Holy Communion and Covenant Renewal – Live Stream – Sunday, 19 September 2021
Preacher: Revd Canon John Robertson
Celebrant: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga
With: Revd George Mwaura
Please note that the video feed will go live from around 9:45 am and will be switched off after the service.
A separate video feed of the choir is available here.
Services are not being recorded for publication later.
Introit
Welcome
Opening Prayer
Brothers and sisters, as we gather together to worship God and to renew our covenant,
let us pray that the vision of unity will one day one day be fulfilled in all its richness
in God’s own time, in its own pace, in its own way as the Spirit leads the Church into the future.
God our Father, you are the source of all unity and love.
Help us to grow that we may pray, live and work together
to manifest clearly the unity of your Church in Jesus,
that filled with your Spirit,
we may accomplish here the mission of your Church.
Amen
Hymn: The Church’s one foundation
The Church’s one foundation
is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
she is his new creation
by water and the Word;
from heaven he came and sought her
to be his holy bride,
with his own blood he bought her,
and for her life he died.
Elect from every nation,
yet one o’er all the earth,
her charter of salvation
one Lord, one faith, one birth;
one holy name she blesses,
partakes one holy food,
and to one hope she presses,
with every grace endued.
’Mid toil, and tribulation,
and tumult of her war,
she waits the consummation
of peace for evermore;
till with the vision glorious
her longing eyes are blest,
and the great Church victorious
shall be the Church at rest.
Yet she on earth hath union
with God the Three in One,
and mystic sweet communion
with those whose rest is one:
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we,
like them, the meek and lowly,
on high may dwell with thee.
I.J. Stone (1830–1900)
CCL31580
Prayers of Penitence
We confess to you, living God,
our failure to live as brothers and sisters.
We confess to you, loving God,
that we have not loved you as you have loved us.
We confess to you, gracious God,
that we have doubted your Word and failed to obey its teaching.
We confess to you, almighty God,
that we do not acknowledge you as Lord of all the earth.
Jesus said: ‘Let me give you a new commandment:
Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another.
This is how everyone will recognise that you are my disciples
when they see the love you have for each other.’
Gracious God, thank you for your assurance of forgiveness, now and always.
Amen
Cornerstone Gloria
Prayer of the Week
Living God, you created us as a people
and claimed us for your own by the precious blood of your Son and our Lord.
As we come before you this day to acknowledge your Sovereignty and grace,
and to renew our covenant with you and our brothers and sisters,
we pray that you will reveal any reluctance or falsehood within us.
Let your Spirit impress the truth of your desire for us to be one with each other
as you are One with Christ.
Amen
Bible Readings
Ephesians 4: 1–16
Read by David Chapman
Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ
1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says:
‘When he ascended on high,
he took many captives
and gave gifts to his people.’
9 (What does ‘he ascended’ mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed to and fro by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
NIV®
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
John 17: 20–23
Read by Joy Chapman
Jesus prays for all believers
20 ‘My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – 23 I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
NIV®
This is the Gospel of Christ.
Praise to Christ our light.
Meditation by Revd Canon John Robertson
Choral Response
An Affirmation of Faith
We believe in the Creator:
the maker of all things.
We believe in the Son:
the redeemer of our broken world.
We believe in the Spirit:
The sacred wind that binds all things together in the family of God.
Creator Father, beloved Son and living Spirit.
Amen
Intercessions
Led by Rosemary Kearsey
Act of Covenant Renewal
Having committed ourselves to serve God as a family at Cornerstone,
we remember the covenant that makes us one Christian community here in Central Milton Keynes,
and we renew it together.
we, the members and ministers of the congregations
at the Church of Christ the Cornerstone,
hereby covenant upon the foundation of the recognition
that we have one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism;
for we share a Gospel which effects reconciliation between God and humankind
and between nations and peoples. [Women] Travelling as pilgrims on a journey that has already started
and which will lead we know not where,
we are pleased to place our trust in God,
in whose hands the future lies,
and to be led forward by him. [Men] In order to proclaim the Gospel by common witness
and service in the community and the world,
and in obedience to God’s call, through the power of the Holy Spirit,
we therefore joyfully covenant with one another:
[All together] to work together in love,
to pray and care for one another and for our neighbour,
to serve together the community based in the city centre
and to live together in fellowship to the greater glory of God.
Amen
Invitation
[During the singing the congregation is invited to come forward collect a pebble from the basket and place it on the altar.]Come to the Living Stone (1 Peter 2: 4–9)
Come unto him, to the living stone,
chosen by God, and of great worth to him.
Come unto him, to the living stone,
chosen by God, and of great worth to him.
Come unto him, to the living stone,
chosen by God, and of great worth to him.
Come unto him, to the living stone,
chosen by God, and of great worth to him.
who has faith in it will not be put to shame!
Come unto him, to the living stone,
chosen by God, and of great worth to him.
claimed by God for his own,
he called you out of darkness
into his marvellous light!
Come unto him, to the living stone,
chosen by God, and of great worth to him.
The Peace
Hymn: Let us break bread together on our knees
Let us break bread together on our knees.
Let us break bread together on our knees.
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
Oh Lord, have mercy on me.
Let us drink wine together on our knees.
Let us drink wine together on our knees.
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
Oh Lord, have mercy on me.
Let us praise God together on our knees.
Let us praise God together on our knees.
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
Oh Lord, have mercy on me.
Traditional
CCL31580
The Thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.
Through your goodness we have this bread to offer,
which earth has given and human hands have made.
It will become for us the bread of life.
Blessed be God for ever.
Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.
Through your goodness we have this wine to offer,
fruit of the vine and work of human hands.
It will become our spiritual drink.
Blessed be God for ever.
The Lord be with you
and also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
Holy Communion
It is right to praise you, Father, Lord of all creation; in your love you made us for yourself.
When we turned away you did not reject us, but came to meet us in your Son.
You embraced us as your children and welcomed us to sit and eat with you.
In Christ you shared our life that we might live in him and he in us.
He opened his arms of love upon the cross and made for all the perfect sacrifice for sin.
On the night he was betrayed,
at supper with his friends he took bread, and gave you thanks;
he broke it and gave it to them, saying:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.
Father, we do this in remembrance of him:
his body is the bread of life.
At the end of supper, taking the cup of wine,
he gave you thanks, and said:
Drink this, all of you;
this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins;
do this in remembrance of me.
Father, we do this in remembrance of him:
his blood is shed for all.
As we proclaim his death and celebrate his rising in glory,
send your Holy Spirit that this bread and this wine may be to us the body and blood of your dear Son.
As we eat and drink these holy gifts make us one in Christ, our risen Lord. With your whole Church throughout the world we offer you this sacrifice of praise and lift our voice to join the eternal song of heaven:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
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
Breaking of the Bread
We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.
We take this bread and remember:
[Choir] The bread we share is a gift from God.The bread we break is the body of Christ.
We take this cup and remember:
[Choir] The cup we share is a gift from God.The wine we take is the blood of Christ. [All are invited to come forward to receive communion or to ask for a blessing. Please follow the stewards as they guide where and when to come forward.]
Notices
The Small Corners project: Prayers for Campbell Park
Mondays at 12.00 noon at the Milton Keynes Rose
Revd Tim Norwood is leading weekly prayers for Campbell Park as part of the Small Corners project. If you would like to join him, please meet at the Rose in Campbell Park on Mondays at 12.00 noon – weather permitting. Updates will be posted on the Living Stones WhatsApp group.
Revd Tim Norwood, Area Dean
Volunteering to support newly arrived people from Hong Kong with their English skills
Would you be interested? Revd Liz Jackson invited volunteers to a Zoom meeting on 9 September 2021. Liz explained that people arriving from Hong Kong on special visas have been means tested and are able to support themselves for six months, so the sort of assistance required by refugees from Afghanistan – or indeed arriving in small boats from Europe – shelter, food and clothing is not needed.
Many people from Hong Kong had English lessons at school but now need to be able to live and work in English. There is a programme of Zoom lessons for beginners, improvers and advanced everyday English, and conversation classes. There is also employment support on writing a CV, interviews and so on.
After a lesson on screen sharing and a brief run through teaching English as a second language, I embarked on my first experience. There were ten students, the tutor and two volunteers, who each had three students in their ‘chat rooms’. Mine were a bus driver who is longing to drive a bus over here, but has very hesitant English-language skills, a single parent who used to work in import/export in China and I am sure will easily find a job here when she is more articulate, and someone who has not worked since having her children, but is a charming woman with great potential. Unfortunately, none live locally, so we shall not be welcoming them at Christ the Cornerstone, but I am very pleased to be able to offer this assistance and found the lessons well thought through.
If you would be interested in helping with refugees’ language skills you may like to go to the link ESOL language skills | Language Learning Link (lllinks.org) and/or contact liz.jackson@oxford.anglican.org.
Penny Keens
Congregational Meeting
12.30 pm on Sunday, 3 October 2021, by Zoom
The next Congregational Meeting will be at 12.30 pm on Sunday, 3 October 2021, by Zoom. Items of any other business must be notified to the Clerk at least 24 hours before the meeting. The agenda for this Congregational Meeting is to be agreed by Ecumenical Council at their meeting this Tuesday (21 September 2021).
David Chapman (david@dachapman.free-online.co.uk)
Austin Hampton
The funeral of Austin Hampton will be held at Christ the Cornerstone at 2.15 pm on Wednesday, 29 September 2021.
Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Participation workshop
6.00–7.30 pm on Tuesday, 5 October 2021, by Zoom
Fidele Mutwarasibo is preparing an Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Participation workshop for Cornerstone members, to be facilitated by Gamiel Yafai. The workshop is intended to help us to reflect on diversity and inclusion and more specifically on racial justice and racial equity during this year’s Black History Month. If you would like to take part in this workshop, please contact Fidele (m_fidele@hotmail.com) for more details and joining instructions.
Fidele Mutwarasibo
Countdown to COP26
The pilgrimage for Climate Justice
The pilgrimage for Climate Justice, the Camino to COP, was in Milton Keynes 11–13 September 2021. While here, Cornerstone’s patch was sewn onto the Coat of Hopes, and will travel with it onwards to Glasgow in time for the UN Conference on Climate Change, COP26, 31 October – 12 November 2021. You can see more information, including photographs of our patch made by Cheryl, on a page of our in-house website (‘This and That’): https://sites.google.com/site/cornerstoneintranet/climate-change. (If you are a member of Cornerstone but don’t have access to the intranet, please contact the Clerk, David Chapman, on david@dachapman.free-online.co.uk.)
Joint appeal about urgent need for everyone to care for the future of the planet
For the first time, the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church (Pope Francis), Eastern Orthodox Church (Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew) and Anglican Communion (Archbishop Justin Welby) have jointly warned of the urgency of environmental sustainability, its impact on poverty, and the importance of global cooperation. See https://bit.ly/CornerstoneJointAppeal.
David Chapman
Offering
Thank you
to everyone who has continued giving through our regular schemes during these past months.
Your generosity has been amazing and much appreciated.
We couldn’t have carried on without you.
We have various ways in which you can continue to give your offering in support of the Church.
For details please contact the Stewardship Secretary, Janet Trimnell, at steward.cccmk@gmail.com
Full details are also available on our website at: www.cornerstonemk.co.uk/giving.
Hymn: In Christ there is no east or west
In Christ there is no east or west,
in him no south or north,
but one great fellowship of love
throughout the whole wide earth.
In him shall true hearts everywhere
their high communion find.
His service is the golden cord
close-binding all mankind.
Join hand, then, brothers of the faith,
whate’er your race may be.
Who serves my Father as a son
is surely kin to me.
In Christ now meet both east and west,
in him meet south and north.
All Christly souls are one in him
throughout the whole wide earth.
John Oxenham (1852–1941))
CCL31580
The Blessing
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face shine on you, and be gracious to you.
May the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace;
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
The Dismissal
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ.
Amen