Celebrant: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga
Assisted by Krou Assoua, Licensed Lay Minister

Gathering Music

Welcome

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations will bow down before him.

God of all,
we come to worship you.

We proclaim your greatness to
all the ends of the earth.

We confess that you alone are God.
We will remember and turn to the Lord.

We join our voices together in one song of ceaseless praise.
The families of the nations
will praise you, will worship you, will follow you.
We proclaim you as Lord.
We will bow down before you.
We worship you here and now together.

[Silence]

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

Hymn: For the healing of the nations

For the healing of the nations,
Lord, we pray with one accord,
for a just and equal sharing
of the things that earth affords.
To a life of love in action
help us rise and pledge our word.

Lead us, Father, into freedom,
from despair your world release,
that, redeemed from war and hatred,
all may come and go in peace.
Show us how through care and goodness
fear will die and hope increase.

All that kills abundant living,
let it from the earth be banned;
pride of status, race or schooling,
dogmas that obscure your plan.
In our common quest for justice
may we hallow life’s brief span.

You, Creator-God, have written
your great name on all mankind;
for our growing in your likeness
bring the life of Christ to mind;
that by our response and service
earth its destiny may find.

Fred Kaan (1929–2009)
CCL31580

Confession

We have wilfully misused your gifts of creation; Lord, be merciful:
forgive us our sin.

We have seen the ill-treatment of others and have not gone to their aid; Lord, be merciful:
forgive us our sin.

We have condoned evil and dishonesty and failed to strive for justice; Lord, be merciful:
forgive us our sin.

We have heard the good news of Christ, but have failed to share it with others; Lord, be merciful:
forgive us our sin.

We have not loved you with all our heart, nor our neighbours as ourselves; Lord, be merciful:
forgive us our sin.

[Silence]

Kyrie

Absolution

May the ever-loving God forgive you.
May the suffering Christ sustain you.
May the Holy Spirit enrich you.
We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Prayer of the Week

God of our past, present, and future, you created each one of us in your image and likeness,
help us to recognise you in each person.
As we pray for an end to suffering caused by racism, lead us this day to walk with one another,
pray with one another and work together, so that we create a future based on justice and healing,
where all can fulfil the hope, you have for all peoples.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

First Readings

Read by Bob Collard

Luke 11: 42

I call to not neglect justice and the love of God

Micah 6: 8

I call to do justice, love, kindness, and walk humbly with God

Proverbs 31: 5

A mandate to stand up for the defenceless and demand justice

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

Hymn: Will you let me be your servant

Will you let me be your servant,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey
and companions on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ-light for you
in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh I’ll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow
till we’ve seen this journey through.

When we sing to God in heaven
we shall find such harmony,
born of all we’ve known together
of Christ’s love and agony.

Will you let me be your servant,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.

Richard Gillard (b. 1953)
CCL31580

Matthew 25: 31–46

Read by Pat Kyd

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹ ’When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴ ’Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

³⁷ ’Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?”

⁴⁰ ’The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

⁴¹ ’Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.”

⁴⁴ ’They also will answer, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?”

⁴⁵ ‘He will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.”

⁴⁶ ‘Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.’

NIV®

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

Conversation

Between Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga
and Krou Assoua, Licensed Lay Minister

[Silence]

Choral Reflection

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

Prayers and Intercessions

Led by Robin Kyd

The Peace

We are the body of Christ.
In the one Spirit we were all baptised into one body.
Let us then pursue all that makes for peace and builds up our common life.

The peace of God be always with you
and also with you!

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

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 hands, then, brother 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 Ovenham (1852–1941)
CCL31580

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 is here.
His Spirit is with us.

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.

Almighty God, good Father to us all, your face is turned towards your world.
In love you gave us Jesus your Son to rescue us from sin and death.
Your Word goes out to call us home to the city where angels sing your praise.

We join with them in heaven’s song:

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.

We bless the name of Jesus, bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh,
whose brokenness and suffering makes love real,
who on the night in which he was betrayed took bread,
gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his disciples saying,

Take, eat. This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.

After supper he took the cup saying,

Drink from this, all of you, this is my blood given for you.
Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me.

This is the mystery of our faith.

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

Therefore, as we eat this bread and drink this cup,
we acknowledge brokenness as a path to truth.
We long for the bread of tomorrow: eternally broken and so able to nourish.
We long for the new wine of the kingdom: continuously poured out that thirst may be quenched.

Send your Spirit on us now,
that by these gifts we may feed on Christ with opened eyes and hearts on fire.
May we and all who share this food offer ourselves to live for you
and be welcomed at your feast in heaven, where all creation worships you,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit:

Blessing and honour and glory and power
be yours for ever and ever.

Amen

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

The Communion

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.

Amen

Post Communion Prayer

Eternal Father, we thank you for nourishing us with these heavenly gifts:
may our communion strengthen us in faith, build us up in hope, and make us grow in love;
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Notices

Consecration of new bishops

The Diocese of Oxford has announced that the two new area bishops in the diocese will be consecrated by the Archbishop of York in Canterbury Cathedral at 11.00 am on Thursday, 27 February 2025. Revd Canon Dave Bull will be our new area bishop and Revd Canon Mary Gregory will be Bishop of Reading. The consecration will be live-streamed and the link will be included in the Notice Sheet when it is available.

World Day of Prayer

12.30 pm Friday, 7 March 2025

This year our Milton Keynes Service for the World Day of Prayer will be held at the Salvation Army Centre, Ramsons Avenue, Conniburrow MK14 7BA at 12.30 pm. Please come and join us. We would love to see you there.

Rosemary Kearsey

Bishop Steven’s next visit to Cornerstone

7.00 pm Tuesday, 11 March 2025 in the Guildhall

When Bishop Steven met us on 23 January 2025, he said he hoped to return for another conversation with us in a few weeks’ time to hear how we are getting on. The Bishop’s office has now confirmed the time and date: 7.00 pm Tuesday, 11 March 2025 in the Guildhall.

All Church Council trustees, directors of the Trading Company, the PCC, Cornerstone Church employees and Cornerstone trustees of the Cornerstone Trust are invited.

Pat Kyd, Church Secretary

Lent Studies

Ash Wednesday is 5 March 2025. We shall be holding at least three series of Lent studies, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The materials we shall be studying are from ‘A Search for Peace’ by John Birch from Faith & Worship (www.faithandworship.com). There will be five weekly sessions. Because of other events on 11 & 18 March 2025 (see above, for example) the first two ‘Tuesday’ sessions will be on Mondays 10 & 17 March 2025.

Anniversary prayers at Cornerstone pillar at the MK Rose

5.30 pm Thursday, 13 March 2025

There is a pillar at the MK Rose in Campbell Park inscribed with the date of the dedication of the Church of Christ the Cornerstone on 13 March 1992.

On Thursday, 13 March 2025 everyone is invited to meet at MK Rose at 5.30 pm for prayers to celebrate this anniversary.

Pat Kyd, Church Secretary

Offering

Final Prayer

Jesus, as you walked this good earth, your feet upon land that is blessed and holy,
crossing borders and boundaries to minister to those in need,
you encountered many people from different cultures and different nations.
You listened to them, you spoke with them,
you touched them and healed them, you blessed them and forgave them.
May we follow your example, loving and tending all you have made,
healing and sowing peace wherever you call.
Send us out in the power of your Spirit.

Amen

Hymn: We are one in the Spirit

We are one in the Spirit,
we are one in the Lord, [×2] And we pray that all unity
will one day be restored.

And they’ll know we are Christians
by our love, by our love,
yes, they’ll know we are Christians
by our love.

We will walk with each other,
we will walk hand in hand, [×2] and together we’ll spread the news
that God is in our land.

And they’ll know we are Christians …

We will work with each other,
we will work side by side, [×2] and we’ll guard each man’s dignity
and save each man’s pride.

And they’ll know we are Christians …

All praise to the Father
from whom all things come,
and all praise to Christ Jesus,
his only Son,
and all praise to the Spirit,
who makes us one.

Peter Scholtes (1938–2009)
CCL31580

Blessing

In a world where we have, in the past, enslaved and dehumanised others,
we go to treat each person with dignity and respect.

In a world where profit is valued more than human life,
we go to proclaim the priceless worth of each person.

In a world where the ugliness of prejudices, discrimination and racism is found,
we go to show that love conquers all social ills.

Go forth into the world in peace; be of good courage;
hold fast that which is good; render to no one evil for evil;
strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak; help the afflicted;
honour everyone; love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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

Dismissal

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

Amen