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

Gathering Music

Welcome

Come, all who are in need, all who are lonely. Come, young and old, and everyone in between.
Come, if you are hurting and healthy, weary, or happy. Come, whether you are joyful or sad.
Come, to the ‘grace giver’, the one who welcomes us home. Come, and worship our God.

[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: A new commandment I give unto you

A new commandment I give unto you,
that you love one another as I have loved you,
that you love one another as I have loved you.

By this shall all men know that you are my disciples,
if you have love one for another.
By this shall all men know that you are my disciples,
if you have love one for another.

A new commandment I give unto you, …

You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Without my help you can do nothing.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
Without my help you can do nothing.

A new commandment I give unto you, …

I am the true vine, my Father is the gardener.
Abide in me: I will be with you.
I am the true vine, my Father is the gardener.
Abide in me: I will be with you.

A new commandment I give unto you, …

True love is patient, not arrogant nor boastful;
love bears all things, love is eternal.
True love is patient, not arrogant nor boastful;
love bears all things, love is eternal.

A new commandment I give unto you, …

Anonymous, based on John 13: 34–35)
CCL31580

Prayer of Approach

We gather together, dear God, as a mixed-up bunch of folks who come to worship you.
Apart from our commitment to you, we may not have much in common,
but here in this place we are together as one: your worshipping people.
Accept out worship. Speak to us, guide us and lead us, for your name’s sake.

Amen

[Silence]

Confession

For our greed and self-centeredness:
Lord, forgive us.

For our failure to see the needs of those around us:
Lord, forgive us.

For our failure to be generous with our time:
Lord, forgive us.

For our failure to share when we have more than enough:
Lord, forgive us.

For our failure to see that often our lifestyle choices harm and disenfranchise others:
Lord, forgive us.

For our failure to love as you have loved us:
Lord, forgive us.

For these and all our failings:
Lord, forgive us.

[Silence]

The Lord, our God, is merciful and kind to all,
and says to each one of us who has confessed their sins, failings and shortcomings:
‘My child, I love you, I live with you; your sins are forgiven.’

Amen

Prayer of the Week

Risen Lord, stand among us and cause us to hear what is written in the Scriptures
so that we may believe that you are the Son of God;
and that believing, we may have life in your name.
Melt our hearts that we may accept your love.
Renew our minds, so that we may know your truth.
Strengthen our wills so that we may serve you faithfully
and be the light and the salt in the places and communities where you have called us.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Psalm 133

Read by Pat Kyd

¹ How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!
² It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
³ It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life for evermore.

NIV®

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

John 20: 19–23

Read by Robin Kyd

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’

NIV®

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

Meditation

By Revd George Mwaura

[Silent reflection]

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 Rosemary Kearsey

The Peace

The risen Christ came and stood among his disciples and said, ‘Peace be with you.’
Then were they glad when they saw the Lord.

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

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

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

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 for ever 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.

Amen

Come to this table, not because you must, but because you may,
not because you are strong, but because you are weak.
Come, not because any goodness of your own gives you a right to come,
but because you need mercy and help.
Come, because you love the Lord a little and would like to love him more.
Come, because he loved you and gave himself for you.
Come and meet the risen Christ, for we are his Body.

During the communion the congregation sing:

Hymn: Let there be love shared among us

Let there be love shared among us,
let there be love in our eyes,
may now your love sweep this nation,
cause us O Lord to arise.
Give us a fresh understanding
filled with your love that is real,
let there be love shared among us,
let there be love.

Let there be peace …

Let there be hope …

Let there be joy …

Dave Bilbrough (b. 1965)
CCL31580

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

Learn more about Eco Church

Visit to St James Church, New Bradwell: 10.30 am – 1.00 pm Saturday, 13 April 2024

The Church of Christ the Cornerstone is a Bronze award Eco Church and is a member of the Milton Keynes Eco Church Network. The Network meets occasionally to discuss progress, challenges, and topics of mutual interest to Milton Keynes churches on their respective Eco Church journeys. The next Network meeting will be held at 10.30am – 1.00pm on Saturday, 13 April 2024 at St James Church, New Bradwell, which has achieved a Bronze award. Please do make a note of this visit in your diaries and please click on the Eventbrite link to book a place which will let us know if you want to attend: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/milton-keynes-eco-church-network-visit-to-st-james-church-new-bradwell-mk13-0da-tickets-815652567787.

For further information contact Stuart Kean, Eco Church Core Group

Memorial Service for Jenny Donaldson

11.00 am Friday, 19 April 2024 at Cornerstone

Jenny Donaldson’s funeral will be a private service at the Crematorium on Friday, 19 April 2024, followed at 11.00 am by a Memorial Service at Cornerstone.

Cornerstone Eco Church Toilet Twinning

Toilets within the Cornerstone building are part of the Toilet Twinning scheme. Funds were raised through the Cornerstone Christmas Appeal to help a fund a project teaching communities about hygiene and supplying sustainable resources for families to build their own toilets.

Good sanitation and clean drinking water are fundamental to communities. Yet 2.5 billion people – that’s 40 per cent of the world’s population – don’t have access to somewhere safe, private and hygienic to go to the toilet. The human and economic impact of this is enormous.

Every twenty seconds a child dies from diarrhoeal diseases and 60 per cent of all rural diseases are caused by poor hygiene and sanitation.

To find out more about Toilet Twinning please check the Toilet Twinning website: https://toilettwinning.org.

Offering

Final Prayer

Lord, your generous love was showered upon us in Jesus.
Help us to be generous to those among whom we live or meet.
Guide us in building and becoming a generous community, as we seek to put our faith into action.
We ask this in Jesus’ name and for his sake.

Amen

Hymn: Thine be the glory

Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won;
angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave-clothes where thy body lay:
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.

Lo, Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
let the church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,
for her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting:
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.

No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of Life;
life is naught without thee: aid us in our strife;
make us more than conquerors through thy deathless love;
bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above:
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.

French, 19th century, Edmond Budry (1854–1932}
tr. Richard Hoyle (1875–1939)
CCL31580

Blessing

God grant to the living, grace;
to the departed, rest;
to the nation, peace and concord;
to us all your servants the promise of everlasting life,
light to guide us on our way,
courage to support us,
and your blessing to unite us in service to you our God
and this our country.
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