| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 20th July 2025 The Fifth Sunday after Trinity |
 WELCOME This is extracted from the Everyday Faith app from the Church of England. If you don’t already use this, it is highly recommended. https://www.churchofengland.org/faith-life/exploring-faith/everyday-faith Thursday’s was based on today’s Gospel reading (Luke 10.38-42), written by Lucy Moore. Hospitality: Welcoming Work Reflection We have friends coming to stay in a couple of hours. I’ve been scooting round with the vacuum and worrying about the lack of biscuits. Toilets have been cleaned, fresh towels put out, the bed made. It’s a lot of work. I’m looking forward to great conversations to catch up when they arrive. I’m absolutely certain the wonderful, wise, hospitable Martha just wanted a rather tired Jesus to be as comfortable as possible in their home. She simply got carried away with the equivalent of stuffing mushrooms and made the mistake of thinking Mary should do the same. Mary instinctively expressed her welcome of Jesus by laying aside all her other preoccupations and sitting with him. She committed to listening to him, not with polite, superficial interest but with her full attention and focus. Surely a weary Jesus found as much refreshment in Mary’s listening as in Martha’s snacks? But in his role as both honoured guest and loving host, he assured Martha that she too could stop and be refreshed herself, by simply sitting with him. Hospitality as an expression of love is hard work. Martha cooked; Mary listened; Jesus noticed. None of these was an easy option. Response Who has given you hospitality recently? Maybe they’ve listened to you, welcomed you into their home, or noticed how you’re feeling. Give thanks for them. Prayer Loving Jesus, you know how hard it can be to be hospitable to others. Help us where we find it too much effort to welcome the weary. Let us be as tireless as Martha, as attentive as Mary and as sensitive as Jesus. Amen. COLLECT O God, the protector of all who trust in you, Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified: hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people, that in their vocation and ministry they may serve you in holiness and truth to the glory of your name; through our Lord and Saviour 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 18.1-10a The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. He said, ‘My lord, if I find favour with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on – since you have come to your servant.’ So they said, ‘Do as you have said.’ And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, ‘Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.’ Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate. They said to him, ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ And he said, ‘There, in the tent.’ Then one said, ‘I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.’ And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Colossians 1.15-28 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him – provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel. I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Gospel Reading Luke 10.38-end Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord. Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’ This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Everlasting God, we pray today for your blessing to be upon this congregation and upon this church, and throughout our Parish. We bring our prayers to you, Lord of all nations, asking that your blessing of love and peace may be known to all people everywhere. Help us to bear abundant fruit from the seeds of potential that you have planted within us. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Eternal God, Light of the nations, in Christ you make all things new: guide our nation in the coming days through the inspiration of your Spirit, that understanding may put an end to discord and all bitterness. Give us grace to rebuild bonds of trust that together we may work for the dignity and flourishing of all; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Father God, Your Son Jesus Christ enjoyed rest and refreshment in the home of his friends. May we, like Martha, serve Christ faithfully in the person of our brothers and sisters; and like Mary, feed on his Word and grow in his love and grace. Give us the will to love you, open our hearts to hear you, and strengthen our hands to serve you in our families, churches and communities. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Gracious God, we pray for your healing touch to rest upon those who are sick; your strength to be felt by those who are tired; your wisdom and your love to encourage those who live with despair and fear. We pray too for all bereaved by the passing of their loved ones. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Mighty God, through the ministry of your son Jesus Christ you have freed us from the grip of the tomb. We pray for those who have departed this life and ask you, through your loving kindness, to have mercy on their souls. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Almighty God, may your presence be seen clearly in what we do each day throughout the coming week. We pray that your joy and your love will flow freely in us and through us as we take up your yoke and follow where you lead us. 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 Grant, O Lord, we beseech you, that the course of this world may be so peaceably ordered by your governance, that your Church may joyfully serve you in all godly quietness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen SERMON RECORDINGS Canon Brian’s Sermon for 13 Jul 2025 Listen NOTICES EVENING SERVICE ON SUNDAY Sunday evening’s service is Evening Prayer at 5.00pm. Readings Psalm 81 Genesis 41.1-16, 25-37 1 Corinthians 4.8-13 SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Church open every day 10.00am until 6.00pm Evening Prayer via Zoom at 5.00pm Tuesdays and Thursdays Morning Prayer on Wednesdays at 8.00am in Church Sun 20 Jul 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 5th Sunday after Trinity 3.00pm Wild Worship 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 27 Jul 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 6th Sunday after Trinity 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 03 Aug 10:30am All Age Eucharist – 7th Sunday after Trinity 5.00pm Eucharist Sun 10 Aug 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 8th Sunday after Trinity 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 17 Aug 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 9th Sunday after Trinity 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 24 Aug 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 10th Sunday after Trinity 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 31 Aug 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 11th Sunday after Trinity 3.00pm Worship Explorers – Children’s Church No evening service – 5th Sunday of the month PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Sam, Matt, Al, Sharon, Vivienne, Stef, John F, Joanna, Jane P, Tom B, Val, Bronwyn. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: Lucy Lazell, Patricia Faulkner, all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Baptisms: Roman and Hallie 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 Hermitage Lane, Longbourn, Maidenhead Road, Rays Avenue, Wells Close, Vale Road, and Buckland Crescent. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for The Church of Pakistan. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Newcastle (England), and Ngbo (Nigeria). And for these Dioceses in Canada: Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, Central Newfoundland, Western Newfoundland, and Niagara. Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. UPCOMING EVENTS Bat Watch – Discover Bats at Dusk – Tuesday 22 July 8.30-10.00pm St Andrews Churchyard – see poster below Coffee and More Wednesday 6th August 10.00am (see below) Churchyard Teas – the next afternoon tea in the churchyard will be for the VJ day 80th anniversary on Friday 15th August. Look out for other dates as they are confirmed. A date for your diary – Saturday 30 August 12.00-3.00pm, Parish Picnic at St Leonards Hill. 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.    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! 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 |