Presiding Minister: Revd Dr Margaret Goodall

Call to Worship

Come, children of God, and be welcomed here as you are.
We gather here to worship God.

Come, children of God, and be fed at the Lord’s Table.
We come to receive what we need for our journey.

Come, children of God, and let us find encouragement for our faith.
We come to receive God’s blessing and share it with others.

Come, let us worship God.

Hymn: Sing of the Lord’s goodness

Sing of the Lord’s goodness,
Father of all wisdom,
come to him and bless his name.
Mercy he has shown to us,
his love is for ever,
faithful to the end of days.

Come then all you nations,
sing of your Lord’s goodness,
melodies of praise and thanks to God.
Ring out the Lord’s glory,
praise him with your music,
worship him and bless his name.

Power he has wielded,
honour is his garment,
risen from the snares of death.
His word he has spoken,
one bread he has broken,
new life he now gives to all.

Come then all you nations, …

Courage in our darkness,
comfort in our sorrow,
Spirit of our God most high;
solace for the weary,
pardon for the sinner,
splendour of the living God.

Come then all you nations, …

Praise him with your singing,
praise him with the trumpet,
praise God with the lute and harp;
praise him with the cymbals,
praise him with your dancing,
praise God to the end of days.

Come then all you nations, …

Ernest Sands (1949–2016)
CCL31580

Prayer of Adoration and Confession

Gracious God, we join today in the joy that comes through your love;
through the nourishment of Jesus, our shepherd and our guide,
the one who feeds us in mind and in body; through the sustenance of the Spirit,
and the knowledge that you are with us as we face the highs and lows, the struggles and joys of this life.

Ever-present God, strengthen us today in faith as we each struggle, hope, and pray
for the faithfulness to follow you in these difficult times.

Merciful God, forgive us by your love and grace, for the times we fail to live up to your commands.
Renew within us the assurance that you hold us in the palm of your hand;
supporting, strengthening, and loving us always.

Forgive us, merciful God, for all that we would bring to you now:

[Silence]

Out of an abundance of grace, love, and mercy, God forgives you.
Accept the peace that this brings in hope and faith.
Free your minds to love and be loved.
In Jesus’ name and for his sake.

Amen

Prayer of the Week

Almighty God,
Your Son Jesus Christ fed the hungry with the bread of his Life
and the Word of his Kingdom.
Renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our struggle and weakness sustain us by the true and living bread, Jesus our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen

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.

John Newton (1725–1807)
CCL31580

Ministry of the Word

Genesis 32: 22–31

Read by Katherine Wheldon

Jacob Wrestles with God

²² That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ²³ After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. ²⁴ So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. ²⁶ Then the man said, ‘Let me go, for it is daybreak.’

But Jacob replied, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’

²⁷ The man asked him, ‘What is your name?’

‘Jacob,’ he answered.

²⁸ Then the man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.’

²⁹ Jacob said, ‘Please tell me your name.’

But he replied, ‘Why do you ask my name?’ Then he blessed him there.

³⁰ So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.’

³¹The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.

NIV®

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

Matthew 14: 13–21

Read by Chibby Chima-Okoro

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

¹³ When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed those who were ill.

¹⁵ As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so that they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.’

¹⁶Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’

¹⁷ ‘We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered.

¹⁸ ‘Bring them here to me,’ he said. ¹⁹ And he told the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹ The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

NIV®

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

Sermon

Revd Dr Margaret Goodall

Musical Reflection

Affirmation of Faith

We affirm the faith of the Church:

We believe in God who made the world.
We believe in Jesus Christ who redeemed humankind
We believe in the Holy Spirit who gives life to the people of God.

Amen

Prayers of Intercessions

Led by Maggie Kean

Prayer for Hiroshima

Musical Reflection

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

Hymn: We cannot measure how you heal

We cannot measure how you heal
or answer every sufferer’s prayer,
yet we believe your grace responds
where faith and doubt unite to care.
Your hands, though bloodied on the cross,
survive to heal and hold and warn,
to carry all through death to life
and cradle children yet unborn.

The pain that will not go away,
the guilt that clings from things long past,
the fear of what the future holds,
are present as if meant to last.
But present too is love which tends
the hurt we never hoped to find,
the private agonies inside,
the memories that haunt the mind.

So some have come who need your help
and some have come to make amends,
as hands which shaped and saved the world
are present in the touch of friends.
Lord, let your Spirit meet us here
to mend the body, mind and soul,
to disentangle peace from pain
and make your broken people whole.

John L. Bell and Graham Maude (1989)
CCL31580

The Communion

The hands of God are engraved with our names.
The heart of God holds us in an unbreakable embrace
The compassion of God frees us from the power of hatred, selfishness and death.
We thank you, God of Love,
that you never abandon or neglect us.

In our moments of rebellion, God is patient.
In our quest for independence, God is faithful.
In our ignorance and pride, God is kind and gentle.
We thank you, God of Love,
that you continually seek and save the lost.

When we had broken relationship with God, Jesus called us home.
He shared a meal with his friends, and shared his life with the world.
In Christ, the world is reconciled to God.

As he lifted the bread and blessed it, Jesus gave it a new power:
This is my flesh, broken so that you may be whole.

As he lifted the cup and blessed it, Jesus transformed its purpose:
This is my life-blood, given so that you may have life.

As he gave the bread and wine to his friends, he gives himself to us in this meal.

We are broken people, with broken lives and relationships.
We struggle to know ourselves worthy of God’s love.
It is your compassion and goodness that invite us to this meal;

To this moment of healing.
Feed us, and reconcile us with ourselves, with others and with you.
For Christ’s sake.

Amen

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body because we all share in the one bread.

[Communion is received.]

We Offer Ourselves

Thank you, Loving God:
for sharing this meal with us;
for sharing your life with us;
For sharing your promise of eternity with us now.

We go as agents of God’s love and power:
to reconcile the divided,
to restore the fragmented,
and to embrace the rejected,
in his Name.

We go to tell the story of a Kingdom where all are welcome and at one.
Where God’s world finds its purpose in the eternal song of love.

The unearned favour of Christ,
the unending love of God
and the unbroken friendship of the Holy Spirit
be with us always.

Amen

Notices

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.

Revd Dr Margaret Goodall

Our guest priest at Holy Communion this Sunday morning is Revd Dr Margaret Goodall. Margaret is a member of Cornerstone, and of the Cornerstone church choir and is well known to many of us. Margaret is a Methodist Minister in the Milton Keynes Circuit with responsibility for Deanshanger and Stony Stratford Methodist Churches. She has also worked as a chaplain with MHA, with a particular interest in the needs of those with dementia.

The beautiful lectern fall painted on silk, the banner and Margaret’s stole were designed and created by Yvonne Bell, Christian artist and vestment maker. You can see more of her wonderful designs on her website: https://www.christian-art.vpweb.co.uk/.

Sunday Stewards

After many, many years of stalwart service Kate Abrahams is standing down from organising the rotas for Sunday stewards, readers and prayer leaders. We are really grateful to Kate for her years of dedicated service to Cornerstone.

Brian Halstead has been appointed Senior Steward, and will be responsible, in partnership with June Halstead, for overseeing the stewards, readers and prayer leaders for our Sunday morning services.

If you would like to take a more active role in our Sunday worship, as a steward, reader or prayer leader, please speak to Brian after church, or speak to one of the stewards on duty.

Can you beat Father Francis?

Milton Keynes Churches Fantasy Football League 2023–24

For several years now, there has been a Milton Keynes Churches league for Fantasy Football. In case you have not come across Fantasy Football before, be assured that playing it requires nothing more energetic than typing on your computer or smart phone. You choose players from the English Premiership for your fantasy team then get points according to how they perform each week. It costs nothing and is just a bit of fun!

It turns out that our Father Francis is a skilled Fantasy Football manager and has been top, or close to top, of the Milton Keynes Churches league every year to date! Let’s try to topple him for the coming season.

If you were in the Churches league last season you should be automatically joined to the league again this season. If you already have a Fantasy Football team but were not in this league previously, the code to join is axq1gc, or select this link: https://fantasy.premierleague.com/leagues/auto-join/axq1gc.

If you are new to Fantasy football, use the link above then select the ‘Sign up now’ button to ‘Register to Play Fantasy Premier League’. The season starts next Friday (11 August 2023), so make sure you sign up before then.

David Chapman

Offering

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.

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

Daily doth th’Almighty giver
bounteous gifts on us bestow;
his desire our soul delighteth,
pleasure leads us where we go.
Love doth stand
at his hand;
joy doth wait on his command.

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 Bridges (1844–1930)
CCL31580

Blessing

May the love of the Lord Jesus draw us to himself.
May the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen us in his service
and many the joy of the Lord Jesus fill our souls.
And the grace of God be with you now and for ever.

Amen

Dismissal

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

Amen