| † St Andrews Proclaiming Christ in Clewer 31st August 2025 The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity |
 WELCOME I wonder if you have ever been invited to a posh meal or a wedding banquet? Everyone huddles around the seating plan, oh where am I? Am I near the top table of important people or am I with the old aunts and children? Some people get disgruntled as they feel they need to be up near the top table with the important people. And if they get invited to their posh meal or banquet does that mean they need to reciprocate? Social and political dilemmas! In today’s gospel from Luke, we have the story of Jesus attending a tea party. By now Jesus has gained a reputation and the people are paying attention to his words and actions, but in fact it is Jesus who has been watching them. Having observed how the guests chose the places of honour, he tells the parable of the wedding banquet. The parable is split in two parts, the first from the perspective of someone being invited, and the second half is from the perspective of someone doing the inviting. This is all about parties and politics and the message is about humility, disruption of the social order, nothing new here then! Question: how are we as hosts, do we follow the social norms of status and do we consider our status as a gift from God? Jesus’ teaching is reminding us to remember our table manners! Blessings for your week Revd Rosie COLLECT O God, you declare your almighty power most chiefly in showing mercy and pity: mercifully grant to us such a measure of your grace, that we, running the way of your commandments, may receive your gracious promises, and be made partakers of your heavenly treasure; 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. Amen READINGS Ecclesiasticus 10.12-18 The beginning of human pride is to forsake the Lord; the heart has withdrawn from its Maker. For the beginning of pride is sin, and the one who clings to it pours out abominations. Therefore the Lord brings upon them unheard-of calamities, and destroys them completely. The Lord overthrows the thrones of rulers, and enthrones the lowly in their place. The Lord plucks up the roots of the nations, and plants the humble in their place. The Lord lays waste the lands of the nations, and destroys them to the foundations of the earth. He removes some of them and destroys them, and erases the memory of them from the earth. Pride was not created for human beings, or violent anger for those born of women. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Hebrews 13.1-8, 15-16 Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Let marriage be held in honour by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?’ Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever. Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God Gospel Reading Luke 14.1, 7-14 Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord. On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honour, he told them a parable. ‘When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, “Give this person your place”, and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, “Friend, move up higher”; then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’ He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’ This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. INTERCESSIONS Friends in Christ, God, invites us to hold the needs of our sisters and brothers as dear to us as our own needs. Loving our neighbours as ourselves, we offer our thanksgivings and our petitions on behalf of the church and the world. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Almighty God, we pray for your church here in Clewer and for our Clergy. We ask for your blessing on our work as we seek to create a church community that welcomes the stranger, provides a refuge for those who feel threatened or alone and a place where everyone feels that they belong. We pray for those to be baptised, Jasmine and Matilda, and for all preparing for baptism. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Father in heaven, we pray for people of every race and belief, and in every kind of need: make your ways known on earth, your saving power among nations. We pray especially for peace between Russia and Ukraine, and in Gaza. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Father God, take control of our mouths and forgive us for careless, thoughtless, and angry words used against our family, friends and neighbours. Let our words always bless you and others and may our actions speak of love for you and your Son Jesus Christ. Help us to see each individual as uniquely made in your image and worthy of our love and respect. Show your love through our lives in some small way today Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Gracious God, we pray for all who suffer, whether their suffering is physical or spiritual. And we ask you to support all who give their strength, their skill and their stamina in a ministry of healing. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Merciful God, we pray for those who have gone before us to that place where flesh and spirit part. May they rest in your love and peace, surrounded by the heavenly host and reunited with loved ones. Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer Mighty God, grant that the words we have heard during our time of worship may be grafted onto our hearts through your grace, that they may produce in us the fruits of a good life, in praise and honour of your Holy Name 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 Lord of all mercy, we your faithful people have celebrated that one true sacrifice which takes away our sins and brings pardon and peace: by our communion keep us firm on the foundation of the gospel and preserve us from all sin; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen SERMON RECORDING Canon Brian’s Sermon for 24 Aug 2025 LISTEN NOTICES NO EVENING SERVICE ON SUNDAY As in previous years, there is no Evening Prayer during AugustSERVICES FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKSEvening Prayer via Zoom at 5.00pm Tuesdays and Thursdays Morning Prayer on Wednesdays at 8.00am in Church Our church is not open at present, except for services and organised activities. This is because of repeated vandalism Sun 31 Aug 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 11th Sunday after Trinity 3.00pm Worship Explorers – Children’s Church Sun 07 Sep 10:30am All Age Family Eucharist – Back to School Sunday 5.00pm Parish Eucharist Sun 14 Sep 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 13th Sunday after Trinity 3.30pm Faith Explorers – in church, followed by 5.00pm Evening Prayer – Common Worship Sun 21 Sep 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 14th Sunday after Trinity 3.00pm Wild Worship 5.00pm Evening Prayer Sun 28 Sep 10:30am Parish Eucharist – 15th Sunday after Trinity 5.00pm Evening Prayer PLEASE PRAY FOR The Suffering: Sam, Matt, Al, Sharon, Vivienne, Stef, John F, Joanna, Dee, Tom B, Val, and Trevor. Refugees, Prisoners, the Homeless and those who mourn. The Departed: all those recently departed this life, and those whose anniversaries fall at this time. Baptisms: Jasmine, MatildaWeddings: 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 Shirley Avenue, Kingsbury Mews, Rutherford Close, West Crescent, East Crescent, Hatch Lane, and Firs Avenue.Anglican Cycle of Prayer: please pray for The Church in South India. Please pray also for the Churches in these Dioceses in Nigeria: Oji River, Okene, Oke-Ogun, Oke-Osun, Okigwe, and Okigwe South.Please continue to pray for and support your neighbours and families in any way you can whilst keeping yourself safe. UPCOMING EVENTS Worship Explorers 31 August at 3.00pm Coffee and More Wednesday 03 September, 10am in church Ride+Stride 2025 Saturday 13th September – details below Heritage Open Day Saturday 13th September – more details to follow Churchyard Tea Saturday 13th September – 3pm – 5pm Faith Explorers Sunday 14th September – 3.30pm Pudding and Fellowship restarts 15th September Wild Worship Sunday 21st September – 3pm Macmillan Coffee Morning Wednesday 24th September – 10am – in church Prayers and Bears returns on 26 September 9.30 in church Another date for your diary – Friday 26th September at Windsor Boys School, starting at 5pm, 24-hour Sing-Along to raise money for the Night Shelter. Harvest Festival Weekend 3rd and 4th October  Details here: https://www.berkschurchestrust.org.uk/ride-and-stride-2/ Then follow the links from their menu for more information  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! 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 |