| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 25 June 2023 The Third Sunday after Trinity |
 A Ring Necked Parakeet (Psittacula Krameri) WELCOME When I first arrived in Clewer, I found boxes and boxes of old paperwork, notebooks containing PCC minutes going back as far as the Victorians. I was fascinated to read that someone was employed to catch and kill the ‘vermin’, including sparrows, blackbirds, starlings, voles and many more kinds of wildlife. A price was paid per bird and they were caught in their hundreds! Can you even imagine it, it fills me with horror! Sitting outside the rectory back door of a morning or evening, the birdsong fills the air. I even have an app that tells me what the birds are by recording the birdsong, so I’m learning the difference between the blackbird, robin, tiny wren and song thrush, and let’s not forget the extremely noisy parakeets! They come in great flocks screeching and squawking hanging off the branches from the trees disturbing my 5 mins of peace. In our gospel reading today we are encouraged to reflect on comfort and disturbance, and how both are essential for our spiritual growth. Spiritual life is a journey and yes, sometimes we need to experience the comfort that God knows each and every one of us by name, God knows the number of hairs on our heads and cares for us deeply. We are worth more than the pennies paid for sparrows! There are also disturbing words, and we need disturbing. We have become too complacent with creation, the planet and everything on it. Having a faith is not a ‘get-out-of-jail-free card’. Jesus expects us to speak aloud about him. All our relationships and commitments need to be ranked behind commitment to God- because there will be conflicts in our lives. Things are not right with our planet; things are not right within our communities and within families. One thing we do know, everything is subject to death, creation, bullies, abusers, terrorists- but God is the God of life, who brings life to his faithful people. Today’s reading weaves together warning and encouragement, and we need both. We are called to re-evaluate our priorities, what will I live for, what matters to me most?Blessings for your week Revd Rosie COLLECT Almighty God, you have broken the tyranny of sin and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts whereby we call you Father: give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service, that we and all creation may be brought to the glorious liberty of the children of God; 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 Jeremiah 20.7-13 O Lord, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughing-stock all day long; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, ‘Violence and destruction!’ For the word of the Lordhas become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, ‘I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name’, then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. For I hear many whispering: ‘Terror is all around! Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’ All my close friends are watching for me to stumble. ‘Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail against him, and take our revenge on him.’ But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonour will never be forgotten. O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous, you see the heart and the mind; let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause. Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Romans 6.1b-11 What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 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 10.24-39 ‘A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! ‘So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. ‘Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. ‘Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Holy God, you have given us your only Son to be for us, both a sacrifice for sin, and an example of Godly life; Give us the grace to thankfully receive this wonderful gift, and to always strive ourselves to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life. Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer Everlasting God, We pray for the Church, both here in Clewer, and throughout the world, and all who call themselves Christians, that they may go forward in unity and strength. Help us to respect the beliefs of others even if we do not share them, to celebrate what we have in common and to accept our differences. Guide us all in our ministries as we live each day. Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer Creator God, we pray for people in parts of the world where life is precarious, whether through disaster, poverty, disease, or war. We pray that the time may be hastened when there is peace on earth and goodwill between all people. Especially we pray for our precious world; help us to be good stewards so that we can pass it on in good order to the generations yet to come. Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer Father God, we pray today for our friends, our families and our Christian community, that united by our common baptism we may always welcome the newcomer, the stranger and all who are vulnerable. Help us always to follow Jesus’ words and advice on hospitality and generous giving and realise that accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer Gracious God, We pray for all who suffer in body, mind or spirit and for those who care for them. We pray for the sick; for those who mourn; for those without faith, hope or love. We especially pray for: Blake, Sam, Don, Karl, Sarah, Joanna, Holly, Hugo, Frank and Barbara, Bill, Suzanne, Christopher, Jackie, Diane, Sylvia, Mary, Gracie, Carmel, and Christine. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. We remember them now in a moment of silence. Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer Merciful God, We remember before God 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. We pray today for Tom Hinds, Austin’s grandfather, all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer Faithful God in the week that lies before us may we reflect your love in our families, our church and our community and in doing so, show everyone we meet that we are followers of Christ with a true desire to draw them into our Christian faith. 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 O God, whose beauty is beyond our imagining and whose power we cannot comprehend: show us your glory as far as we can grasp it, and shield us from knowing more than we can bear until we may look upon you without fear; through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen Listen to Canon Brian’s Sermon last Sunday LISTEN NOTICES SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Every Tue & Thu, 5.00pm Evening Prayer on Zoom Church Open every day 10.00am – 6.00pm Sun 25 Jun 10.30am Parish Eucharist 5.00pm Evening Prayer on Zoom Sun 02 Jul 10.30am Family Eucharist 5.00pm Parish Eucharist in Church Sun 09 Jul 10.30am Parish Eucharist 5.00pm Evening Prayer on Zoom Sun 16 Jul 10.30am Parish Eucharist 5.00pm Evening Prayer on Zoom EVENING PRAYER ON SUNDAY There will be a Zoom Evening Prayer Service on Sunday at 5.00pm. Details will be emailed on Sunday afternoon. Readings Psalm 46 1 Samuel 24.1-17 Luke 14.12-24 PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Blake, Sam, Don, Karl, Sarah, Joanna, Holly, Hugo, Frank and Barbara, Bill, Suzanne, Christopher, Jackie, Diane, Sylvia, Mary, Gracie, Carmel, and Christine. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: Tom Hinds, Austin’s grandfather, all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Those recently baptised: Those preparing for marriage: Scott and Annette, Peter and Katie, Paul and Tracy, and Wills and Chloe. 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 in Clarence Road, Trevelyan Estate, Helston Lane, Green Lane, Clewer Avenue, Clewer New Town, and Birchington Road. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for the Church of Bangladesh. Please pray also for the Trichy-Tanjore (South India), Trinidad & Tobago (West Indies), Truro (England), Tuam, Killala & Achonry (Ireland), Twic East (South Sudan), and Udi (Nigeria).Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. PEARL’S SPONSORED WALK FOR CURE ALZHEIMER’S ON 8TH JULY I am walking for a cure with Alzheimer’s Research UK this July because a cure is within our grasp and together we will make it happen. Donation link here: https://walk.alzheimersresearchuk.org/fundraising/Rosie-Webb11   WINDSOR FOODSHARE https://www.windsorfoodshare.org.uk From their Facebook and Twittter Pages: https://www.facebook.com/windsorfoodshare https://twitter.com/WindsrFoodshare CAN YOU HELP? We get less food donations in the spring and summer, even though we are still feeding the same amount of people. We are extremely low on :Tinned PulsesTinned tomatoes Tinned VegetablesTinned Fruit Tinned spaghetti.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. 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. email: office@clewerparish.org Revd Rosie 01753 852334 email rector@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 |