Preacher: Venerable Katrina Scott,
Archdeacon of Cheltenham
and Acting Archdeacon of Gloucester

Presiding Minister: Revd George Mwaura

Call to Worship

Come, people of God, come as living stones, built into a spiritual house. Come to the One who is the Cornerstone, chosen and precious. Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God, trust also in Christ, who prepares a place for us.

We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, called out of darkness into marvellous light.
Let us worship God with joy and thanksgiving.

Amen

Greetings and Welcome

Hymn: Christ is made the sure foundation

Christ is made the sure foundation,
Christ the head and corner-stone,
chosen of the Lord, and precious,
binding all the Church in one,
holy Sion’s help for ever,
and her confidence alone.

All that dedicated city,
dearly loved of God on high,
in exultant jubilation
pours perpetual melody,
God the One in Three adoring
in glad hymns eternally.

To this temple where we call you
come, O Lord of Hosts today;
with you wonted loving kindness
hear your people as they pray,
and your fullest benediction
shed within its walls alway.

Here vouchsafe to all your servants
what they ask of you to gain,
what they gain of you fir ever
with the blessed to retain,
and hereafter in your glory
evermore with you to reign.

Praise and honour to the Father,
praise and honour to the Son,
praise and honour to the Spirit,
ever Three and ever One,
consubstantial, co-eternal,
while unending ages run.

tr. J.M.Neale (1818–1866)
CCL31580

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Confession

Living God, we thank you that in Christ you call us your own:
a chosen people, a holy nation, your beloved, gathered and built together in your love.
You have brought us out of darkness into light, given us a place in your household,
and shown us the way that leads to life.

Yet we confess that we do not always trust you.
Our hearts are often troubled, our faith uncertain, our hope fragile.
We forget that Christ is the way, and we turn instead to our own paths.
We fail to live as your people, not proclaiming your goodness, not reflecting your mercy.
Forgive us, Lord. Restore our trust in you.
Build us again as living stones, firmly set upon Christ, our Cornerstone.
By your grace, renew us, that we may live as your people, and walk in your light.

Amen

[Silence]

Kyrie

Prayer of the Week

Risen Lord Jesus, you are the way, the truth, and the life, and in you we are made a holy people.
Build us together as living stones in your spiritual house,
strengthen us to trust you when our hearts are troubled,
and lead us in the path that brings us to the Father; that, proclaiming your goodness,
we may live in your light and share your love in the world;
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

1 Peter 2: 2–10

Read by Chibby Chima-Okoro

² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

The living Stone and a chosen people

⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him – ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For in Scripture it says:

‘See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.’

⁷ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,

‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,’

⁸ and,

‘A stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall.’

They stumble because they disobey the message – which is also what they were destined for.

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

NIV®

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

Hymn: The church’s one foundation

The church’s one foundation
is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
she is his new creation
by water and the Word;
from heaven he came and sought her
to be his holy bride,
with his own blood he bought her,
and for her life he died.

Elect from every nation,
yet one o’er all the earth,
her charter of salvation
one Lord, one faith, one birth;
one holy name she blesses,
partakes one holy food,
and to one hope she presses,
with every grace endued.

’Mid toil, and tribulation,
and tumult of her war,
she waits the consummation
of peace for evermore;
till with the vision glorious
her longing eyes are blest,
and the great Church victorious
shall be the Church at rest.

Yet she on earth hath union
with God the Three in One,
and mystic sweet communion
with those whose rest is one:
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we,
like them, the meek and lowly,
on high may dwell with thee.

S.J. Stone (1839–1900)
CCL31580

John 14: 1–14

Read by Adrian Boynton

Jesus comforts his disciples

¹ ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.’

Jesus the way to the Father

⁵ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’

⁶ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’

⁸ Philip said, ‘Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.’

⁹ Jesus answered: ‘Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. ¹¹ Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

NIV®

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

Sermon

By Venerable Katrina Scott,
Archdeacon of Cheltenham and Acting Archdeacon of Gloucester

Musical Meditation

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in God, who calls us out of darkness into marvellous light.
We believe in Jesus Christ, the living stone, rejected yet chosen,
the way, the truth, and the life, who reveals the Father and prepares a place for us
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who builds us together as God’s people,
a royal Priesthood, a holy nation, called to proclaim God’s mighty acts.
We belong to God, and we will trust in him, now and always.

Amen

Sharing the Peace

Christ is our peace. In him we are built together as one body, a dwelling place for God.
Friends, may the peace of the Risen Lord Jesus be always with you.
and also with you.

Let us share a sign of Christ’s peace and wave to those watching on the live stream.

Hymn: Be still, for the presence of the Lord

Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here.
Come, bow before him now, with reverence and fear.
In him no sin is found, we stand on holy ground.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here.

Be still, for the glory of the Lord is shining all around;
he burns with holy fire, with splendour he is crowned.
How awesome is the sight, our radiant King of light!
Be still, for the glory of the Lord is shining all around.

Be still, for the power of the Lord is moving in this place,
he comes to cleanse and heal, to minister his grace.
No work too hard for him, in faith receive from him;
be still, for the power of the Lord is moving in this place.

David J. Evans (b. 1957)
CCL31580

Holy Communion

The Great Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you,
and also with you.

Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.

Glorious God, through the history, legends and law of your people,
in their prophets and their psalms, you showed your purpose for them and us,
and your love for your world. In Jesus, you fulfilled your promises and opened to us your heart.
In his passion and death, we saw both the consequences of our rejection and the depth of your yearning.
Then you raised Jesus from the tomb, a further sign of your love.

In his resurrection you invite us into the company of your eternal joy,
and in his ascension on high you seal as complete his work among us.
So with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven, we praise you for ever, singing:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

Gracious God, your Son at his ascension promised
the disciples that they would be clothed with power from on high.
Send now your Holy Spirit, that we may know the presence of your Son among us,
and that bread broken, and wine outpoured, may be for us his body and his blood.
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 supper 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.

Generous God, your Son told his disciples to stay in the city until they were clothed by the Spirit.
Give courage to those whom you call to stay in places of danger and confusion
when their hearts are full of doubt and disillusion.
Your Son withdrew from the disciples when they did not know what the future would hold.
Be close to all who face an uncertain future and deeply know their need of you.
Your Son’s disciples were then continually in the Temple praising you.
Give your church a fresh outpouring of your Spirit
and make it a blessing to all the children of your earth;
until the completion of your Son’s ministry becomes the completion of your whole creation,
and you are all in all, one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

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

Breaking of the Bread

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.

Invitation to Communion

Jesus says: Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Come to this table, for he is the way, the truth, and the life.

Meal is Shared

Post-Communion Prayer

Risen Lord, you have nourished us as your people and built us into a spiritual house.
Strengthen us to live as your chosen people, proclaiming your goodness,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Notices and Offertory

Katrina Scott

Katrina is currently Archdeacon of Cheltenham in the Diocese of Gloucester. Since her ordination in 2000 she has served in parishes in the city of Coventry and in the rural North Cotswolds before taking up her Archdeacon role in March 2025. She is married to Nick (a prison chaplain) and they have two children, Ruth and Freddie. Katrina and Nick got married at Christ the Cornerstone in 2004.

Katrina was a member of the Church of Christ the Cornerstone from the age of six until her early twenties. She is one of the daughters of Rosemary and David Goldie. She was a member of the Sunday School, youth group and choir, and the community here has been a significant part of her faith journey and vocational story.

Vacancy for Anglican Minister at Cornerstone

The vacancy has now been advertised on the Oxford Diocese website, the Church Times and elsewhere. The closing date for applications is Thursday, 21 May 2026 and interviews are scheduled for 23 & 24 June 2026.

Vestry meeting: 12.00 noon Sunday, 17 May 2026

A Vestry meeting will be held on Sunday 17 May at 12 noon, following the morning Service. This meeting is to elect two additional people to join the Parochial Church Council (PCC) and to elect two churchwardens for the coming year.

If you are interested in joining the PCC or becoming a churchwarden, please contact me on annwilson.mk@googlemail.com You will need a proposer and seconder who are Church members and you can obtain the relevant paperwork from me.

Ann Wilson, Clerk to the PCC, Churchwarden

Christian Aid Week 10–16 May 2026

Bake a Cake

There will be a cake sale after the Service on Sunday, 10 May to raise money for Christian Aid. So we need cakes to sell! Bake a cake using Fairtrade ingredients (sugar and cocoa available in the Church Shop) and bring it along for Sunday morning. Contact Cathy Hampton (c.m.hampton@warwick.ac.uk) for more information.

Fairtrade Stalls 9 & 10 May 2026: Help needed

There will be a Fairtrade stall on Saturday afternoon associated with the Catholic Mass and on Sunday after the Morning Service. Contact Joy Chapman (cjoy.chapman9@gmail.com) with offers of help.

David Chapman, on behalf or the Social Justice Group

Buckinghamshire Historic Churches Trust Ride + Stride 2026

10.00 am – 6.00 pm Saturday, 12 September 2026

The annual Ride + Stride event is a major fund-raising event for the work of the Buckinghamshire Historic Churches Trust. Half the funds collected revert to the local church, and the other half are used to help churches across Buckinghamshire.

At Cornerstone we need somebody to take on the job of coordinator to publicise the event in advance, to arrange for a friendly reception at Cornerstone throughout 10.00 am – 6.00 pm on Saturday, 12 September 2026, with tea and biscuits, to collect a register of Ride + Stride arrivals, and to ensure donations are forwarded to Buckinghamshire Historic Churches Trust after the event.

For more information visit the Ride + Stride page on the Buckinghamshire Historic Churches Trust website: Ride + Stride – Buckinghamshire Historic Churches Trust.

Adrian Yardley

Offertory Prayer

Gracious God, all abundance flows from your endless love.
We humbly present these offerings before you, those placed before your altar today
and those given faithfully throughout the week,
whether shared in person or offered electronically, seen and unseen.
Receive them all as signs of our gratitude and tokens of our trust in you.
Bless these gifts and those who give them, that they may serve your purposes, proclaim your kingdom,
and reflect the generous love revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Hymn: Guide me, O thou great Redeemer

Guide me, O thou great Redeemer,
pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty,
hold me with thy powerful hand;
bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me till I want no more. (×2)

Open now the crystal fountain,
whence the healing stream doth flow;
let the fire and cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through;
strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
be thou still my strength and shield. (×2)

When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside,
death of death, and hell’s destruction,
land me safe on Canaan’s side;
songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to thee. (×2)

Welsh, Willian Williams (1717–1791) tr. Peter and Willian Williams
CCL31580

Blessings and Sending out

May God, who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light,
build you up as living stones in his spiritual house.
And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
be among you and remain with you always.

Amen

Go in the light and peace of Christ, to love and serve the Lord, proclaiming his goodness in all you do.

In the name of Christ, we will.

Amen