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

Gathering Music

Welcome

Loving God, ever present, ever faithful, we come to you on this new day,
among old and new friends, with our sorrows and our joys, with our hopes and our failures.
Where we have lost our way, show us a new path.
Where we have lost our sense of your presence, touch our hearts;
and where we have forgotten those in need, nudge our spirits,
that we may serve those around us with a lightness of touch and a depth of compassion
that reflects your loving concern for all.

Amen

[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: Praise, my soul, the King of heaven!

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven!
To his feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
who like me his praise should sing?
Praise him! Praise him! [×2] Praise the everlasting king!

Praise him for his grace and favour
to our fathers in distress;
praise him still the same for ever,
slow to chide and swift to bless.
Praise him! Praise him! [×2] Glorious in his faithfulness!

Father-like he tends and spares us;
well our feeble frame he knows;
in his hands he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes.
Praise him! Praise him! [×2] Widely as his mercy flows.

Angels, help us to adore him;
ye behold him face to face;
sun and moon bow down before him,
dwellers all in time and space.
Praise him! Praise him! [×2] Praise with us the God of grace!

Henry Francis Lyte (1793–1847)
CCL31580

Confession

God of compassion and peace, forgive us when we don’t hear the cries of your children:
attune our hearts and increase our love.

God of compassion and peace, forgive us when we don’t hear the silence of the oppressed:
attune our hearts and increase our love.

God of compassion and peace, forgive us when we don’t hear the words of challenge
attune our hearts and increase our love.

God of compassion and peace, forgive us when we don’t hear our own words of hypocrisy:
attune our hearts and increase our love.

[Silence]

Lord of our highs and our lows: when we are sorry, you forgive us;
when we are weary, you refresh us;
when we are jaded, you encourage us;
when we feel forgotten, you reach out and remind us of your ever-present and eternal love.
And so we trust you for today, believe in you for tomorrow and will praise you for all eternity –
in Jesus’ name.

Amen

Prayer of the Week

Loving God, we praise and thank you that through the saving work of your Son Jesus,
healing and life have been given to us.
Jesus’ life transforms ours, revealing hidden depths and strengths
where we only see doubt and limitations.
Thank you for the purpose that living with Jesus brings to our lives.
We know we haven’t earned what we now enjoy; it is a free gift by your Grace.
As we realise more and more fully how much Jesus means to us,
may we, like the Apostle Paul, be able to spend our lives showing others the difference Jesus makes.
Help us make ourselves all things to all people for the sake of the Good News.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Isaiah 40: 21–31

Read by Kudakwashe Matare

²¹ Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
²² He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
²³ He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
²⁴ No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

²⁵ ‘To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One.
²⁶ Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

²⁷ Why do you complain, Jacob?
Why do you say, Israel,
‘My way is hidden from the Lord;
my cause is disregarded by my God’?
²⁸ Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no-one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

NIV®

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

Hymn: Lord, Jesus Christ

Lord Jesus Christ.
you have come to us,
You are one with us,
Mary’s son
Cleansing our souls from all their sin,
pouring your love and goodness in,
Jesus our love for you we sing,
living Lord.

Lord Jesus Christ.
now and every day
teach us how to pray,
Son of God.
You have commanded us to do
this in remembrance, Lord, of you:
into our lives your power breaks through,
living Lord.

Lord Jesus Christ.
you have come to us,
born as one of us,
Mary’s son
Led out to die on Calvary,
risen from death to set us free,
living Lord Jesus, help us see
you are Lord.

Lord Jesus Christ.
I would come to you,
live my life for you,
Son of God.
All your commands I know are true,
your many gifts will make me new:
into my life your power breaks through,
living Lord.

Patrick Appleford (1924–2018)
CCL31580

Mark 1: 29–39

Read by Bob Collard

Jesus Heals Many

²⁹ As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. ³⁰ Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. ³¹ So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.

³²That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all who were ill and demon-possessed. ³³ The whole town gathered at the door, ³⁴and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place

³⁵Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. ³⁶ Simon and his companions went to look for him, ³⁷ and when they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!’

³⁸ Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so that I can preach there also. That is why I have come.’ ³⁹ So he travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

NIV®

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

Meditation

By Revd George Mwaura

[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 Maggie Kean

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: Seek ye first the Kingdom of God

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God,
and his righteousness,
and all these things shall be added unto you;
allelu, alleluia.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
allelu, alleluia.

Ask and it shall be given unto you,
seek and ye shall find.;
knock and itshall be opened unto you;
allelu, alleluia.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
allelu, alleluia.

We shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word
that proceeds from the mouth of God;
allelu, alleluia.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
allelu, alleluia.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia,
allelu, alleluia.

Karen Lafferty (1948–2013)
CCL31580

The Thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.
Through your goodness we have this bread to set before you,
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 set before you,
fruit of the vine and work of human hands.
It will become for us the cup of salvation.

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

Congregational Meeting

12.30 pm this Sunday (4 February 2024) by Zoom:

You are warmly invited to join the meeting by Zoom. It will be a short meeting, updating the Congregation about the progress to CIO, and requesting a vote on this motion::

The Ecumenical Council asks the Congregational Meeting on 4 February 2024 to extend the terms of office of its current officers and members until the date the CIO Board of Trustees becomes operational.

Pat Kyd, Clerk to the Ecumenical Partnership

Funeral of Kay Severgnini

12.15 pm Thursday, 8 February 2024 at the Crematorium

Kay’s funeral will take place at Milton Keynes Crematorium at 12.15 pm this coming Thursday (8 February 2024). The Cornerstone Café will be closed to allow Trading Company staff and volunteers to attend the funeral. Kay was a valued member of our staff in the Cornerstone Café. Please remember Kay’s three children and her family in your prayers.

Lent Vigil for Climate Justice

5.30–6.30 pm Ash Wednesday, 14 February 2024,
Church of Christ the Cornerstone, Milton Keynes

As the climate crisis wreaks havoc on our global neighbours, we will pray and demand bold action during Lent. Christian Aid together with Green Christian, A Rocha, Tearfund and others will gather from Ash Wednesday (14 February) to hold a vigil for 10 days, 24 hours a day outside the UK Parliament, as well as in churches and homes during this period. You are invited to join the Lent Vigil for Climate Justice that will be taking place at the Church of Christ the Cornerstone, in Milton Keynes on 14^th February (Ash Wednesday) from 5.30 – 6.30pm. Please do join us. For more information please go to the Christian Aid website: https://www.christianaid.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/climate-change/nfiff-lent-vigil-climate-justice#:~:text=As%20the%20climate%20crisis%20wreaks,Prayer%20is%20powerful.

Cornerstone Eco Church Core Group

Lent Studies 2024

This year our Lent Study will be offered on three evenings each week starting in the week after Ash Wednsday: Tuesdays with Rosemary Kearsey, Wednesdays with the regular Bible Study Group and Thursdays with Stuart Kean. We aim to use the series prepared by Green Christian, Calling a Wounded Earth Home, which is based on five themes: Love, Truth, Wisdom, Justice and Hope. If you are interested in coming, please send an email to Mark in the office (admin@cornerstonemk.co.uk). You can find out more about Green Christian at https://greenchristian.org.uk.

Cheryl Montgomery

Training for Readers and Intercessors

Philip Allsop (who represents Fr Francis) has made a very kind offer of training for readers and intercessors. The Catholic cluster organise such training every now and again and have two excellent people to do the training. Philip is happy to hold their next training at Cornerstone and open it up to any of our readers and intercessors. It has been scheduled for 7.30–9.00 pm on Monday, 18 March 2024 in the Worship Area.

If you are interested in honing your reading skills or would like to get some training to become a reader, please let me or June know.

Brian Halstead, brianhalstead@hotmail.co.uk

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.

Amen

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