Presiding Minister: Revd George Mwaura
Preacher: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Welcome

Come one and all, dressed in the joy of the Lord.
Praise the light of salvation that God has revealed to us in Jesus.
Come, see, listen and hear.

[Silence]

Faithful, ever-present God, show us where to find the treasure that is wisdom,
and to recognise it when we do.
Encourage us to look for it every day, to follow the path that will lead us there – and delight in it.

Amen

Hymn: All glory, laud and honour

All glory, laud, and honour
to thee, Redeemer, King,
to whom the lips of children
made sweet hosannas ring.

Thou art the King of Israel,
thou David’s royal Son,
who in the Lord’s name comest,
the King and blessèd one:
All glory, laud, and honour …

The company of angels
are praising thee on high,
and mortal folk/men and all things
created make reply:
All glory, laud, and honour …

The people of the Hebrews
with palms before thee went;
our praise and prayer and anthems
before thee we present:/span>
All glory, laud, and honour …

To thee before thy passion
they sang their hymns of praise:
to thee now high exapted
our melody we raise:
All glory, laud, and honour …

Thou didst accept their praises,
accept the prayers we bring,
who in all good delightest,
thou good and gracious King:

All glory, laud, and honour
to thee, Redeemer, King,
to whom the lips of children
made sweet hosannas ring.

Theodulph of Orleans (d. 821)
tr. J.M. Neale (1819–1866)
CCL31580

Confession

We are all God’s created ones. Age is no barrier to his voice of wisdom. Wisdom knows no boundaries.
Forgive us, Lord. It is we who put barriers up and boundaries in place.
Forgive us for the obstacles between the generations.
Forgive us for our lack of understanding, our ignorance, our lack of patience, our judgemental behaviour.
Open our eyes and ears to discern your wisdom in others, no matter what age they are.
Help us to see beyond our own lack of imagination or understanding.

[Silence]

Father God, you sent your Son Jesus Christ according to your perfect timetable;
not to satisfy the world but to redeem it.
By his blood, he cleared the way for us to receive full rights as God’s children.
Our sins are forgiven.
Glory be to our Lord and Saviour.

Amen

Prayer of the Week

Abba Father, God of all power and wisdom, your glory shines in all creation.
You knew and loved us long before we came to be, and your love surrounds us now.
We bow before you in joyous exultation.

Jesus, Son of the Most High and King of kings, you were born into a lowly cradle;
love’s heart personified from cradle to cross and beyond to your kingdom throne.
We bow before you in joyous exultation.

Holy Spirit, moving upon the earth communicating and revealing God’s wisdom, love, and power,
you open hearts to receive and transform lives.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we bow before you in joyous exultation.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Psalm 148

Read by Joy Enenche

¹ Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights above.
² Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
³ Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars.
⁴ Praise him, you highest heavens
and you waters above the skies.
⁵ Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for at his command they were created,

⁶ and he established them for ever and ever –
he issued a decree that will never pass away.
⁷ Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

⁸ lightning and hail, snow and clouds,
stormy winds that do his bidding,
⁹ you mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
¹⁰ wild animals and all cattle,
small creatures and flying birds,
¹¹ kings of the earth and all nations,
you princes and all rulers on earth,
¹² young men and women,
old men and children.
¹³ Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his splendour is above the earth and the heavens.

¹⁴ And he has raised up for his people a horn,
the praise of all his faithful servants,
of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Praise the Lord.

NIV®

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

Luke 2: 22–40

Read By Rosemary Kearsey

Jesus Presented in the Temple

²² When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord’), ²⁴ and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: ‘a pair of doves or two young pigeons’.

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, ²⁸ Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

²⁹ ‘Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹ which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.’

³³ The child’s father and mother marvelled at what was said about him. ³⁴ Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: ‘This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, ³⁵ so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.’

³⁶There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷ and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying. ³⁸ Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

³⁹ When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰ And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

NIV®

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

Meditation

By Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

[Silence]

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in the Creator,
the maker of all things.

We believe in the Son,
the redeemer of our broken world.

We believe in the Spirit,
the sacred wind that binds all things together in the family of God.

Creator Father, beloved Son and living Spirit.

Amen

Prayers and Intercessions

Led by Robin Kyd

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 the Lord be always with you.
and also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Hymn: Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all

Jesus, my Lord, my God, my all,
how can I love thee as I ought?
And how revere this wondrous gift
so far surpassing hope of thought?

Sweet Sacrament, we thee adore;
Oh, make us love thee more and more.

Had I but Mary’s sinless heart
To love thee with, my dearest King.
Oh, with what bursts of fervent praise
thy goodness, Jesus, would I sing!

Sweet Sacrament, …

Ah, see! Within a creature’s hand
The vast Creator deigns to be,
reposing, infant-like, as though
on Joseph’s arm, or Mary’s knee.

Sweet Sacrament, …

Thy body, soul, and Godhead, all;
O mystery of love divine!
I cannot compass all I have,
for all thou hast and art are mine.

Sweet Sacrament, …

Come now ye angels to our aid,
sound, sound God’s praises higher still;
’tis God, whose power created us,
and in whose praise creation thrills.

Sweet Sacrament, …

Frederick William Faber (1814–1863)
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.

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

Cornerstone Babies and Toddlers

The Cornerstone Babies and Toddlers resume their activities after the Christmas holidays at 10.00 am on Monday, 8 January 2024.

Cornerstone Café

The Cornerstone Café will be open 9.00 am – 3.00 pm Monday–Friday beginning on Tuesday, 2 January 2023. As well as hot and cold drinks, cakes, sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, panini, hot snacks and soup, the Café also offers various burgers, omelettes, chips and crêpes, all cooked to order. All excellent value.

Donations for flowers at Cornerstone

We invite you to sponsor the flowers in the church on a Sunday – perhaps to mark a special occasion such as an anniversary or birthday, or in memory of a loved one. If you would like to sponsor the flowers, please contact us by leaving a message in the Cornerstone Flowers pigeonhole in Reception or email ratnadevi25@aol.com. A suggested donation of £20–£50 at the time of the request would be very much appreciated two weeks before the date the flowers are required.

To donate online or by telephone banking please use the following account details:

Sort code:                               23 05 80 (Metro Bank)
Account number:                    43302825
Account name:                        The Ecumenical Partnership of Christ the Cornerstone Milton Keynes
Payment reference:                Flower Fund, plus your name

Alternatively, a cheque or cash can be passed to either Katherine Wheldon or myself (Ratna). Please make cheques payable to ‘Church of Christ the Cornerstone’ with your name and ‘Flower Fund’ written at the back.

If you would like to contribute to the floral arrangements but do not wish to sponsor towards a particular Sunday, we are always very grateful for donations of any amount towards the flower fund.

Thank you! Ratna Devi

Offering

Final Prayer

As Jesus came to the river
to do what God wanted,
the Spirit came upon him
to show that God loved him.
Send us out from here
as your beloved children,
filled with the right attitude
to share your love with all the world.

Hymn: Love divine, all loves excelling

Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation,
enter every trembling heart.

Come, almighty to deliver,
let us all thy grace receive;
suddenly return, and never,
never more thy temples leave.
There we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above;
pray, and praise thee, without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.

Finish then thy new creation:
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee;
changed from glory into glory
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
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