Celebrant: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Gathering Music

Welcome

Holy God, we come to worship you, to be in your presence in this moment of our lives.
We come not to worship a place or a thing.
We come to worship you, our living, loving, ever-present God.
You are our God, you have given us breath and life and meaning.
Holy God, we come to worship you.

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: Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;
holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessèd Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
which wert and art and evermore shalt be.

Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy, there is none beside thee
perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
all thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea;
holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessèd Trinity!

Reginald Heber (1783–1826)
CCL31580

Confession

O Lord our God, we confess our failings and our shortcomings.
We confess our fickleness and our fragility of faith.
We make ourselves other gods and images, we take your name in vain,
we do not keep a time set aside for you, we have lost so much respect for our elders,
abuse people’s honesty and live with falsehoods all around us.
O Lord our God, maker of heaven and earth, forgive us we pray,
renew and refresh us and set us on a right path.

Kyrie

Amazing God, you are our God, and we are your people, your children.
Help us to learn your ways, that we may love you more dearly, and learn to live more truly,
enjoying and sharing your abundant life with the whole planet.

Amen

Prayer of the Week

Amazing God, you are our God, and we are your people, your children.
Help us to learn your ways, that we may love you more dearly, and learn to live more truly,
enjoying and sharing your abundant life with the whole planet.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Psalm 19: 1–6

Read by Joy Chapman

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
⁵ It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is deprived of its warmth.

NIV®

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

John 2: 13–22

Read by David Chapman

Jesus Clears the Temple Courts

¹³ When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!’ ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written: ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’

¹⁸ The Jews then responded to him, ‘What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?’

¹⁹ Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.’

²⁰ They replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?’ ²¹ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

NIV®

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

Meditation

By Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

[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 Rosemary Kearsey

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 the Lord be always with you.
and also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Hymn: When we walk with the Lord (Trust and Obey)

When we walk with the Lord
in the light of his word
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
he abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey,
for there’s no other way
to be happy in Jesus,
but to trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear,
not a sorrow we share,
but our toil he doth richly repay;
not a grief nor a loss,
not a frown nor a cross,
but is blest if wetrust and obey.
Trust and obey, …

But we never can prove
the delights of his love
until all on the altar we lay;
for the favour he shows,
for the joy he bestows,
are for them who will trust and obey.
Trust and obey, …

Then in fellowship sweet
we will sit at his feet,
or we’ll walk by his side in the way;
what he says we will do,
where he sends we will go;
never fear, only trust and obey.
Trust and obey, …

John Henry Sammis (1846–1919)
CCL31580

The Thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.
Through your goodness we have this bread to set before you,
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 set before you,
fruit of the vine and work of human hands.
It will become for us the cup of salvation.

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.

We are here because Jesus has called us –
strangers and friends, locals and visitors, believers, and doubters, the certain and the curious.
It is always a mixed company that Jesus gathers and invites to his table,
where, in bread and wine, he meets us and through him we, who are different, are joined to each other.
So come, not because you understand, but because you are understood.
Come, not because of how you feel, but because God has food for you.
Come, not because you deserve a place, but because Jesus invites you, just as you are.

Amen

Post Communion Prayer

Faithful, generous, abiding God, we give you thanks for the Bread of Heaven and the Cup of Salvation.
May the taste of this meal linger so that we will be strengthened in our Lenten journey.
Give us courage to hear what may seem harsh, so that we can find a deeper relationship with you.

Amen

Notices

World Book Day

Thursday, 7 March 2024

World Book Day is coming up soon. To celebrate, there are a range of adult and children’s books on a table in the Cornerstone Bookshop at a special price of only £1 each.

Bob Collard

Fairtrade Stall

Sunday, 10 March 2024

The next Fairtrade Stall will be in the Guildhall following the 10am service on Sunday 10th March; join us for coffee and to browse some of the new products and suppliers we have discovered since the close down of Traidcraft a year ago.  Fairtrade Easter eggs and cards will also be available, including Meaningful Chocolate Company eggs with the Easter story included. Further info from Joy Chapman 07854 762676, email cjoy.chapman9@gmail.com.

Joy Chapman

Training for Readers and Intercessors

Philip Allsop (who represents Fr Francis) has made a very kind offer of training for readers and intercessors. The Catholic cluster organise such training every now and again and have two excellent people to do the training. Philip is happy to hold their next training at Cornerstone and open it up to any of our readers and intercessors. It has been scheduled for 7.30–9.00 pm on Monday, 18 March 2024 in the Worship Area.

If you are interested in honing your reading skills or would like to get some training to become a reader, please let me or June know.

Brian Halstead, brianhalstead@hotmail.co.uk

Take part in the ‘Big Plastic Count’ (11–17 March 2024)

Households of all shapes and sizes, schools, community groups, churches and businesses will be counting their plastic packaging waste and sharing their results to help form a national picture of the state of plastic waste in the UK. The findings will be critical ahead of the Global Plastics Treaty, where nations will come together to set new global rules for the production of plastic. Find out more and join the count at: https://thebigplasticcount.com/sign-up/households/digital.

Eco Church Core Group

Connect with our Creator and God’s creation during Lent

Lent gives us the opportunity to reflect on the practice of fasting and commit to giving up something that brings a real benefit to nature and helps address climate change. A Rocha has produced a set of ideas and resources that we can use as a church, as families or as individuals. Take time to pray, reflect and consider these options – pick one or two or however many you’d like, for example, try to ‘Go plastic free’. Even if you can’t become totally plastic-free, make it your goal to at least reduce your use of plastic. Check the suggestions with tips here. https://arocha.org.uk/connect-with-our-creator-and-gods-creation-during-lent/.

You might also like to take a look at the Christian Aid Count your Blessings Lent resource, which has a social justice and ecological focus: https://www.christianaid.org.uk/sites/default/files/2024-01/count-your-blessings-2024-v1.1.pdf.

Eco Church Core Group

Offering

Final Prayer

Good and gracious God, as we begin yet another Lenten journey,
we ask for courage to follow your Son, and wisdom to walk the way.
Gather us, shelter us, protect us as we are led to the cross.

Amen

Hymn: Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all

Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all,
how can I love thee as I ought?
And how revere this wondrous gift
so far surpassing hope of thought?

Sweet Sacrament, we thee adore;
Oh, make us love thee more and more.

Had I but Mary’s sinless heart
To love thee with, my dearest King.
Oh, with what bursts of fervent praise
thy goodness, Jesus, would I sing!

Sweet Sacrament, …

Ah, see! Within a creature’s hand
The vast Creator deigns to be,
reposing, infant-like, as though
on Joseph’s arm, or Mary’s knee.

Sweet Sacrament, …

Thy body, soul, and Godhead, all;
O mystery of love divine!
I cannot compass all I have,
for all thou hast and art are mine.

Sweet Sacrament, …

Come now ye angels to our aid,
sound, sound God’s praises higher still;
’tis God, whose power created us,
and in whose praise creation thrills.

Sweet Sacrament, …

Frederick William Faber (1814–1863)
CCL31580

Blessing

May the God of Grace and Glory go with you as you follow this Lenten path.
Wherever it takes you, and to whomever it takes you,
may you go with the blessing of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit,
both now and for ever.

Amen

Dismissal

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

Amen