Presiding Minister: Revd Dr Margaret Goodall

The Gathering of the Community

Call to Worship

We are God’s people and we have all come
to worship God who creates us;
how good it is that we are gathered
to meet Jesus Christ – God’s living word;
how good it is that we seek together
signs of the Holy Spirit.
Come, let us worship God.

Hymn: Longing for light (Christ be our light)

Longing for light, we wait in darkness.
Longing for truth, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people,
light for the world to see.

Christ be our light! Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today.

Longing for peace, our world is troubled.
Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone has power to save us.
Make us your living voice.

Christ be our light! ….

Longing for food, many are hungry.
Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us your bread, broken for others,
shared until all are fed.

Christ be our light! ….

Longing for shelter, many are homeless.
Longing for warmth, many are cold.
Make us your building, sheltering others,
walls made of living stone.

Christ be our light! ….

Many the gifts, many the people,
many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another,
helping your kingdom come.

Christ be our light! ….

Bernadette Farrell (b. 1957)
CCL31580

Prayer of Approach

God, you love us more than we can know,
you chose us from the very beginning to be family.
We praise your holy name.

Jesus Christ, Son of God, Word become flesh,
who lived among us and gave himself for us,
we praise your holy name.

Holy Spirit, present and power in our lives from the moment that we first believed,
we praise your holy name.

Prayer for today

Loving God, the depth of your love is beyond my understanding,
but today I respond to that love.
Break down the areas of my heart that have become hardened.
And as your love lives in me,
may my thoughts, words and actions radiate this love in my community.
Energise my faith, so that through me your Kingdom may come, bringing life and hope.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Jeremiah 31: 31–34

Read by Kate Abrahams

Israel’s only Saviour

¹ But now, this is what the Lord says –
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
³ For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your stead.
⁴ Since you are precious and honoured in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
⁶ I will say to the north, “Give them up!”
and to the south, “Do not hold them back.”
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth –
⁷ everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.’

NIV®

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

John 1: 29–42

Read by Colin Ballard

John testifies about Jesus

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ³⁰ This is the one I meant when I said, “A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.” ³¹ I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.’

³² Then John gave this testimony: ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. ³³ And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptise with water told me, “The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.” ³⁴ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.’

John’s disciples follow Jesus

³⁵ The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. ³⁶ When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God!’

³⁷ When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. ³⁸ Turning round, Jesus saw them following and asked, ‘What do you want?’

They said, ‘Rabbi’ (which means ‘Teacher’), ‘where are you staying?’

³⁹ ‘Come,’ he replied, ‘and you will see.’

So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.

⁴⁰ Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. ⁴¹ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). ⁴² And he brought him to Jesus.

Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas’ (which, when translated, is Peter).

NIV®

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

Hymn: O God, you search me and you know me

O God, you search me, and you know me.
All my thoughts lie open to your gaze.
When I walk or lie down, you are before me,
ever the maker and keeper of my days.

You know my resting and my rising.
You discern my purpose from afar
and with love everlasting, you besiege me,
in every moment of life or death, you are.

Before a word is on my tongue, Lord,
you have known its meaning through and through.
You are with me beyond my understanding:
God of my present, my past and future, too.

Although your Spirit is upon me,
still I search for shelter from your light.
There is nowhere on earth I can escape you;
even the darkness is radiant in your sight.

For you created me and shaped me,
gave me life within my mother’s womb.
For the wonder of who I am, I praise you.
Safe in your hands, all creation is made new.

Bernadette Farrell (b. 1957)
CCL31580

Sermon

By Revd Dr Margaret Goodall

[Silence]

Introduction to the Covenant, and Prayers of Confession

God made a covenant with the people of Israel, calling them to be a holy nation,
chosen to bear witness to his steadfast love by finding delight in the law.

The covenant was renewed in Jesus Christ our Lord, in his life, work, death and resurrection.
In him all people may be set free from sin and its power, and united in love and obedience.

In this covenant God promises us new life in Christ.
For our part we promise to live no longer for ourselves but for God.

We meet, therefore, as generations have met before us,
to renew the covenant which bound them and binds us to God.

Let us then seek forgiveness for the sin by which we have denied God’s claim upon us.

Let us pray:

God of mercy, hear us as we confess our sins.
For the sin that has made us slow to learn from Christ, reluctant to follow him,
and afraid to bear the cross:

Lord, have mercy,
Lord, forgive.

For the sin that has caused the poverty of our worship,
the formality and selfishness of our prayers,
our neglect of fellowship and the means of grace,
and our hesitating witness for Christ:

Lord, have mercy,
Lord, forgive.

For the sin that has led us to misuse your gifts,
evade our responsibilities,
and fail to be good stewards of your creation.

Lord, have mercy,
Lord, forgive.

For the sin that has made us unwilling to overcome evil with good,
tolerant of injustice, quick to condemn, and selfish in sharing your love with others:

Lord, have mercy,
Lord, forgive.

Have mercy on me, O God, in your constant love;
in the fullness of your mercy, blot out my offences and cleanse me from my sin.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Give me the joy of your help again and strengthen me with a willing spirit.

Assurance of Pardon

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just,
and will forgive our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Therefore, to all who truly repent this is God’s gracious word: ‘Your sins are forgiven.’

Amen

Thanks be to God.

The Covenant

[We stand for the Covenant.]

Sisters and brothers in Christ, let us again accept our place within this covenant
which God has made with us and with all who are called to be Christ’s disciples.

This means that, by the help of the Holy Spirit, we accept God’s purpose for us,
and the call to love and serve God in all our life and work.

Christ has many services to be done: some are easy, others are difficult;
some bring honour, others bring reproach;
some are suitable to our natural inclinations and material interests, others are contrary to both;
in some we may please Christ and please ourselves;
in others we cannot please Christ except by denying ourselves.
Yet the power to do all these things is given to us in Christ, who strengthens us.

Therefore, let us make this covenant of God our own.
Let us give ourselves to him, trusting in his promises and relying on his grace.

Eternal God, in your faithful and enduring love
you call us to share in your gracious covenant in Jesus Christ.
In obedience we hear and accept your commands;
in love we seek to do your perfect will; with joy we offer ourselves anew to you.
We are no longer our own but yours.

I am no longer my own but yours.
Your will, not mine, be done in all things,
wherever you may place me, in all that I do and in all that I may endure;
when there is work for me and when there is none;
when I am troubled and when I am at peace.
Your will be done when I am valued and when I am disregarded;
when I find fulfilment and when it is lacking;
when I have all things and when I have nothing.
I willingly offer all that I have and am to serve you, as and where you choose.

Glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours.
May it be so for ever.
Let this covenant now made on earth be fulfilled in heaven.

Amen

Prayers of Intercession

Loving God, hear us as we pray for your holy catholic Church:
make us all one, that the world may believe.

Inspire and lead all who govern and hold authority in the nations of the world:
establish justice and peace among all people.

Have compassion on all who suffer from any sickness, grief or trouble:
deliver them from their distress.

We praise you for all your saints who have entered your eternal glory:
bring us all to share in your heavenly kingdom.

Lord our God, you have helped us by your grace to make these prayers,
and you have promised through Christ our Lord
that when two or three agree in his name you will grant what they ask.
Answer now your servants’ prayers according to their needs.
In this world grant that we may truly know you,
and in the world to come graciously give us eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

The Peace

The Lord has made an everlasting covenant of peace with his people.

The peace of the Lord be always with you,
and also with you.

The Offering

Lord and giver of every good thing, we bring you bread and wine for our Communion,
our gifts and our lives for your Kingdom
Transform them by your grace and love, made known to us in Christ Jesus our Saviour.

Amen

Hymn: Give to me, Lord, a thankful heart

Give to me, Lord, a thankful heart
and a discerning mind;
give, as I play the Christian’s part,
the strength to finish what I start
and act on what I find.

When, in the rush of days, my will
Is habit-bound and slow,
help me to keep in vision still
what love and power and peace can fill
a life that trusts in you.

By your divine and urgent claim,
and by your human face,
kindle our sinking hearts to flame,
and as you teach the world your name
let it become your place.

Jesus, with all your church I long
to see your kingdom come:
show me your way of righting wrong
and turning sorrow into song
until you bring me home.

Thomas Caryl Micklern (1925–2003)
CCL31580

The Thanksgiving

God 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 our thanks and praise.

Loving God, you made this wonderful world for us to enjoy.
You made your people to live for you and for one another.
You gave us Jesus to be our friend and bring us closer to you.
He died on a cross but you raised him to life, to live with us for ever.
You send us your Spirit, and you bring us to this table so that we can share your love.
For all your goodness we give you thanks, and together we give you praise, saying:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Praise be to you O Lord

We gather at this table to remember that on the night before he died,
Jesus had a meal with his friends.
He took a loaf of bread. After blessing it he broke it and gave it to them, saying,
‘Take, eat. This is my body, give for you.
Each time you do this remember me.’

Then Jesus also took the cup.
After giving thanks he passed it to his friends saying:
‘Drink. This cup, poured out for you is the promise of God’s love.
Whenever you drink it, remember me.’

So remembering Jesus’ death and celebrating his resurrection, we pray:

Lord of all life,
help us to be your true disciples
and work together for the day when your Kingdom comes
and justice, peace and mercy are seen in all the world.

Now send, O God, your Holy Spirit upon what we do here.
That we and these gifts, touched by your Spirit,
may be signs of life and love to one another and the world.

Blessing and honour and glory and power be yours, O Lord, 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.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.

Amen

The Breaking of Bread

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.

The Sharing of the Bread and Wine

Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life.
Those who come to me shall not hunger and those who believe in me shall never thirst.’
Draw near with faith.

Prayer after Communion

Let us pray:

We thank you Lord,
that you have fed us in this sacrament, united us with Christ
and given us a taste of the heavenly banquet prepared for all people.

Amen

Closing Prayers

May you go forth with the assurance that you are deeply loved and cherished by God.

May you find your true identity in God’s unending love,
just as Jesus was called the beloved Son at His baptism.

May the Holy Spirit rest upon you, filling you with peace, joy, and a sense of belonging,
guiding and strengthening you in all you do, as you live out your calling.

Amen

Notices

‘Essential Qualities in our new Minister’
and ‘Dreams for Cornerstone’s future’

In November we asked you to tell us what are the most important qualities of a new Anglican priest and how we should move forward with our Oasis of Hope vision. Thank you so much for your responses. These have been ordered and summarised in the short paper attached, ‘Collated Priorities from Christ the Cornerstone responses’.

Please consider it carefully – Is this what you would want to say? Next Sunday (25 January 2026) at 10.00 am we will take some time in the Service to discuss the responses to make sure we can move forward as a unified congregation.

Cheryl Montgomery, Chair of Church Council

Flowers in the Worship Area

The flowers on the dais are from the Abrahams family to remember Mick, who lived a life filled with music, love and laughter.

Kate Abrahams

Sponsored Bible Reading

2.00–5.00 pm next Saturday afternoon (24 January 2026) by Zoom

Our sponsored Bible reading event to raise much-needed money for church funds is happening next Saturday afternoon (24 January 2026) between 2.00 pm and 5.00 pm on Zoom. Thank you to everyone who has already signed up to read and to those of you who have already agreed to sponsor them. If you’d like to take part, it’s still not too late! Please sign up on the list in Reception or email Cheryl (chezmonty73@gmail.com) or Peter (petercope26@gmail.com) to take part in the readings.

You are more than welcome to join us on Zoom, for some or all of the time, to listen to readings of people’s favourite Bible passages. The link will be circulated on our email and WhatsApp lists nearer the time.

Peter Cope and Cheryl Montgomery

Big Garden Birdwatch

23–25 January 2026

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is organising the annual Big Garden Birdwatch between 23 & 25 January 2026. It is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. Every year, hundreds of thousands of nature lovers take part, helping to build a picture of how garden birds are faring. Take time out to enjoy the amazing beauty of the birds of the air. For information about how to take part, checkout the RSPB website: https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/big-garden-birdwatch/faqs.

Cornerstone Eco Church Group

Hymn: O thou who camest from above

O thou who camest from above
the fire celestial to impart,
kindle a flame of sacred love
on the mean altar if my heart!

There let it for thy glory burn
with inextinguishable blaze,
and, trembling, to its source return
in humble prayer and fervent praise.

Jesus, confirm my heart’s desire
to work and speak and think for thee;
still let me guard the holy fire
and still stir up the gift in me.

Still let me prove thy perfect will,
my acts of faith, and love repeat;
till death thy endless mercies seal,
and make the sacrifice complete.

Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
CCL31580

Blessing

The blessing of God,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be upon you and remain with you for ever.

Amen

Dismissal

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

Amen