† St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 16 October 2022 The 18th Sunday after Trinity |
WELCOME The Old Testament stories provide us with timeless, multi-layered lessons for God’s people. One such story is Jacob’s wrestling with God, found in Genesis 32:22-32. In this short passage, there are key points about how it relates to our own walk with God and how we can apply to our own lives. You will need to read the back story to get the full picture of how Jacob ends up wrestling with God, it starts in Genesis chapter 25. Jacob wrestles with God at night, the time when we are left alone with our fears and anxieties. So, Jacob faces his fears. If we are to follow God, like Jacob, we need to come to the point of recognising our wrongs and our weaknesses. It is only through God’s mercy that we can be forgiven, and his grace that sees us through to the other side of the night. We all need forgiveness. Jacob has perseverance, was spiritually aware; he was a man of faith, but he was also very determined. His perseverance for the woman he loved is very evident in his patience in serving Laban, Rachel’s father, for her hand in marriage. Jacob knew it was God he wrestled with, and he refused to give up until God blessed him. The wrestling match left him lame, but Jacob had his blessing.Prayer is never easy, it may seem that God isn’t listening, but he is. We all wrestle with the things we think we want or need and our behaviour, but God knows. Perhaps you find it hard to pray? During the wrestling match, God became the God of Jacob’s heart. Many people know about God, but never have a true, life-changing encounter with Him. Sometimes the biggest obstacle to spending time with God is ourselves. Our priorities get mixed up. I know that when I start my day by spending time in God’s word and/or praying, the rest of the day goes better. In 2 Timothy Paul charges Timothy to be persistent, continue in your learning, have patience and encourage; and in the gospel Luke tells us of the parable of the Widow and Unjust Judge, a parable about the need to pray always and not to lose heart. Whatever you are wrestling with at this time, let God love you through it and may you find forgiveness and peace. Blessings for your week Revd Rosie COLLECT Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us your gift of faith that, forsaking what lies behind and reaching out to that which is before, we may run the way of your commandments and win the crown of everlasting joy; 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. or God, our judge and saviour, teach us to be open to your truth and to trust in your love, that we may live each day with confidence in the salvation which is given through Jesus Christ our Lord. All AmenREADINGS Genesis 32.22-31 The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day is breaking.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go, unless you bless me.’ So he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’ Then the man said, ‘You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.’ Then Jacob asked him, ‘Please tell me your name.’ But he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’ And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.’ The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Psalm 121 I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not suffer your foot to stumble; he who watches over you will not sleep. Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord himself watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand, So that the sun shall not strike you by day, neither the moon by night. The Lord shall keep you from all evil; it is he who shall keep your soul. The Lord shall keep watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore. 2 Timothy 3.14-4.5 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully. 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 18.1-8 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, “Grant me justice against my opponent.” For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, “Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.”’ And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’ This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS We lift up our hearts and minds in prayer in the faith of God the Father who loves us and knows our every need; in the name of God the Son, our Advocate with the Father who ever lives to intercede for us; in the power of the Holy Spirit who comes to the aid of our weakness and pleads within our hearts. Hear us in your mercy, O God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen. O God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, we pray today for our King and for all who are placed in authority over us. May King Charles be quiet in spirit, clear in judgment and able to understand the issues which face him. May he follow the example of our beloved late Queen and be a faithful Christian example for others to follow. Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer. Almighty God and ever-loving Father, your care extends beyond the boundaries of race and nation to the hearts of all who live in your world. We pray for peace and an end to the suffering and misery of all places troubled by war and conflict. We commend to your Fatherly care the people of Ukraine and pray for a swift and peaceful solution to the troubles they are facing. We continue to pray for all Christians who are made to suffer for their beliefs. Give them grace and courage and make us faithful in our prayerful support. Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer. Loving Lord, we lift to you the parents of all the little children who were killed in the nursery in Thailand. It is impossible for us to imagine the grief and distress that their families are suffering. We pray that the God of all consolation will be very close to them in their suffering. Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer. We pray for all those from our community or otherwise known to us who are suffering at this time. We pray for all who are unwell, those in hospital, all who have concerns about their families, those who have financial worries and those who have concerns about accommodation. In particular we commend to your Fatherly care Blake, Sam, Don, Karl, Hugh and Sarah, Joanna, Holly, Hugo, Frank and Barbara, Bill, Suzanne, Christopher, Jackie, Norman and Diane, Sylvia, and Mary. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer. We give thanks for those who have fulfilled their work on earth and entered into rest. Grant them eternal life through the Cross that was borne for them. And with confidence in the love of Christ who died for sinners, we commend the souls recently departed this life, Patricia, Pam Hockedy, Roy Jeffrey, Nora Sumner, Frank Blagrove, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Rest eternal grant unto them O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. We join our prayers with those of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St Andrew, St Agnes, and all the Saints, as we commend ourselves, one another, and those we have prayed for, to your unfailing love. Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION We praise and thank you, O Christ, for this sacred feast: for here we receive you, here the memory of your passion is renewed, here our minds are filled with grace, and here a pledge of future glory is given, when we shall feast at that table where you reign with all your saints for ever. Amen Listen to Canon Brian’s Sermon from last Sunday PLAY NOTICES SUNDAY EVENING PRAYER The Sunday Evening Service will be Evening Prayer in traditional language, at 5.00pm. The service will be on Zoom, and the order of service will be emailed on Sunday afternoon. Readings Psalm 146, 149 Nehemiah 8.9-18 John 16.1-11 SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Evening Prayer on Tuesday and Thursday at 5.00pm via Zoom Church Open every Wednesday 10.00am – 12.00 Sun 16 Oct 10.30am 18th Sunday after Trinity, Parish Eucharist 3.00pm Wild Worship, Clewer Park 5.00pm Evening Prayer, Zoom Sun 23 Oct 10.30am Bible Sunday, Parish Eucharist 5.00pm Evening Prayer, Zoom Sun 30 Oct 10.30am All Saints, Parish Eucharist 5.00pm All Souls, light up for loved ones Sun 06 Nov 10.30am 3rd before Advent, Family Eucharist 5.00pm 1st Sunday Eucharist Sun 13 Nov 10. 45am Service of Remembrance at the War Memorial No morning service in church 5.00pm Eucharist for Remembrance Sunday PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Blake, Sam, Don, Karl, Hugh and Sarah, Joanna, Holly, Hugo, Frank and Barbara, Bill, Suzanne, Christopher, Jackie, Norman and Diane, Sylvia, and Mary. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: Nora Sumner, Frank Blagrove, Rebecca Linney, and all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time.Those baptised this month: Athena, Primrose, and Thomas.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. We pray also for Windsor Christian Action, and the work of the Homeless Project, Street Angels, FoodShare, and More Than a shelter.Parish Cycle of Prayer: Please pray for all who live or work in Nelson Road, Bridgeman Drive, St Johns Drive, Clewer Green School, St Edwards First School, St Edwards Middle School, and Windsor Girls School.Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for the Church of Central America (Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America). Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Natal (Southern Africa), Navajoland (USA), Ndokwa (Nigeria), Nebbi (Uganda), Nebraska (USA), and Nelson (Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia).Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. BABY BANK The Baby Bank requires underwear and packs of pants, all ages, sizes and gender please. CHARITIES WHICH WE SUPPORT At the last PCC Meeting, we looked at what charities we support, and here is the agreed list for your information: Mothering Sunday – Baby Bank CA Coffee morning and Bucket collections – Christian Aid Harvest Festival – Windsor Christian Action Remembrance Sunday – Royal British Legion Christmas – East to West, Crisis, Childrens’ Society WINDSOR FOODSHARE From their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/windsorfoodshare CAN YOU HELP We are currently low on desserts, squash and pot noodles. We also are running low on strong carrier bags. We use these to give food to our clients . 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 Thank you 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 CAN YOU HELP US TO KEEP SUPPLYING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES? One of our biggest expenses at Windsor Foodshare is buying in fruit and vegetables weekly . We try and make sure that everyone that visits gets a good selection of fresh fruit and vegetables. It is so important for peoples health, especially the children. With the cost of living going up farmers and suppliers costs are also going up which inturn passes on to us. Stopping buying fruit and veg is not something we even want to contemplate. We are one of very few foodbanks that are able to supply fruit and vegetables. This week we fed 126 people . With the cost of our fruit and veg from our supplier we spent £3.52 per person this week, so £14.08 per month per person. We are hoping to find donors who would like to sponsor a person or even a family each month. If you or a company you work for would like to get involved we would be very grateful for your help. We have several ways to donate money either by a bank transfer or just giving . Both of these options can be set up for recurring payments. Please put your reference as fruit and veg. All payment information can be found in our website under donations. If you wanted any further information on this then please contact myself at manager@windsorfoodshare.org.uk 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 |