A separate video feed of the choir will be available here during the service.

Led by Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga
Preacher: Revd George Mwaura

Gathering Music

Welcome

Opening Prayer

God who knows us,
who never forgets us, we thank you that, when you ‘remember’ us,
you gaze on us in a way that makes new worlds possible.

Help us to remember the horrors others have faced and face.
Help us to remember the people we’d rather forget.
Help us to remember the dark corners of our own lives,
for you transfigure everything, bringing light and life.

Amen

Hymn: Make me a channel of your peace

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love.
Where there is injury your pardon, Lord.
And where there’s doubt true faith in you.

Oh, Master, grant that I may never seek
so much to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved, as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness only light,
and where there’s sadness ever joy.

Oh, Master, grant that I may never seek …

Make me a channel of your peace.
It is pardoning that we are pardoned,
in giving to all that we receive,
and in dying that we’re born to eternal life 

Sebastian Temple (1928–1997)
from a prayer of St Francis of Assisi (c. 1183–1226)
CCL31580

Gathering Prayer

Eternal, loving and creator God, we place before you all those who suffer at the hands of genocide.
Eternal God, we pray for those whose homes, families and lives have been destroyed
through this evil conflict.
Loving God, comfort those who live with the perpetual anticipation of terror
and the souls of everyday ordinary victims who have never been found.
Creator God, we pray for a change in the hearts of those who commit the atrocity
of genocide that is rooted in conflict, a misplaced thirst for power, greed,
and selfish personal and nationalist ambition.
This destroys the beauty of community in your ordered creation.
We pray for an end to the shedding of innocent blood.
We pray for an end to genocide.

Amen

Mothers of the Disappeared

Sung by the Cornerstone Choir

Midnight, our sons and daughters
cut down, taken from us.
Hear their heartbeat;
we hear their heartbeat.

In the wind we hear their laughter;
in the rain we see their tears.
Hear their heartbeat;
we hear their heartbeat.

Night hangs like a prisoner
stretched over black and blue.
Hear their heartbeat;
we hear their heartbeat.

In the trees our sons stand naked;
through the walls our daughters cry.
See their tears in the rainfall.

U2 (1987)

A Prayer of Confession

Living Lord Jesus:
when we choose to live arrogantly,
let us choose to live meekly;
when we choose to be strong,
let us see strength in weakness and allow you to work in us;
when we only see darkness,
show us your light and give us hope;
when we would go it alone and rise above others,
let us choose unity;
when we favour popularity and success,
let us choose humility;
when we aspire to power,
let us choose servanthood and love.

We are sorry when we choose the opposite of your desires for us.
Forgive us and help us.

May we always choose kindness, humility, justice and love.
May we always choose to be like you.

Kyrie [ancient version]

God of justice and mercy, full of compassion,
you have gracefully forgiven us, allowing us to start again.
We are free through your cross.
We are forgiven in you and have new life.

Amen

Anthem

Sung by the Cornerstone Choir

Prayer of the Week

Gracious God, you listen attentively to the cry of holocaust
yet also encourage us to sing the song of hope.
With sorrow we remember before you the tangled tale of our bonds with the Jewish people.
We repent of the centuries of hostility and hatred.
May we continue to foster a new spirit of mutual understanding,
building deeper relationships which honour the heritage of faith that we hold in common,
so that together we may bear witness to the generosity of God’s compassion and steadfast love,
which seeks to bring heaven in ordinary here on earth.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

1 Corinthians 1: 18–31

Read by Richard May-Miller

Christ Crucified is God’s Power and Wisdom

¹⁸ For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. ¹⁹ For it is written:

‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’

²⁰ Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? ²¹ For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. ²² Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, ²³ but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, ²⁴ but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵ For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no-one may boast before him. ³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹ Therefore, as it is written: ‘Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.’

NIV®

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

Psalm 31: 14–24

[Leader]¹⁴ But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, ‘You are my God.’
[Women]¹⁵ My times are in your hands;
deliver me from the hands of my enemies,
from those who pursue me.
[Men]¹⁶ Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
[All]¹⁷ Let me not be put to shame, Lord,
for I have cried out to you;
but let the wicked be put to shame
and be silent in the realm of the dead.
[Women]¹⁸ Let their lying lips be silenced,
for with pride and contempt
they speak arrogantly against the righteous.

[Men]¹⁹ How abundant are the good things
that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
on those who take refuge in you.
[All]²⁰ In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
from accusing tongues.

[Women]²¹ Praise be to the Lord,
for he showed me the wonders of his love
when I was in a city under siege.
[Men]²² In my alarm I said,
‘I am cut off from your sight!’
Yet you heard my cry for mercy
when I called to you for help.

[All]²³ Love the Lord, all his faithful people!
The Lord preserves those who are true to him,
but the proud he pays back in full.
²⁴ Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the Lord.

NIV®

Luke 4: 16–21

Read by Chibby Chima-Okoro

¹⁶ He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, ¹⁷ and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

¹⁸ ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. ²¹ He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’

NIV®

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

Meditation

By Revd George Mwaura

Choral Response

Prayers and Intercessions

Led by Bob Collard

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.

Hymn: When I needed a neighbour

When I needed a neighbour, were you there, were you there?
When I needed a neighbour, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter;
were you there?

I was hungry and thirsty, were you there, were you there?
I was hungry and thirsty, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter;
were you there?

I was cold, I was naked, were you there, were you there?
I was cold, I was naked, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter;
were you there?

When I needed a shelter, were you there, were you there?
When I needed a shelter, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter;
were you there?

When I needed a healer, were you there, were you there?
When I needed a healer, were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter;
were you there?

Wherever you travel, I’ll be there, I’ll be there.
Wherever you travel, I’ll be there.
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter;
I’ll be there.

Sydney Carter (1915–2004)
CCL31580

Final Prayer

Lord God and Father,
we remember before you all those who bear the inner and outer scars of the Holocaust
and of subsequent acts of genocide.
Let them not be overwhelmed by the horrors that engulfed them.
Be close to them.
Help them to see that you suffer with those who suffer,
and that no wickedness can ever extinguish your infinite love.

Restrain those who are filled with hatred and use violence to pursue their ends.
Change their hearts.

May remembrance make us alert to the reality of evil and its deceptive allure.
Help us to recognise our own capacity for evil, and allow your Spirit to purge it from our beings.
Help us also to stand up against evil and oppression, even if that means we have to suffer ourselves.
Enable us to defend those who are not strong enough to defend themselves,
and to be ready to bring the light of your truth into the dark areas of human experience.

Deepen our respect for everything you have made,
and help us to share in securing the maximum good of every person who is alive in your world.

We ask this in the Name of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for our sins, carries our sorrows,
heals our wounds, and is risen for our freedom.

Amen

Act of Commemoration

We light this candle in memory of all people, each known to you by name,
who perished as a result of human action.
We light it as a sign of our determination to dispel darkness wherever we may find it
and of our commitment to live for the establishment of the kingdom of heaven on earth.

[Silence]

Let us surround our worship and our community with stillness,
stillness to remember all those who died in the Holocaust;
those before or since whose lives were brought to an end by genocide,
and those still suffering or dying.

Lord, in your name we will remember them.

Amen

Notices

Update on Citizens: MK Discerning Assembly

A group of about eight people represented Cornerstone at the Citizens: MK Discerning Assembly on Saturday, 3 December 2022, and at a subsequent meeting last week, which looked at how to take forward the Climate Change and Cost of Living concerns raised in the recent listening campaigns. The group decided to focus particularly on issues surrounding improving house insulation and making energy-saving changes in the home. Citizens:MK is seeking to bring together relevant parties, such as Milton Keynes Council and local private landlord associations, to discuss these issues, as part of the programme to retrofit Milton Keynes’s housing stock.

Citizens:MK is always keen that the voices of local people be heard in their campaigns, so if you have personally faced difficulties or challenges in these areas (improving insulation and other retro-fitting to improve energy efficiency) would you be prepared to talk to us about it? If so, please contact Cathy Hampton at c.m.hampton@warwick.ac.uk.

Cathy Hampton

Education and Worship Committee

The Education and Worship Committee meets on Tuesday, 31 January 2023 by Zoom at 7.00 pm. We shall be considering materials to use for Lent house groups starting in February and also looking forward to Easter for activities. Any ideas or comments to Cheryl Montgomery, please.

Cheryl Montgomery

Congregational Meeting

Our next Congregational Meeting will be held on Sunday, 5 February 2023 at 12.30 pm by Zoom. The link to the Zoom session is printed below. The main business of our meeting is for you to consider and approve two proposals recommended by Ecumenical Council for our application to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO):

Proposal 1: To formally agree the adoption of the Churches Together in England’s Statement of Belief for the application process.

Proposal 2: That the ‘CIO Governing Document’ and ‘Partnership Agreement’ presented at Ecumenical Council on 17 January 2023 be adopted to form part of our application to the Charity Commission for CIO status.

If you haven’t received these papers by email and need a copy, please let me know. Either speak to me in person or phone 0773 1773124.

Please attend the Zoom meeting if you can! Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday the 5th. at 12.30 pm.

Pat Kyd, Clerk to the Ecumenical Partnership

Church of Christ the Cornerstone is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Cornerstone Congregational Meeting
Time: Feb 5, 2023 12:30 PM London

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83145084283?pwd=a1Z0SEN4SjBpQVhNZHZlazdCL0Jxdz09

Meeting ID: 831 4508 4283
Passcode: 091192
One tap mobile:
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Offering

Hymn: To God be the glory

To God be the glory, great things he has done!
so loved he the world that he gave us his Son.
Who yielded his life in atonement for sin,
and opened the life-gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord!
Let the earth hear his voice!
Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord!
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus his Son;
and give him the glory, great things he has done!

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
to every believer the promise of God!
And every offender who truly believes,
that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Praise the Lord!  …

Great things he has taught us, great things he has done,
and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
but purer, and higher, and greater will be
our wonder, our rapture, when Jesus we see.

Praise the Lord!  …

Fanny Crosby (née Frances J. van Alstyne) (1820–1915)
CCL31580

The Blessing

May the Holy One guide you in the way of peace and justice.
May the Holy One fill your heart with love and patience.
May the Holy One give you strength to walk in newness of life.
May the Almighty God bless you,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen

The Dismissal

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

Amen