Pews News - 25 Dec 2022 - St Andrews Clewer

Picture of the wall that divides Bethlehem today, covered in messages, not the usual
Christmassy picture of Bethlehem!

WELCOME

Happy Christmas!

I wonder if you send or receive Christmas cards? Are you the type to send ones with a traditional nativity scene on or one with sprouts or robins wearing Santa hats?

I’d like to think its about the message inside that counts. What message do you need to hear this Christmas?

When we look at the Christmas crib, we see our story in the story of the Holy Family. We see the story of our culture, of our nation, of our world in this mishmash of people, refugees, the poorest, the richest, the people who own their own inn and people who have to sleep on the floor of a barn. And in the middle we see God. Coming among us as a baby, loving us enough to begin at the beginning with us, trusting us not to drop him.

This poem by Christina Rossetti has been described as simple, direct and sincere.
Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, love divine;
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and angels gave the sign.

Worship we the Godhead,
Love incarnate, love divine;
Worship we our Jesus:
But wherewith for sacred sign?

Love shall be our token,
Love shall be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and to all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.

Where ever you are, whatever you are doing, whoever you are with or without, the message of Christmas is simple, direct and sincere, for each and everyone of us to hear, to hear in our hearts, a light shining through our darkness deep within ….
God is with us, as one of us, Love incarnate, Love divine.

Christmas blessings
Revd Rosie

COLLECT

Almighty God,
you have given us your only-begotten Son
to take our nature upon him
and as at this time to be born of a pure virgin:
grant that we, who have been born again
and made your children by adoption and grace,
may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit;
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.
All Amen

READINGS SET II

Isaiah 62.6-end

Upon your walls, O Jerusalem,
I have posted sentinels;
all day and all night
they shall never be silent.
You who remind the Lord,
take no rest,
and give him no rest
until he establishes Jerusalem
and makes it renowned throughout the earth.
The Lord has sworn by his right hand
and by his mighty arm:
I will not again give your grain
to be food for your enemies,
and foreigners shall not drink the wine
for which you have laboured;
but those who garner it shall eat it
and praise the Lord,
and those who gather it shall drink it
in my holy courts.

Go through, go through the gates,
prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway,
clear it of stones,
lift up an ensign over the peoples.
The Lord has proclaimed
to the end of the earth:
Say to daughter Zion,
‘See, your salvation comes;
his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.’
They shall be called, ‘The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord’;
and you shall be called, ‘Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken.’

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Psalm 97

The Lord is king: let the earth rejoice;
let the multitude of the isles be glad.
Clouds and darkness are round about him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
Fire goes before him
and burns up his enemies on every side.
His lightnings lit up the world;
the earth saw it and trembled.
The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
The heavens declared his righteousness,
and all the peoples have seen his glory.
Confounded be all who worship carved images
and delight in mere idols.
Bow down before him, all you gods.
Zion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoiced,
because of your judgements, O Lord.
For you, Lord, are most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.
The Lord loves those who hate evil;
he preserves the lives of his faithful
and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
Light has sprung up for the righteous
and joy for the true of heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name.

Titus 3.4-7

But when the goodness and loving-kindness of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL READING

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.

Luke 2. 1-20

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

INTERCESSIONS On the first day of Christmas Jesus Christ, God’s gift to us on that first Christmas, was born to Mary and Joseph in the poorest of circumstances. We pray for the poor of the world many of whom live in conditions far worse than the stable where Jesus began his earthly life.
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer

On the second day of Christmas the Heavenly choir of Angels appeared to the shepherds and sang to the Glory of God; so we give thanks for our church music and those who play and sing God’s praises, not only with Carols, at this joyful time, but week by week in our worship together in Christian churches throughout the world.
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer

On the third day of Christmas The Shepherds returned home to spread the Good News; we pray for evangelists, preacher’s and teachers who tell out the Gospel story of God’s amazing gift to all mankind.
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer

On the fourth day of Christmas the Three Wise Men arrived in Jerusalem; we raise before God the Holy city of Jerusalem praying that it may be place of true peace, and an international centre of worship for Christians, Jews and Muslims alike.
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer

On the fifth day of Christmas the Three Wise Men sought news of Jesus from King Herod; we pray for rulers of the nations in our troubled world where so many leaders abuse their positions and their power.
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer

On the sixth day of Christmas, Herod ordered the “Slaughter of the Innocents”; we pray for all those who continue to be slaughtered in acts of genocide, racial cleansing and similar atrocities.
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer

On the seventh day of Christmas, The Wise Men found Jesus and presented their gifts – we give thanks for the season of giving and receiving and for the joy and happiness that it generates.
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer

On the eight day of Christmas, Joseph and Mary took the infant Jesus to the temple to present him to the Lord and for Him to be circumcised; we pray for all new-born children, for those being baptised and receiving their Christian names.
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer

On the ninth day of Christmas, Simeon rejoiced that he had not died before he had seen the Lord’s Christ; we pray for those who are coming to the end of their lives and especially for those who have seen Jesus in their lives and lived that life accordingly.
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer

On the tenth day of Christmas, Anna, who had devoted her whole life to prayer and fasting, recognised Jesus as The Redeemer; so we pray for those who within religious communities across the world fast and pray for the world and for each of us.. In the same spirit we now pray for those who are ill or in need.
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer

On the eleventh day of Christmas, the Holy family left the shelter of the stable – we pray for all those involved in hospitality and tourism and for all people who, like the Innkeeper in Bethlehem, make their homes a place of welcome and love.
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer

On the Twelfth day of Christmas, the Holy Family fled to Egypt – we pray for all those fleeing their homes in Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia and Iraq and those European countries which are welcoming them and giving safe refuge.
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer

Lord God you sent your angels from glory to bring to shepherds the good news of Jesus’ birth. We have heard his story, the story of Your own Son. May he fill us with joy to bring this good news to others today and through the twelve days of Christmas and into the New Year beyond.

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

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

God our Father,
whose Word has come among us
in the Holy Child of Bethlehem:
may the light of faith illumine our hearts
and shine in our words and deeds;
through him who is Christ the Lord.
Amen

Listen to Canon Brian’s Sermon from last Sunday Morning

PLAY

NOTICES

SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS

Tuesdays and Thursdays, Evening Prayer at 5.00pm via Zoom from 03 Jan
Church Open every Wednesday 10.00am – 12.00

Sat 24 Dec 3.00pm Christmas Eve, Crib Service
10.30pm Carol Singing before…
11.00pm Midnight Mass

Sun 25 Dec 10.30am Christmas Day, All AgeEucharist
No evening service

Sun 01 Jan 10.30am New Years Day, All AgeEucharist
No evening service

PLEASE PRAY FOR

The Suffering: Blake, Sam, Don, Karl, 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: all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time, especially Richard Chandler who died in December 2021.

Those baptised this month:

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 Byron Court, Mayfield Close, Kimber Close, Harrington Close, Sherbourne Drive, Woodland Avenue, and Illingworth.

Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for the The Anglican Church of Melanesia. Please pray also for the churches these dioceses: Oklahoma (USA), Okrika (Nigeria), Oleh (Nigeria), Olo (South Sudan), Olympia (USA), and Omu-Aran (Nigeria).

Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe.

BRF NOTES

Anyone who is interested in a copy of the Bible Reading Fellowship notes for Jan-April to let Mulle know. It is a very good way of reading the Bible with a daily extract and commentary.

ST ANDREWS CHRISTMAS MARKET

Our Christmas Market this tear raised £xxxx. Thank you and well done to all the organisers.

A MESSAGE FROM WCA

“This is to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas, and a new year full of joy and peace. We would like to say a big THANK YOU – to all our supporters, whether you volunteer, donate money or food, or support our projects in other ways; to our project leaders Nick at WHP, Sarah at WFS and Dave at WSA, who do a fantastic job holding everything together; to Carron and Steve at WHP, who work with our guests; to Chris who does the bookkeeping, and Andy who does all things technical and IT; and to Stephanie who runs the Saturday lunches so well. Thank you to the Lions, who are such a great help at Foodshare. Our four projects – Windsor Homeless Project, Windsor Street Angels, Windsor Foodshare and More than a Shelter – could not run without you”. View complete message

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

Pews News – 25 Dec 2022

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