A separate video feed of the choir will be available here during the service.

Celebrant: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Gathering Music

Welcome

We come today to this holy place of Christian worship, a house of prayer for all nations.
We represent the rich diversity of our common life in Milton Keynes and beyond.
We come seeking unity in diversity, rejoicing in our common humanity.
We come to thank God for the many blessings of our life in the past thirty years.
We come to pray for all the people of our city, our nation and our world.
We come to pray that our mission in this city
may be marked by imagination, integrity, justice and compassion.
We come to pray that all those who live and work in our city,
seek to grow together in mutual understanding and respect.

[Silence]

Welcome to the house of God.
We have come from all the corners of the earth.

Welcome to the hospitality of God.
We come as we are; we bring our life, our stories, our journey.

Welcome, brothers and sisters.
We are the rainbow people of God.

Welcome, chosen people.
May God our companion bind us in his love.

Amen

Hymn: Christ is made the sure foundation

Christ is made the sure foundation,
Christ the head and corner-stone,
chosen of the Lord, and precious,
binding all the Church in one,
holy Sion’s help for ever,
and her confidence alone.

All that dedicated city,
dearly loved of God on high,
in exultant jubilation
pours perpetual melody,
God the One in Three adoring
in glad hymns eternally.

To this temple where we call you
come, O Lord of Hosts today;
with you wonted loving kindness
hear your people as they pray,
and your fullest benediction
shed within its walls alway.

Here vouchsafe to all your servants
what they ask of you to gain,
what they gain of you fir ever
with the blessed to retain,
and hereafter in your glory
evermore with you to reign.

Praise and honour to the Father,
praise and honour to the Son,
praise and honour to the Spirit,
ever Three and ever One,
consubstantial, co-eternal,
while unending ages run.

J.M.Neale (1818–1866)
CCL31580

Confession

O God, where we have brought an agenda or expectation that is faithless or cynical,
forgive us.

Where we have considered ourselves better than we are, or more deserving than others,
forgive us.

Where we have forgotten the call to faithfulness and dismissed your importance in our lives,
forgive us.

Where we have demanded special treatment and disregarded that which truly matters,
forgive us.

Give us a renewed faith today, O God.
Remind us of your calling on our lives and restore us to community.

Blessed be you, Lord God, for your forgiveness.
This is the God who calls us:
a generous and forgiving God.

This is the God who redeems us:
the One who made us and treasures us.

This the God who restores us:
a leader worthy of our trust.

We take a deep breath of God’s grace and know that we can begin again.
Let us go forward in renewed faith.

Amen

The Gloria

Prayer of the Week

The stone which the builders rejected has become the headstone of the corner.
This is the Lord’s doing: and it is marvellous in our eyes.

We pray that this place continues to inspire us and those who come after us
in the service of God’s people in this city, and in the praise of God’s Name.

Almighty God, to whose glory we have dedicated this house of prayer:
we praise you for the many blessings you have given to us;
and we pray that all who find you in this place may find you,
and being filled with the holy Spirit may become a living temple acceptable to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

1 Peter 2: 4–5 & 9–10

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him – ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

…

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

NIV®

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

Matthew 21: 42–44

⁴² Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures:

‘ “The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvellous in our eyes”?

⁴³ ‘Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. ⁴⁴ Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.’

NIV®

This is the Gospel of Christ.
Praise to Christ our light.

Meditation

Choral Response

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in the Creator:
the maker of all things

We believe in the Son:
the redeemer of our broken world

We believe in the Spirit:
The sacred wind that binds all things together in the family of God.

Creator Father, beloved Son and living Spirit.

Amen

Prayers and Intercessions

The Peace

Peace to you from God, who is our Father.
Peace from Jesus Christ, who is our peace.
Peace from the Holy Spirit, who gives us life.

The peace of God be always with you.
and also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Hymn: How lovely on the mountains

How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him
who brings good news, good news,
announcing peace, proclaiming news of happiness.

Our God reigns! [×6]

Waste places of Jerusalem, break forth with joy!
We are redeemed, redeemed,
the Lord has saved and comforted his people.

Our God reigns! [×6]

Ends of the earth, see the salvation of our God!
Jesus is Lord, is Lord!
Before the nations he has bared his holy arm.

Our God reigns! [×6]

Holy Communion

The Thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.
Through your goodness we have this bread to offer,
which earth has given and human hands have made.
It will become for us the bread of life.

Blessed be God for ever.

Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.
Through your goodness we have this wine to offer,
fruit of the vine and work of human hands.
It will become our spiritual drink.

Blessed be God for ever.

The Lord is here.
His Spirit is with us.

Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.

Almighty God, good Father to us all, your face is turned towards your world.
In love you gave us Jesus your Son to rescue us from sin and death.
Your Word goes out to call us home to the city where angels sing your praise.
We join with them in heaven’s song:

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.

We bless the name of Jesus, bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh,
whose brokenness and suffering makes love real,
who on the night in which he was betrayed took bread,
gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his disciples saying,

Take, eat. This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.

After supper he took the cup saying,

Drink from this, all of you, this is my blood given for you.
Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me.

This is the mystery of our faith.

Christ has died:
Christ is risen:
Christ will come again.

Therefore, as we eat this bread and drink this cup,
we acknowledge brokenness as a path to truth.
We long for the bread of tomorrow: eternally broken and so able to nourish.
We long for the new wine of the kingdom: continuously poured out that thirst may be quenched.

Send your Spirit on us now,
that by these gifts we may feed on Christ with opened eyes and hearts on fire.
May we and all who share this food offer ourselves to live for you
and be welcomed at your feast in heaven, where all creation worships you,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit:

Blessing and honour and glory and power
be yours forever and ever.

Amen

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.

Amen

The Communion

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.

Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.

Amen

Post Communion Prayer

Eternal Father, we thank you for nourishing us with these heavenly gifts:
may our communion strengthen us in faith, build us up in hope,
and make us grow in love; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Notices

‘There’s a Place’: Concert for Advantage Africa

7.30 pm Saturday, 8 October 2022 at Christ Church, Stantonbury

The wonderful ‘Heart and Music’ group will perform a concert in support of the life-changing work of Advantage Africa in Milton Keynes on Saturday, 8 October 2022. Expect an entertaining and inspiring mix of musical theatre classics, traditional, folk, pop, choral, sacred songs and more! Entitled ‘There’s a Place’, the concert takes place at 7.30 pm at Christ Church Stantonbury, Milton Keynes. There’s a bit more information at https://www.advantageafrica.org/news/2022/09/26/autumn-concert

Tickets are £7.50 from https://heartandmusicmk.eventbrite.co.uk

Service for Black History Month

10.00 am Sunday, 9 October 2020

In celebration of this event on Sunday, 9 October 2022 Mr Anthony Reddie will be our guest preacher. He is Director of Justice and Inclusion of the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. In August, Mr Reddie published his latest book Race for Justice: The struggle for equality and inclusion in British and Irish churches. We are pleased that Miss Maureen Onwunali, a member of our Church, will read some of her poetry.

Bring-and-Share Lunch

After the service, we are having a bring-and-share lunch in the Guildhall. We hope that you will contribute towards this as we want the cuisine to reflect the international make-up of our Church.

Display of Artefacts

Also, we are planning to have a display of artefacts from different countries. It will make the day even more special if members wear outfits that reflect their heritage. The display will be arranged in the Guildhall on Saturday, 8 October 2022. Please label your contributions and kindly bring them in between 4.30 and 6.00p.m.

We hope that you will come and be a part of the entire morning’s fellowship.

Glynne Gordon-Carter

The Coat of Hopes

The Church of Christ the Cornerstone is pleased to welcome the Coat of Hopes and the artist behind its creation, Barbara Keal, for events on 22 & 23 October 2022. The Coat will be on display in the church until 29 October 22022.

Saturday, 22 October 2022: beginning at 4.30 pm

The Coat will lead a walk of witness through the shopping centres, returning to the church about 5.15 pm.

From 7.00 pm Barbara will give a talk about the coat and its pilgrimage from Newhaven to Glasgow to COP 26 last year and the creativity of textile contributions from hundreds of people along the journey, from artists and makers to the volunteers who attached the patches to the coat.

There will be an opportunity for local patch-makers to tell their stories. There will be a time to explore ‘Where am I going and what is my purpose within the climate crisis?’ and to make a fresh commitment to Care for Creation.

10.00 am Sunday, 23 October 2022

Then on Sunday, 23^rOctober 2022, at 10.00 am there will be Harvest Thanksgiving Worship on the theme of Hope, featuring the Coat.

Cheryl Montgomery

Congregational meeting

12.45 pm today (Sunday, 2 October 2022)

The Congregational Meeting will be by Zoom at 12.45 pm, as agreed by Ecumenical Council. This is to enable participation by as many people as possible. The link to the Zoom meeting is.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89608343058?pwd=Y2ovQzR6a1hJdUZ3SEt5Z0UrTU1RQT09

Offering

‘God loves a cheerful giver’

Thanks to your generous giving we can be an Oasis of Hope to Milton Keynes.

Please keep supporting our mission!

If you are at our worship service in the church building and would like to make an offering, please place your offering in the basket at the door to the worship area. If you can’t find it, please ask the stewards.

There are many different ways to give: online, telephone banking or by cheque. For more information how to give please visit the Cornerstone website (www.cornerstonemk.co.uk) or contact: steward.cccmk@gmail.com.

Thank you for your support. It is much appreciated.

Final Prayer

Help us, Lord, to make the most of whatever you have given us.
Thank you that our faith has grown during our life’s journey,
and we can look back on all the ways you have helped us.
Show us how our faith can continue to grow,
and help us to do whatever is necessary for that to happen, in Jesus’ name.

Amen

Hymn: Now thank we all our God

Now thank we all our God
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things hath done,
in whom this world rejoices;
who from our mother’s arms
hath blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts
and blessèd peace to cheer us;
and keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
in this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given,
the Son, and him who reigns
with them in highest heaven,
the one eternal God,
whom earth and heaven adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.

Martin Rinkart (1586–1649)
tr. Catherine Winkworth
CCL31580

The Blessing

We bless you in the name of the Creator,
the maker of all things.

We bless you in the name of the Son of Man,
the redeemer of our broken world.

We bless you in the name of the Spirit,
the sacred wind that binds all things together in the family of God.

And the blessing of God almighty Father, Son and Holy Spirit be upon you today and always.

Amen

The Dismissal

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ.

Amen