Led by: Revd George Mwaura

[The Coat of Promises processes into the Worship Area with the Bible and Basket of Prayers, and the Minister.]

Opening Words

A river flowed out of Eden, watering the garden, spreading life to every corner of creation.

And from Eden to now, the earth has been our home, a gift to cherish, a garden to tend.

God placed us here, not as owners but as caretakers, to till and keep, to protect and preserve.

Yet we confess, our house is on fire. Creation groans, and the future asks if we will answer.

Today, we gather to give thanks for harvest, for rivers and rain, for every good gift.

And we gather to hear the urgent call: to act with courage, to care for the earth, to love our neighbours in every generation.

Amen

Hymn: For the beauty of the earth

For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies,
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale, and tree and flower,
sun and moon and stars of light:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For thyself, best gift divine
to our world so freely given,
for that great, great love of thine,
peace on earth and joy in heaven:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

F.S. Pierpoint (1835–1917)
CCL31580

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Lament

We gather today, hearts full, hands open, grateful for the gift of your world.
From Eden’s River that watered the garden to every tree bursting with fruit,
you have always given more than enough.
We see your fingerprints in every harvest,
in golden grain, ripe fruit, and the cool, clear water that brings life to the land.
Thank you for the earth beneath our feet, for seeds that sprout and grow,
for the steady rhythm of seasons that feed and sustain us.
Thank you for the beauty and bounty spread before us,
and for the call you gave us in the garden: to tend, to keep, and to care.
On this Climate and Harvest Sunday, we remember our place as caretakers of your creation.
Forgive us when we’ve forgotten, when we’ve taken more than we’ve given,
and help us to live gently on the earth.
Renew in us a sense of wonder for all you have made,
and fill us with gratitude for every meal, every harvest, every drop of rain

Confessions

1        But Lord, we confess, that we have considered the earth to be our own, believing God gave us dominion and thus absolute control over it.

2        We affirm as the Church of Christ the Cornerstone, that the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, for he has founded it on the seas and established it on the rivers.

3        We repent, that we need to change our understanding of creation, taking our share of responsibility for its care and protection. We believe that the spirit, God’s recreating power is active in us: and in the world.

[Silence]

Absolution

God, creator of all, may humankind be freed from the greed which is destroying the earth:
and may your churches be courageous in taking up causes against the forces that threaten life.

Amen

Hymn: We plough the fields, and scatter

We plough the fields, and scatter
the good seed on the land,
but it is fed and watered
by God’s almighty hand;
he sends the snow in winter,
the warmth to swell the grain,
the breezes and the sunshine,
and soft refreshing rain.

All good gifts around us
are sent from heaven above,
then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,
for all his love.

He only is the maker
of all things near and far;
he paints the wayside flower,
he lights the evening star.
The wind and waves obey him,
by him the birds are fed;
much more to us his children,
he gives our daily bread.

All good gifts around us …

We thank thee then, O Father,
for all things bright and good:
the seed-time and the harvest,
our life, our health, our food.
No gifts have we to offer
for all thy love imparts,
but that which thou desirest,
our humble, thankful hearts.

All good gifts around us …

Matthias Claudius (1740–1815)
tr. Jane Montgomery Campbell (1817–1878)
CCL31580

Lamentations

Voice 1

The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning.
The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned!

Voice 2

For this, our heart has become sick, for these things our eyes have grown dim,
for Mount Zion, which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it.
But you, O Lord, reign for ever; your throne endures to all generations.
Why do you forget us for ever, why do you forsake us for so many days?

Voice 3

Restore us to yourself, O Lord, that we may be restored!
Climate breakdown is real.
Desmond Tutu said: Twenty-five years ago people could be excused for not knowing much,
or doing much, about climate change.

Today we have no excuse. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.

Prayer of the Week

Creator God, you formed rivers to nourish the earth and placed us in your garden to till and keep it.
Forgive us where we have failed in our stewardship and ignored the cries of creation.
Stir in us the courage to act with justice, the humility to learn from the young,
and the wisdom to care for all that you have made.
Let our gratitude bear fruit in action, for the sake of your world and all its creatures.
Through Jesus Christ, who walked your earth and loved it well.

Amen

Reading 1 – Greta Thunberg

Read by Cornerstone Youth

My message is that we’ll be watching you. This is all wrong. I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you! You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words. And yet, I’m one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction, and all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you! For more than thirty years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away and come here saying that you’re doing enough, when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight. You say you hear us and that you understand the urgency. But no matter how sad and angry I am, I do not want to believe you. ‘You have stolen my dreams and my childhood with your empty words.’ People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing.

Children’s Presentation

Hymn: Think of a world without any flowers

Think of a world without any flowers,
think of a world without any trees,
think of a sky without any sunshine,
think of the air without any breeze;
we thank you, Lord, for flowers and trees and sunshine;
we thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Think of a world without any animals,
think of a field without any herd,
think of a stream without any fishes,
think of a dawn without any bird;
we thank you, Lord, for paintings and for colours;
we thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Think of a world without any people,
think of a street with no-one living there,
think of a town without any houses,
no-one to love and nobody to care;
we thank you, Lord, for families and friendships;
we thank you, Lord, and praise your holy name.

Doreen E. Newport (1927–2004)
CCL31580

Genesis 2: 10–17

Read by Cornerstone Youth

¹⁰ A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. ¹¹ The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. ¹² (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) ¹³ The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. ¹⁴ The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’

NIV®

Sermon

By Revd George Mwaura

[Silence] [Personal reflections to think of the promises we’ve made and the active actions we are willing to take.]

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in God, the Maker of all things,
who formed rivers and trees and every living creature, and called it good.
We believe in our calling to tend the garden, to serve as caretakers, not owners.
We believe that the cries of creation are the cries of God’s children,
and that to love our neighbour is to love the earth itself.
We believe that hope is found in action, that justice begins with listening,
and that a better world is possible, by the grace of God,
the courage of the young, and the faithfulness of all who dream of Eden restored.

Amen

Hymn: Come, ye thankful people, come

Come, ye thankful people, come,
raise the song of harvest-home!
All is safely gathered in,
ere the winter storms begin;
God, our maker, doth provide
for our wants to be supplied;
come to God’s own temple, come;
raise the song of harvest-home!

Al the world is God’s own field,
fruit unto his praise to yield;
wheat and tares together sown,
unto joy or sorrow grown;
first the blade and then the ear,
then the full corn shall appear:
grant, O harvest Lord, that we
wholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God shall come,
and shall take his harvest home;
from his field shall purge away
all that doth offend, that day,
give his angels charge at last
in the fire the tares to cast,
but the fruitful ears to store
in his garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come,
bring thy final harvest home;
gather thou thy people in,
free from sorrow, free from sin,
there for ever purified
in thy garner to abide;
come, with all thine angels, come,
raise the glorious harvest home!

Henry Alford (1810–1871)
CCL31580

Prayers of Intercession

Reader 1

Father of Creation, God of Compassion, you created a world of wonder, of possibility and potential.
You declared it to be good. For this we give thanks. To you be praise, honour and glory.
In this time of climate breakdown wake us from our slumber,
equip us afresh to be the justice-shaped people of God.

Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Reader 2

In this time of climate breakdown wake us from our slumber,
equip us afresh to our priestly and prophetic calling.
That we would speak truth in a culture of denial.
That we would enact hope in a culture of despair.
That we would face what will be with love-filled action.
That in humanity’s darkest hour you would enliven us,
so we would be those who bandage the wounds of those caught beneath the wheels of climate injustice.
That in humanity’s darkest hour,
we would have the courage to drive a spoke into the wheel of climate injustice itself.

Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Reader 3

Creator God, in Jesus, you invite us to enter into a new covenant,
in communion with all who seek to be faithful to you and to do justice.
As people of faith, we are called into covenant.
Your covenant of faithfulness and love extends to the whole creation.
Today we pray for the healing of our planet
that present and future generations may enjoy the fruits of creation
and continue to glorify and praise you.

Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Carlos J. Correa Bernie

Reader 4

You have called us to be keepers of your Earth;
through greed, we have established an economy that destroys the web of life.
We have changed our climate and drown in despair.
Let oceans of justice flow. May we learn to sustain and renew the life of our mother, Earth.
We pray for our leaders, custodians of Mother Earth as they gather in Bolem at the climate talks.
May they negotiate with wisdom and fairness, may they act with compassion and courage,
and lead us in the path of justice for the sake of our children and our children’s children.

Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

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

Peace

Just as a river flowed out of Eden to bring life and blessing to all creation,
so too are we called to be channels of peace,
restoring what is broken, nurturing what is fragile, healing what is hurting.
The peace we share is more than a greeting.
It is a promise to care for each other, to care for the earth,
and to act with love and courage for the sake of all who call this planet home.

May the peace of our Creator God be always with you
and also with you!

Let us share that peace with one another, with those following on the live stream and with all creation, using our agreed protocol.

Notices

Worship Area Flowers from John & Jean Brown

This week’s Worship Area flowers have been donated by John & Jean Brown in celebration of their 57th Wedding Anniversary. Many congratulations to them, and thanks to our flower arranger, Ratna Balakrishnan.

Wednesday Bible Study:
‘Weakness Made Strong. the Stories of Moses and Rahab’

Week 6: Your Story in God’s Hands

Theme: God uses ordinary, flawed people to do extraordinary things.

Key Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 12: 9–10; Ephesians 2: 8–10 (applying the lessons).

Visit of Bishop Jonathan Meyrick next Sunday (2 November 2025)

The Bishop of Oxford has asked Bishop Jonathan to be a Pastoral Accompanier to Cornerstone for the Visitation process. He will be with us next Sunday (2 November 2025), preacher and celebrant at the Sunday Morning Service led by Revd George Mwaura.

Revd George Mwaura: Change of weekly day off

With effect from 1 November 2025 Revd George will take his weekly day off on Friday rather than Monday.

Sponsored Bible Reading Saturday, 8 November 2025 Postponed

The sponsored Bible reading fundraising event is being postponed until after Christmas for some practical reasons. Apologies for the change, and we look forward to your support for the event in the new year.

Trubys Garden Tea Room

Guildhall 1.00–5.00 pm Sunday, 9 November 2025

An inter-faith community café run by British Muslim women building positive relationships between communities in Milton Keynes. Join them for lunch or afternoon tea.

Standing Together:
grassroots campaigning for peace and democracy

Worship Area 4.00–5.00 pm Sunday, 9 November 2025

Discussion and silent vigil led by MK Friends of Standing Together, one of the largest Jewish–Palestinian progressive grassroots movements in Israel, campaigning against the occupation and for peace, full equality and social justice for Israelis and Palestinians.

Light refreshments will be available 5,00–5.30 pm after the Standing Together event for anyone staying for the Choral Meditation.

Social Justice Group

‘Yearning for Peace…’:
a Choral Meditation for Remembrance Sunday

6.00–7.30 pm Remembrance Sunday, 9 November in the Worship Area

Led by Revd Tim Norwood, with the Cornerstone Choir directed by Adrian Boynton.

‘The Phoenix of Gaza’

Film screened at 7.30 pm in the Guildhall

The film will be followed by questions and answers with the director Yousef Alhelou. (https://thephoenixofgaza.com/).

Tickets £10 from Eventbrite (booking fee applies and payment is in Euros) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/film-screening-the-phoenix-of-gaza-tickets-1813878632819 or contact David Chapman (dachapman9@gmail.com).

Social Justice Group

Congregational Meeting

Sunday, 16 November 2025 in the Worship Area straight after Morning Service

Our next Congregational Meeting has been re-scheduled to Sunday, 16 November 2025, when we shall have an opportunity to hear the latest information about the Episcopal Visitation.

Offertory

Prayer

Creator God, we give you thanks for the bounty of the earth and the gifts of your creation.
As we offer these gifts, those brought today, those given online,
and those that have been given through other means,
we thank you for every act of generosity, seen and unseen.
Bless all that we bring and all that we are,
that together we may care for your world and one another.

Amen

Closing Hymn: Let all Things now Living

Let all things now living a song of salvation
to God the Creator triumphantly raise,
who fashioned and made us, protected and stayed us,
who still guides us on to the end of our days.
His banners are o’er us, his light goes before us,
a pillar of fire shining forth in the night;
till shadows have vanished and darkness is banished,
as forward we travel from light into light.

His law he enforces, the stars in their courses.
the sun in its orbit obediently shines;
the hills and the mountains, the rivers and fountains,
the deeps of the ocean proclaim him divine.
We too should be voicing our love and rejoicing
with glad adoration a song let us raise’
till all things now living unite in thanksgiving
to God in the highest, Hosanna and praise!

Amen

Katherine K. Davis (1892–1980)
CCL31580

Words of Blessing and Mission

Go now, as people of the garden:
With gratitude for the gifts you have received, with courage to face the truth,
with hope that grows like seeds in good soil.
Tend the earth with love. Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves.

And may the blessing of the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Sustainer
flow through you like a river, bringing healing, justice, and new life to all.

Amen

Dismissal

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

In the name of Christ, we will.

Amen