| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 25 September 2022 The 15th Sunday after Trinity |
 WELCOME The Equinox has definitely tipped us into Autumn, there’s a chill in the mornings and the evenings are definitely colder. The season is changing! A few weeks ago I held an ‘experience worship’ session for the staff at Clewer Green, our church school. We have now begun to hold ‘Wild Worship’ on Friday afternoons, so I invited the staff to have a go. Each week a class will come outside with me and experience worship outside in Creation. We sat outside and reflected on balancing life, how the autumn equinox tips us from long summer days into shortening days and longer nights and how sometimes our busy lives can be tipped by the smallest of things that just tip the manageable into the unmanageable. We then made mobiles with two sticks and went searching and gathering for things to hang. By adding something new to one end of a stick, it meant having to rebalance the rest. The balance in our climate has tipped, can we get the balance right for future generations? The balance between the haves and have nots is tipping out of control. The readings this week tell us to take heed, listen to the warning signs and change our hearts. Our world needs hearts of love, hearts powered by the love of God, we can and should share every harvest and take responsibility to put the balance back. Blessings for your week Revd Rosie COLLECT God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit upon your Church in the burning fire of your love: grant that your people may be fervent in the fellowship of the gospel that, always abiding in you, they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service; 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 Amos 6.1a, 4-7 Alas for those who are at ease in Zion, and for those who feel secure on Mount Samaria, the notables of the first of the nations, to whom the house of Israel resorts! Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall; who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David improvise on instruments of music; who drink wine from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! Therefore they shall now be the first to go into exile, and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Psalm 146 Alleluia. Praise the Lord, O my soul: while I live will I praise the Lord; as long as I have any being, I will sing praises to my God. Put not your trust in princes, nor in any human power, for there is no help in them. When their breath goes forth, they return to the earth; on that day all their thoughts perish. Happy are those who have the God of Jacob for their help, whose hope is in the Lord their God; Who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them; who keeps his promise for ever; Who gives justice to those that suffer wrong and bread to those who hunger. The Lord looses those that are bound; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous; The Lord watches over the stranger in the land; he upholds the orphan and widow; but the way of the wicked he turns upside down. The Lord shall reign for ever, your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Alleluia. 1 Timothy 6.6-19 Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time – he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honour and eternal dominion. Amen. As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. GOSPEL READING Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord. Luke 16.19-end ‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.” But Abraham said, “Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.” He said, “Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house – for I have five brothers – that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.” Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.” He said, “No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.”He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”’ This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS God, creator of all, made known to us by Jesus, among us by your Spirit, we bring to you our concerns for your earth, its life and its people, in this season of Creation. You made all things through love, you spoke with authority and life sprang into being and you made us in your wonderful image to be stewards of your world. Forgive us Lord when we fail to reflect you, when we have lived with selfish intention placing our own needs above those of others, misused or polluted creation. Help us Lord to reflect you by being faithful stewards, showing love and concern that our action may produce lasting fruit for the sake of your Kingdom. Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer Father, we pray for all whose lives have been touched by tragedy, by accident, or by a deliberate act. For those who mourn, immerse them in your love and lead them through the darkness into your arms and light. For those who comfort in both the words used or left unspoken, fill each heart with love. We ask this through Jesus Christ whose own suffering brought us life here and for eternity. Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer Lord of the journey – we ask for your protection on all who have fled their homes, give them strength for the journey and help them to find places of compassion to rest. Ease their fear as they throw in their lot with strangers and keep alive their vision of finding a secure and welcoming home. We think particularly of people from Ukraine and other war torn areas setting out on dangerous trips across the Channel and elsewhere. Make your churches courageous rather than cautious, never to remain silent when people are suffering, pass by on the other side when your wounded earth is waiting to be healed Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer Use us Lord in working with leaders. Give us the courage to whistle blow or work alongside to improve situations – in the realm of politics, the church, education, health and so many other areas as the covid years begin to recede to some extent. We remember specially those enduring the effects of climate change. We thank you for those involved in relief work, professionals and volunteers as they do their best to clear up the mess so that some may be able to move back or on, but many will find this more difficult, like the elderly who have been traumatised by their losses. Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer Here in Clewer we pray specially for all in particular need, for Hugo, Blake, Reuben, Sam and Holly and their families, Hugh and Sarah, Don, Joanna, Frank and Barbara, Bill, Christopher, Jackie, Norman, Diane and Suzanne, Frank and Louise. Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer We remember Patricia, Pam Hockedy, and Roy Jeffrey, and all those recently departed this life and all who mourn. We also remember all Refugees, Prisoners and the Homeless. Lord, in your mercy; hear our prayer Holy God, thank you for the diversity of your church, guide and bless those who cross continents and cultures to share the gospel with partners in new places. May they be blessed by and be a blessing to your people. Merciful Father, accept our prayers for the sake of your son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Keep, O Lord, your Church, with your perpetual mercy; and, because without you our human frailty cannot but fall, keep us ever by your help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen NOTICES SUNDAY EVENING PRAYER BCP Evening Prayer is on Sunday at 5pm via a Zoom link. We will send out the order of service later. Readings Ps 134, 135 [or 135.1-14] Nehemiah 2 John 8.31-38, 48-end SERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS Evening Prayer on Tuesday and Thursday at 5.00pm via Zoom Church Open every Wednesday 10.00am – 12.00 Sun 25 Sep 10.30am 15th Sunday after Trinity, Parish Eucharist 5.00pm Evening Prayer, Zoom Sun 02 Oct 10.30am Harvest Festival, Parish Eucharist 5.00pm Eucharist, in Church Sun 09 Oct 10.30am 16th Sunday after Trinity, Parish Eucharist 3.00pm Thanksgiving for Pets 5.00pm Evening Prayer, Zoom Sun 16 Oct 10.30am 17th Sunday after Trinity, Parish Eucharist 3.00pm Wild Worship, Clewer Park 5.00pm Evening Prayer, Zoom Sun 23 Oct 10.30am Bible Sunday, Parish Eucharist 5.00pm Evening Prayer, Zoom Sun 30 Oct 10.30am All Saints, Parish Eucharist 5.00pm All Souls, light up for loved ones  HARVEST FESTIVAL Our Harvest Festival service is on 02 October, followed by a bring and share lunch, in Church. Harvest produce from the Allotments will be available to buy; money will go to the Christian Aid emergency appeal.  THANKSGIVING FOR PETS To remember the feast day of St Francis, on 09 October we will be having a thanksgiving for pets service at 3.00pm. Bring your pets! NEXT CHURCHYARD TIDY The next, and end of season, churchyard tidy is 08 Oct 10.00am-12.00 PAM HOCKEDY’S MEMORIAL Pam Hockedy’s memorial service is on 14 October at 11.00am. There will be refreshments afterwards at Castle View. WILD CHURCH Our new Wild Church service starts on 16 October, in Clewer Park at 3.00pm. Look out for further details nearer the time. PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Blake, Sam, Reuben, Don, Karl, Hugh and Sarah, Joanna, Holly, Hugo, Frank and Barbara, Bill, Suzanne, Christopher, Jackie, Norman and Diane, Frank, and Louise. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: Patricia, Pam Hockedy, Roy Jeffrey, and all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Those baptised this month: Matthew Harris 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. Parish Cycle of Prayer: Please pray for all who live in Cleves Court, Carter Close, St Johns Road, Gordon Road, Dawson Close, Convent Road, and Bailey Close. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for the Anglican Church of Burundi. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses: Mumbai (North India), Mumias (Kenya), Mundri (South Sudan), Mundu (South Sudan), Murang’a South (Kenya), and Murray (Australia). Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe.  We are also looking for donations of homemade cakes, allotment produce, plants and bottles of any type (from washing-up liquid to whisky) – the latter for our bottle tombola. If you have any home bakers or growers in your congregation or people who might like to donate a bottle, please ask them to contact me directly as sarah.gardnerlobo@hazel or on 01753 855504 or 07770 761491. Alternatively we will be at Gardeners Hall on Friday 30 September from 5.30 – 7.30pm and happy to receive any cakes, garden produce and bottles for donation then. BABY BANK The Baby Bank requires underwear and packs of pants, all ages, sizes and gender please. WINDSOR FOODSHARE From their Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/windsorfoodshare CAN YOU HELP We are currently low on desserts, squash and pot noodles. We also are running low on strong carrier bags. We use these to give food to our clients . All items can be dropped off to the church: Dedworth Green Baptist Church, Smiths Lane, Windsor, SL4 5PE 9.30am-1.30pm Wednesdays 9.30am -3.00pm Thursdays. or alternatively they can be brought from our Amazon wish list. The address they are delivered to are saved to Amazon to make your life a little easier 😀. https://amzn.to/3a1IMAk Thank you all for your continued support and for helping to feed local families. More information, and to donate online: https://www.windsorfoodshare.org.uk/food-donations Did you know that Windsor Foodshare has its own just giving page. If you are donating with just giving don’t forget to tick the gift aid box that way we get an extra 25% on top of your donation. Every single penny we get given goes to help feed local families. https://www.justgiving.com/windsorfoodshare PARISH SHARE CALCULATION There are to be changes to the Parish Share calculation and the Deanery Lay Chair and Deanery Treasurer will be at St Andrews for a meeting to discuss these changes and to answer any questions. The meeting is due to be held on 6 October starting at 8pm and all are welcome. If you would like to know more please see/contact the treasurer (Andrew Webb) he has details of the proposed changes and how they will affect us. He can be found in church on most Sundays or contacted by email at treasurer@clewerparish.org If you have a question, or questions, and are not able to attend the meeting please email Andrew with them and he will make sure they are raised at the meeting and an answer sent to you as soon as possible after. 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 Sep 2022