Holy Communion for Sunday, 5 July 2020
Holy Communion (part 1)
Introit: Come to me, says Jesus, all who are distressed
‘Come to me,’ says Jesus,
‘all who are distressed;
take my yoke upon you,
I will give you rest.’
Hear the call of Jesus,
come, be deeply blest;
his the invitation,
you the honoured guest.
Here, where bread is broken,
here, where wine is poured,
thankfully receive him,
find your faith restored.
Pardon, feed and heal us,
humble, courteous Lord,
gracious host, for ever
honoured and adored.
Alan Gaunt (b. 1935)
CCL31580
Call to Worship
Jesus say, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.’
Good morning, my Cornerstone sisters and brothers on this day the Lord has made.
What a joy to join you virtually as we praise God together … .
Let us pause for a minute and be still as we prepare our hearts and minds to speak to our God … .
Opening Responses
We gather each in our own home to worship you, Lord.
As we bow our heads before you, we want to be amazed by your wisdom.
Bowled over by your love, and completely lost in you.
Lord, open our hearts to receive you,
in ways beyond whatever we could ever ask or even think.
Lord we come to praise you, to learn from you.
As we sit at your feet,
grant us your wisdom,
wash us in your love,
and allow us to soak in every word you speak to us.
Amen
Hymn: Be still, for the presence of the Lord
Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here.
Come, bow before him now, with reverence and fear.
In him no sin is found, we stand on holy ground.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here.
Be still, for the glory of the Lord is shining all around;
he burns with holy fire, with splendour he is crowned.
How awesome is the sight, our radiant King of light!
Be still, for the glory of the Lord is shining all around.
Be still, for the power of the Lord is moving in this place,
he comes to cleanse and heal, to minister his grace.
No work too hard for him, in faith receive from him;
be still, for the power of the Lord is moving in this place.
David J. Evans (b. 1957)
CCL31580
Prayer of confession
Living God, we are here today to praise you, to learn from you.
Your wisdom, shown to us through Jesus, your most precious Son,
is far greater than that of the world.
It has the power to confound all our expectations.
But Lord, you know us so well and you understand our weakness
so please forgive us for the times when our picture and understanding of you are far too small;
when we try to fit you into that tiny box that we think we can cope with;
when we are frightened to let your power loose in our lives.
Forgive us, Lord, and expand our vision
that we may be able to see more of your glory in Jesus’ name.
Amen
Prayer of the week
O God teach us the hidden wisdom of the gospel
so that we may longer and thirst for holiness,
work tirelessly for peace
and be counted among those who seek first the blessedness of your kingdom.
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
Responsorial Psalm 145 (selected verses)
I will bless your name for ever, O God my King;
I will bless your name for ever, O God my King.
I will give you glory, O God my king;
I will bless your name for ever.
I will bless you, day after day
and praise your name for ever.
I will bless your name for ever, O God my King;
I will bless your name for ever, O God my King.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion,
slow to anger, abounding in love.
How good is the Lord to all;
compassionate to all his creatures.
I will bless your name for ever, O God my King;
I will bless your name for ever, O God my King.
All your creatures shall thank you, O Lord;
and your friends shall repeat their blessing.
They shall speak of the glory of your reign
and declare your might, O God.
I will bless your name for ever, O God my King;
I will bless your name for ever, O God my King.
The Lord is faithful in all his words;
The Lord is loving in all his deeds.
The Lord supports all who fall
and raises all who are bowed down.
I will bless your name for ever, O God my King;
I will bless your name for ever, O God my King.
Bible Readings
First Reading
Read by Robin Kyd
15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
or the depths swallow me up
or the pit close its mouth over me.
16 Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;
in your great mercy turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from your servant;
answer me quickly, for I am in trouble.
18 Come near and rescue me;
deliver me because of my foes.
19 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;
all my enemies are before you.
20 Scorn has broken my heart
and has left me helpless;
I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
for comforters, but I found none.
Psalm 69: 15–20 NIV®
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Reading
Read by Janet Trimnell
The Father revealed in the Son
25 At that time Jesus said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. 26 Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
27 ‘All things have been committed to me by my Father. No-one knows the Son except the Father, and no-one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’
Matthew 11: 25–30 NIV®
This is the Gospel of Christ.
Praise to Christ our light.
Hymn: O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
consider all the works thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
thy power throughout the universe displayed;
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art, how great thou art!
When through the woods and forest glades I wander,
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
and hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze;
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art, how great thou art!
And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
sent him to die — I scarce can take it in:
that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
he bled and died to take away my sin;
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art, how great thou art!
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
and take me home — what joy shall fill my heart!
Then shall I bow in humble adoration,
and there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!;
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art, how great thou art!
Russian hymn
tr. Stuart K. Hine (1899–1989)
CCL31580
Sermon by Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga
Choral response: His yoke is easy and his burden is light
Holy Communion (part 2)
Intercessions
By David Moore
God of joy and justice, the landscape of our time
is being marked, disfigured and distorted
by the outworking of the malign infection
we know as Coronavirus.
God of Joy and Justice,
We open our life to you in thanksgiving and lament.
We admit to you and to ourselves
that the equilibrium of our life is badly disrupted,
and the brave face we offer to each other
often masks the hidden anxiety we conceal.
God of Joy and Justice,
We open our life to you in thanksgiving and lament.
We give thanks for all those dedicated
to making our world less dangerous
and less hostile to our wellbeing.
Restrain us from making things worse.
God of Joy and Justice,
We open our life to you in thanksgiving and lament.
We pray for all those who carry the coronavirus
and for medical scientists seeking to defeat it.
Give strong wills and sharp minds to researchers,
tenderness and care to doctors, nurses and orderlies.
God of Joy and Justice,
We open our life to you in thanksgiving and lament.
In our mind’s eye we quietly and slowly blow a kiss to those
who will not recover from their illness,
and for loved ones, we pray that developing
medical expertise will bear greater rewards.
God of Joy and Justice,
We open our life to you in thanksgiving and lament.
We cannot conclude our prayers without calling to mind
the bonds of love and friendship of this church community.
May your grace hold us all steady at this time.
Help us to stand tall in spite of our fears.
God of Joy and Justice,
We open our life to you in thanksgiving and lament.
With joy this day we clap the hands of our hearts
for the diversity and wonder of the Biblical record;
for the storytelling, the adventure and for the ability
of our species to evolve, develop, discover, survive.
God of Joy and Justice,
We open our life to you in thanksgiving and lament.
Christ who hung upon the Cross, hear our prayer.
Christ who rose again, refresh, encourage and inspire us,
that we may discover the capacity to be imaginatively
faithful even in the darkest days.
God of Joy and Justice,
We open our life to you in thanksgiving and lament.
Amen
And once more with feeling, wherever you may be!
… Let all God’s people say:
Amen
Holy Communion
The Holy One be with you
and also with you.
Open your hearts to the One who is Love.
We open our hearts to you, O God.
Let us give thanks to God, who sustains us daily.
To the One who welcomes us to the table, we give thanks and praise.
God, your invitation to come and feast in your presence
is but a taste of the love you extend to us every day.
By your very nature, you are always seeking us out –
searching for ways to connect us and connect with us.
You meet us in the most ordinary of places and you make them sacred.
By your grace, we come to recognise the holiness that dwells in the world around us,
in our neighbours and in our own internal depths.
Therefore, we join our voices with your people on earth
and all the company of the heavens,
singing praises to you and saying:
Holy, Holy, Holy One,
God of justice and love,
Heaven and earth are full of your wonder.
Hosanna, among us.
Blessed are you and blessed is your eternal table.
You welcome all who thirst for justice and hunger to grow in love.
You ask us to extend this same welcome to all our neighbours,
but God, since our beginning, we have struggled.
And so, in your love for us, you took on flesh in Jesus.
Through his life, you pointed to your presence on the margins.
You revealed the sacredness in all life.
You showed us how to live together, even among forces of destruction.
Believing it could transform the world, Jesus proclaimed the Good News.
He called for the captives to be set free.
He spoke of the lowly being lifted up.
He talked of redistributing wealth and eradicating the causes of poverty.
His commitment to practising love knew no bounds – not even the bounds of death.
On the night of his arrest, Jesus shared a meal with his companions.
He took bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to his disciples and said:
This is my body which is given for you. Take, eat, and do this always in remembrance of me.
After the meal, he took the cup, blessed it, and shared it saying:
This cup that is poured out is the new covenant between you and my father.
Lord Jesus, in remembrance of all you have done to save us, we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
Christ was born among us.
Christ died among us.
Christ rises again among us.
Living God, pour out your Spirit on these gifts,
make these ordinary elements into the sacred gift of your presence with us once again.
May they awaken us anew to your everlasting invitation into a life of resurrection.
Re-energise us in our pursuit of a world where all needs are met,
power is balanced, and the worth of every creature and creation is celebrated.
And in collective longing for a taste of your Kingdom on earth,
we join in echoing the prayer Jesus taught his disciples:
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the Kingdom,
the power and the glory for ever.
Amen
Please eat or share the meal with the words:
This is the body of Christ, broken for my sins.
Amen
This is the blood of Christ, shed for my sins.
Amen
Post-communion Prayer
Gracious God, by the bread of heaven and the cup of life,
even though we are apart, you make us one body.
Bind us together by your spirit that we might live into your hopes for us,
a community centred in Christ and rich in compassion, commitment, courage, and care.
Amen
Hymn: The Spirit lives to set us free
The Spirit lives to set us free,
walk, walk in the light.
He binds us all in unity,
walk, walk in the light.
Walk in the light,
walk in the light,
walk in the light,
walk in the light of the Lord.
Jesus promised life to all,
walk, walk in the light.
The dead were wakened by his call,
walk, walk in the light.
Walk in the light,
walk in the light,
walk in the light,
walk in the light of the Lord.
He died in pain on Calvary,
walk, walk in the light.
To save the lost like you and me,
walk, walk in the light.
Walk in the light,
walk in the light,
walk in the light,
walk in the light of the Lord.
We know his death was not the end,
walk, walk in the light.
He gave his Spirit to be our friend,
walk, walk in the light.
Walk in the light,
walk in the light,
walk in the light,
walk in the light of the Lord.
By Jesus’ love our wounds are healed,
walk, walk in the light.
The Father’s kindness is revealed,
walk, walk in the light.
Walk in the light,
walk in the light,
walk in the light,
walk in the light of the Lord.
The Spirit lives in you and me,
walk, walk in the light.
His light will shine for all to see,
walk, walk in the light.
Walk in the light,
walk in the light,
walk in the light,
walk in the light of the Lord.
© Kevin Mayhew Ltd (1978)
CCL31580
Blessings
Jesus has called us to come to him and blessed us with his richness.
Now he asks us to be his disciples into this world,
to make sure people see him, and listen to him, through us.
What a responsibility, what a joy, what a privilege.
So, go and take up that challenge
and may the blessings of God Almighty,
the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be always with you.
Amen
Postlude: Keyboard Sonata in E by Scarlatti
K.380 L.23 composed by Domenico Scarlatti, 1754.
[Video recordings of all the music in this Service can be seen by following this link: http://www.cornerstonemk.co.uk/music-videos-for-sunday-5th-july-2020/.]
