Celebrant:     Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Gathering Music

Welcome

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with you all.
And also with you.

[Silence]

God our Creator, we thank you for the wonder of new life and for the mystery of human love.
We give thanks for all whose support and skill surround and sustain the beginning of life.
As Jesus knew love and discipline within a human family,
may these children grow in strength and wisdom.
As Mary knew the joys and pains of motherhood, give these parents your sustaining grace and love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Hymn: All my hope on God is founded

All my hope on God is founded;
he doth still my trust renew.
Me through change and chance he guideth,
only good and only true.
God unknown,
he alone
calls my heart to be his own.

God’s great goodness aye endureth
deep his wisdom, passing thought:
splendour, light, and life attend him,
beauty springeth out of naught.
Evermore
from his store
new-born worlds rise and adore.

Daily doth th’Almighty giver
bounteous gifts on us bestow;
his desire our soul delighteth,
pleasure leads us where we go.
Love doth stand
at his hand;
joy doth wait on his command.

Still from man to God eternal
sacrifice of praise be done,
high above all praises praising
for the gift of Christ his Son.
Christ doth call
one and all:
ye who follow shall not fall.

Robert Bridges (1844–1930)
CCL31580

Confession

For all the ways we have failed you,
Lord, have mercy.

For all the ways we will fail you again,
Lord, have mercy.

For all the ways we have failed our neighbour,
Lord, have mercy.

For all the ways we have failed our loved ones,
Lord, have mercy.

For all the ways we have failed your Church,
Lord, have mercy.

For all the ways we have failed ourselves,
Lord, have mercy.

[Silence]

We have no claim, Lord, on your goodness, no reason to expect forgiveness,
for in so many ways we let you down, but we come, trusting in your unfailing love, and asking:

Lord, have mercy. Amen

Prayer of the Week

Lord, thank you for the precious gift of baptism,
that we can publicly declare our love and passion for you.
Lord, we ask for your goodness and blessings to be poured out on this faithful servant.
We pray that you would work deeply within their heart and soul to renew and refresh them each day.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

James 2: 5–10

Read by Brian Halstead

⁵ Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? ⁶ But you have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? ⁷ Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?

⁸ If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself,’ you are doing right. ⁹ But if you show favouritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. ¹⁰ For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

NIV®

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

Mark 10: 35–45

Read by Kudakwashe Matare

The Request of James and John

³⁵ Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we want you to do for us whatever we ask.’

³⁶ ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ he asked.

³⁷ They replied, ‘Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.’

³⁸ ‘You don’t know what you are asking,’ Jesus said. ‘Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptised with the baptism I am baptised with?’

³⁹ ‘We can,’ they answered.

Jesus said to them, ‘You will drink the cup I drink and be baptised with the baptism I am baptised with, ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.’

⁴¹ When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. ⁴³ Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, ⁴⁴ and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. ⁴⁵ For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

NIV®

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

Meditation

By Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Baptism

Presentation of the Candidate: Grace Afia Adomphwe

[The candidate may be presented to the congregation by her parents – Richard Adomphwe & Esther Adu – and godparents –.Mary Ndagire, Ward Oforj Appiah and Meshach Opoku.]

Grace, do you wish to be baptised?
I do.

Faith is the gift of God to his people.
In baptism the Lord is adding to our number those whom he is calling.
People of God, will you welcome these candidates and uphold them in their new life in Christ?
With the help of God, we will.

The Decision

In baptism, God calls us out of darkness into his marvellous light.
To follow Christ means dying to sin and rising to new life with him.
Therefore, I ask:

Do you turn to Christ?
I turn to Christ.

Do you repent of your sins?
I repent of my sins.

Do you renounce evil?
I renounce evil.

Signing with the Cross

Grace, Christ claims you for his own.
Receive the sign of his cross.

Do not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified.

Fight valiantly as a disciple of Christ against sin, the world and the devil,
and remain faithful to Christ to the end of your life.

May almighty God deliver you from the powers of darkness,
restore in you the image of his glory,
and lead you in the light and obedience of Christ.

Amen

Prayer over the Water

Praise God who made heaven and earth,
who keeps his promise for ever.

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

We praise you, loving Father, for the gift of your Son Jesus.
He was baptised in the River Jordan,
where your Spirit came upon him and revealed him as the Son you love.

He sent his followers to baptise all who turn to him.
Now, Father, we ask you to bless this water,
that those who are baptised in it may be cleansed in the water of life,
and, filled with your Spirit, may know that they are loved as your children, safe in Christ for ever.

Amen

Profession of Faith

Let us affirm, together with these who are being baptised, our common faith in Jesus Christ.

Do you believe and trust in God the Father, source of all being and life, the one for whom we exist?
I believe and trust in him.

Do you believe and trust in God the Son, who took our human nature, died for us and rose again?
I believe and trust in him.

Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit,
who gives life to the people of God and makes Christ known in the world?
I believe and trust in him.

This is the faith of the Church.
This is our faith.
We believe and trust in one God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Baptism

Grace, I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen

You have been clothed with Christ.
As many as are baptised into Christ have put on Christ.
May God, who has received you by baptism into his Church, pour upon you the riches of his grace,
that within the company of Christ’s pilgrim people
you may daily be renewed by his anointing Spirit, and come to the inheritance of the saints in glory.

Amen

The Giving of a Lighted Candle

God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and has given us a place with the saints in light.
You have received the light of Christ; walk in this light all the days of your life.

Shine as a light in the world to the glory of God the Father.

Amen

Commission

Those who are baptised are called to worship and serve God.

Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?
With the help of God, I will.

Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
With the help of God, I will.

Will you proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ?
With the help of God, I will.

Will you seek and serve Christ in all people, loving your neighbour as yourself?
With the help of God, I will.

Will you acknowledge Christ’s authority over human society,
by prayer for the world and its leaders, by defending the weak, and by seeking peace and justice?
With the help of God, I will.

May Christ dwell in your heart through faith
that you may be rooted and grounded in love and bring forth the fruit of the Spirit.

Amen

The Welcome and the Peace

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism:
Grace, by one Spirit we are all baptised into one body.

We welcome you into the fellowship of faith;
we are children of the same heavenly Father;
we welcome you.

We are all one in Christ Jesus.
We belong to him through faith, heirs of the promise of the Spirit of peace.

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

Hymn: Be still, for the presence of the Lord

Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here.
Come, bow before him now, with reverence and fear.
In him no sin is found, we stand on holy ground.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here.

Be still, for the glory of the Lord is shining all around;
he burns with holy fire, with splendour he is crowned.
How awesome is the sight, our radiant King of light!
Be still, for the glory of the Lord is shining all around.

Be still, for the power of the Lord is moving in this place,
he comes to cleanse and heal, to minister his grace.
No work too hard for him, in faith receive from him;
be still, for the power of the Lord is moving in this place.

David J. Evans (b. 1957)
CCL31580

Holy Communion

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 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.
Save us from the time of trial
and 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

Trustees Church Council

7.00 pm Tuesday, 22 October 2024 in the Small Hall

The Trustees Church Council meets on Tuesday. We will be looking at planning for the future plus Advent, Covenant Renewal and Christmas. If there is an issue you would like to raise, please contact Pat or Cheryl or leave a note at Reception.

Cheryl Montgomery

Harvest Appeal: Sunday, 27 October 2024

Our Harvest Celebration this year will have a Food Bank focus. You are invited to make donations in the special orange envelopes that will be provided a week beforehand, to put in a basket in front of the Altar table, or to make donations of tins, packs, cartons of items urgently needed by the Foodbank. There is a list of items that the Food Bank needs on the Foodbank website at Food Donations | Milton Keynes Food Bank (mkfoodbank.org.uk) mkfoodbank.org.uk. Everything will be donated to Milton Keynes Food Bank. You can also donate online to Milton Keynes Foodbank at Welcome to the MK Food Bank | Milton Keynes.

Pat Kyd

Licensing of Grace Hunting as a Licensed Lay Minister

11.00 am Saturday, 2 November 2024 at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford

Grace Hunting will be admitted and licensed as a Licensed Lay Minister on Saturday, 2 November 2024 at 11.00 am – at the Annual Service at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.

A group of people from Milton Keynes will be travelling to Oxford to attend the service and support Grace. If you would like to join the travelling group you may find more details from Grace.

Please keep Grace, Michael, and her family in your prayers.

Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Ecumenical Confirmation

Sunday, 24 November 2024 at Christ the Cornerstone

There will be Ecumenical Confirmation at Cornerstone on Sunday, 24 November 2024 with Bishop Steven. The Preacher will be Revd Ian Suttie, District Ecumenical Officer of the Northampton Methodist District. Confirmation evening classes are available at St Mary’s Wavendon and Watling Valley churches If you may be interested in confirmation, please contact one of our ministers.

Confirmation Meeting

Sunday, 20 October 2024

Immediately after the Sunday Morning service over coffee in the Guildhall we are going to have a chat with all those who have already filled in the Confirmation forms and those who may be interested to explore Confirmation. Please feel free to join us.

Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Education and Worship Group

We are looking for people who could help plan the Learning for our Congregation and support the people who plan Worship. This would involve meeting to discuss Advent and Lent Bible studies, regular learning in All Age Worship and opportunities for enhancing Worship. We will raise this at the Congregational Meeting, but if you would like to discuss this further, please contact Cheryl, Revd George or Cathy Hampton.

Cheryl Montgomery

Church Christmas Cards

Three cards designed by our volunteer Yvonne Bell are now available in the Cornerstone shop. All proceeds towards church funds.

Bob Collard

Offering

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

Blessing

When we are together
we will remember what it is like to travel alone.

When we are alone
we will remember what it is like to travel together.

Wherever we are
we will remember God who always goes with us.

Lord, go with us now, this day and always.

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

Amen

Dismissal

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

Amen