Presiding Minister: Revd George Mwaura
Preacher: Grace Hunting LLM

Gathering Music

Call to Worship

Come, for the God who called Moses from the burning bush still calls us today.
We come to stand on holy ground.

Come, for the God who sees suffering, hears the cries of the oppressed, and comes to deliver.
We come to listen for the voice of God.

Come, for Christ calls us not only to believe, but to follow –
to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and walk in his way.
We come to follow Jesus Christ.

Let us worship the God who says, ‘I AM WHO I AM’
the God who was, who is, and who will always be.
We worship the living God.

Amen

Greetings and Welcome

Opening Prayer

Holy and eternal God, you met Moses in the wilderness
and transformed an ordinary place into holy ground.
Meet us here today.
Interrupt our routines, awaken our hearts and draw our attention to your presence among us.
Remove from us everything that prevents us from hearing your voice, through Jesus mighty Name

Amen

Hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;
holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessèd Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore thee,
casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
which wert and art and evermore shalt be.

Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide thee,
though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
only thou art holy, there is none beside thee
perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
all thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea;
holy, holy, holy! merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessèd Trinity!

Reginald Heber (1783–1826)
CCL31580

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Confession

Faithful God, we give you thanks because you are the God who sees, hears and remembers.
You saw the suffering of your people in Egypt; you heard their cries;
you knew their pain; and you came down to deliver them.
We thank you that you remain the same compassionate God today.
You meet us in unexpected places, speak through ordinary moments
and call ordinary people into your extraordinary purposes.
We thank you for Moses, who despite his fears and questions was called into your service.
Above all, we thank you for Jesus Christ, who did not turn away from the road to Jerusalem,
but gave himself in love for the life of the world.

Yet, loving God, we confess that we often want discipleship without sacrifice
and faith without inconvenience. When you call us, we make excuses.
When you lead us beyond familiar places, we hesitate.
When following Christ becomes costly, we look for easier roads.

Forgive us when we seek to save our lives rather than giving ourselves in love.
Forgive us when our comfort matters more than another person’s suffering.
Forgive us when we see injustice but remain silent,
when we know what is right but lack the courage to act,
and when we forget that the ground beneath our feet is holy because you are already there.
Merciful God, turn us again towards Christ.
Release us from fear, renew within us a courageous faith,
and teach us to trust the One who promises, that he will be with us always
and it is in his holy name that we pray.

Amen

[Silence]

Absolution and Assurance of Grace

Hear the good news:
the God who called Moses from the wilderness is the God who sees, hears and comes near.
In Jesus Christ, God has met us with mercy, carried our sin to the cross,
and opened for us the way of new life.
So, to all who truly repent and turn again to Christ, the Lord says your sins are forgiven.
So, receive God’s grace.
Lay down the burden of guilt, rise in freedom, and walk again in the way of Christ.

Thanks be to God.

Amen

Prayer of the Week

God of the burning bush and the rugged cross,
you call your people from familiar places into the adventure of faithful discipleship.
Give us eyes to recognise your presence, ears to hear your call, and courage to follow Jesus
wherever he leads; that, losing ourselves in love and service,
we may discover the life that only you can give; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Exodus 3: 1–15

Read by Kudakwashe Matare

Moses and the burning bush

¹ Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ³ So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight – why the bush does not burn up.’

⁴ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’

And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’

⁵ ‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ ⁶ Then he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

⁷ The Lord said, ‘I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. ⁸ So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey – the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. ⁹ And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. ¹⁰ So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.’

¹¹ But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’

¹² And God said, ‘I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.’

¹³ Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” Then what shall I tell them?’

¹⁴ God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I am has sent me to you.”’

¹⁵ God also said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, “The Lord, the God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob – has sent me to you.”

‘This is my name for ever,
the name you shall call me
from generation to generation.

NIV®

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

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. …

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. …

Dan Schutte (b. 1947)
CCL31580

Matthew 16: 21–28

Read by Peter Mutuku Kioko

Jesus predicts his death

²¹ From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

²² Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’

²³ Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.’

²⁴ Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. ²⁶ What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

²⁸ ‘Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.’

NIV®

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

Sermon

By Grace Hunting LLM

Affirming Our Faith

We believe in God, the great I AM, whose presence makes ordinary ground holy.
We trust the God who sees suffering, hears the cries of the oppressed
and calls people to the work of liberation.

We believe in Jesus Christ, who set his face towards the cross and calls us to follow him.
We believe that in losing our lives for Christ and for the gospel,
we discover life in all its fullness.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who gives courage to the fearful,
strength to the weary and hope to those who despair.
Therefore, we will seek God’s presence, listen for God’s call,
take up our cross and follow Christ in faith, hope and love.

Amen

Will you come and follow me

Will you come and follow me,
 if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know
 and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown,
will you let my love be known,
will you let my life be grown,
in you and you in me?

Will you come and follow me,
if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know
and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown,
will you let my love be known,
will you let my life be grown,
in you and you in me?

Will you leave yourself behind
if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind
and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare
should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer
in you and you in me?

Will you let the blinded see
if I but call your name?
Will you set the prisoners free
and never be the same?
Will you kiss the leper clean
and do such as this unseen,
and admit to what I mean
in you and you in me?

Will you love the ‘you’ you hide
if I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside
and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you’ve found
to reshape the world around,
through my sight and touch and sound
in you and you in me?

Lord, your summons echoes true
when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you
and never be the same.
In your company I’ll go
where your love and footsteps show,
thus I’ll move and live and grow
in you and you in me.

John l. Bell (b. 1949) and Graham Maule (b. 1958) Iona Community
CCL31580

Intercessions

Led by Glynne Gordon-Carter

Sharing the Peace

Moses discovered that God was already present in the wilderness.
Jesus reminds us that the way of God is found not in domination but in self-giving love.
So let us recognise Christ in one another and share together the peace that comes from him.
Church\ may the peace of Christ be always with you!
And also with you.

Let us share Christ’s peace with one another and wave to those watching on the live stream

Holy Communion

Invitation to the Table

At the burning bush, Moses discovered that ordinary ground becomes holy when God is present.
At this table, ordinary bread and wine become signs of the extraordinary grace of Jesus Christ,
who calls us to take up the cross and follow him.
This is the Lord’s table: come, for Christ himself is our host.

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 our thanks and praise.

Holy and living God, it is indeed right to give you thanks and praise.
You are the great I AM, the God who was, who is, and who will be.
You called Moses from the wilderness, made common ground holy by your presence,
heard the cry of an oppressed people, and sent your servant to share in your work of liberation.
You are still the God who sees, hears, remembers, and comes near.

When we have turned away from your call and chosen the easier road, you have not abandoned us.
In Jesus Christ you came among us in humility and compassion.
He set his face towards Jerusalem, refused the way of domination,
and showed us that your life is found through self-giving love.
On the cross he gave himself for the life of the world;
in his resurrection you opened the way of hope that no suffering, failure, or death can finally close.
Therefore, with your people in every time and place, and with the whole company of heaven,
we praise your holy name:

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 remember that on the night before he died, Jesus took bread;
and after giving thanks to you, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: “Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, gave thanks, and shared it with them, saying: “Drink from this, all of you; this cup is the new covenant in my blood, poured out for you and for many. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

So, as we remember Christ’s life, death and resurrection, we proclaim the mystery of our faith:

Christ gave himself in love;
Christ is risen in glory;
Christ will lead creation into fullness of life.

Gracious God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them for us signs of the life of Christ, and make us, who share them, one body in him.
As you strengthened Moses for the work to which you called him, strengthen us for faithful discipleship.
Give courage to the fearful, endurance to the weary, compassion to the comfortable,
and hope to all who suffer.
Make us ready to lose ourselves in love, to stand with the oppressed,
and to follow Christ wherever his cross-shaped way may lead.

Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory are yours, eternal God, 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

The bread we break is a sharing in the life of Christ.
Though we are many, in Christ we are one body.

The cup we bless is a sharing in the love poured out for the world.
We receive with thanksgiving and offer ourselves in love.

Jesus Christ calls us to follow, and he gives us what we need for the journey.
Come to this holy table. Receive the bread of life and the cup of blessing,
and be strengthened to walk the way of the cross in hope.

Prayer after Communion

God of holy ground and costly love, we thank you that at this table you have met us in Jesus Christ.
You have fed us with the bread of life and renewed us by the cup of grace.
Send us now into the world with the courage of Moses and the mind of Christ:
ready to hear your call, to stand where suffering is real, to resist the easy road of self-interest,
and to take up the cross in faithful love.

Amen

Notices and Offertory

Cornerstone Baby and Toddler Group needs your help

Do you have a couple of hours to spare on Monday mornings? It needn’t be every week!

Toddlers has now been going for three years, and is a fabulous community, who meet each week in term time and have lots of fun. It’s a great way to start the week and is guaranteed to make you smile! Toddlers is an important part of the church’s outreach, creating an Oasis of Hope in Milton Keynes, but to continue we need some help – Urgently!

We are desperate for strong, active people to help bringing the toys down from the balcony 8.30–9.00 am. We also need some new people to support us during the session between 10.00 and 11.45 am.

Please get in touch with me or Joy Chapman and share this message with other people who may be interested.

Thank you, Nerys Steeds, njsteeds@icloud.com

Welcome for our new Curate, Revd Lara Deen and husband Alan

10.00 am Sunday, 13 September 2026

Please come and give a warm welcome to our new Curate, Revd Lara Deen and her husband Alan at our Morning Service on Sunday, 13 September 2026. They are moving to their new home in Milton Keynes early next month.

Screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing Film

2.00–4.00 pm Sunday, 13 September 2026 at Cornerstone

You are invited to attend a free screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing Film about the risks to British life from ongoing damage to nature and to our climate. The film presents a clear, measured overview of how the climate and nature crisis is affecting everyday life in Britain – and what the evidence says about risks and responses. This screening is for members of the faith communities in Milton Keynes. The 45-minute film will be followed by a time of discussion.

Please book your free ticket using EventBrite by clicking here and registering: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/peoples-emergency-briefing-film-for-milton-keynes-faith-communities-tickets-1995450216313?aff=oddtdtcreator.

Revd George Mwaura, Chair, Churches Together in Milton Keynes
The Co-Convenors and Committee of Interfaith MK
Dr Stuart Kean, Convenor, MK Eco Church Network

Cornerstone Covenant Renewal Weekend

Saturday–Sunday, 19–20 September 2026

Our Sunday Service at 10.00 am on 20 September 2026 will be an All Age Covenant Renewal Service.
It will be followed by a Bring and Share Lunch.

If you are new to the Church of Christ the Cornerstone and would like to become a Church Member, please speak to Cheryl Montgomery, Pat Kyd, Peter Cope or Revd George and ask for a membership form.

Revd Sarah Eden-Jones’s Induction Service

7.00 pm Monday, 28 September 2026

Our new Minister, Revd Sarah Eden-Jones, will be inducted by Bishop Dave, Bishop of Buckingham, at the Church of Christ the Cornerstone on Monday, 28 September 2026. The Induction Service is scheduled for 7.00 pm. The Service will be very well-attended, so you are advised to arrive in good time. This Service will be live-streamed.

Offertory Prayer

Gracious God, all abundance flows from your endless love.
We humbly present these offerings before you, those placed before your altar today,
and those given faithfully electronically throughout the week in ways seen and unseen.
Receive and bless them, that they may serve your purposes,
and reflect the generous love revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord

Amen

Hymn: Lord, for the years

Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided,
urged and inspired us, cheered us on our way,
sought us and saved us, pardoned and provided,
Lord of the years, we bring our thanks today.

Lord, for that word, the word of life which fires us,
speaks to our hearts and sets our souls ablaze,
teaches and trains, rebukes us and inspires us,
Lord of the word, receive your people’s praise.

Lord, for our land, in this our generation,
spirits oppressed by pleasure, wealth and care;
for young and old, for commonwealth and nation,
Lord of our land, be pleased to hear our prayer.

Lord, for our world; when we disown and doubt him,
loveless in strength, and comfortless in pain;
hungry and helpless, lost indeed without him,
Lord of our world, we pray that Christ may reign.

Lord, for ourselves; in living power remake us,
self on the cross and Christ upon the throne;
past put behind us, for the future take us,
Lord of our lives, to live for Christ alone.

Timothy Dudley-Smith (1926–2024)
CCL31580

Blessing and Sending Out

Go from this place remembering that wherever God meets you, there is holy ground.
Go with the courage of Moses, even when you do not feel ready.
And may the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
rest upon you, remain with you, and all those whom you love, today and all the days of your lives.

Amen

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

Amen