Remembering those affected by the pandemic

Preacher: Revd George Mwaura
Celebrant: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Please note that the video feed will go live from around 9:50 am and will be switched off after the service.
A separate video feed of the choir is available here.

Gathering Music

Welcome

We look not to the things that are seen
but to the things that are unseen;
for the things that are seen are transient
but the things that are unseen are eternal.

We meet in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen

Grace and mercy be with you
and also with you.

[Silence]

Opening Prayer

God our refuge and strength, close at hand in our distress;
meet us in our sorrow and lift our eyes to the peace and light of your constant care.
Help us so to hear your word of grace that our fear will be dispelled by your love,
our loneliness eased by your presence and our hope renewed by your promises
in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Hymn: All my hope on God is founded

All my hope on God is founded;
he doth still my trust renew.
Me through change and chance he guideth,
only good and only true.
God unknown, he alone
calls my heart to be his own.

Pride of man and earthly glory,
sword and crown betray God’s trust;
what with lavish care man buildeth,
tower and temple, fall to dust.
But God’s power, hour by hour,
is my temple and my tower.

God’s great goodness ay endureth,
deep his wisdom, passing thought.
splendour, life and light attend him,
beauty springeth out of nought.
Evermore, from his store
new-born worlds rise and adore.

Still from man to God eternal
sacrifice of praise be done,
high above all praises praising
for the gift of Christ his Son.
Christ doth call one and all,
ye who follow shall not fall.

Robert S. Bridges (1844–1930)
based on ‘Mein Hoffnung stehet feste’ by Joachim Neander (1650–1680)
CCL31580

We Remember …

Today we come together to remember before God
all those who were affected by the pandemic.

We remember all those who died without the comfort of their families…
We remember them.

We remember the families who were deprived to say the final goodbye to their beloved ones…
We remember them.

We remember the pain and the suffering of the world affected by the global pandemic…
We remember them.

We remember all those still living in self-isolation…
We remember them.

We remember the doctors, nurses and hospital staff who lost their lives working on the line of duty…
We remember them.

We remember those workers, quite often unrewarded and invisible in the eyes of society,
who did not stop working during the pandemic…
We remember them.

We remember the scientific community for working together
for the wellbeing of humanity bringing in record time a vaccine…
We remember them.

We remember the media that kept us informed during the lockdown…
We remember them.

We remember the politicians and how they dealt with the pandemic…
We remember them.

We remember friends and family we lost during the pandemic…
We remember them.

We acknowledge our own pain and grief …
We trust that God’s grace will heal our memories.

[Silence]

Prayer of the Week

Loving God, in weakness or in strength we bear your image.
We pray for those we love who now live in a land of shadows,
where the light of memory is dimmed, where the familiar lies unknown,
where the beloved become as strangers.
Hold them in your everlasting arms, and grant to those who care a strength to serve,
a patience to persevere, a love to last and a peace that passes human understanding.
Hold us in your everlasting arms, today and for all eternity; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Leviticus 10: 1–7

The Death of Nadab and Abihu

¹ Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorised fire before the Lord, contrary to his command. ² So fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. ³ Moses then said to Aaron, ‘This is what the Lord spoke of when he said:

‘ “Among those who approach me
I will be proved holy;
in the sight of all the people
I will be honoured.” ’

Aaron remained silent.

⁴ Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, ‘Come here; carry your cousins outside the camp, away from the front of the sanctuary.’ ⁵ So they came and carried them, still in their tunics, outside the camp, as Moses ordered.

⁶ Then Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, ‘Do not let your hair become unkempt and do not tear your clothes, or you will die and the Lord will be angry with the whole community. But your relatives, all the Israelites, may mourn for those the Lord has destroyed by fire. ⁷ Do not leave the entrance to the tent of meeting or you will die, because the Lord’s anointing oil is on you.’ So they did as Moses said.

NIV®

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

Psalm 23 The Lord’s my shepherd [Townsend version] Sung

John 20: 1–10

The Empty Tomb

¹ Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. ² So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!’

³ So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. ⁴ Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, ⁷ as well as the cloth that had been wrapped round Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. ⁸ Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. ⁹ (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

NIV®

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

Meditation

By Revd George Mwaura

Choral response

Prayers and Intercessions

The Peace

Peace to you from God, who is our Father.
Peace from Jesus Christ, who is our peace.
Peace from the Holy Spirit, who gives us life.

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

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Hymn: Amazing Grace

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, trials and snares
I have already come.
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me;
his word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be
as long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
and mortal life shall cease:
I shall possess, within the veil,
a life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
the sun forbear to shine;
but God, who called me here below,
shall be forever mine.

John Newton (1725–1807)
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 [Said]

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

Revd Eric Allen

It is with sadness that we have learnt that Eric Allen died early this morning (Saturday, 13 November 2021) after a long struggle, a blessing for him and Joan. His family will value your prayers, and are grateful for all they have been receiving.

Eric had a long and distinguished career as a URC Minister, serving towards the end of his ministry as Moderator of the Merseyside Synod (working alongside those eminent ecumenists Derek Warlock and David Sheppard).

When he retired to Milton Keynes he became an active member of Cornerstone and continued to foster ecumenical relationships between many churches. He participated in the Milton Keynes – Leipzig Link, spent much time at Willen Priory, and was a regular visitor to Turvey Abbey.

The funeral will be at Cornerstone at 1.00 pm on Monday, 6 December 2021. The service will be followed by a burial at the Olney Green burial ground, which will be attended by family only. After the service there will be refreshments available at the Holiday Inn at J14 and the family will join friends as soon as the burial is completed.

Please remember in your prayers Eric’s daughter Kay and her two brothers and, of course, dear Joan as they live through these early days following Eric’s death.

Sunday Morning Services

After discussion at the meeting on Tuesday (16 November 2021), the Ministerial Leadership team have decided that the single Sunday morning service at 10.00 am will continue until the New Year 2022, when restarting an earlier service at 9.00 am will be considered.

Volunteers to provide stewarding for two Sunday morning services would be essential. Please let Kate Abrahams know if you can help.

Advent Study Groups

Advent begins next Sunday (28 November 2021) and then our Advent Study Groups start (from Tuesday, 30 November 2021). There will be four groups, and although the sessions on Tuesday and Thursday are fully subscribed, there are spaces available in the group led by Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga at 11.00 am on Wednesday and in the sessions for the Wednesday Bible study group at 7.00 pm on Wednesday. If you would like to join Ernesto’s group on Wednesday mornings, please notify Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga before the first session on Wednesday, 1 December 2021. If you would like to join the Wednesday evening group, please contact Robin Kyd.

The material we will be using is:
Unwrapping Advent: Celebrating the Wonder of Jesus’ Arrival Then and Now by Margaret Feinberg.
This material can be downloaded free as a PDF from:
https://margaretfeinberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Unwrapping-Advent-Devotional.pdf.

Offering

Thank you
to everyone who has continued giving through our regular schemes during these past months.
Your generosity has been amazing and much appreciated.
We couldn’t have carried on without you.

We have various ways in which you can continue to give your offering in support of the Church.

For details please contact the Stewardship Secretary, Janet Trimnell, at steward.cccmk@gmail.com

Full details are also available on our website at: www.cornerstonemk.co.uk/giving.

Hymn: Lord of all hopefulness

Lord of all hopefulness,
Lord of all joy,
whose trust, ever child-like,
no cares could destroy,
be there at our waking,
and give us, we pray,
your bliss in our hearts, Lord,
at the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness,
Lord of all faith,
whose strong hands were skilled
at the plane and the lathe,
be there at our labours,
and give us, we pray,
your strength in our hearts, Lord,
at the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness,
Lord of all grace,
your hands swift to welcome,
your arms to embrace,
be there at our homing,
and give us, we pray,
your love in our hearts, Lord,
at the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness,
Lord of all calm,
whose voice is contentment,
whose presence is balm,
be there at our sleeping,
and give us, we pray,
your peace in our hearts, Lord,
at the end of the day.

Jan Struther (Joyce Placzek) (1901–1953)
CCL31580

Blessing

God be in your head, and in your understanding;
God be in your eyes, and in your looking;
God be in your mouth, and in your speaking;
God be in your heart, and in your thinking;
God be at your end, and at your departing.
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