Preacher and Presiding Minister: Revd Geoffrey Clarke,
Moderator of URC East Midlands Synod

Lead Minister: Revd George Mwaura

Gathering Music

Call to Worship

Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone.
The Lord is near.

Philippians 4: 4

Welcome and Greetings

Opening Prayer

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from who no secrets are hid:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Hymn: Joy to the world

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
let every heart prepare him room
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven, and heaven and nature sing!

Joy to the earth, the Saviour reigns!
Your sweetest songs employ
while fields and streams and hills and plains
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat the sounding joy,
repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
and makes the nations prove
the glories of his righteousness,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders of his love,
and wonders, wonders of his love.

Isaac Watts (1674–1748)
CCL31580

Lighting the Third Advent Candle of Joy

God of joy, we light the candle of Joy. Even in darkness, help us to rejoice, for you are coming to save us.

Amen

Prayers of Adoration, Thanksgiving, Confession and Forgiveness

Lord you are the source of hope, joy, love, and peace.
We worship you, O Lord.

We thank you, Lord, for your presence in our lives even in the midst of uncertainty.
You journey with us and fill us with your everlasting joy.
We give thanks to you, O Lord.

Forgive us, Lord for the times we have lived in fear and doubt, forgetting your promises and Grace.
We confess our shortcomings and seek your mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

In your boundless love, you offer us forgiveness and grace.
May our hearts be filled with your light, reflecting your joy and character to the world.
Shine through us, O Lord.

As we gather in this Advent season, we celebrate the coming of your Son Jesus,
who brings joy to the world. We adore you and rejoice in your salvation.
We worship you O Lord, and celebrate the joy of your coming.

We confess that sometimes we lose sight of your joy amid life challenges.
Help us to refocus our hearts on you and embrace the joy of your offer.
Lord have mercy on us, and restore our joy.

[Silence and personal reflections…]

Your forgiveness renews us and fills us with joy.
We are ready to live in the light of your love, spreading joy to all we meet.

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus, fill us with joy.

© credit: Reprinted from Immersive Joy –
The 2025 United Reformed Church Prayer Handbook, edited by Sue McCoan and Stephen Ansa-Addo

Kyrie

Prayer of the Week

Eternal God, you sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for the coming of your Son.
Grant us the wisdom to see your purpose and openness to hear your will,
that we too may prepare the way for Christ who is coming in power and glory
to establish his kingdom of peace and justice; through Jesus Christ our Judge and our Redeemer,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever.

Amen

Reprinted by permission from Book of Common Worship (Presbyterian Church, USA),
© 1993 Westminster/John Knox Press

Bible Readings

Isaiah 35: 1–10

Read by Bob Collard

Joy of the redeemed

¹ The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus, ² it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendour of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendour of our God.

³ Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
⁴ say to those with fearful hearts,
‘Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.’

⁵ Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
⁶ Then will the lame leap like a deer,
and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert.
⁷ The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty ground bubbling springs.
In the haunts where jackals once lay,
grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

⁸ And a highway will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
⁹ No lion will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed will walk there,
¹⁰ and those the Lord has rescued will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

NIV®

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

Psalm 146

Sung by the Choir

Matthew 11: 2–15

Read by Kudakwashe Matare

² When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples ³ to ask him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?’

⁴ Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵ the blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. ⁶ Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.’

⁷ As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ⁸ If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. ⁹ Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is the one about whom it is written:

‘“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.”

¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it. ¹³ For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. ¹⁴ And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. ¹⁵ Whoever has ears, let them hear.

NIV®

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

Sermon

By Revd Geoffrey Clarke, Moderator of URC East Midlands Synod

Choral Meditation

Sung by the Choir

Hymn: There is a longing in our hearts, O Lord

There is a longing in our hearts, O Lord,
for you to reveal yourself to us.
There is a longing in our hearts for love
we only find in you, our God.

For justice, for freedom,
for mercy: hear our prayer.
In sorrow, in grief: be near,
hear our prayer, O God.

There is a longing …

For wisdom, for courage,
for comfort: hear our prayer.
In weakness, in fear: be near,
hear our prayer, O God.

There is a longing …

For healing, for wholeness,
for new life: hear our prayer.
In sickness, in death: be near,
hear our prayer, O God.

There is a longing …

Lord save us, take pity,
light in our darkness.
We call you, we wait: be near,
hear our prayer, O God.

There is a longing …

Anne Quigly (b. 1956)
CCL31580

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in God, who makes the wilderness and the dry land rejoice,
and the desert blossom with the crocus.
We believe in Jesus Christ, who heals the blind and the lame, cleanses lepers, gives hearing to the deaf,
raises the dead, and proclaims good news to the poor.
We believe that God’s kingdom is at hand,
where the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
where the lame man shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
We affirm that the Lord’s redeemed shall return and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
We confess that all who humble themselves and come to Christ will find rest for their souls,
for his yoke is easy and his burden is light.

Amen

Prayers of Intercession

Led by Don Head

Sharing Peace

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, who makes the wilderness rejoice
and brings healing to the weary, be with you always.
And also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace and wave to those watching on the live stream.

Invitation to Communion

Friends, this is the joyful feast of the people of God!
They will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God.
According to Luke, when our risen Lord was at table with his disciples,
he took the bread, and blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him.

This is the Lord’s table. Our Saviour invites those who trust him to share the feast which he has prepared.

Reprinted by permission from Book of Common Worship (Presbyterian Church, USA),
© 1993 Westminster/John Knox Press

Hymn: In bread we bring you, Lord

In bread we bring you, Lord, our bodies’ labour.
In wine we offer you our spirits’ grief.
We do not ask you, Lord, who is my neighbour?
But stand united now, one in belief.
Oh, we have gladly heard your Word, your holy Word,
and now in answer Lord, our gifts we bring.
Our selfish hearts make true, our failing faith renew,
our lives belong to you, our Lord and King.

The bread we offer you is blessed and broken,
and it becomes for us our spirits’ food.
Over the cup we bring your Word is spoken;
make it your gift to us Your healing blood.
Take all that daily toil plants in our heart’s poor soil,
take all we start and spoil, each hopeful dream,
the chances we have missed, the graces we resist,
Lord, in thy Eucharist, take and redeem.

Kevin Nichols (1929–2006)
CCL31580

Eucharistic Prayer

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.

Blessed are you, Lord God of time and eternity,
for you have opened the eyes of the blind and unstopped the ears of the deaf;
you have made the lame leap like a deer and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.

You made this world as a playground of delights,
and you called a people to be your companions for ever.
In Jesus, you showed us who you are, who we are,
how far we have strayed from you and how to become your companions again.
In his death you opened a path for our redemption
and in his resurrection, you brought us the joy of forgiveness and everlasting life.
And so, our souls magnify you, with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven
singing the hymn of your unending praise.

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.

God of blessing, in Jesus you fill the hungry with good things.
You bestow mercy from generation to generation. You show us the cost and glory of your salvation.
In the breaking and pouring and sharing of bread and wine,
send down your Holy Spirit, that your people may be sanctified by your grace,
and these gifts of bread and wine may be for us the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ.
Who, at supper with his disciples, took bread, gave you thanks, broke the bread,
and gave it to them saying;
‘Take, eat: this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’

After super he took the cup. Again, he gave you thanks, and gave it to his disciples saying,
‘Drink this, all of you: this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’

Great is the mystery of faith:

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

Delivering God, we call on you to fulfil your Advent promise.
May waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the deserts;
make a highway on which no traveller, not even fools, shall go astray.
Bring home those who are in exile;
fill their hearts with singing and shower their heads with everlasting joy.
Unite your church, clothe us with the fruits of your spirit and fill us with the hope of Advent,
the substance of things hoped for and the knowledge of things unseen,
until all bow before your throne and worship in your glory,
ever one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen

Reprinted from Joining the Angels’ Song. © Samuel Wells and Abigail Kocher 2016

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

Agnus Dei

The Communion (Bread and wine are shared)

Post Communion Prayer

Eternal God, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his body and blood.
Send us now into the world in peace and grant us strength and courage
to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart, through Christ our Lord.

Amen

Reprinted by permission from Book of Common Worship (Presbyterian Church, USA),
© 1993 Westminster/John Knox Press

Notices and Offertory

Cornerstone Christmas Charity Appeal 2025

Many thanks for all the donations that have come in to the charity appeal so far. If you haven’t already done so, please make sure to collect an envelope about the Appeal from Reception. This contains information of the various ways you can give and also has information about the four brilliant charities we are supporting this year:

Advantage Africa, Willen Hospice, St Mark’s Meals and MK ANSARS.

Our Christmas Appeal is one of the special ways the Cornerstone Congregation reaches out to others in need. The appeal runs till the end of December. Please give generously if you are able! A huge ‘thank you’ to all our donors.

Christmas Appeal Committee

Offering Envelopes for 2026

If you would like a set of offering envelopes for next year please let me know. If you are currently using envelopes, you should have received an email from me about this, but I need to know if there is anyone else who would like a set for 2026.

Janet Trimnell
steward.cccmk@gmail.com

Light up the Dome for a Loved One this Christmas – Last call

There are still a few dates left when you can sponsor the lighting of the dome during the Christmas season. Do you have an anniversary or special birthday, or maybe you want to remember someone special?

Please sign up on the list on the round table in the Reception Area. You can make your donation by cash, cheque, bank transfer or card machine. All the details of how to do this are with the list. Your donations are to help raise much needed funds for the church. If you are able to consider a minimum donation of £20, that would be much appreciated.

Thank you! Peter Cope

Advent Bible Study 2025 – Week 4

This week’s Bible readings are: Isaiah 7: 10–16; Matthew 1: 18–25.

Offertory Prayer

Gracious God, all abundance flows from your endless love.
We humbly present these offerings – both those given today and those already shared –
asking for your blessing as we build your kingdom through this church and beyond.

Amen

Hymn: Hills of the North, rejoice

Hills of the north, rejoice;
river and mountain-spring,
hark to the advent voice;
valley and lowland, sing;
though absent long, your Lord is nigh;
he judgement brings and victory.

Isles of the southern seas,
deep in your coral caves
pent be each warring breeze
lulled be your restless waves:
he comes to reign with boundless sway,
and make your wastes his great highway.

Lands of the east, awake,
soon shall your sons be free;
the sleep of ages break,
and rise to liberty.
on your far hills, long cold and grey,
has dawned the everlasting day.

Shores of the utmost west,
ye that have waited long,
unvisited, unblest,
break forth to swelling song;,
high raise the note, that Jesus died,
yet lives and reigns, the Crucified.

Shout, while ye journey home,
songs be in every mouth;
lo, from the north we come,
from east and west and south.
City of God, the bonds are free,
we come to live and reign in thee!

Charles E. Oakley (1832–1865)
CCL31580

Sending out and Blessings

Go forth, knowing that the Lord who makes the wilderness rejoice
and the desert blossom goes with you.
May your eyes be opened to behold his glory, and your ears unstopped to hear his call.
May your steps be firm on the highway of holiness, and your hearts sing with everlasting joy.
And may the blessings of God Almighty Father, Son and the Holy Spirit
descend and rest upon you all and all those whom you love today and always.

Amen

Dismissal

Church, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ, we will.

Amen