Led by Revd George Mwaura

Hymns and Bible readings

Prayer of the Week

Loving God, like Moses` mother and Mary, who placed their complete faith in you,
trusting in your providence, we too place our deepest hopes and fears in your hands.
When we feel powerless in the face of circumstances beyond our control,
remind us that you see us, just as you saw that humble basket among the reeds.
Like Mary, we stand before you with hearts both hopeful and anxious.
Give us, we pray, the faith to trust you in times of uncertainty,
knowing that you hold all our lives in your careful keeping.

Amen

Hymn: God is Love: let heaven adore him

God is Love: let heaven adore him;
God is Love: let earth rejoice;
let creation sing before him,
and exalt him with one voice.
He who laid the earth’s foundation,
he who spread the heavens above,
he who breathes through all creation,
he is Love, eternal Love.

God is Love: and he enfoldeth
all the world in one embrace;
with unfailing grasp he holdeth
every child of every race.
And when human hearts are breaking
under sorrow’s iron rod,
then they find the selfsame aching
deep within the heart of God.

God is Love: and though with blindness
sin afflicts the souls of all,
God’s eternal loving kindness
holds and guides us when we fall.
Sin and death and hell shall never
o’er us final triumph gain;
God is Love, so Love for ever
o’er the universe must reign.

Timothy Rees (8174–1939)
CCL31580

For Mary, mother of our Lord

For Mary, mother of our Lord,
God’s holy name be praised,
who first the Son of God adored,
as on her child she gazed.

The angel Gabriel brought the word
she should Christ’s mother be,
our Lady, handmaid of the Lord
made answer willingly.

The heavenly call she thus obeyed,
and so God’s will was done;
the second Eve love’s answer made,
which our redemption won.

Dear Mary from your lowliness
and home in Galilee,
there comes a joy and holiness
to every family.

Hail, Mary, you are full of grace,
above all women blest,
and blest your Son, whom your embrace
in birth and death confessed.

CCL31580

Hymn: Love divine, all loves excelling

Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation,
enter every trembling heart.

Come, almighty to deliver,
let us all thy grace receive;
suddenly return, and never,
never more thy temples leave.
There we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above;
pray, and praise thee, without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.

Finish then thy new creation:
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee;
changed from glory into glory
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
CCL31580

Bible Readings

Exodus 2: 1–10

Read by Joy Enenche

The birth of Moses

¹ Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, ² and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. ³ But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. ⁴ His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

⁵ Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river-bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. ⁶ She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. ‘This is one of the Hebrew babies,’ she said.

⁷ Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?’

⁸ ‘Yes, go,’ she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. ⁹ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.’ So the woman took the baby and nursed him. ¹⁰ When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, ‘I drew him out of the water.’

NIV®

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

Luke 2: 33–35

Read by Veronica Fernandes

³³ The child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, ³⁵ so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

NIV®

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

Notices

Cornerstone Christmas Charity Appeal 2024

A huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who donated to our recent Christmas Charity Appeal. The appeal raised £3486 plus a gift-aid claim of £820. As a result, we have been able to make the following donations to our chosen charities:

Advantage Africa £1500, MK-Act £1000, Tools for self reliance £850, and the Christian Foundation’s Urban Farm £850.

Your generosity is much appreciated. Thank you again!

Christmas Appeal Committee

Annual Congregational Meeting

Sunday, 6 April 2025

Our Annual Congregational Meeting is immediately after the Holy Communion Service next Sunday (6 April 2025). A Zoom session will be available for those wishing to participate in the Annual Congregational Meeting who are unable to attend in person. The Zoom link will be sent out with next week’s Notice Sheet. Annual Reports and Accounts for 2024, as well as the Agenda for the Annual Congregational Meeting and draft Minutes of last year’s meeting have been circulated.

Pat Kyd, Church Secretary

Lent Studies week 4

We hold three series of sessions, one on Tuesday, and two on Wednesday. The materials we are studying are from ‘A Search for Peace’ by John Birch from Faith & Worship (www.faithandworship.com).

This week we are following Study Four: ‘God, Peace, and the New Testament’.

7.15 pm Tuesday, 1 April 2025 by Zoom led by Rosemary & John Kearsey
7.00 pm Wednesday, 2 April 2025 by Zoom led by Grace Hunting
7.30 pm Wednesday, 2 April 2025 led by Stuart Kean

The final study session next week is: Study Five: ‘Peace in the Lives of Believers’

MK Eco Church Network meeting

Queensway Methodist Church, Bletchley,
10.00 am – 12.30 pm Saturday, 5 April 2025

The first half of the meeting will focus on hearing the lessons of the Queensway Eco Church journey, led by the Queensway Eco Church Group. The second half of the meeting will include a talk and discussions about ‘Opportunities to Reduce, Reuse, Repair and Recycle in Milton Keynes’, given by Marion Cole and Philippa Tipper, who lead the Repair Café movement in MK. To register please complete this Eventbrite form: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mk-eco-church-network-visit-to-queensway-church-bletchley-mk2-2hb-tickets-1286509989009?aff=oddtdtcreator.

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

Stuart Kean