Holy Communion for Sunday, 20 September 2020
Organ Prelude: Adagio, Concerto in A minor
Holy Communion Service
Preacher and celebrant: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga
Welcome
Welcome in the name of Christ.
God’s mercy, grace and peace be with you.
Good morning, Living Stones, and welcome to our Holy Communion Service on the fifteenth Sunday after Trinity.
We begin with the Prayer of the Week.
Let us pray.
Prayer of the Week
God our Saviour, you call us into your service.
Make us wise and resourceful children of the light
who continue your work in this world
with untiring concern for integrity and justice.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen
Hymn: In Christ alone my hope is found
In Christ alone my hope is found,
he is my light, my strength, my song;
this cornerstone, this solid ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all,
here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone – who took on flesh,
fullness of God in helpless Babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
scorned by the ones he came to save
till on that cross as Jesus died,
the wrath of God was satisfied,
for every sin on him was laid,
here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground his body lay,
light of the world by darkness slain,
then, bursting forth in glorious day,
up from the grave he rose again!
And as he stands in victory
sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
for I am his and he is mine –
bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death,
this is the power of Christ in me;
from life’s first cry to closing breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man
can ever pluck me from his hand
till he returns or calls me home,
here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.
Stuart Townend (b. 1963)
CCL31580
Gathering Prayer
Jesus said: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
Welcome to the house of God.
We have come from all the corners of the earth.
Welcome to the hospitality of God.
We come as we are; we bring our life, our stories, our journey.
Welcome, brothers and sisters.
We are the rainbow people of God.
Welcome, chosen people.
May God our companion bind us in his love.
Amen
The Confession
Forgive us for the things we have done and have not done.
Forgive us for the things we have said and have not said.
Forgive us for the life we have lived and not lived.
Beloved God, help us to reflect the image
of the one we profess to follow
in thought, word and deed,
and in discovering our true self
draw others into that light.
Amen
The Word of the Lord
Philippians 1: 21–30
Read by Janet Trimnell
21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! 23 I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; 24 but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. 25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.
Life worthy of the gospel
27 Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved – and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
NIV®
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Matthew 20: 1–16
Read by Stuart Kean
The parable of the workers in the vineyard
1 ‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 ‘About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the market-place doing nothing. 4 He told them, “You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” 5 So they went.
‘He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, “Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?”
7 ‘ “Because no-one has hired us,” they answered.
‘He said to them, “You also go and work in my vineyard.”
8 ‘When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, “Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.”
9 ‘The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 “These who were hired last worked only one hour,” they said, “and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.”
13 ‘But he answered one of them, “I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?”
16 ‘So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’
NIV®
This is the Gospel of Christ.
Praise to Christ our light.
Sermon
By Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga
Choral Reflection: As the Father has loved me
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you;
honour my commandments, abide in my love,
and if you abide in me and my words abide in you,
you will love one another as I have loved you.
I am the vine, you are the branches;
they who abide in me will bear much fruit!
You did not choose me but I appointed you,
that you should bear fruit, a fruit that will endure for ever.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you;
honour my commandments, abide in my love,
and if you abide in me and my words abide in you,
you will love one another as I have loved you.
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
By Penny Keens
(read by Pat Kyd)
Holy God, you have called us here today; some in person and some on line,
and as we gather we offer to you our prayers which stem from our love for you
and our love and concern for those most dear to us and for the people of the world.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Lord God we give you thanks for those you inspire to think of fresh ways
of making your name known to the wider community
and for those who work so hard to make worship possible through online and virtual services.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Creator God, as the corona virus situation in this country deteriorates,
we pray for those who are very anxious at this time,
those whose health and work and responsibility for children is once again insecure.
Help us all to be responsible in the things that we do in our lives to prevent the spread of the virus
by taking heed of the recommended precautions
and avoiding situations which may make things worse.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Merciful God, we pray for displaced people worldwide,
for those escaping war, hunger, torture, persecution for their faith.
We pray for those escaping to a Europe
which is too busy with its own coronavirus problems to welcome them.
Especially we think of the boats carrying men, women and even unaccompanied children
from France to the south coast of England.
We pray for the hard-pressed local authorities and charities trying to meet their needs,
we pray that this country may be able to offer succour and hope
as Egypt offered a home to your Son, Mary and Joseph when they fled there.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Father God, help each one of us to become your hands and feet in our neighbourhoods
carrying the practical message of your love,
even by smiling behind our masks and greeting those we pass.
Just as you rested from your work, help us to practise the discipline of recreation,
to spend time in prayer, and make time to enjoy the blessings of creation.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen
Hymn: Seek ye first the Kingdom of God
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God,
and his righteousness,
and all these things shall be added unto you;
allelu, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
allelu, alleluia.
Ask and it shall be given unto you,
seek and ye shall find.;
knock and itshall be opened unto you;
allelu, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
allelu, alleluia.
We shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of God;
allelu, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
allelu, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
allelu, alleluia.
Karen Lafferty (1948–2013)
CCL31580
Act of Covenant
Led by Cheryl Montgomery
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.
Believing that the unity of the Church is the will of God,
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.
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.
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:
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
The Peace
Jesus says,
‘Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid.’
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
The Offering
Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9: 6–7
Thank you
Holy Communion
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.
Eucharistic Prayer
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.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
The Lord’s Prayer
As our Saviour taught us, so we pray:
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.
Take this bread:
Share this wine.
In these Christ comes to us with love from God.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Amen
Hymn: This little light of mine
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
This light that shines is the light of love,
lights he darkness from above.
It shines on me and it shines on you,
and shows what the power of love can do.
I’m gonna shine my light both far and near,
I’m gonna shine my light both bright and clear.
Where there’s a dark corner in this land
I’m gonna let my little light shine.
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
On Monday he gave me the gift of love,
Tuesday peace came from above.
On Wednesday he told me to have more faith,
on Thursday he gave me a little more grace.
Friday he told me just to watch and pray,
Saturday he told me just what to say.
On Sunday he gave me the power divine
to let my little light shine.
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
this little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,
let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Traditional
The Blessing
Thank you for joining us this morning.
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
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ.
Amen
