Preacher: Grace Hunting LLM
Celebrant: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Gathering Music

Welcome

Gathering Prayer

Come, let us rejoice as we prepare to celebrate the Messiah’s birth.
Let us put Jesus in the spotlight with our worship and praise.

Amen

Hymn: Rejoice! The Lord is King!

Rejoice! The Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore;
mortals give thanks and sing,
and triumph evermore:
Lift up you heart, lift up your voice;
rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

Jesus the Saviour reigns,
the God of truth and love;
when he had purged our stains,
he took his seat above:
Lift up you heart, lift up your voice;
rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

His kingdom cannot fail;
he rules o’er earth and heaven;
the keys of death and hell
are to our Jesus given:
Lift up you heart, lift up your voice;
rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

He sits at God’s right hand
till all his foes submit,
and bow to his command,
and fall beneath his feet:
Lift up you heart, lift up your voice;
rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
CCL31580

Prayer of Confession

Look on us with love, as we offer to you all that which has spoiled our relationship with you.
For not loving you with all our heart; for the times when we have not shown love to others;
for the times when we have shown anger and not peace;
for the times when we lose sight of you and for our failure to protect your world.
We are sorry and ask for courage to begin again so that we can walk more joyfully with you.

Amen

Kyrie

May God forgive us and strengthen us. May God lead our footsteps into pathways of peace.
May God inspire us to live out the hope of the kingdom.

Amen

Lighting the Advent Candles

[The first two candles are lit.]

We light the candles for hope and peace.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness.

[The third candle is lit.]

We light this candle to remember the joy of God’s blessing.
God invites us to the festival of the kingdom where there is no more death, sadness, crying or pain.

Rejoice in the Lord always.
I will say it again: Rejoice!

Prayer of the Week

Father God, thank you for your presence here today.
Thank you that you speak to us through our worship.
Thank you that you speak to us through your Word.
Thank you that you speak to us through each other.
Help us to listen to your voice as we worship.
Help us to listen to your voice as Scripture is read.
Help us to listen to your voice as we seek your truth.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Isaiah 12: 2–6

Read by Don Head

² ‘Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defence;
he has become my salvation.’
³ With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.

⁴ In that day you will say:

‘Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done,
and proclaim that his name is exalted.
⁵ Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;
let this be known to all the world.
⁶ Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,
for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.’

NIV®

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

Hymn: Wait for the Lord

Prepare the way for the Lord,
make a straight path for him.
Wait for the Lord, his day is near.
Wait for the Lord; be strong, take heart!

The Glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
all the earth will see the Lord.
Wait for the Lord, …

Seek first the Kingdom of God.
Seek and you shall find.
Wait for the Lord, …

Oh, Lord, show us your way;
guide us in your truth
Wait for the Lord, …

© 1991 Ateliers et Presses de Taizé, Taizé Community, France
CCL31580

Luke 3: 7–18

Read by Rosemary Goldie

⁷ John said to the crowds coming out to be baptised by him, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.’

¹⁰ ‘What should we do then?’ the crowd asked.

¹¹ John answered, ‘Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.’

¹² Even tax collectors came to be baptised. ‘Teacher,’ they asked, ‘what should we do?’

¹³ ‘Don’t collect any more than you are required to,’ he told them.

¹⁴ Then some soldiers asked him, ‘And what should we do?’

He replied, ‘Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely – be content with your pay.’

¹⁵ The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. ¹⁶ John answered them all, ‘I baptise you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’ ¹⁸ And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

NIV®

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

Meditation

By Grace Hunting LLM

[Silence]

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in God the Father,
origin and destiny of us all.

We believe in the beloved Son,
promise of hope; God’s laughter in the face of despair.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the sacred wind that bind us together in God’s love.

We believe on the coming of that day on this day,
when the creation will be made whole once more
and God’s peace and justice will reign on all people
and we will adore the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for ever and ever.

Amen

Prayers and Intercessions

Led by Glynne Gordon-Carter

The Peace

The Lord Jesus Christ, said, ‘I leave you peace, my peace I give you.’

The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you!

Let us offer each other a sign of peace.

Hymn: It’s me, it’s me, it’s me, O Lord

It’s me, it’s me, it’s me, O Lord,
standin’ in the need of prayer. (×2)

Not my brother or my sister, but it’s me, O Lord
standin’ in the need of prayer.
Not my brother or my sister, but it’s me, O Lord
standin’ in the need of prayer.

It’s me, it’s me, …

Not my mother or my father, but it’s me, O Lord
standin’ in the need of prayer.
Not my mother or my father, but it’s me, O Lord
standin’ in the need of prayer.

It’s me, it’s me, …

Not the stranger or my neighbour, but it’s me, O Lord
standin’ in the need of prayer.
Not the stranger or my neighbour, but it’s me, O Lord
standin’ in the need of prayer.

It’s me, it’s me, …

Afro-American Spiritual
CCL31580

Holy Communion

The Thanksgiving

As we come to this table, we are reminded that this is the table of Jesus Christ,
a banquet prepared for everyone.
All who seek to be nourished and sustained in the journey of faith,
all who seek wholeness and compassionate paths to peace and justice, are welcome here.

[Silence]

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.

Blessed are you, Breath of peace, Giver of all life, Source of love that knows no boundaries.
Your song of wisdom rang out before the world began;
throughout the ages, your song of liberation has impregnated us with your hope for a world where:

Those considered last and least are first and most;
violence is overcome by the power of your ancient love;
and, all siblings work together for peace.

You bring our longings to birth, and send prophets to awaken us to your approaching Advent among us.
We thank you for those who, like Mary, have the strength and courage
to give birth to your love in the world;
for those who, like the shepherds, dare to seek out the Child of Bethlehem;
for those who, like the wise ones, actively challenge violent and oppressive powers.

We praise you that your everlasting light is shown to us:
in womb – and tomb,
in cradle – and cross,
in tenderness – and compassion.

We join in the Advent prayer of all your people, O come, Emmanuel:

O come, O come, Emmanuel, our King, our Teacher, our Hope and our Saviour.
Come and save us.

And, as we wait and watch for your coming among us, we proclaim your goodness.
At this time, we also remember all with whom you would have us share your feast.

[Silence]

God of hope, make this bread the means of our rebuilding, this wine the medium of our transformation,
this table the foundation of our renewal, and this community the place of our rebirth.

At this time, we remember Jesus, who on the night before he died,
took a loaf of bread, gave you thanks, broke it, and said,
‘Take and eat; whenever you do this, remember me.’
Likewise, after supper, he took the cup, saying,
‘This is the new covenant; remember me.’
Gracious God, Breath of peace, Source of love, we pray for your Spirit.

Make us, while many, one.
Make us, though broken, whole.
Make us, despite death, alive.

And so we pray:
Come, Holy Spirit, come.

And so we join with our brothers and sisters around the world in the prayer Jesus taught us:

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

Sharing the Bread and Cup

The body of Christ,
the Bread of life.

The blood of Christ,
the Cup of salvation.

Let us eat and drink together for our strengthening in the faith, and for the sake of the world.

Amen

Prayer after Communion

We thank you, God, for breaking into our world and pouring into our lives and our experiences.
We thank you, God, for this meal of thanksgiving and the stories of love, grace, and hope that it tells.

Amen

Notices

Cornerstone Christmas Charity Appeal 2024

Our Christmas Charity Appeal is now open for business! It has raised the amazing total of over £133,000 for local and international charities over the past twelve years.

The charities we are supporting this year are Advantage Africa, MK:Act (Domestic abuse intervention service), Tools for Self Reliance and Milton Keynes Christian Foundation’s Urban Farm.

A leaflet with details of all these charities and ways to donate (cash / cheque / bank transfer) is available in the church entrance hall and has already been emailed to everyone on our mailing list. The appeal is open until the end of December 2024.

Your generosity is very much appreciated! Thank you.

Cornerstone Appeal Committee

Offering Envelopes for 2025

If you would like a set of offering envelopes for next year, please let me know. If you are currently using envelopes, you are already on the list to receive a set for next year, but I need to know if there is anyone else who would like a set for 2025.

Janet Trimnell, steward.cccmk@gmail.com

Advent Bible study week 4
Pregnancy – expectant waiting and a gob-smacked father

Bible readings: Micah 5: 2–5, Luke 1: 39–79

A Concert for Peace: 7.00 pm Sunday, 19 January 2025

Help Needed!

We are planning a wonderful Concert for Peace on Sunday, 19 January 2025 featuring two beautiful works: ‘Requiem’ by Sir John Rutter and the popular ‘Armed Man’ by Sir Karl Jenkins. We are anxious to spread the word about this special event. Tim Norwood has designed a lovely poster/flyer for us, copies of which are now available. We would be grateful if you could take copies and post them wherever they might be seen – shops, offices, surgeries, churches, community halls, front windows, car windows, etc. Thank you for your help.

Adrian Boynton

Bishop of Oxford’s Visitation to Cornerstone

Date for your diary: Sunday, 26 January 2025

The Bishop of Oxford’s representatives have completed their report on Cornerstone. The Bishop will attend morning worship at Cornerstone on Sunday, 26 January 2025 and will speak to the Congregation afterwards about the report. There will be a bring-and-share lunch.

Offering

Sending out Prayer

Lord, help us to reflect you at work.
Help us to reflect you at school.
Help us to reflect you at home.
Help us to reflect you when we’re out.
Help us to reflect you with our friends.
Help us to reflect you to our neighbours.
Shine your light so all may see your love this Christmas.

Amen

Hymn: It’s me, it’s me, it’s me, O Lord

Hymn: Tell out, my soul

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings, give my spirit voice;
tender to me the promise of your word;
in God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his name!
Make know his might, the deeds his arm has done;
his mercy sure, from age to age the same;
his holy name, the Lord, the mighty one.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by.
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,
the hungry fed, the humble lifted high.

Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm in his promise, and his mercy sure.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
to children’s children and for evermore!

Timothy Dudley-Smith (1926–2024)
based on Luke 1: 46–51
CCL31580

Blessing

Be people of peace. Let peace live in your heart and share the peace of Christ with all you meet
Share peace by acting out of compassion and not fear. Share peace by listening to all sides of the story.
Share peace by praying for our world. In this Advent season, we need to see, feel, and share peace.
As you go out into the wonder of God’s creations, share peace and hope with those you meet.

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, we will.

Amen