Led by: Revd George Mwaura

Hymns and Bible readings

Prayer of the Week

God of all goodness, we thank you for your steadfast love
and the gift of contentment that comes from trusting in you.
As we step into the week ahead, fill our hearts with gratitude for your daily mercies
and guide our steps in faith.
Help us to seek your will above all else, to be generous with what we have,
and to find joy in serving others.
Keep us mindful of your presence and faithful to your call,
so that our lives may reflect your grace and hope,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Bible Readings

Psalm 146

Read by Samuel

¹ Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, my soul.

² I will praise the Lord all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
³ Do not put your trust in princes,
in human beings, who cannot save.
⁴ When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
⁵ Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God.
⁶ He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them –
he remains faithful for ever.
⁷ He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
⁸ the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
⁹ The Lord watches over the foreigner
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

¹⁰ The Lord reigns for ever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the LORD.

NIV®

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

1 Timothy 6: 6–19

Read by Shay De Silva

⁶ But godliness with contentment is great gain. ⁷ For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. ⁸ But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. ⁹ Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Final Charge to Timothy

¹¹ But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³ In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you ¹⁴ to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which God will bring about in his own time – God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honour and might for ever. Amen.

¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

NIV®

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

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

Hymn: Speak, O Lord, as we come to you

Speak, O Lord, as we come to you
to receive the food of your holy word.
Take your truth, plant it deep in us;
shape and fashion us in your likeness,
that the light of Christ might be seen today
in our acts of love and our deeds of faith.
Speak, O Lord, and fulfil in us
all your purposes, for your glory.

Teach us, Lord, full obedience,
holy reverence, true humility.
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
in the radiance of your purity.
Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to see
your majestic love and authority.
Words of power that can never fail;
let their truth prevail over unbelief.

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds;
help us grasp the heights of your plans for us.
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
that will echo down through eternity.
And by grace we’ll stand on your promises,
and by faith we’ll walk as you walk with us.
Speak, O Lord, till your Church is built
and the earth is filled with your glory.

Keith Getty (b. 1974) and Stuart Townend (b. 1963)
CCL31580

Hymn: When I needed a neighbour

When I needed a neighbour were you there, were you there?
When I needed a neighbour were you there?
And the name and the colour and the creed won’t matter were you there?

I was hungry and thirsty, were you there, were you there?
I was hungry and thirsty, were you there?
And the name and the colour and the creed won’t matter were you there?

I was cold, I was naked, were you there, were you there?
I was cold, I was naked, were you there?
And the name and the colour and the creed won’t matter were you there?

When I needed a shelter were you there, were you there?
When I needed a shelter were you there?
And the name and the colour and the creed won’t matter were you there?

When I needed a healer were you there, were you there?
When I needed a healer were you there?
And the name and the colour and the creed won’t matter were you there?

Wherever you travel, I’ll be there, I’ll be there.
Wherever you travel, I’ll be there.
And the name and the colour and the creed won’t matter I’ll be there.

Sydney Carter (1915–2004)
CCL31580

Hymn: Shine, Jesus, shine

Lord, the light of your love is shining,
in the midst of the darkness, shining;
Jesus, light of the world, shine upon us,
set us free by the truth you now bring us,
shine on me, shine on me.

Shine, Jesus, shine,
fill this land with the Father’s glory;
blaze, Spirit, blaze,
set our hearts on fire.
Flow, river, flow,
flood the nations with grace and mercy;
send forth Your word,
Lord, and let there be light.

Lord, I come to Your awesome presence,
From the shadows into Your radiance;
By the blood I may enter Your brightness,
Search me, try me, consume all my darkness.
Shine on me, shine on me.

Shine, Jesus, shine, …

As we gaze on Your kingly brightness
So our faces display Your likeness.
Ever changing from glory to glory,
Mirrored here may our lives tell Your story.
Shine on me, shine on me.

Shine, Jesus, shine, …

Graham Kendrick (b. 1950)
CCL31580

Notices

URC East Midlands Synod on Tour

Monday, 29 September 2025 at Christ the Cornerstone

The URC East Midlands Synod team, led by Revd Geoffrey Clarke, the Synod Moderator, will be visiting Cornerstone between 2.00 and 8.00 pm on Monday 29 September 2025 in the Small Hall. They would be delighted to meet anyone from Cornerstone and from any other church in Milton Keynes and surroundings. You will be welcome to drop in for an opportunity to discover what support is available for local churches, to ask questions, to hear about our Talking Faith initiative or simply to enjoy an informal chat over a hot drink.

Wednesday Bible Study:
‘Weakness Made Strong. the Stories of Moses and Rahab’

Week 2: Wrestling with Doubt and Fear (Moses’ Reluctance and Rahab’s Risk)

Theme: God meets us in our fear and doubt, not after we’ve overcome them.

Key Scriptures: Exodus 3: 1–14 & 4: 1–17 (Moses’ reluctance at the burning bush); Joshua 2: 8–14 (Rahab’s faith and fear)

If you would like an invitation to the Zoom sessions, please contact robin_kyd@yahoo.co.uk.

Reminders: Membership Renewal and Stewardship Campaign

Thank you to everyone who collected their envelopes last Sunday. If you don’t have yours yet, please collect it from Reception.

Here’s a reminder of what we’d like you to do after reading the information in your pack:

• Fill in your membership renewal form and let us have it back as soon as possible.
• Think about how much you can afford to give in regular freewill offerings.
• If you do on-line shopping, consider registering with ‘easy fundraising’.
• If you have any spare time, look at the opportunities for volunteering listed.

If you need any further information about anything that was in your pack, you are welcome to contact one of the Stewardship Group.

With many thanks,
Janet, Tabbie and Peter (Stewardship Group)

Autumn Serenade

11.30 am Saturday, 27 September 2025

A programme of aural delights, including glorious music by Purcell, Handel, Bizet, Fauré, Mascagni, Puccini, Rutter and others.

Emily Haig (Soprano), Rosie Reed (Flute), Adrian Boynton (Piano)

Tickets on the door: adults: £12.00; under 18s: £2;00

Milton Keynes Eco Church Network meeting

10.00 am – 12.30 pm Saturday, 11 October 2025 at St Mary’s Bletchley

The meeting will include the Eco Church Group at St Mary’s Church sharing their experiences of becoming a Bronze-level Eco Church and there will be a discussion on the theme: ‘From energy audits to action plans’. To register please complete this form: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mk-eco-church-network-visit-to-queensway-church-bletchley-mk2-2hb-tickets-1286509989009?aff=oddtdtcreator.

For more details contact Stuart Kean (stuart.kean@gmail.com).