter, which has information about lots of events coming soon. https://churchestogetherinwindsor.org.uk/2025/03/ctw-spring-2025-newsletter/ COFFEE AFTER CHURCH ON SUNDAYS Could we ask you to consider bringing your own mug/cup for tea/coffee? And take it home after church to wash up at home. Washing up in church is difficult, and this will reduce use of paper cups. Thank you. VOLUNTEER ROLES IN CHURCH There are several roles within the church community which we are looking for volunteers for: welcomers, hospitality, music, reading lessons, leading prayers, chalice assistant etc. Sign up forms for these are at the back of church. Please think about how you could help. LENT READING Lent is traditionally a time for study. To help with this there are a number of publications for you to borrow at the back of the church. The booklet Living Hope is our main one during Lent. The Android and iPhone app Everyday Faith has the same text as Living Hope, and it can read it to you. For Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.livelent&hl=en For iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/everyday-faith/id1336487241 CLEWER GREEN GOVENOR POSITION Clewer Green School are looking for a new Foundation Governor, if anyone is interested in becoming a school governor please see Rector.  THANK YOU A big thank you to everyone from Chatty Cafe, WTF and others, who took part in the fundraising fun run/walk on Saturday! A total of £247.50 was raised for the church.      Board Trustee – Human Resources (HR) An exciting opportunity has arisen at Alma Beacon for a Trustee position to support the charity on key Human Resources matters that are intrinsic to its smooth running. If interested please download the full job description here Alma Beacon is also looking for some additional volunteer support roles.We want to take a moment to invite you to consider two exciting opportunities to further enhance our charity’s impact and smooth running. 1. Room Booking System Coordinator for Alma Beacon 2. Volunteer Champion If you think that you could help with either of these, please click here for more information  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 |