Led by Revd George Mwaura

Hymns and Bible readings

Prayer of the Week

Merciful God, whose face shines upon all peoples and whose healing grace knows no bounds,
look with compassion upon your children who wait by pools of hope for restoration and new life.
Grant us the courage to rise when you call, taking up our mats and walking in faith,
that all nations may see your saving power and sing for joy at your righteous guidance.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Amen

Hymn: And can it be

And can it be that I should gain
an interest in the Saviour’s blood?
Died he for me, who caused him pain?
For me, whom him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

’Tis mystery all: the Immortal dies!
Who can explain his strange design?
In vain the first-born seraph tries
to sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
let angel minds enquire no more.

He left his Father’s throne above —
so free, so infinite his grace —
emptied himself of all but love,
and bled for Adam’s helpless race.
’Tis mercy all, immense and free;
for, O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay
fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, we forth, and followed thee.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in him, is mine!
Alive in him, my living Head,
and clothed in righteousness divine,
bold I approach the eternal throne,
and claim the crown, through Christ, my own.

Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
CCL31580

Kyrie: Empty, broken, here I stand

Empty, broken, here I stand,
Kyrie eleison.
Touch me with your healing hand,
Kyrie eleison.
Take my arrogance and pride,
Kyrie eleison.
Wash me in your mercy’s tide,
Kyrie eleison.
Kyrie eleison, Christie eleison, Kyrie eleison.

When my faith has all but gone,
Kyrie eleison.
give me strength to carry on,
Kyrie eleison.
When my dreams have turned to dust,
Kyrie eleison.
in you, O Lord, I put my trust,
Kyrie eleison.
Kyrie eleison, Christie eleison, Kyrie eleison.

When my heart is cold as ice,
Kyrie eleison.
your love speaks of sacrifice,
Kyrie eleison.
love that sets the captives free,
Kyrie eleison.
O pour compassion down on me,
Kyrie eleison.
Kyrie eleison, Christie eleison, Kyrie eleison.

You’re the voice that calms my fears,
Kyrie eleison.
you’re the laughter, dries my tears’’
Kyrie eleison.
you’re my music, my refrain,
Kyrie eleison.
help me sing your song again,
Kyrie eleison.
Kyrie eleison, Christie eleison, Kyrie eleison.

Humble heart of holiness,
Kyrie eleison.
kiss me with your tenderness,
Kyrie eleison.
Jesus, faithful friend and true,
Kyrie eleison.
all I am I give to you.
Kyrie eleison.
Kyrie eleison, Christie eleison, Kyrie eleison.

Nick & Aniita Haigh
CCL31580

Hymn: O for a thousand tongues to sing

O for a thousand tongues to sing
my dear Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease;
’tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’tis life and health and peace.

He breaks the power of cancelled sin,
he sets the prisoner free;
his blood can make the foulest clean;
his blood availed for me.

He speaks; and, listening to his voice,
new life the dead receive,
the mournful broken hearts rejoice,
the humble poor believe.

Hear him, ye deaf; his praise, ye dumb,
your loosened tongues employ;
ye blind, behold your Saviour come;
and leap, ye lame, for joy!

My gracious Master and my God,
assist me to proclaim
and spread through all the earth abroad
the honours of the name.

Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
CCL31580

Hymn: Put peace into each other’s hands

Put peace into each other’s hands
and like a treasure hold it;
protect it like a candle flame,
with tenderness enfold it.

Put peace into each other’s hands,
with loving expectation;
be gentle in your words and way,
in touch with God’s creation.

Put peace into each other’s hands,
like bread we break for sharing;
look people warmly in the eye:
our life is meant for caring.

As at communion, shape your hands
into a waiting cradle;
the gift of Christ receive, revere,
united round the table.

Put Christ into each other’s hands,
he is love’s deepest measure;
in love make peace, give peace a chance:
and share it like a treasure.

Fred Kaan (1929–2009)
CCL31580

Hymn: One more step along the world I go

One more step along the world I go,
one more step along the world I go;
from the old things to the new
keep me travelling along with you.
And it’s from the old I travel to the new;
keep me travelling along with you.</span.

Round the corners of the world I turn,
more and more about the world I learn;
all the new things that I see
you’ll be looking at along with me.
And it’s from the old I travel to the new; …

As I travel through the bad and good,
keep me travelling the way I should;
where I see no way to go
you’ll be telling me the way, I know.
And it’s from the old I travel to the new; …

Give me courage when the world is rough,
keep me loving though the world is tough;
leap and sing in all I do,
keep me travelling along with you.
And it’s from the old I travel to the new; …

You are older than the world can be,
you are younger than the life in me;
ever old and ever new,
keep me travelling along with you.
And it’s from the old I travel to the new;
keep me travelling along with you.

Sydney Carter (1915–2004)
CCL31580

Bible Readings

Psalm 67

Read by Joy Enenche

¹ May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face shine on us –
² so that your ways may be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.

³ May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
⁴ May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
⁵ May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.

⁶ The land yields its harvest;
God, our God, blesses us.
⁷ May God bless us still,
so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.

NIV®

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

John 5: 1–10

Read by Chibby Chima-Okoro

The healing at the pool

¹ Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. ² Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. ³ Here a great number of disabled people used to lie – the blind, the lame, the paralysed. ⁵ One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’

⁷ ‘Sir,’ the invalid replied, ‘I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.’

⁸ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’ ⁹ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, ¹⁰ and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, ‘It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.’

NIV®

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

Notices

Heartwarming Day, 25 May 2025

For the 6.00 pm Service this Sunday (25 May 2025) we shall be joining in the Service at the Heartwarming Day pillar at the MK Rose in Campbell Park. This service is being organised by the Milton Keynes Methodist Circuit, of which we are a member church. The preacher is Lord Griffiths of Burry Port, Revd Dr Leslie Griffiths. Music by the Salvation Army Band. We are invited to arrive from 5.00 pm and bring a picnic, and to bring a chair if we need one. If the weather is bad the event will move to the Church of Christ the Cornerstone.

Waste Not, Want Not

In collaboration with the Eco Church at Cornerstone, Acornfields Community Interactions, a local well-being organisation, is hosting sustainable living workshops around our ‘Waste Not, Want Not’ Project series.

We plan to offer a workshop on Sunday, 1 June 2025, right after the Sunday Morning Service, on making hand scrubs using coffee grounds and other kitchen cupboard ingredients. This workshop will be showcasing how to eliminate waste by creating valuable products. If you can, please donate clean empty ham, chutney and, pickle jars for use in our sustainable living workshops. The workshop on Sunday, 1 June 2025will be rightly timed to align with the World Environmental Day on Thursday, 5 June 2025.

Chinwe Osaghae

Wednesday Bible Study: Ephesians

Beginning Wednesday, 25 June 2025

For our next session of Wednesday Bible studies, under the guidance of Revd George, we shall be studying Paul’s letter to the Christians in the Church at Ephesus. In this letter there is much that is of relevance to our Church of Christ the Cornerstone as we work our way to fulfilling the recommendations of Bishop Steven’s Episcopal Visitation.

Note for the Congregation from the Church Council

Dear Friends!

I want to tell you about the good ‘Away Day’ the Church Council had on Saturday, 10 May 2025.This was to be a day spent together focused on the recommendations coming from the Episcopal Visitation Report.

We began by devoting time to Romans 12: 3–8 (i.e. one body, many members), then considered our Vision for Cornerstone, as set out in our Oasis of Hope document. We concluded that it accurately describes aspects of our calling in the City Centre. This is ‘to minister to the people of the church and, beyond that, to minister to all who enter or care for the church.’ We provide spiritual food to help people to come to faith and to refresh the soul with living waters of Hope. We think that we need to do more amongst our congregations to make sure people know about the Oasis and can live its principles. Here is a reminder of what it says:

We are a Christian church sharing the Good News of God’s love, salvation and everlasting life through Jesus Christ

We are a diverse , multicultural congregation drawn from Anglican, Methodist United Reformed and Baptist traditions sharing the building and our life with our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters.

We are committed to the service of the community of Central Milton Keynes.

We finished the morning by talking through relationships with the Trading Company, who manage the building. We will invite the Directors to an informal meeting to discuss our shared values and how we might work more closely together.

We were joined at lunch by Revd Asa Humphreys, the Parish Development Advisor for the Oxford Diocese. He told us that Christ the Cornerstone is among the fastest growing churches in the Diocese and we learnt from Father Francis that 10% of Catholics in Milton Keynes worship at Christ the Cornerstone. We were also mindful of all the new neighbours who are moving in around us and their need for welcome.

The Church Council had been asked to find up to four people from the Congregations who could meet regularly with Asa to respond to the recommendations and help develop a plan for the future. These people should have ecumenism front and centre and should be trusted people who express gladness about our vision. They should be committed to working ecumenically and should be free from holding positions of responsibility in the church. They ought to be a bit younger and be drawn from the participating denominations. This small group will work with Revd Asa Humphreys on how the recommendations may be implemented. They will begin by looking at the job description and role for the proposed third member of the clergy team.

Carl Pinnock, Ian Trimnell, Philip Allsop and Grace Hunting were proposed as group members and we greeted their acceptance of this task with joy.

We ended our day with a hymn and some talk of the life of the congregation – youth work, stewardship, fellowship. A church picnic on Sunday, 13 July 2025 is proposed. We could make it a bring and share lunch or a church barbecue (do it ourselves), or have a food truck. There is a preference sheet circulating to make your views known and to sign up to come on the day. Family games would be good, too.

It was very useful to get away from business for a day and concentrate on the life of our church and how we demonstrate it together in Central Milton Keynes.

Cheryl Montgomery, Chair of the Church Council