All Age Service – Live Streamed – Advent Sunday, 30 November 2025
Led by Revd George Mwaura
Gathering Music
Call to Worship
Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.
For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations and impose terms on many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks;
one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.
While we do not know the day or the hour of his coming,
let us be like servants eagerly awaiting their master’s return,
let us worship actively together.
Greetings and Welcome
Lighting the First Candle
God of promise, we light the candle of Hope.
As we wait for Christ’s coming,
fill us with confident expectation that your kingdom is near.
Amen
Hymn: Come, thou long-expected Jesus
Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free,
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a king,
born to reign in us for ever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal Spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all-sufficient merit
raise us to thy glorious throne.
Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
CCL31580
https://youtu.be/3pabx6towKE?t=40
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Confession
Merciful God, we give you thanks for the season of Advent,
a time of hopeful expectation and preparation for the coming of our Lord.
We thank you for the ancient prophecies, especially through Isaiah,
that speak of a day when nations will stream to your holy mountain,
when swords will be beaten into ploughshares, and spears into pruning hooks, and war will be no more.
We rejoice in your promise of peace and justice for all creation.
Yet, we confess, O Lord, that we often live unwisely,
caught up in the cares and distractions of this world.
We forget to be watchful, to be ready for the hour of your Son’s return,
just as we are warned in Matthew’s Gospel.
We confess our slowness to walk in your paths,
our failure to embrace fully the instruction that goes forth from Zion.
We have allowed ourselves to be lulled into spiritual slumber,
neglecting the urgent call to live lives of righteousness and love.
Forgive us, we pray, for our complacency, our lack of vigilance,
and our failure to actively prepare our hearts for your coming.
Stir us, Holy Spirit, to awaken from our sleep.
Grant us the grace to beat our own ‘swords’ of conflict and division into instruments of peace,
and to transform our ‘spears’ of self-interest into tools for serving our neighbours.
Renew in us a spirit of watchfulness and joyful anticipation,
that we may be found ready and waiting when Christ comes again in glory.
Guide us in your ways, that we may walk in your light and proclaim the dawn of your kingdom.
Amen
[Silence]Absolution
As we have confessed our sins and turned to God, hear now the good news:
God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
In the name of Jesus Christ, we are forgiven.
So, we shall go forth in the peace of Christ, living in anticipation of His glorious return,
and striving to walk in His light.
Amen
Prayer of the Week
Almighty and ever-living God, who in your divine wisdom reveals a future of peace and justice,
and in your mercy calls us to be ever watchful for the coming of your Son;
grant us grace this Advent season to cast off the works of darkness and live in the light of your kingdom.
May our hearts be prepared through righteous deeds and fervent prayer,
so that when Christ comes again in glory,
we may joyfully welcome him and enter into the fullness of your everlasting peace.
Amen
Bible Readings
Isaiah 2: 1–5
Read by Audrey
The mountain of the Lord
1 This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
2 In the last days
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.</span
3 Many peoples will come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.’
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into ploughshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war any more.
5 Come, descendants of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the Lord.
NIV®
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Hymn: Rejoice! The Lord is King!
Rejoice! The Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore;
mortals give thanks and sing,
and triumph evermore:
Lift up you heart, lift up your voice;
rejoice, again I say, rejoice.
Jesus the Saviour reigns,
the God of truth and love;
when he had purged our stains,
he took his seat above:
Lift up you heart, lift up your voice;
rejoice, again I say, rejoice.
His kingdom cannot fail;
he rules o’er earth and heaven;
the keys of death and hell
are to our Jesus given:
Lift up you heart, lift up your voice;
rejoice, again I say, rejoice.
He sits at God’s right hand
till all his foes submit,
and bow to his command,
and fall beneath his feet:
Lift up you heart, lift up your voice;
rejoice, again I say, rejoice.
Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
CCL31580
https://youtu.be/AhEUCSzaU8M?t=2
Matthew 24: 36–44
Read by Shay de Silva
The day and hour unknown
36 ‘But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42 ‘Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
NIV®
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Sermon
By Revd George Mwaura
Song: Come, Jesus, Come – CeCe Winans
https://youtu.be/X9NjB38sDvQ?t=37
Affirmation of Faith
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen
Hymn: Lo, he comes with clouds descending
Lo, he comes with clouds descending,
once for favoured sinners slain;
thousand, thousand saints attending
swell the triumph of his train:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
God appears on earth to reign.
Every eye shall now behold him
robed in dreadful majesty;
those who set at naught and sold him,
pierced and nailed him to the Tree,
Deeply wailing, deeply wailing, deeply wailing,
shall the true Messiah see.
Those dear tokens of his passion
still his dazzling body bears,
cause of endless exultation
to his ransomed worshippers:
with what rapture, with what rapture, with what rapture
gaze we on those glorious scars!
Yea, Amen, let all adore thee,
high on thine eternal throne;
Saviour, take the power and glory,
claim the kingdom for thine own:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thou shalt reign, and thou alone.
Charles Wesley (1707–1788) and John Cennick (1718–1755)
CCL31580
https://youtu.be/2UGjMYdPbXU?t=57
Prayers of Intercession
Led by Glynne Gordon-Carter
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
Notices and Offertory
Cornerstone Christmas Charity Appeal 2025
Our 14th annual Christmas charity appeal is launching this week! In 2025 we are supporting four brilliant charities:
Advantage Africa
Willen Hospice
St Mark’s Meals
and MK ANSARS.
Please make sure to collect your Christmas Appeal envelope from Reception – it contains information about the charities as well as details of how to make your donations. (cash, cheque, bank transfer, card machine).
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! Thank you.
Christmas Appeal Committee
Light up the Dome for a Loved One this Christmas
To help raise funds for the church, you can sponsor the lighting of the Dome during the Christmas season. Do you have an anniversary or a special birthday or maybe you want to remember someone special?
You can sign up for your special date on the board on the round table in the Reception Area. All the details about how you can pay your donation are there as well (cash, cheque, card or bank transfer). If you are able to consider a minimum donation of £20, that would be much appreciated. Last year we raised just over £1000.
If you are not able to come into the building at the moment, but would like to sponsor a date, please email Peter (petercope26@gmail.com) with the details.
THANK YOU! Peter Cope
Advent Bible Study 2025 – Week 2
This week’s Bible readings are: Isaiah 11: 1–10; Romans 15: 4–13; Matthew 3: 1–12.
Christmas Praise 2025
6.00 pm Sunday, 14 December by Zoom
If you have a favourite Christmas carol, or reading, please come online and join us for our Christmas Praise Service.
Please send your choice by email to rosemary.kearsey@btopenworld.com, send a text to 0776 8407576, or phone me on the same number. I would like to hear from you by Friday, 5 December 2025 so that I have timer to prepare a service with all your choices.
Rosemary Kearsey
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
Closing Hymn: O come, O come, Emmanuel
O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here,
until the Son of God appear:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free
thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
from depths of hell thy people save,
and give them victory o’er the grave:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s dark shadows put to flight:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, thou Key of David, come,
and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, thou Lord of Might,
who to thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
in ancient times didst give the law
in cloud and majesty and awe:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
Latin Advent Antiphons
tr. J.M. Neale (1818–1866)
CCL31580
https://youtu.be/kKu0or0t8Uw?t=14 or https://youtu.be/Ley1aOPDHCE?t=50
Blessings and Sending out
Go forth into the world, remembering the Lord’s call to peace and justice.
May we walk in his light, and with watchful hearts, await his glorious coming.
And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among us, and remain with us today and always.
Amen
Dismissal
Church, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ, we will.
Amen