Preacher: Revd George Mwaura
Celebrant: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Gathering Music

Welcome

Open our minds, O God;
open our hearts, O Christ;
open our souls, O Spirit;
that we might hear your call afresh, respond with enthusiasm and commitment,
working together to build your kingdom, to your praise and glory.

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: All things bright and beautiful

All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
each little bird that sings,
he made their glowing colours,
he made their tiny wings:

All things bright and beautiful, …

The purple-headed mountain,
the river running by,
the sunset and the morning
that brightens up the sky:

All things bright and beautiful, …

The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden,
he made them every one:

All things bright and beautiful, …

The tall trees in the greenwood,
the meadows where we play,
the rushes by the water
we gather every day:

All things bright and beautiful, …

He gave us eyes to see them,
and lips that we might tell
how great is God almighty,
who has made all things well:

All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.

Cecil Frances Alexander (1818–1895)
CCL31580

Confession

For the times we only listen with half an ear – if that;
the times we are the one being called, but we’re just not open enough to hear it.
Forgive us, Lord, and open our ears to your wisdom.

For the times we doubt something is your word to us,
because we’re not tuned in to you; or perhaps because it comes from an unlikely source.
Forgive us, Lord, and open our ears to your wisdom.

When we don’t give people the benefit of the doubt;
when we think they are too young, too old, too different.
Forgive us, Lord, and open our ears to your wisdom.

For the times we might give wrong advice,
not because we want to, but we don’t hear you clearly enough.
Forgive us, Lord, and open our ears to your wisdom.

We imagine the Lord standing before us, arms outstretched, forgiving us.
Let us spend a moment silently thanking God for the power in that forgiveness.

[Silence]

Thank you, God, for your blessing, and that we can go out as new.
Nothing is hidden from you, and if we acknowledge that, and confess our sins,
we know you will forgive us and lead us further into you.

Amen

Prayer of the Week

God who made the soil and sky, may our praise reveal your beauty.
In your mercy, grant us the wisdom to care for the earth and till it.
Help us to act now for the good of future generations and all your creatures.
Help us to become instruments of a new creation, founded on the covenant of your unconditional love.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Genesis 1: 1–31

Read by David Chapman

The Beginning

¹ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

³ And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light ‘day’, and the darkness he called ‘night’. And there was evening, and there was morning – the first day.

⁶ And God said, ‘Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.’ ⁷ So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called the vault ‘sky’. And there was evening, and there was morning – the second day.

⁹ And God said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.’ And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground ‘land’, and the gathered waters he called ‘seas’. And God saw that it was good.

¹¹ Then God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.’ And it was so. ¹² The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening, and there was morning – the third day.

¹⁴ And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.’ And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening, and there was morning – the fourth day.

²⁰ And God said, ‘Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.’ ²¹ So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.’ ²³And there was evening, and there was morning – the fifth day.

²⁴ And God said, ‘Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.’ And it was so. ²⁵ God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’

²⁹ Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.’ And it was so.

³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day.

NIV®

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

Matthew 6: 25–34

Read by Joy Chapman

Do Not Worry

²⁵ ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ ‘And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

NIV®

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

Meditation

By Revd George Mwaura

[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 were they glad when they saw the Lord.

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

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Hymn: Think of a world without any flowers

Think of a world without any flowers,
think of a wood without any trees,
think of a sky without any sunshine,
think of the air without any breeze;
we thank you, Lord, for flowers and trees and sunshine;
we thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Think of a world without any animals,
think of a field without any herd,
think of a stream without any fishes,
think of a dawn without any bird;
we thank you, Lord, for paintings and for colours;
we thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Think of a world without any paintings,
think of a room where all the walls are bare,
think of a rainbow without any colours,
think of the earth with darkness everywhere;
we thank you, Lord, for all your living creatures;
we thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Think of a world without any poetry,
think of a world without any books,
think of a song without any music,
think of a hymn without any verse;
<em>we thank you, Lord, for poetry and music;
we thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Think of a world without any science,
think of a journey with nothing to explore,
think of a quest without any mystery,
nothing to seek, and nothing left in store;
we thank you, Lord, for miracles of science;
we thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.
we thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Think of a world without any people,
think of a street with no-one living there,
think of a town without any houses,
no-one to love and nobody to care;
we thank you, Lord, for families and friendships;
we thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Think of a world without any worship,
think of a God without his only Son,
think of a cross without resurrection,
only a grave and not a victory won;
we thank you, Lord, for showing us our Saviour;
we thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Thanks to our Lord for being here among us,
thanks be to him for sharing all we do,
thanks to our Church and all the love we find here,
thanks for this place and all its promise true;
we thank you, Lord, for life in all its richness;
we thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Doreen E. Newport (1927–2004)
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.

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 for ever 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

Come to this table, not because you must, but because you may,
not because you are strong, but because you are weak.
Come, not because any goodness of your own gives you a right to come,
but because you need mercy and help.
Come, because you love the Lord a little and would like to love him more.
Come, because he loved you and gave himself for you.
Come and meet the risen Christ, for we are his Body.

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

World Environment Day Prayer Vigil

5.30–6.00 pm Wednesday, 5 June 2024 at MK Rose, Campbell Park

Churches Together in Milton Keynes will be holding a prayer vigil to mark World Environment Day on Wednesday, 5 June2024 between 5.30 and 6.00 pm at the Milton Keynes Rose. Please join us.

Eco Church Core Group

Oxford Diocese Celebration of Creation Care

1.30–5.00 pm Saturday, 8 June 2024
Wesley Memorial Methodist Church, New Inn Hall Street, Oxford OX1 2DH

Oxford Diocese is organising a ‘Celebration of Creation Care’ on Saturday, 8 June 2024 from 1.30 to 5.00 pm, which is being held in the Wesley Memorial Methodist Church, New Inn Hall Street Oxford OX1 2DH. The keynote speaker is Dr Ruth Valerio, environmentalist, theologian, social activist and author. Bishop Steven will lead a time of worship within this afternoon of recognising and celebrating the amazing work happening in the diocese. The event will be celebrating all aspects of Creation Care, from community gardens to wild churches, ‘Creation Crews’ to carbon cutters, and from local advocates to energy champions. Many actions will be recognised, including Cornerstone Church, which has been nominated for an advocacy award. Please do come and join the celebration. You can still sign up at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/celebration-of-creation-care-tickets-827135623917.

Eco Church Core Group

Offering

Final Prayer

Go in the name of the Lord to your homes, your neighbours, your communities.
Go and make a difference.
Raise up those who are disheartened.
Tell others about the risen Christ.
Visit those who are lonely,
and may your heart and mind be open to receive all that God gives to you and asks of you.

Amen

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 of creation, who loves all he has made and all that has evolved,
open the eyes of your people, that your love might be reflected in our care for the planet.
And the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you today and always.

Amen

Dismissal

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

Amen