Good morning Cornerstone friends,
I trust that you are refreshed from a good night of untroubled sleep

A prayer of Chinese workers

Humbly, simply, early in the day we come to praise God’s kindness and his great mercy.
We beg him to pity our distress, and grant forgiveness for all our wrongs.
So as we worship, fill our souls with peace,
and may we know your grace which never ceases.
Often, Lord our hearts are full of pain and suffering.
Father, never depart from us.
Keep us in your kind heart; give us grace and gladness.
May our lives be filled with joy, despite our troubles.
May your mercy be our stay, as we toil for you Jesus our friend.

Amen

Psalm 96

Sing to the Lord a new song;
Sing to the Lord all the Earth.

Sing to the Lord and bless his name;
tell out his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations
and his wonders to all peoples.

For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
he is more to be feared than all gods.

For the gods of the nations are but idols;
it is the Lord who made the heavens.

Honour and majesty are before him;
power and splendour are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord you families of the peoples;
ascribe to the Lord honour and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the honour due to his name
bring offerings and come into his courts.

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
let the whole earth tremble before him.

Tell out among the nations that the Lord is king.
He has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.

Let the heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it.

Let the fields be joyful and all that is in them;
let all the trees of the wood shout for joy before the Lord

For he comes to judge the earth;
with righteousness he will judge the world and the peoples with his truth.

Psalm 96 from Daily Prayer Common Worship

 

O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness

Lord God, you draw us by your beauty
and transform us by your holiness;
let our worship echo all creation’s praise
and declare your glory to the nations;
through Jesus Christ out Lord.

Amen

I choose that well-known psalm because we, are in a city of trees and landscaped areas. We have so many opportunities to thank God:

Let us remember with thanks for all who provide for our needs this day,
in whatever way and wherever they live and work.

Let us remember all people who take responsibility for the large decisions
in government, in business and the economy
which supports us and for all who will keep us in touch with events in the world
or in other in any other way make decisions that will shape our future.

Loving God, open our hearts so that we may feel the breath and play of your Spirit.
Unclench our hands so that we may reach out to one another and touch and be healed.
Open our lips that we may drink in the delight and wonder of life.
Open our eyes so that we may see Christ in friend and stranger.
Breathe your spirit into us and touch our lives with the life of Christ.

Amen
Prayer from Aotearoa, New Zealand

Hymn

For the beauty of the earth and the glory of the skies,
For the love which, from our birth,
Over and around us lies, over and around us lies,
Lord of all to Thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise.

For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night
Hill and vale and tree and flower
Sun and moon and stars of light,
sun and moon and stars of light,

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child
Friends on earth and friends above.
For all gentle thoughts and mild,
for all gentle thoughts and mild,

For each perfect gift of Thine
To our race so freely given
Graces human and divine
Flowers of earth and buds of heaven,
flowers of earth and buds of heaven,

For thy church that evermore
lifteth holy hands above
Offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love,
her pure sacrifice of love,

William Chatterton Dix.

I will give thanks to you, for you have become my salvation.

Saving God, open the gates of righteousness,
that your pilgrim people may enter
and be built into a living temple
on the cornerstone of our salvation, who is
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Recently we all received information about the new bank account
which enables people to make occasional contributions to the Church
when they cannot commit to a regular monthly payment.
The account is named in The Ecumenical Partnership of the Church of Christ the Cornerstone.

It reminded me that we are children of God in a covenant with one another,
which states that, although we do not agree about everything concerning our belief in God
we are guided by him, to go forward together sharing all those things we have in common.

The book I have been reading in this time of social isolation is Morality written by Jonathan Sacks, former Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth of Nations.

People with a solely secular view of life would say that they are ruled by the government and by the economy. (Power and Wealth)
This is done by law and contracts and currently, it is easy to see the limitations of both law makers and deal makers.

Jonathan Sacks favours people coming together in equal partnerships like ‘covenants’ and he writes,

A covenant is a different relationship altogether. In a covenant two or more individuals, each respecting the dignity and integrity of the other, sometimes even to share their lives, by pledging their faithfulness to one another, to do together what neither can achieve alone.

A contract is a transaction. A covenant is a relationship.
A contract is about interests. A covenant is about identity.
That is why contracts can benefit, but covenants can transform.

In a covenant what matters is not wealth or power but the transformation that takes place when I embrace a world larger than the self.
Covenants can heal what markets and states sometimes harm.

Let us pray for our City Centre Ecumenical Partnership set up by a covenant.
For those keeping us in touch with one another while we cannot worship in our building.
For the living out of the gospel in the life of all in Central Milton Keynes,
for the Council, for those involved in public services,
for the voluntary bodies like the YMCA and CIL,
for those involved with businesses now in lockdown,
shops, hotels, offices, leisure facilities.

Almighty God and Father, you have so ordered our life
that we are dependent on one another;
prosper those engaged in commerce, administration and industry
and direct their minds and hands
that they may rightly use your gifts in the service of others;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Let us pray for our nation and all the countries of the world as
we face the difficulties following the outbreak of Covid 19.
(I am using a prayer from the Iona Community)

 

Almighty God, creator of the universe, at the start of another day
I feel helpless in the face of the world’s suffering:
yet today, once more, I offer back to you the only thing I can –
my ordinary everyday life.
I ask you to take it into your hands that it may be used
to bring even a flicker of justice into your world,
a candle for peace.
And not just today, Lord, but through the coming days
as I move in your spirit of love.

Amen

Let us close by saying The Grace together:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us all evermore.

Amen