The video feed will start some time after 10:30 am.

Ministers: Revd George Mwaura and Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Gathering Music

Welcome

We have come here with different joys, sorrows, longings and needs.
But we come as one to worship.
Let us truly worship – and learn from – the one who is our King and Lord of all.

Amen

[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: Praise, my soul, the King of heaven!

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven!
To his feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
who like me his praise should sing?
Praise him! Praise him! [×2] Praise the everlasting king!

Praise him for his grace and favour
to our fathers in distress;
praise him still the same for ever,
slow to chide and swift to bless.
Praise him! Praise him! [×2] Glorious in his faithfulness!

Father-like he tends and spares us;
well our feeble frame he knows;
in his hands he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes.
Praise him! Praise him! [×2] Widely as his mercy flows.

Angels, help us to adore him;
ye behold him face to face;
sun and moon bow down before him,
dwellers all in time and space.
Praise him! Praise him! [×2] Praise with us the God of grace!

Henry Francis Lyte (1793–1847)
CCL31580

Prayer of the Week

Christ the King of our hearts, our scripture stories tell us, you are a shepherd to the lost and the least.
Teach us to see your face among the poor; feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty,
welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, and visiting those who are sick or in prison –
so that we may share in your eternal realm prepared from the foundation of the world;
and wait with eager expectation for your second coming to reign with justice, compassion, and love.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Daniel 7: 13–14

Read by Pat Kyd

¹³ ‘In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. ¹⁴ He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

NIV®

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

Luke 18: 1–8

Read by Bob Collard

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

¹ Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. ² He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. ³ And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.”

⁴ ‘For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!” ’

⁶ And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’

NIV®

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

Sharing Stories

With Revd George Mwaura

Prayers and Intercessions

Led by Glynne Gordon-Carter

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.

Song: As your family, Lord, see us here (Tune: Kumbaya)

As your family, Lord, see us here,
As your family, Lord, see us here,
As your family, Lord, see us here,
O Lord, see us here.

At your table, Lord, we are fed;
At your table, Lord, we are fed;
At your table, Lord, we are fed;
O Lord, feed us here.

Fill our spirits, Lord, with your love,
Fill our spirits, Lord, with your love,
Fill our spirits, Lord, with your love,
O Lord, give your love.

Make us faithful, Lord, to your will,
Make us faithful, Lord, to your will,
Make us faithful, Lord, to your will,
O Lord, to your will.

As your family, Lord, see us here,
As your family, Lord, see us here,
As your family, Lord, see us here,
O Lord, see us here.

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

Ecumenical Council: moving to CIO status

Ecumenical Council meets at the church on Tuesday evening (22 November 2022). One of the items on the Agenda is to consider the next steps on the way to Cornerstone becoming a CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation). Council will be considering a proposal to hold a Congregational Meeting by Zoom on Sunday, 11 December 2022 so that Cornerstone members are kept informed of developments.

Trubys Garden Tea Room Interfaith Café

12.30–5.30 pm Sunday, 27 November 2022 in the Guildhall, Church of Christ the Cornerstone

We are delighted that Debbie Brock, High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire will be visiting us and presenting a cheque to the MK Food Bank to support our efforts to tackle the cost of living crisis facing our communities. Diabetes UK will also be there giving valuable advice and information on diabetes along with the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign stall.

Supporting local connections and communities through these difficult times.

Hoping to see you all there for conversations and yummy food!

For more information visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/100069169221585/posts/pfbid02zvnLCMkGtprNkipDQVXnW7AbbgbwJ8awKgSLm7Nnb9J8FViYGRXVGssQdXcPmziFl/?d=n

Peace and blessings
Kurshida Mirza (Trubys Garden Tea Room)

Could you help your neighbours by donating your energy rebate?

All households are due to get a rebate on their energy bills amounting to £66 per month for the next six months to help with the cost of living crisis. For many people this will be a vital contribution to help make ends meet. Some of us, on the other hand, are in the fortunate situation of being able to manage without it, and might consider donating some or all of the rebate to those is greater need. One way of doing this, which ensures that the money goes to those most vulnerable, is through the ‘Donate the Rebate’ website: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/donatetherebate.

Sovial Justice Committee

Fair Trade Advent and Christmas

Cornerstone shop now has a supply of fairly traded sustainably sourced Christmas cards and Advent calendars on the shelves, including ‘The Real Advent Calendar’ by the Meaningful Chocolate Company, which includes a booklet telling the story of the birth of Jesus, price £4.50. You may pay slightly more for these items than you would over the road in the shopping centre, but you can then rest assured that the workers who produce our luxuries such as chocolate and coffee receive a fair price, enabling them to feed their families and send their children to school without having to rely on charitable handouts. Also, keep an eye on the shop for fair trade gifts of many sorts …. Turnover is fast and many items are supplied in small numbers only!! There are copies of the Traidcraft ‘Autumn Gift Guide’ on the display unit nearest the entrance in Reception; please take a copy to browse and return it or pass it to a friend when you have finished. For orders or further information contact Joy Chapman, in person or on 07854 762676, email cjoy.chapman9@gmail.com. (Orders through Joy rather than direct to Traidcraft also benefit the church.)

Joy Chapman

Citizens:MK Discerning Assembly

11.00 am – 1.00 pm on Saturday, 3 December 2022, at Christ the Cornerstone

Following the recent Listening Project, we are looking for members of our congregation to join a Milton Keynes-wide meeting that considers what are key issues for us as citizens of Milton Keynes and how to take these forward. Please see the information below from Steph Laing, Citizen:MK’s Community Organiser:

The Citizens:MK Discerning Assembly is an opportunity for people from all our member institutions to come together, share the priorities they’ve uncovered in their organisations, and prioritise for the year ahead.  It is happening from 11.00 am to 1.00 pm on Saturday, 3 December 2022, at the Church of Christ the Cornerstone, MK9 2ES. In order to have a vote on what campaigns we work on collectively over the next year, each member institution will need to bring at least five people, but the more the better!

Please contact me at c.m.hampton@warwick.ac.uk if you’re interested.

Thanks,
Cathy Hampton

The Offering

Hymn: Go forth and tell! O Church of God, awake!

Go forth and tell! O Church of God, awake!
God’s saving news to all the nations take:
proclaim Christ Jesus, Saviour, Lord and King,
that all the world his glorious praise may sing.

Go forth and tell! God’s love embraces all,
he will in grace respond to all who call:
how shall they call if they have never heard
the gracious invitation of his word?

Go forth and tell! Some still in darkness lie;
in wealth or want, in sin they live and die.
Give us, O Lord, concern of heart and mind,
a love like yours which cares for all mankind.

Go forth and tell! The doors are open wide:
share God’s good gifts – let no-one be denied;
Live out your life as Christ your Lord shall choose,
your ransomed powers for his sole glory use.

James E. Seddon (1915–1983)
CCL31580

Blessing

The Lord bless us and keep us.
The Lord make His face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us.
The Lord lift up His countenance upon us, and give us peace
and the blessings of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
remain with you this day and for ever more.

Amen

The Dismissal

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

Amen