Preacher and Presiding Minister: Rt Revd Dave Bull, Bishop of Buckingham
Lead Minister: Revd George Mwaura

Gathering Music

Call to Worship

The Lord gives us a sign: the virgin shall conceive and bear a son.

His name shall be Emmanuel, God with us.

What seems impossible to us is God’s delight and promise.

The Lord will save his people; he will dwell among us.

Come, let us worship the God who draws near.

Come, let us welcome Emmanuel, our Saviour and King

Greetings and Welcome

Lighting the Fourth Advent Candle of Love

God of love, we light the candle of Love. You gave your only Son for us. Teach us to love as you love.

Amen

Choir

Hymn: O little town of Bethlehem

O little town of Bethlehem,
how still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
the silent stars go by.
Yet, in thy dark streets shineth
the everlasting Light;
the hopes and fears of all the years
are met in thee tonight.

O morning stars, together
proclaim the holy birth,
and praises sing to God the King,
and peace to men on earth;
for Christ is born of Mary;
and, gathered all above,
while mortals sleep, the angels keep
their watch of wondering love.

How silently, how silently,
the wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
the blessings of his heaven.
No ear may hear his coming;
but in this world of sin,
where meek souls will receive him, still
the dear Christ enters in.

Where children pure and happy
pray to the blessèd Child,
where misery cries out to thee,
son of the mother mild;
where charity stands watching
and faith holds wide the door,
the dark night wakes, the glory breaks,
and Christmas comes once more.

O holy Child of Bethlehem,
descend to/on us, we pray;
cast out our sin, and enter in,
be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
the great glad tidings tell:
O come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel.

Phillips Brooks (1835–1893)
CCL31580

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Confession

Gracious and faithful God, we come before you with hearts full of gratitude and humility
We thank you for your steadfast love that endures through all generations.
We thank you for the promise of Emmanuel, God with us,
a promise spoken through prophets and fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
We give thanks that you do not abandon your people,
but draw near to us in our waiting, our weakness, and our need.
Thank you for Joseph’s obedient faith, for Mary’s willing surrender,
and for the miracle of your Son taking flesh to dwell among us.

Yet even as we rejoice, O Lord, we confess our failings.
We confess that we have been slow to trust your promises when they challenge our expectations.
Like Joseph, we have been troubled by your unexpected ways and hesitant to obey.
We have looked for signs that suit our understanding rather than surrendering to your wisdom.
We have doubted your presence in difficult seasons
and failed to recognise you in the faces of those around us.
We have lived as though we were alone, forgetting that you are Emmanuel, always with us.
Forgive us, merciful God. Restore us by your grace.
Give us faith to trust your word, courage to follow where you lead,
and eyes to see that you are present in every moment of our lives.
Save us from our sins and make us vessels of your love in the world.
Through Jesus Christ, our Emmanuel, we pray.

Amen

Absolution

Hear the promise of the Lord: ‘I will save my people from their sins.’
Through Christ Jesus, God has come near to us, not to condemn, but to redeem.
In his name, you are forgiven. In his presence, you are made whole.

Thanks be to God! Emmanuel is with us.

Amen

Kyrie

Prayer of the Week

Almighty God, you spoke through prophets and fulfilled your word through the birth of your Son.
As we await the celebration of his coming, stir in us the faith of Joseph,
who trusted your promises even when they defied understanding.
Help us to recognize your presence in unexpected places and to welcome Emmanuel, God with us,
into every corner of our lives.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever.

Amen

Isaiah 7: 10–16

Read by Chibby Chima-Okoro

¹⁰ Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, ¹¹ ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.’

¹² But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.’

¹³ Then Isaiah said, ‘Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? ¹⁴ Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. ¹⁵ He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, ¹⁶ for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.

NIV®

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

Hymn: Go, tell it on the mountain

Go, tell it on the mountain,
over the hills and everywhere.
Go, tell it on the mountain
that Jesus Christ is born.

While shepherds kept their watching
o’er wandering flocks by night,
behold from out of heaven
there shone a holy light.

Go, tell it on the mountain, …

And lo, when they had seen it,
they all bowed down and prayed,
they travelled on together
to where the Babe was laid.

Go, tell it on the mountain, …

When I was a seeker,
I sought both night and day:
I sked my Lord to help me
and he showed me the way.

Go, tell it on the mountain, …

He made me a watchman
upon the city wall,
and if I am a Christian,
I am the least of all.

Go, tell it on the mountain, …

Traditional
CCL31580

Matthew 1: 18–25

Read by David Chapman

Joseph accepts Jesus as his son

¹⁸ This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: his mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

²⁰ But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹ She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’

²² All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: ²³ ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).

²⁴ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. ²⁵ But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

NIV®

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

Sermon

By Rt Revd Dave Bull, Bishop of URC Buckingham

Musical Meditation

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in God the Father,
who keeps his promises and sends signs of his faithfulness to every generation.

We believe in Jesus Christ, Emmanuel,
God with us, born of the Virgin Mary, conceived by the Holy Spirit,
who came to save his people from their sins.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
who speaks through dreams and prophets, who guides us in truth,
and who makes Christ present among us today.

We believe that God is with us,
in our joys and sorrows, in our doubts and certainties,
in this moment and for evermore. Thanks be to God.

Amen

Hymn: See him lying on a bed of straw

See him lying on a bed of straw:
a draughty stable with an open door;
Mary cradling the babe she bore
the Prince of Glory is his name.

O now carry me to Bethlehem
to see the Lord appear to men!
Just as poor as was the stable then,
the Prince of Glory when he came.

Star of silver sweep across the skies,
show where Jesus in the manger lies;
shepherds swiftly from your stupor rise
to see the Saviour of the World!

O now carry me to Bethlehem …

Angels, sing the song that you began,
bring God’s glory to the heart of man;
Sing that Bethl’ems little baby can
be salvation to the soul.

O now carry me to Bethlehem …

Mine are riches, from your poverty,
from your innocence, eternity;
mine forgiveness by your death for me,
child of sorrow for my joy.

O now carry me to Bethlehem …

Michael Perry (1942–1996)
CCL31580

Prayers of Intercession

Led by Robin Kyd

Sharing Peace

The angel said to Joseph, ‘Do not be afraid.’
Christ brings peace to troubled hearts and reconciliation to broken relationships.
Friends, may the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
And also with you.

Let us share the peace of Emmanuel, God with us, with one another
and wave to those watching on the live stream.

Holy Communion

The Great Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

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.

It is indeed right and good, always and everywhere to give you thanks and praise,
holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In this season of Advent, you sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for your Son.
You promised through the prophet Isaiah that a shoot would spring from the stump of Jesse,
one anointed with your Spirit, who would bring justice to the poor and peace to all creation.

We wait and watch for the fulfilment of all your promises.
We long for the day when the wolf will dwell with the lamb,
when your knowledge will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea,
and when Christ will come again in glory.
Therefore, with angels and archangels, with prophets and apostles, and with all the company of heaven,
we join the eternal hymn of praise:

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!

Holy God, we praise you for creating the heavens and the earth, and for making us in your image.
Though we turned away from you, you never abandoned us.
You spoke through prophets, calling us back to your ways of justice and peace.
In the fullness of time, you sent your Son Jesus Christ, born of Mary, the shoot from Jesse’s line.
Upon him rested your Spirit, wisdom and understanding, counsel and might.
He came preaching good news to the poor, proclaiming liberty to the captives,
and bringing sight to the blind.

On the night before he gave himself up for us, Jesus was having a meal with his disciples
when took bread, gave thanks to you, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
‘Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’
After supper, he took the cup, gave thanks to you, and gave it to them, saying:
‘Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant,
poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’
Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

Generous God, pour out your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the body of Christ,
bearing fruit worthy of repentance, preparing the way of the Lord.
By your Spirit, make us one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world,
until Christ comes in final victory and we feast at his heavenly banquet.
And although we are unworthy, through our many sins, to offer to you any sacrifice,
yet we ask you to accept this our humble sacrifice and service,
not weighing our merits, but pardoning our offences.

Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory are yours, almighty Father, now and for 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

Breaking of the Bread

Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
Therefore, let us keep the feast.

These are the gifts of God for the people of God. Come, for all is ready.

Music as Meal is shared

Post Communion Prayer

God of promise and presence, we have tasted and seen your goodness at this table.
You have fed us with the Bread of Life and nourished us with the Cup of Salvation.
As we have received Emmanuel in this sacrament,
send us now to be signs of your presence in the world, bearing Christ to those who wait in darkness,
offering hope to those who doubt, and proclaiming that you are indeed God with us.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Notices and Offertory

Anglican vacancy process update

Thank you so much to everyone who has sent in responses so far – the aim is that they will all be collated and the key themes shared after Epiphany, so do keep them coming.

It has been nearly twenty years since you last had an Anglican vacancy and so it was thought a brief explainer might be helpful.

We are hoping to have a PCC and Church Council meeting in mid-January where I will come along to explain the vacancy process in more details for the members present and share a Q&A session.

Four lay representatives for the shortlisting and interview panel shall also be nominated and elected. The other three members will be: George, +Dave and a member of the Anglican Deanery leadership team.

At the January meetings the representatives will be tasked with working together to identify a small group of people who will pull together, with me, the profile. Sensibly, there is a Churches Together in England requirement that this group is broadly representative of the ecumenical nature of Cornerstone.

Once the first draft of this profile is complete, two adverts are then drafted – an online format and one for the Church Times. The content will be largely identical, but the formats differ.

A meeting is called of the four representatives, George, +Dave and a member of the Anglican Deanery leadership team to approve the profile and the drafted adverts. The format of the interview day will also be decided then.

The adverts will then be sent to the Church Times for typesetting.

Once the advert has closed, there is a shortlisting meeting whereby the four representatives, George, +Dave and a member of the deanery leadership team invite suitable applicants to interview.

Should a suitable candidate be found at the interview, they are normally licensed about three months later, as this is the standard amount of notice required for clergy in post.

My prayers go with you,
Revd Asa Humphreys, Parish Development Adviser – Buckingham Archdeaconry

Cornerstone Christmas Charity Appeal 2025

Our Christmas Appeal concludes at the end of December. Thank you so much for all the generous donations already received. If you haven’t got round to making a donation yet – there’s still time!

You can donate by cash, cheque, card, telephone or on-line banking. All the details you need are in the envelopes/leaflets on the round table in the reception area.

This year the appeal is supporting four excellent charities:

Advantage Africa, Willen Hospice, St Mark’s Meals and MK ANSARS.

Our Christmas Appeal is one of the special ways the Cornerstone Congregation reaches out to others in need. Please give generously if you are able! A huge ‘thank you’ to all our donors.

Christmas Appeal Committee

Offering Envelopes for 2026

If you would like a set of offering envelopes for next year please let me know. If you are currently using envelopes, you should have received an email from me about this, but I need to know if there is anyone else who would like a set for 2026.

Janet Trimnell
steward.cccmk@gmail.com

Offertory Prayer

Gracious God, all abundance flows from your endless love.
We humbly present these offerings – both those given today and those already shared –
asking for your blessing as we build your kingdom through this church and beyond.

Amen

Hymn: Joy to the world

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
let every heart prepare him room
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing!

Joy to the earth, the Saviour reigns!
Your sweetest songs employ
while fields and streams and hills and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.

Isaac Watts (1674–1748)
CCL31580

Blessings and Sending out

Go now as people who have received Emmanuel, God with us.
Do not be afraid to trust God’s unexpected ways.
Do not hesitate to welcome Christ into your daily life.
Do not doubt that the Lord goes with you.

And may the Blessings of God Almighty,
the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit,
rest and remain upon you all today and always.

Amen

Dismissal

Church, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

In the name of Christ, we will.

Amen