| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 17th August 2025 The Ninth Sunday after Trinity |
 Van Gogh, Landscape Under a Stormy Sky, April 1889 WELCOME The 9th Sunday after Trinity. We’re called to a new way of living by the God we are here to worship, and that means a new way of living in our family, in our community, and in our environment. First reading is Jeremiah 23, verses 23 to 29. The word of the Lord will be heard, and the name of the Lord will be known, even in the face of dishonest prophets and forgetful people. The second reading is Hebrews 11, 29 to 12, 2. The great cloud of witnesses of the past lived by faith without knowing the fullness of what God promised. Jesus, who is seated at the right hand of God, is the perfection of God’s promises. The gospel reading is Luke 12, 49 to 56. Jesus does not bring peace on earth, but division. The people need to read the signs of the times. Jesus pulls no punches in our gospel reading this morning. “You hypocrites, you know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky. Why do you not know how to interpret the present time?” So, running the race that is set before us is costly, but we can do it. We can help one another interpret the signs of the times, so that we speak God’s justice and mercy and do not avoid the real issues. Canon Brian COLLECT Almighty God, who sent your Holy Spirit to be the life and light of your Church: open our hearts to the riches of your grace, that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in love and joy and peace; 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 Jeremiah 23.23-29 Am I a God near by, says the Lord , and not a God far off? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the Lord . Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord . I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back-those who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart? They plan to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, just as their ancestors forgot my name for Baal. Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? says the Lord. Is not my word like fire, says the Lord , and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? . This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Hebrews 11.29-12.2 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace. And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets – who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented – of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, without us, be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Gospel Reading Luke 12.49-56 Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord. ‘I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’ Interpreting the Time He also said to the crowds, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, “It is going to rain”; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, “There will be scorching heat”; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Gracious God, your Son encouraged us to be generous givers: may we so rejoice in your love that we give without counting the cost and work tirelessly to spread the Gospel message in all that we do and say. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Holy God, as you revealed yourself to the Jewish people through the prophets in ancient days; reveal yourself to our church in this present age. Raise up new prophets and make us into a faithful people ready to believe your promises and follow you wherever you will lead us Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Creator God, we pray today for the peace of our nations. May all places that suffer violence, injustice, war and terrorism find peace and reconciliation. We pray for the peoples of the world and that the leaders of the nations may uphold what is right and good. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Father God, we pray for the young people in our families, church and communities. May they grow up knowing love and hope, valuing life and respecting others. We pray for those who are preparing to leave school and move on to the next stage in their lives. Give them courage and hope as they face changes in their lives and help them to see opportunities in all the challenges that stretch out before them. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Loving God, we pray for all those who have lost their way or have been led astray and for all who are living below their potential or their abilities. We raise before you all whose lives are unfulfilled and all those whose lives are restricted by illness; we remember the chronically ill, those in constant pain, the depressed and the despairing. We especially pray for those in our Parish who we know need our prayers. We pray also for those who are bereaved by the death of a loved one. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Almighty God, we remember before You those who have died. We give back to you, Lord, those whom you gave to us. Your son taught us that life is eternal and that love cannot die. So death is only a horizon, and a horizon is only the limit of our sight. Open our eyes to see more clearly, and draw us closer to you, so that we may know we are nearer to our loved ones, who are with you. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Faithful God, as we go from today’s worship help us to see each individual we meet as uniquely made in Your image and worthy of our love and respect. Show Your love through our lives in some small way today and every day. 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 Holy Father, who gathered us here around the table of your Son to share this meal with the whole household of God: in that new world where you reveal the fullness of your peace, gather people of every race and language to share in the eternal banquet of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen SERMON RECORDING Canon Brian’s Sermon for 10 Aug 2025 LISTEN NOTICES NO EVENING SERVICE ON SUNDAY As in previous years, there is no Evening Prayer during August SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Our church is not open at present, except for services and organised activities. This is because of repeated vandalism No Sunday, Tuesday or Thursday Evening Prayer during August 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 Sun 07 Sep 10:30am All Age Family Eucharist – 12th Sunday after Trinity 5.00pm Eucharist 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: 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 Scotland. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Southern Nyanza (Kenya), Nzara (South Sudan), Del Occidental (Mexico), Offa, Ogbaru, and Ogbia (Nigeria).Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. UPCOMING EVENTS 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 Ride+Stride 2025 Saturday 13th September – more details to follow 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. FRIDAY AFTERNOON’S TEA FOR PEACE AND HOPE This was a huge success! Thank you to everone who came. And special thanks to the organisers. A total of £430 was taken. Proceeds will go towards the St Andrew’s Church Building Restoration Project and a donation to the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal. Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) https://www.dec.org.uk/appeals https://www.dec.org.uk/member-charities  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 |