Presiding Minister: Revd Dr Margaret Goodall

The Gathering of the Community

Call to Worship

We come to seek you, O Most High, in word and song, movement and silence, and in each other.

We come to seek you, O Most High!

We come to seek you, most Holy Spirit,
in love of friend, neighbour, and stranger, in sound and in stillness.

We come to seek you, O Most High!

We come to seek you, risen Lord Jesus, in bread and wine,
in unexpected places and in unexpected people.

We come to seek you, O Most High!

We come to seek you, most Holy Spirit,
in love of friend, neighbour, and stranger, in sound and in stillness.

We come to seek you, O Most High!

We come to seek you, living God.
Break through the hardness of our hearts, the blindness of our senses,
and the stubbornness of our wills, that we may see you in our midst.

We come to seek you, O Most High!

Come and worship God!

Hymn: Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord

Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.

Jesus is Lord of all the earth.
He is the King of creation.

Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.

Spread the good news o’er all the earth.
Jesus has died and has risen.

Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.

We have been crucified with Christ.
Now we shall live for ever.

Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.

God has proclaimed the just reward:
Life for all men, alleluia!

Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.

Come, let us praise the living God,
Joyfully sing to our Saviour.

Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.

Donald Fishel (b. 1950)
CCL31580

Prayer

We gather today, O Most High, to seek you,
to bring you our thanks, to rest in your presence,
and to feel your loving kindness,
knowing that you meet us in this place.

Forgive us, good Lord, when we’ve refused to seek you, when we’ve ignored your voice,
turned away from Your call, and disregarded you when we stumble across you.
Forgive us and give us time to change, for we know you meet us in this place.

Help us to accept the forgiveness you offer, live the peace you bring,
and respond to your energising presence as you meet us in this place.

Amen

Prayer of the Week

Almighty God, you have created all people and all of creation.
We give you thanks that we are invited to share with others
the hope, joy and love you give us.
Open our hearts and our eyes to see our communities as you would have us to see them.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

2 Kings 5: 1–14

Read by Nerys Steeds

Naaman healed of leprosy

¹ Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

² Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’

⁴ Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. ⁵ ‘By all means, go,’ the king of Aram replied. ‘I will send a letter to the king of Israel.’ So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. ⁶ The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: ‘With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.’

⁷ As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, ‘Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!’

⁸ When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: ‘Why have you torn your robes? Make the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.’ ⁹ So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, ‘Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.’

¹¹ But Naaman went away angry and said, ‘I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?’ So he turned and went off in a rage.

¹³ Naaman’s servants went to him and said, ‘My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, “Wash and be cleansed”!’ ¹⁴ So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

NIV®

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

Luke 10: 1–11 & 16–20

Read by Peter Steeds

Jesus sends out the seventy-two

¹ After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. ² He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. ³ Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴ Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

⁵ ‘When you enter a house, first say, “Peace to this house.” ⁶ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

⁸ ‘When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. ⁹ Heal those there who are ill and tell them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” ¹⁰ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹ “Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God has come near.” […]

¹⁶ ‘Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.’

¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’

¹⁸ He replied, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. ²⁰ However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’

NIV®

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Sermon

By Revd Dr Margaret Goodall

Music for reflection

Intercessions

Led by Glynne Gordon-Carter

The Peace

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

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

Let us offer a sign of peace to our neighbours.

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

Amen

Hymn: An Upper Room did our Lord prepare

An Upper Room did our Lord prepare
for those he loved until the end:
and his disciples still gather there,
to celebrate their Risen Friend.

A lasting gift Jesus gave his own,
to share his bread, his loving cup.
Whatever burdens may bow us down,
he by his Cross shall lift us up.

And after supper he washed their feet,
for service, too, is sacrament.
In him our joy shall be made complete
sent out to serve, as he was sent.

No end there is! We depart in peace.
He loves beyond our uttermost:
in every room in our Father’s house
he will be there, as Lord and host.

F. Pratt Green (1903–2000)
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 offer our thanks and praise.

Loving God,
You made this wonderful world for us to enjoy.
You made 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,
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, given for you.
Each time you do this, remember me.’

Then, Jesus also took a 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 us and what we do here,
that we and these gifts, touched by your Spirit, may be signs of life and love
to one another, and to the world.

Blessing and honour and glory and power
be yours for ever and ever.

Amen

And we 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.
Save us in 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 Communion

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 the one bread.

Draw near with faith.

After Communion

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

Beloved, we have heard and trusted in the good news of Jesus Christ.
Go now into the world to do and see still greater things,
to open heaven upon earth and to bear witness to eternal life today.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen

Notices

Wednesday Bible Study: The Letter to the Ephesians

Continues 7.00 pm Wednesdays, 9, 16 & 23 July 2025 by Zoom

This week’s study (Wednesday, 9 July 2025) will focus on chapter 3. Chapters 1–3 focus on what God has done; choosing, adopting, redeeming, and uniting believers in Christ.

Congregational Meeting

Our next Congregational Meeting will be next Sunday (13 July 2025), taking place during Morning Service. The Congregation will be invited to discuss developments in work with children and young people, and also practical ideas for fundraising. The full Agenda and documents have been emailed to everyone on the church mailing list. A few printed copies of the Agenda and documents are available in Reception for those without access to email.

Pat Kyd, Cornerstone Church Secretary

Digital Collection Plate

We have just taken delivery of a Dona digital collection plate for cashless contributions to the weekly offerings. This is available at the back of the Worship Area for use before and after services.

The machine is very easy to use – it offers a range of set donations starting from £5, or allows you to enter your own, bespoke, amount.

Very importantly, it also offers the opportunity to gift aid your donation and we would encourage everyone who can (essentially anyone who pays income tax) to do so, as it adds 25p to every £1 donated. The first time you gift aid a donation you do have to enter a few personal details – name, postcode and email – but once on the system it remembers you and should not ask for these again.

If you have any questions or concerns, please ask Peter Cope or Peter Steeds.

Climate Café

2.00–4.30 pm Saturday, 12 July 2025 in the Guildhall

Open University lecturer Dr Charlotte Weatherill will give a talk about rethinking climate vulnerability entitled ‘All in the Same Boat?’ Please do join us!

Eco Church Core Group

New Bibles

I have recently had requests for Bibles suitable for dyslexic and neurodivergent people. I have been able to source these for them. More people are being diagnosed with these conditions and so I now have a small stock of suitable Bibles in the Cornerstone Shop to make it easier to read and understand God’s word.

Bob Collard

Offering

Hymn: O God, Creator, Source of all

O God, Creator, Source of all,
your Spirit broods o’er land and sea;
from void and darkness, hear the call,
your breath gave life and liberty.
You shape the stars, the earth, the skies,
in wisdom’s dance, your love will rise.
Your voice still calls into our lives
reborn in hope, renewed in love

The Spirit comes in rushing wind,
like fire that burns yet never dies;
it moves within both foe and friend,
to teach, to guide, to make us wise.
With gifts of courage, strength, and peace,
it stirs the soul to seek the right;
the broken find their fears released,
and shadows turn to blazing light.

In Christ the Word, the Spirit’s flame,
we find a love that will not cease;
though fear and doubt may cloud his name,
his promise offers lasting peace.
‘Abide in me,’ the Saviour cries,
‘My Spirit dwells within you still;
from death to life your heart shall rise,
reborn in hope, renewed in love.’

So now, O Spirit, kindle deep
the embers hidden in our soul;
transform our lives, your gifts to share,
and make our fractured spirits whole.
With wisdom, love, and patient grace,
unite your Church in heart and mind;
that we may shine in every place,
with love and glory burning bright.

Carol Long
CCL31580

The Blessing

Dismissal

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

Amen