Led by Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Gathering Music

Welcome

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit
be with you all.

And also with you!

Lord, we are drawn to your well to seek the water of eternal life.
Refresh us with your Word. Surround us with your Love.
And fill us to overflowing with your Spirit, the water of life, that we may never be thirsty.

[Silence]

Come, everyone who is thirsty.
Come, the lost and the seekers.
Come, the lonely and the welcomers.
Come, the sad and the comforters.
Come, the empty and the generous.
Come as you are, with your questions and beliefs.
Come and drink at the well of living water.
Come and worship the living God.

Amen

Hymn: All things bright and beautiful

All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
each little bird that sings,
he made their glowing colours,
he made their tiny wings:

All things bright and beautiful, …

The purple-headed mountain,
the river running by,
the sunset and the morning
that brightens up the sky:

All things bright and beautiful, …

The cold wind in the winter,
the pleasant summer sun,
the ripe fruits in the garden,
he made them every one:

All things bright and beautiful, …

The tall trees in the greenwood,
the meadows where we play,
the rushes by the water
we gather every day:

All things bright and beautiful, …

He gave us eyes to see them,
and lips that we might tell
how great is God almighty,
who has made all things well:

All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
the Lord God made them all.

Cecil Frances Alexander (1818–1895)
CCL31580

Confession and Forgiveness

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
But if we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

[Silence]

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Prayer of the Week

Loving God, you gave us your only-begotten Son, to take our nature upon him
and you revealed him to us at his baptism in the river Jordan.
Today, as we remember our baptism and its implication in our lives,
grant that we, who have been born again of water and the Holy Spirit,
and made your children by adoption and grace, may be renewed everyday by your Holy Spirit,
through him that died to redeem us for you.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Genesis 17: 1–8

Read by Brian Halstead

¹ When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. ² Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.’

³ Abram fell face down, and God said to him, ⁴ ‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: you will be the father of many nations. ⁵ No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. ⁶ I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. ⁷ I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. ⁸ The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.’

NIV®

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

Mark 1: 1–11

Read by Cheryl Montgomery

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

¹ The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, ² as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way’ –
³ ‘a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
“Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.” ’

⁴ And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him in the River Jordan. ⁶ John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt round his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And this was his message: ‘After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸I baptise you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’

The Baptism of Jesus

⁹ At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’

NIV®

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

Part 1: Baptism in the Bible

Acts 2: 41

Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Colossians 2: 12

… having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

Galatians 3: 26–27

²⁶ So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Matthew 28: 19

‘… Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, …’

Hymn: Have you been to Jesus

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you washed in the blood,
in the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you walking daily by the Saviour’s side?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you washed in the blood, …

When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright,
and be washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you washed in the blood, …

Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,
and be washed in the blood of the Lamb;
there’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,
O be washed in the blood of the Lamb!

Are you washed in the blood, …

Elisha A. Hoffman (1839–1929)
CCL31580

Part 2: Baptism in the different Christian traditions

Infants

Adults

Aspersion and Affusion
Immersion

Hymn: Nothing but the blood of Jesus

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow that makes me white as snow:
No other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my pardon this I see: nothing but the blood of Jesus.
For my cleansing, this my plea: nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow that makes me white as snow:
No other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Nothing can for sin atone, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Naught of good that I have done, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow that makes me white as snow:
No other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus.

This is all my hope and peace, nothing but the blood of Jesus.
This is all my righteousness. nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh! precious is the flow that makes me white as snow:
No other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Robert Lowry (1826–1899)
CCL31580

Part 3: Our own memories and experiences

Prayers and Intercessions

Led by Robin Kyd

The Peace

Peace to you from God, who is our Father.
Peace from Jesus Christ, who is our peace.
Peace from the Holy Spirit, who gives us life.

The peace of God be always with you.
and also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Notices

Visit of Vice President of Methodist Conference

2.30 pm Sunday, 19 March 2023, Queensway Methodist Church, Bletchley

On Sunday, 19 March 2023, the Vice President of the Methodist Conference, Mr Anthony Boateng, will be preaching at the Circuit Service, at 2.30pm at Queensway Methodist Church, Bletchley.

Cornerstone Annual Congregational Meeting

12.30 pm Sunday, 26 March 2023 by Zoom

Our Annual Congregational Meeting (ACM) for 2023 will be at 12.30 pm on Sunday, 26 March 2023 by Zoom. The Annual Reports and Accounts for 2022 are now available. In addition, a few printed copies of the Agenda for this ACM and the Minutes for last year’s ACM are available in Reception. The Agenda and Minutes are included in the Report and Accounts document, which has been sent electronically to everyone on the Cornerstone mailing list. Please note that items of any other business can only be considered at the ACM if they have been notified to the Chair (Peter Cope) at least 24 hours before the start of the meeting.

Offering

Hymn: Be thou my vision

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
be all else but naught to me save that thou art;
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true Word;
be thou ever with me, and I with thee, Lord;
be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my whole armour, be thou my true might;
be thou my soul’s shelter, be thou my high tower:
O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise:
thou mine inheritance now and always;
be thou and thou only the first in my heart;
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art!

High King of heaven, thou heaven’s bright Sun,
O grant me its joys after vict’ry is won;
great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.

Irish (8th century)
tr. Mary Byrne (1880–1931)
versified Eleanor Hull (1860–1935)
CCL31580

Blessing

May the strength of God sustain us;
may the power of God preserve us;
may the hands of God protect us;
may the way of God direct us;
may the love of God go with us this day and always.
And the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you today and always.

Amen

Dismissal

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

Amen