Preacher & Celebrant: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Gathering Music

Welcome

God of hospitality and refuge, come to us here in this place of security and safety.
Remind us that you are the God Almighty; large enough for all people, all nations, all tongues.
Help us, with the presence of your Holy Spirit,
to be able to create space for those who seek asylum and refuge.

[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: A new commandment I give unto you

A new commandment I give unto you,
that you love one another as I have loved you,
that you love one another as I have loved you.

By this shall all men know that you are my disciples,
if you have love one for another.
By this shall all men know that you are my disciples,
if you have love one for another.

A new commandment I give unto you, …

You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Without my help you can do nothing.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Without my help you can do nothing.

A new commandment I give unto you, …

I am the true vine, my Father is the gardener.
Abide in me: I will be with you.
I am the true vine, my Father is the gardener.
Abide in me: I will be with you.

A new commandment I give unto you, …

True love is patient, not arrogant nor boastful;
love bears all things, love is eternal.
True love is patient, not arrogant nor boastful;
love bears all things, love is eternal.

A new commandment I give unto you, …

Anonymous, based on John 13: 34–35)
CCL31580

Prayer of Approach

Come, O people of God, let us worship the Lord.
Let us kneel before the Lord, our God and maker.

Gathered, as we are, from east and west, from south and north.
We do not adhere to earthly categories or worldly distinctions.

Here, it does not matter what language we speak or what land we come from.
It does not matter how we got here or how long it has been

In this place, we are no longer strangers and aliens,
we are all citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

Amen

Confession

Truth-telling and truth-giving God, we confess that very often we hide from truth.
You call us to stand straight and tall in the sunlight,
when we would prefer to crouch and stumble in the dark.
You call us to open our eyes wide and to see your world, in all its complexity and confusion,
all its shades of good and bad,
when we, all too often prefer black and white categories and simple explanations.

We confess that we often know you are calling us in the big and small moments of our day
and yet we live as if this were not true,
as if you were not offering us abundant life in every moment.

Forgive us God for preferring a quiet life to a full life,
a half-truth to the full truth of your love for us and all creation.

[Silence]

Sisters and brother, friends of God, do not despair,
you are precious to God and God never tires of calling and inviting you
into the full life God has in store for us all.
Rejoice! You are called!
Rejoice! You are loved!

Amen

Prayer of the Week

Restless God, we know that you never rest in your love and concern for all of creation.
We know that you ceaselessly search us out,
calling us to be here together in prayer and song and word.
We know that you do not rest until justice rains down on the earth and until mercy flows like a river.
We are your people, your community, your family.
Today we open ourselves to your restless Spirit,
God of all creation we live in expectation of your work in our lives.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Hebrews 13: 1–2

Read by Katherine Wheldon

Concluding Exhortations

¹ Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. ² Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

NIV®

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

Matthew 25: 31–46

Read by Rosemary Kearsey

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 ill 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 ill 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 ill 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 ill 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.

Meditation

Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga in conversation with Zahra

[Silence]

Affirmation of Faith

We are not alone.
We live in God’s world.
We believe in God, who has freely given the Holy Spirit
to bind us together as a community of grace.
We believe that the Spirit can lead us in the discovery of truth,
in the pursuit of justice, and in the practice of caring for one another.
In our homes, in the church and in the community,
the Spirit offers us inspiration and courage.
We are not alone.

Thanks be to God.

Amen

Prayers and Intercessions

Led by Adrian Boynton

The Peace

God has made us one in Christ.
He has set his seal upon us and, as a pledge of what is to come,
has given the Spirit to dwell in our hearts.

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

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Hymn: When I needed a neighbour

When I needed a neighbour were you there, were you there?
When I needed a neighbour were you there?
And the name and the colour and the creed won’t matter were you there?

I was hungry and thirsty, were you there, were you there?
I was hungry and thirsty, were you there?
And the name and the colour and the creed won’t matter were you there?

I was cold, I was naked, were you there, were you there?
I was cold, I was naked, were you there?
And the name and the colour and the creed won’t matter were you there?

When I needed a shelter were you there, were you there?
When I needed a shelter were you there?
And the name and the colour and the creed won’t matter were you there?

When I needed a healer were you there, were you there?
When I needed a healer were you there?
And the name and the colour and the creed won’t matter were you there?

Wherever you travel, I’ll be there, I’ll be there.
Wherever you travel, I’ll be there.
And the name and the colour and the creed won’t matter I’ll be there.

Sydney Carter (1915–2004)
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 forever 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

Draw near with faith.
Receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christ which he gave for you,
and his blood which he shed for you.
Eat and drink in remembrance that he died for you,
and feed on him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.

Post Communion Prayer

Eternal God, giver of love and power,
your Son Jesus Christ has sent us into all the world to preach the gospel of his kingdom:
confirm us in this mission, and help us to live the good news we proclaim;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Notices

Secretary to the CIO Trustees

It was reported at our Congregational Meeting last Sunday (11 June 2023) that Cheryl Montgomery has agreed to be Secretary to the new CIO Trustees. We offer Cheryl our full support in this ne role.

World Refugee Day

6.30 pm Tuesday, 20 June 2023 at the Milton Keynes Rose

Cornerstone Prayer Network

Prayer is central to our Christian fellowship. The Cornerstone Prayer Network is here for people who have asked us to pray for them. Please send your prayer requests to cornerstonechurch.prayernetwork@gmail.com and the details will be passed on to the members of the Prayer Network. If your prayer request is for someone else, please check with them before sending details to the Cornerstone Prayer Network.

If you would like to become a member of the Cornerstone Prayer Network, please send your details by email to cornerstonechurch.prayernetwork@gmail.com, or speak to June Halstead after a Service in the church.

Church Picnic and Guided Walk

10.30 am Saturday, 15 July 2023 in Campbell Park

We are hoping to have a Church Picnic on 15 July 2023 from 10.30 am until about 1.30–2.00 pm in Campbell Park. It will include a Guided Walk through Campbell Park lasting about an hour. We need to have an idea of numbers so we can arrange enough stewards and helpers. The plan for the day would be:

From 10.30 am: arrive in Campbell Park
11.00 am – 12.00 noon: Guided Walk
12.00 noon onwards: Picnic and fellowship

Please note: No children without a parent. There are no toilet facilities in the park.

On this occasion you would bring your own picnic lunch and drink.

If you would like to take part, please clearly print your name and mobile phone number on the sign-up sheet in Reception.

Cheryl Montgomery, Eco-Church Group

Offering

Hymn: We are marching in the light of God

We are marching in the light of God.
We are marching in the light of God.
We are marching in the light of God.
We are marching in the light of God.
We are marching, marching;
we are marching, Oh, Oh.
We are marching in the light of God.
We are marching, marching;
we are marching, Oh, Oh.
We are marching in the light of God.

Anders Nyberg (b. 1955)
CCL31580

Blessing

Merciful God, whose Son became a refugee and had no place to call his own’
look with mercy on those who today are fleeing from danger, homeless and hungry.
Bless those who work to bring them relief; inspire generosity and compassion in all our hearts;
and guide the nations of the world towards that day
when all will rejoice in your commonwealth of justice and of peace.
And the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.

Amen

Dismissal

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

Amen