| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 19 November 2023 Second Sunday before Advent |
 WELCOME The Second Sunday before Advent As we come together in worship, let us bring to mind the gifts and opportunities we’ve been given by God. Let us remind ourselves that God is loving and generous and always wants the best from us and for us. The first reading is from Zephaniah, chapter 1 vv 7 and 12 – end Here the prophet announces that the day of the Lord is close. This will be a day when the Lord will execute judgement on all the earth, and for some there will be terrible punishment. The second reading is from the first letter to the Thessallonians, chapter 5 vv 1-11 St Paul likens the day of the Lord to a thief coming in the night. It will be sudden and there will be no escape from the consequences. However, unlike Zephaniah, Paul is able to soften the hard message of judgement with the hope of salvation through Jesus. The gospel reading is St Matthew, chapter 25, vv 14 – 30 Large sums of money (Talents) are left with three servants with the clear expectation that they will invest the money profitably and wisely while their master is away. On the master’s return, there will be reckoning. So there is an awful lot to think about in our three readings for this Sunday. Canon Brian COLLECT Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son was revealed to destroy the works of the devil and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life: grant that we, having this hope, may purify ourselves even as he is pure; that when he shall appear in power and great glory we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen READINGS Zephaniah 1.7, 12-end Be silent before the Lord God! For the day of the Lordis at hand; the Lord has prepared a sacrifice, he has consecrated his guests. At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who say in their hearts, ‘The Lordwill not do good, nor will he do harm.’ Their wealth shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them. The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter, the warrior cries aloud there. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. I will bring such distress upon people that they shall walk like the blind; because they have sinned against the Lord, their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath; in the fire of his passion the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a terrible end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 1 Thessalonians 5.1-11 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘There is peace and security’, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. THE GOSPEL READING Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. Glory to you, O Lord. Matthew 25.14-30 ‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONSLoving God, we offer our prayers now for all people and their situations; for lives that are going through upheaval or distress; for circumstances which only you can change. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer. We pray for the Church throughout the world, remembering those Christians in countries where their beliefs make them vulnerable and in danger. Uphold and strengthen all who are persecuted for their faith. We pray for hostages and their families and loved ones from whom they are separated.We give thanks for this church and the Parish of Clewer. May we point the way to God’s Kingdom in our community and welcome all who are seeking through our doors. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer. Creator God, we pray for peace in the world, for understanding between nations, religions and factions and for an end to old scores which remain unsettled. We especially pray for the peoples of the Middle East as the conflict continues and for Christian, Muslim and Jew, that they may live alongside one another in mutual respect and harmony. We pray too for fair shares and fair trade and that the talents of the workers of the world are fairly rewarded. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer. Father God, we thank you for the gifts, talents and abilities you have given each of us praying that a deeper understanding of those talents can be used and shared within our church, parish and the community. Set us free from the fear that makes us inward looking. Give us a renewed generosity with our time, our talents and our treasure. Give us a renewed concern for those who are struggling in our congregations and our communities. Give us a renewed vision of what it is for us to be your church, in this place, at this time. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer. Forgiving God, send your healing forgiveness to all who are suffering feelings of guilt, shame or regret. Help to mend broken relationships. Be with all who feel that, through advancing years or failing health, they cannot enjoy life as it used to be. May those who are learning to live a new pattern of life feel that you are walking beside them. We especially pray for the sick and suffering in our Churches, and give you thanks for those who are on the road to recovery. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer. Merciful God, we remember those who have died and for those who are bereaved. May the light of Christ which eternally shines bring hope to their dark places. We especially pray for those whose anniversary falls at this time. Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer.Gracious God, forgive us when we only turn to you when things trouble us and when we forget to thank you for your blessings and bounty. Help us to recognise all the wonderful things in your world for which we should be grateful and send us out into the coming week ready to show our gratitude in all that we do and say. Merciful Father: Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen From the Chaplaincy of the Holy Spirit Costa Blanca POST COMMUNION Gracious Lord, in this holy sacrament you give substance to our hope: bring us at the last to that fullness of life for which we long; through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen Listen to Revd Rosie’s’s Sermon for Remembrance Sunday Listen NOTICES EVENING SERVICE ON SUNDAY Our evening service will Evening Prayer via Zoom at 5.00pm. SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FOUR WEEKS Tuesday and Thursday 5.00pm Evening Prayer on Zoom Church Open every day 10.00am to Dusk Sun 19 Nov 10.30am Parish Eucharist – 2nd Sunday before Advent 3.00pm Wild Worship 5.00pm Evening Prayer – Zoom Sun 26 Nov 10.30am Parish Eucharist – Christ the King 5.00pm Evening Prayer – Zoom Sun 03 Dec 10.30am Feast of St Andrew – All Age Eucharist 5.00pm Advent Carol Service Sun 10 Dec10.30am Parish Eucharist – Advent 2 5.00pm Evening Prayer – Zoom PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Blake, Sam, Hugo, Don, Karl, Sarah, Joanna, Holly, Frank and Barbara, Bill, Suzanne, Christopher, Jackie, Diane, Sylvia, Mary, Gracie, Carmel, Christine, and Vivienne. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: David Wallis, all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Those baptised: Weddings: 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 The Night Shelter. Parish Cycle of Prayer: Please pray for all who live or work in Little Buntings, Tyrell Gardens, Duncroft, Perrycroft, Ryecroft, Rydings, Ellison Close, and Addington Close. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for the Church of Myanmar (Burma). Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: North West Australia, Aweil (South Sudan), Awerial (South Sudan), Awgu / Aninri (Nigeria), Awka (Nigeria), and Awori (Nigeria).Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. FUNDRAISING FOR A NEW SOUND SYSTEM We are raising money to pay for a new sound system for St Andrews, to replace the aging system we use currently. If you can help, please use our bank account (details in Andrew’s message below) or via our JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/standrews-clewer  ADVENT WHATSAPP GROUP If you would like to sign up to receive a message each day in Advent, please add your name and mobile number on the sheet in Church, or email the office at office@clewerparish.orgPOSADA It will be lovely to send out the Posada on Advent Sunday – please ensure you have signed up to take part and host the Holy Family on its journey to the stable, returning at the Crib Service on Christmas Eve.     WINDSOR FOODSHARE  From their Facebook, Twittter and Website Pages: https://www.facebook.com/windsorfoodshare https://twitter.com/WindsrFoodshare https://www.windsorfoodshare.org.uk CAN YOU HELP? We are currently very short ofCooking SaucesUHT MilkBiscuitsTinned FruitTea bagsWe get less food donations in the spring and summer, even though we are still feeding the same amount of people. We have a permanent donation box at Tesco Superstore and also at Waitrose & Partners. So if you are shopping it is easy to pop a carton or 2 in. Or why not try our Wishlist on Common Good and Amazon. https://www.forcommongood.co.uk/…/giftr…/registry/215636 https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/23EUESGGRMAVZ… You can drop off to us on Wednesdays 9.30-1.30 or Thursdays 9.30-3.00 at Dedworth Green Baptist Church. We do not like to ask as we know times are tough for lots of people right now. Imagine if your whole street donated one tin each to us how this would help our stocks. 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, 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 CONTACTS The Parish Office is now closed. email: office@clewerparish.org Revd Rosie 01753 852334 email rector@clewerparish.org Parish Website: www.standrewsclewer.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/standrewsclewer Rector: Revd Rosie Webb 01753 852334 rector@clewerparish.org Churchwarden: Stuart Cockman Contact via email: office@clewerparish.org Safeguarding Policy: www.standrewsclewer.org/safeguarding-policy Safeguarding Officer: clewerparishsafeguarding@gmail.com |