Presiding Minister: Revd Dr Margaret Goodall
Preacher: Revd George Mwaura

Call to Worship

We gather with open hearts, and God meets us in the waiting.
The Spirit of God is among us.

A breath that stirs, a flame that warms, a voice that calls us together.
The Spirit of God is within us.

Poured out on all people:
on the hopeful and the weary, young and old, the ones who speak and the ones who listen.
We are the Body of Christ.

Come, Holy Spirit, make us one. Set us alight with love.
Come, Holy Spirit, Come!

Hymn: Spirit of God, unseen as the wind

Spirit of God, unseen as the wind,
gentle as is the dove,
teach us the truth and help us believe,
show us the Saviour’s love.

You spoke to us long, long ago,
gave us the written word;
we read it still, needing its truth,
through it God’s voice is heard.

Spirit of God, unseen as the wind, …

Without your help we fail our Lord,
we cannot live his way;
we need your power, we need your strength,
following Christ each day.

Spirit of God, unseen as the wind, …

Magaret V. Old (1932–2001)
CCL31580

Prayer

Spirit of the Living God, on this day, especially, we celebrate you.
You moved over the waters at creation,
you stirred among the elders in the wilderness,
you danced like flame upon the gathered church.

We thank you for your nearness.
You are breath and fire, movement and life.
We praise you for your abundance, which is poured out on us all,
And yet, we confess that we do not always live as people shaped by your Spirit.
We resist your movement when it unsettles us.
We silence the voices that make us uncomfortable.
We cling to what feels familiar and call it faith.

At times we have forgotten that your Spirit rests on all flesh,
not only on those we expect, or on those we respect.

Forgive us, O God
Breathe into us again.
Where we are tired, renew us.
Where we are divided, draw us together.

Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on us now, that we may live as one body:
shaped by grace, sent in hope, and alive with your transforming power.

Amen

The Kyrie

Prayer of Assurance

Friends, hear the good news:
God’s grace is bigger than our fears, stronger than our resistance, and deeper than our regrets.
In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven. By the Holy Spirit, we are made new.

Thanks be to God.

Amen

The Gloria

Hymn: Love divine, all loves excelling

Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation,
enter every trembling heart.

Come, almighty to deliver,
let us all thy grace receive;
suddenly return, and never,
never more thy temples leave.
There we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above;
pray, and praise thee, without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.

Finish then thy new creation:
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee;
changed from glory into glory
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
CCL31580

Bible Readings

Genesis 11: 1–9

Read by Robin Kyd

The tower of Babel

¹ Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. ² As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

³ They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and bitumen for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’

⁵ But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. ⁶ The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’

⁸ So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. ⁹ That is why it was called Babel – because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

NIV®

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

Acts 2: 1–21

Read by Pat Kyd

The Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost

¹ When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. ⁴ All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

⁵ Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. ⁶ When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. ⁷ Utterly amazed, they asked: ‘Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs – we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues! ¹² Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’

¹³ Some, however, made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine.’

Peter addresses the crowd

¹⁴ Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. ¹⁵ These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! ¹⁶ No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

¹⁷ ‘“In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
¹⁸ Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
¹⁹ I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
²⁰ The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
²¹ And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

NIV®

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

John 20: 19–23

Read by Colin Ballard

Jesus appears to his disciples

¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’

NIV®

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

Sermon

By Revd George Mwaura

Musical Meditation

Prayers of the People

Led by Rosemary Kearsey

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

We believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Amen

Hymn: Come down, O love divine

Come down, O love divine,
seek thou this soul of mine,
and visit it with thine own ardour glowing;
O comforter, draw near,
within my heart appear,
and kindle it, thy holy name bestowing.

O let it freely burn,
till earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
and let thy glorious light
shine ever on my sight,
and clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity
mine outward vesture be,
and lowliness become mine inner clothing;
true lowliness of heart,
which takes the humbler part,
and o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the power of human telling,
for none can guess its grace,
till he become the place
wherein the Holy Spirit makes his dwelling.

Bianco da Siena (d. 1434)
tr. Richard Frederick Littledale (1833–1890)
CCL31580

Offertory

Prayer of Dedication

Great God, to you we give our thanks; your steadfast love endures forever.
With gratitude we bring our gifts to you.
Bless us and our gifts, that our lives and our resources may be a source of healing and hope,
of joy and justice in our world.

Amen

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

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 our thanks and praise.

Blessed are you, O Lord our God: In every age, you have anointed leaders with your Spirit.
Now all of your people – men and women, young and old –
are empowered to speak your truth and show your glory.

Therefore we praise you, joining the song of the universal church and the heavenly choir:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is Jesus Christ, our Saviour:
After he rose from the dead, Jesus came to his disciples and breathed on them, saying:
Receive the Holy Spirit.
Even to us he has given the gospel of forgiveness and peace.

The Words of Institution

So we pray,
Remembering your goodness and grace, we offer ourselves to you with gratitude
as we share this joyful feast.

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and upon this bread and cup;
make us one in the body and blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.
By your Spirit, make us one body
Enable us to use the variety of gifts you have given in the mission of the only Lord.
Through the Lord Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Spirit
we bless you God of glory, now and for ever.

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 the Bread

Communion of the People

Prayer after Communion

Holy God, by the gift of your Spirit you have nourished and filled us.
Now send us out to share the vision of the new creation you have begun;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Notices

Vacancy for Anglican Minister at Cornerstone

The closing date for applications was last Thursday (21 May 2026). Short-listed candidates will be invited to Milton Keynes on 23 & 24 June 2026, with interviews on Wednesday, 24 June 2026.

Elected Church Wardens

It was agreed at the Vestry meeting held Last Sunday (17 May 2026) that Ann Wilson and Bob Collard will be the Churchwardens for Cornerstone for the forthcoming year.

Ann Wilson, Clerk to the PCC

Celebrating ten years of Eco Church

2.30–4.30 pm Sunday, 7 June 2026

We’re delighted that Andy Atkins, the Chief Executive of A Rocha, the organisation that founded and continues to support the Eco Church movement in England and Wales, will be giving a talk here at Christ the Cornerstone on Sunday, 7 June 2026 from 2.30 to -4.30 pm. The programme will include some worship before Andy’s talk and discussion, which will be followed by refreshments in the Guildhall. We hope there will be a large turnout, so please book your free ticket: at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/celebrating-10-years-of-eco-church-tickets-1989213888288?aff=oddtdtcreator.

Cornerstone Eco Church Core Group

Hymn: There’s a spirit in the air

There’s a spirit in the air,
telling Christians everywhere:
‘praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working in our world!’

Lose your shyness, find your tongue,
tell the world what God has done:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow’s life today!

When believers break the bread,
when a hungry child is fed,
praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working in our world!

Still the Spirit gives us light,
seeing wrong and setting right:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow’s life today!

When a stranger’s not alone,
where the homeless find a home,
praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working in our world!

May the Spirit fill our praise,
guide our thoughts and change our ways:
God in Christ has come to stay.
Live tomorrow’s life today!

There’s a Spirit in the air,
calling people everywhere:
praise the love that Christ revealed,
living, working in our world!

Brian A. Wren (b. 1936)
CCL31580

Prayer of the Week

Almighty God, who on the day of Pentecost sent your Holy Spirit upon your disciples
with the wind from heaven and in tongues of flame:
fill your Church today with the same Spirit,
that we may be bold in witness, steadfast in faith, and united in your love.
Guide us in the days ahead, giving us grace to serve you in the world,
and courage to proclaim the good news of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

The Blessing