Celebrant: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Gathering Music

Welcome

God of us all, we gather together to worship you with gladness.
We pray together for our world with hope.
We sing together to celebrate your faithfulness with joy.
We listen to your word together with eagerness.
We give thanks together for your love with gratitude.
And we follow your Son together with faith.

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: Guide me, O thou great Redeemer

Guide me, O thou great Redeemer,
pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty,
hold me with thy powerful hand;
bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me till I want no more. (×2)

Open now the crystal fountain,
whence the healing stream doth flow;
let the fire and cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through;
strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
be thou still my strength and shield. (×2)

When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside,
death of death, and hell’s destruction,
land me safe on Canaan’s side;
songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to thee. (×2)

Welsh, Willian Williams (1717–1791) tr. Peter and Willian Williams
CCL31580

Prayer of Approach

Lord Jesus, we come together in your presence.
We ask for courage to take steps towards places we cannot yet see,
and do things we cannot even imagine, and could not do without you.
Help us all to help each other as we travel that path and follow you.

Amen

Confession

Faithful God, forgive us when as your people
the cross of commitment has felt too heavy for us to carry,
and we have let you and those around us down.

Grant us faith, courage, and humility.

Forgive us when the cost of following your Son in our daily lives has felt too risky.

Grant us faith, courage and humility.

Forgive us when we are reluctant to go beyond our comfort zone
and embrace those situations that challenge us.

Grant us faith, courage and humility.

[Silence]

Eternal God, your forgiveness enables us to begin again
when we have come to the end of our own strength.
It enables us to overcome our mistakes as Peter did when we get things badly wrong.
It enables us to see more clearly the cost of following your Son,
and to receive more fully the blessing of your presence with us,
through conflict, through challenge and through change.

Amen

Prayer of the Week

Let us meet Jesus; in him we see God.
Let us seek his presence as a friend.
Let us follow him for his way is life and truth.
He will bring us where we need to be to do God’s work and be God’s people.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Psalm 26: 1–8

Read by Veronica Fernandes

¹ Vindicate me, Lord,
for I have led a blameless life;
I have trusted in the Lord
and have not faltered.
² Test me, Lord, and try me,
examine my heart and my mind;
³ for I have always been mindful of your unfailing love
and have lived in reliance on your faithfulness.

⁴ I do not sit with the deceitful,
nor do I associate with hypocrites.
⁵ I abhor the assembly of evildoers
and refuse to sit with the wicked.
⁶ I wash my hands in innocence,
and go about your altar, Lord,
⁷ proclaiming aloud your praise
and telling of all your wonderful deeds.

⁸ Lord, I love the house where you live,
the place where your glory dwells.

NIV®

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

Matthew 16: 21–28

Read by Brian Halstead

Jesus Predicts his Death

²¹ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’

²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

²⁸ ‘Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.’

NIV®

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

Meditation

By Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

[Silence]

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

Led by Cheryl Montgomery

The Peace

The risen Christ came and stood among his disciples and said,

‘Peace be with you.’

Then the disciples were they glad when they saw the risen Lord.

The peace of the Lord be always with you.
and also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Hymn: Make me a channel of your peace

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love.
Where there is injury your pardon, Lord.
And where there’s doubt true faith in you.

Oh, Master, grant that I may never seek
so much to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved, as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness only light,
and where there’s sadness ever joy.

Oh, Master, grant that I may never seek …

Make me a channel of your peace.
It is pardoning that we are pardoned,
in giving to all that we receive,
and in dying that we’re born to eternal life (

Sebastian Temple (1928–19970
from a prayer of St Francis of Assisi (c. 1183–1226)
CCL31580

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.

[Said] 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 [said]

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

Draw near with faith.
Receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christ which he gave for you,
and his blood which he shed for you.
Eat and drink in remembrance that he died for you,
and feed on him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.

Post Communion Prayer

Eternal God, we give you thanks for this holy mystery in which you have given yourself to us.
Grant that we may go into the world in the strength of your spirit to give ourselves for others.
In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Notices

Flowers in the Worship Area

The flowers in the Worship Area have been donated by June and Brian Halstead to celebrate their 53rd Wedding Anniversary. We send love and very best wishes for many more happy years.

Katherine Wheldon

First Congregational Meeting of the Cornerstone CIO

The Trustees of Christ the Cornerstone Ecumenical Partnership hereby notify the Congregations that a meeting will be held on Sunday, 10 September 2023 at the close of Morning Worship (about 10.50 am) in the church building. All members are invited.

Agenda

The purpose of the meeting is to elect an additional trustee to the CIO.

Background

The congregation elected the following to serve as Trustees of the CIO in addition to the clergy trustees, Revd George Mwaura, Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga, Revd Fr Francis Higgins: Peter Cope, Cheryl Montgomery, Philip Allsop, Peter Steeds, Ade Amos, Tabbie Macharia and Grace Hunting.

The Trustees have considered all the work they have to do and have determined that they need an additional Trustee. The Trustees are nominating Ademola Adeyemi to be a Trustee.

Resolution

To elect Ademola Adeyemi as a Trustee of Christ the Cornerstone CIO for a term of three years.

Additional information

If you are watching online you can vote via WhatsApp or via text message to 07795 237 888. It is possible to vote by email any time up to and including 10 September by sending your response (I agree with the resolution or I do not agree with the resolution) to this email: mkstitcher2016@gmail.com.

Cheryl Montgomery – Secretary

Take time out to celebrate Creationtide 1 September – 4 October

Creation Time – or the Season of Creation – is the name given to the period from 1 September to 4 October each year and is a time dedicated to God as the Creator and sustainer of all life. During this time, churches and Christians are encouraged to have a focus on creation, with all the joys and responsibilities that being part of God’s creation brings to us. A Rocha has produced some great resources to help people connect with our Creator and God’s creation this season, including a ‘Step outside’ resource and Prayer Walk Guide that we can use as a church, as families and as individuals. https://arocha.org.uk/new-resource-step-outside-this-season-of-creation-1-september-4-october/.

Cornerstone Eco-Church Group

MK Can! – Donations of tinned food needed

Please keep your donations of tinned food coming in.: We need 350 by the beginning of October! Bring your cans to the church on Sunday or whenever it is open. There is a box for them behind the desk in Reception. They need to be in good condition (not dented or damaged) and well within the best-before date, ideally by a year, so that they can be given out by the MK Food Bank over the following months. For more information see https://mkfoodbank.org.uk/mk-can/.

Forthcoming concerts – volunteer stewards needed

Volunteers are needed to help steward the concert at 7.30 pm on Sunday, 1 October 2023 in the church. The concert will feature Bach cantatas, Handel’s coronation anthems and Haydn’s Nelson Mass. If you can help, please speak to Jill or Adrian Boynton or email boyntonmusic@btinternet.com. More information and tickets available from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/cornerstone-music/t-gazjrjg.

David Chapman

Offering

Hymn: I, the Lord of sea and sky

I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard my people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin
my hand will save.
I who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people’s pain.
I have wept for love of them,
they turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my word to them?
Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will tend the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them,
my hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide,
till their hearts be satisfied,
I will give my life to them.
Whom shall I send?
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

Dan Schutte (b. 1947)
CCL31580

Blessing

God grant to the living, grace;
to the departed, rest;
to the Church, the King, the Commonwealth and all people,
unity, peace and concord;
and to us and all God’s servants life everlasting.
And the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.

Amen

Dismissal

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

Amen