The Church of Christ the Cornerstone

Baptist Union / Church of England / Methodist Church / Roman Catholic Church / United Reformed Church

Holy Communion – Live Streamed – Transfiguration Sunday, 15 February 2026

by · 15 February 2026

Presiding Minister: Revd George Mwaura
Preacher: Grace Hunting LLM

Gathering Music

Call to Worship

We gather at the mountain of God, where earth meets heaven and the Holy One draws near.
We come seeking vision, we come longing for God’s presence.

On the mountain, Christ was revealed in glory; on the mountain, the disciples trembled in awe.
Yet Christ touches us and says, ‘Do not be afraid.’

Come, let us worship the God who meets us in mystery and light.
We come to be transformed.

Amen

Greetings and Welcome

Hymn: Songs of thankfulness and praise

Songs of thankfulness and praise,
Jesus, Lord to thee we raise,
manifested by the star
to the sages from afar;
branch of royal David’s stem,
in thy birth at Bethlehem;
anthems be to thee addressed;
God in man made manifest.

Manifest in Jordan’s stream,
Prophet, Priest and King supreme,
and at Cana wedding-guest,
in thy Godhead manifest,
manifest in power divine,
changing water into wine;
anthems be to thee addressed;
God in man made manifest.

Manifest in making whole,
palsied limbs and fainting soul,
manifest in valiant fight,
quelling all the devil’s might,
manifest in gracious will,
ever bringing good from ill;
anthems be to thee addressed;
God in man made manifest.

Sun and moon shall darkened be,
stars shall fall, the heavens shall flee.
Christ will then like lightning shine.
All will see his glorious sign.
All will see the judge appear;
all will then the trumpet hear;
thou by all wilt be confessed;
God in man made manifest.

Grant us grace to see thee, Lord,
mirrored in thy holy word:
may we imitate thee now
and be pure, as pure as thou:
that we like to thee may be
at thy great Epiphany,
and may praise thee, ever blest,
God in man made manifest.

Christopher Wordsworth (1807–1885)
CCL31580

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Confession

Holy and radiant God, we thank you for moments of glory, for glimpses of your presence,
for times when heaven feels near and faith feels strong.
You reveal your love in Christ, your wisdom in your Word, your grace in every season.
Yet we confess, O God, that we often prefer the valley to the mountain,
the familiar to the holy, the safe to the transforming. We confess that your glory can unsettle us.
Your truth can challenge us. Your call can frighten us.
Like the disciples, we sometimes fall down in fear when you invite us to rise in faith.
Forgive us when we resist your light. Forgive us when we cling to comfort instead of following Christ.
Touch us again with your mercy and say to our hearts, ‘Do not be afraid.’
Transform us by your grace, that we may reflect your love in the world. In Jesus’ name,

Amen

[Silence]

Kyrie

Prayer of the Week

Transfiguring God, who revealed the glory of Christ on the mountain:
grant us courage to listen to your beloved Son, strength to follow where he leads, and hearts
open to transformation.
When we walk through ordinary days, help us carry the light we have seen.
When we face fear or uncertainty, remind us of your presence.
Shape us this week into people who reflect your love, through Jesus Christ our conquering Lord.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Exodus 24: 12–18

Read by Rosemary Kearsey

12 The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.’

13 Then Moses set out with Joshua his assistant, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. 14 He said to the elders, ‘Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.’

15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. 18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

NIV®

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

Hymn: Immortal, invisible, God only wise

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great name we raise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light;
nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might –
thy justice like mountains high-soaring above
thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all life thou givest, to both great and small;
in all life thou livest, the true life of all;
we blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
and wither and perish; but naught changeth thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
all laud we would render: O help us to see
’tis only the splendour of light hideth thee.

W. Chalmers Smith (1825–1908)
CCL31580

Matthew 17: 1–9

Read by Bob Collard

The transfiguration

1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

4 Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’

5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!’

6 When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground, terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them. ‘Get up,’ he said. ‘Don’t be afraid.’ 8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, ‘Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’

NIV®

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

Sermon

By Grace Hunting LLM

Musical Meditation

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in God, maker of heaven and earth, whose glory shines in creation.
We believe in Jesus Christ, the beloved Son, revealed in light on the mountain,
revealed in love on the cross, revealed in power in the resurrection.
He calls us from fear to faith, from comfort to discipleship, from seeing to becoming.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, who opens our eyes to God’s presence and transforms us day by day.
We are not alone. God meets us, changes us, and sends us.

Amen

Prayers of intercession

Led by Adrian Boynton

Sharing the Peace

The peace of Christ comes to us not to keep us on the mountain, but to go with us into the world.
May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be always with you.
And also with you.

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

Hymn: Let all mortal flesh keep silence

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly minded:
for with blessing in his hand,
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
our full homage to demand.

King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords in human vesture –
on the Body and the Blood.
He will give to all the faithful
his own Self for heavenly Food.

Rank on rank the host of heaven
spreads its vanguard on the way,
as the Light of Light descendeth
from the realms of endless day,
that the powers of hell may vanish
as the darkness clears away.

At his feet the six-winged Seraph;
Cherubim with sleepless eye.
veil their faces to the Presence,
as with ceaseless voice they cry,
alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia, Lord most high.

Liturgy of St Jerome tr. G.Moultrie (1829–1885)
CCL31580

Invitation to the Table

This is the table of the One who meets us on mountains and in valleys, in glory and in everyday bread.
All who seek Christ, all who long for grace, are welcome here.

The Great Thanksgiving

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

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

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

Holy God, it is right to thank you, for you revealed your glory to Moses in the cloud
and your love to the world in Christ. On the mountain you showed your light and your voice declared:
‘This is my beloved Son.’
In Christ, your glory became mercy, your power became love, your presence became near.
And so with all creation we praise your name saying:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest!

On the night before he gave himself for us, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said:
‘This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’
After supper he took the cup and said:
‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, poured out for you and for many.’
Whenever we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the mystery of faith:

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

Loving God, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts,
that this bread and cup may be for us the presence of Christ.
Transform us as we share this meal, that we may reflect Christ’s light in the world.

Amen

And as the Saviour taught us, let us pray together:

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

Post Communion Prayer

God of glory, you have fed us with grace and met us in this holy meal.
Send us now from this table to your world, shining with Christ’s love.

Amen

Notices and Offertory

Lighting the Dome – Fundraising

A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to our ‘Light The Dome’ scheme in December. We received £865 in donations and were able to claim £189 in gift-aid, giving an overall total of £1054 for church funds. Wonderful!

We’re still collecting in sponsorship money for the recent Sponsored Bible Reading event, which was also for church funds. So far we’ve received £1100. Amazing! We’ll let you know the final figure shortly.

Thank you again. Your generosity is much appreciated.

Monica Nzima and Peter Cope

Journeying with Jesus – Lent Course 2026 – by Zoom

This Lent, step onto the road with Jesus. Join our six-week course Journeying with Jesus, based on the Diocese of Sheffield’s inspiring study through Luke’s Gospel. (Journeying with Jesus – The Diocese of Sheffield) Together we’ll explore stories of calling, healing, gratitude and transformation, discovering what it means to walk more closely with Christ in our everyday lives.

The course runs over six weeks, starting the week commencing 23 February and finishing by 1 April 2026. Come and share in scripture, discussion, reflection and prayer, as we journey together towards Easter. All are warmly welcome; whether you’re a long-time disciple or simply curious to explore faith more deeply. 🌿✝️

Revd George

There will be sessions running on Tuesdays starting at 7.15 pm, Wednesdays at 7.00 pm and Thursdays at 7.30 pm. If you wish to join the Tuesday group please contact Rosemary Kearsey (rosemary.kearsey@btopenworld.com); for the Wednesday group contact Pat Kyd (pat_kyd@yahoo.co.uk); and for the Thursday group contact Stuart Kean (stuart.kean@gmail.com).

Here is a summary of the weekly sessions:

Church Council

7.00 pm Tuesday, 24 February 2026

The Cornerstone Church Council has its next meeting at 7.00 pm on Tuesday, 24 February 2026 in the Small Hall.

World Day of Prayer

2.30 pm Friday, 6 March 2026 at Christ the Cornerstone

The Milton Keynes Service this year will be held at the Church of Christ the Cornerstone. The material has been prepared by women from Nigeria. We invite everyone (men and women) who will be free on Friday, 6 March 2026 from 2.30 pm for about an hour, to join us for this Service. (Please note that this is an afternoon Service this year.)

We are also looking for people (readers and non-readers) to participate. If you would like to be involved, please contact Rosemary Kearsey (01908 373263 rosemary.kearsey@btopenworld.com) or Diane Phillips (aaronandalexsnan@hotmail.com).

Rosemary Kearsey

Offertory Prayer

Gracious God, all abundance flows from your endless love.
We humbly present these offerings – both those given today and those already shared –
asking for your blessing as we build your kingdom through this church and beyond.

Amen

Hymn: Be thou my vision

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
be all else but naught to me save that thou art;
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true Word;
be thou ever with me, and I with thee, Lord;
be thou my great Father, a true child make me;
be thou in me dwelling, and I one with thee.

Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my whole armour, be thou my true might;
be thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tower:
O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor meaningless praise:
thou mine inheritance now and always;
be thou and thou only the first in my heart;
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art!

High King of heaven, thou heaven’s bright Sun,
O grant me its joys after vict’ry is won;
great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.

Irish (8th century)
tr. Mary Byrne (1880–1931)
versified Eleanor Hull (1860–1935) and others
CCL31580

Blessings and Sending out

May the God of glory, who meets you on the mountain, meet you in your everyday paths.
May Christ, whose face shone with light, shine in your hearts and lives.
May the Spirit give you courage to rise when you are afraid and to follow where Christ leads.
And may the blessings of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
rest and remain upon us all and all those whom we love today and always.

Amen

Dismissal

Church, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ, we will.

Amen