Led by: Revd George Mwaura

Gathering Music

We gather today in the shadow of memory, burdened by the cost of conflict, yet drawn by hope.
We come as those who mourn, as those who remember, and as those who long for peace.

God, who saw Job’s sorrow and heard the cries of your people through the ages,
meet us in our remembering.
As generations before us placed their trust in your steadfast love,
help us to hold fast to your promises, even when the world trembles.

Let us worship God, whose mercy is wider than our sorrow, whose peace is deeper than our fear,
and whose faithfulness endures from age to age.

Amen

Greetings and Welcome

Hymn: Abide with me

Abide with me, fast falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens, Lord, with me abide!
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
help of the helpless, O abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
change and decay in all around I see;
O thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need thy presence every passing hour;
what but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.

I fear no foe with thee at hand to bless;
ills have no weight and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if thou abide with me.

Hold thou thy Cross before my closing eyes;
shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies;
heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee:
in life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!

Henry Francis Lyte (1793–1847)
CCL31580

Thanksgiving and Confession

Eternal God, on this day of remembrance we give thanks for all who gave their lives for others,
for courage shown and sacrifices made, for lives cut short and hopes left unfinished.
We thank you for every act of kindness, mercy, and courage
that lights a path through the darkness of war.

Yet we confess the times we have chosen silence over justice, comfort over compassion,
and self-interest over the good of all.
We confess we have not always been peacemakers.
Forgive us, O God. Restore us by your Spirit.
Help us to live as those who remember, not only with words,
but with changed hearts and hands ready to serve.
In your mercy, heal the wounds of history and lead us into your ways of peace.

Amen

Kyrie

[Silence]

Prayer of the Week

God of all comfort and hope, you call us to seek peace and pursue it.
As we remember the cost of conflict, turn our hearts toward your vision of a world made whole.
Grant us courage to resist the ways of violence and despair.
Give us imagination to build what is broken, and perseverance to sow seeds of reconciliation
in our homes, our communities, and our world.
Strengthen us by your Spirit, that we may live as witnesses to the promise of your kingdom,
where swords are turned to ploughshares and all tears are wiped away. Through Jesus Christ our Lord,

Amen

Job 9: 23–27

Read by Robin Kyd

²³ When a scourge brings sudden death,
he mocks the despair of the innocent.
²⁴ When a land falls into the hands of the wicked,
he blindfolds its judges.
If it is not he, then who is it?

²⁵ ‘My days are swifter than a runner;
they fly away without a glimpse of joy.
²⁶ They skim past like boats of papyrus,
like eagles swooping down on their prey.
²⁷ If I say, “I will forget my complaint,
I will change my expression, and smile,”

NIV®

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

Hymn: The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want

The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want,
he makes me down to lie
in pastures green; he leadeth me
the quiet waters by.

My soul he doth restore again,
and me to walk doth make
within the paths of righteousness,
e’en for his own name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through death’s dark vale,
yet will I fear none ill;
for thou art with me, and thy rod
and staff me comfort still.

My table thou has furnished
in presence of my foes;
my head thou dost with oil anoint,
and my cup overflows.

Goodness and mercy all my life
shall surely follow me;
and in God’s house for evermore
my dwelling place shall be.

Scottish Psalter (1650)
CCL31580

2 Thessalonians 2: 1–5 & 13–17

Read by Pat Kyd

The man of lawlessness

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, ² not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us – whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter – asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. ³ Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. ⁴ He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

⁵ Don’t you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things? […]

Stand firm

¹³ But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. ¹⁴ He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

¹⁵ So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.

¹⁶ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, ¹⁷ encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

NIV®

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

Reflections

By Revd George Mwaura

Musical Meditation

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in God,
whose love is stronger than hate and whose peace surpasses our understanding.

We believe that Christ entered our suffering, bore our sorrows, and opened the way to life.

We believe in the Spirit,
who gives us strength to remember, courage to hope,
and power to work for a just and lasting peace.

We trust in God’s promise:
that nothing in life or death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen

Hymn: Make me a channel of your peace

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me bring your love.
Where there is injury your pardon, Lord.
And where there’s doubt true faith in you.

Oh, Master, grant that I may never seek
so much to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved, as to love with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope.
Where there is darkness only light,
and where there’s sadness ever joy.

Oh, Master, grant that I may never seek …

Make me a channel of your peace.
It is pardoning that we are pardoned,
in giving to all that we receive,
and in dying that we’re born to eternal life.

Sebastian Temple (1928–1970)
from a prayer of St Francis of Assisi (c. 1183–1226)
CCL31580

Intercessions

Led by Don Head

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

Sharing Peace

In a world still torn by conflict, Christ calls us to be people of reconciliation.
May the peace of the Lord, which passes all understanding, be always with you,
and also with you.

Let us share signs of Christ’s peace with one another and wave to those watching on the live stream.

Act of Remembrance [10.58 am]

Let us remember with gratitude those who, in the cause of peace and the service of others,
died in time of war.

Two minutes of silence

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.

We will remember them.

At the rising of the sun and at its going down
We remember them.

At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter
We remember them.

At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring
We remember them.

At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer
We remember them.

At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of autumn
We remember them.

At the beginning of the year and when it ends
We remember them.

As long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us
We remember them.

Notices and Offertory

Memorial service for Jim Montgomery

1.00 pm Friday, 14 November 2025

There will be a family-only committal at Crownhill crematorium at 11.30 am with Revd George Mwaura, followed by a Memorial Service at Cornerstone at 1.00 pm, led by Revd George Mwaura.   For those unable to attend the Memorial Service will be live-streamed.

After the Memorial Service, the family will be remaining at the church for refreshments, to which friends and well-wishers are invited.

‘The Phoenix of Gaza’

Film screened at 7.30 pm on Friday, 14 November 2025 in the Guildhall

The film will be followed by questions and answers with the director Yousef Alhelou. (https://thephoenixofgaza.com/).

Tickets £10 from Eventbrite (booking fee applies and payment is in Euros) https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/film-screening-the-phoenix-of-gaza-tickets-1813878632819 or contact David Chapman (dachapman9@gmail.com).

Social Justice Group

Please pray for a successful outcome at COP30
(the UN Conference on Climate Change)

Belém, Brazil, November 2025

The UN Conference on Climate Change (COP30) will be taking place in Belém, Brazil 6–21 November 2025. Governments will have an opportunity to make bold commitments on many aspects of climate change, including providing the finance needed to tackle climate change, especially in countries in the global South. Christian Aid has produced an ‘Urgent call for climate justice’ at COP30: https://www.christianaid.org.uk/our-work/policy/cop-un-climate-change-conference. To help focus our prayers for COP30, Green Christian’s November prayer guide includes daily prayers for many of the issues that will be discussed at COP30. Please do take a look and include these in your prayers: https://greenchristian.org.uk/introduction/resources/prayer-guide/.

Cornerstone Eco Church Core Group

Congregational Meeting

Next Sunday (16 November 2025) in the Worship Area after Morning Service

Our next Congregational Meeting is next Sunday (16 November 2025), when we shall have an opportunity to hear the latest information about the Episcopal Visitation.

Final reminder – Membership Renewal!

Thank you to everyone who has renewed their church membership recently. There are quite a few people who have not yet renewed their church membership. If you haven’t yet done so, please can you let us have your renewal forms in the next two weeks. These can be given to the stewards at services or, if your details haven’t changed, you can email Janet, our Stewardship Secretary: steward.cccmk@gmail.com, to say that you’d like to renew. (The forms were in the envelopes about the stewardship campaign which you collected or were sent a few weeks ago.) Please note that to vote at congregational meetings you need to be on our membership list and that membership is to be renewed every two years. Many thanks for your help with this.

Moving forward

Dear Church Members,

As we embrace a new chapter and look towards the future of our church, we are presented with a wonderful opportunity to collectively shape our path forward. Bishop Dave has shared a thoughtful idea that we, as ordinary members, voice our sense of the Church’s essential Vision and the qualities we hope to see in the priest who will serve among us.

To facilitate this, we would like to invite you to share your concise, heartfelt ideas on these two key questions:

• Considering our vision to be an Oasis of Hope in the city and the changes we are navigating, what essential qualities should we seek in a minister to work among us?
• Thinking of our vision above, what are your dreams for our church’s future, and how do you see us embodying this vision more fully in the community?

Please feel free to write your thoughts down on paper and bring them with you to church in the next two weeks. These will then be handed to Revd Assa Humphreys, and his team as they work on the profile for the church. Your participation is crucial as we seek God’s guidance together in finding a minister who will help us continue to thrive as a beacon of hope and faith.

Revd George Mwaura

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.
May these gifts serve your purpose and bring light to all corners of your world.

Amen

Hymn: Guide me, O thou great Redeemer

Guide me, O thou great Redeemer,
pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty,
hold me with thy powerful hand;
bread of heaven, bread of heaven,
feed me till I want no more. (×2)

Open now the crystal fountain,
whence the healing stream doth flow;
let the fire and cloudy pillar
lead me all my journey through;
strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
be thou still my strength and shield. (×2)

When I tread the verge of Jordan,
bid my anxious fears subside,
death of death, and hell’s destruction,
land me safe on Canaan’s side;
songs of praises, songs of praises,
I will ever give to thee. (×2)

Welsh, Willian Williams (1717–1791) tr. Peter and Willian Williams
CCL31580

Blessings and Sending out

Go now in the peace of God, who remembers every name and holds every story.
May Christ lead you to places of compassion,
may the Spirit give you strength to seek justice and pursue peace.
And may the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
be with us, and remain with us today and always.

Amen

Dismissal

Church, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

In the name of Christ, we will.

Amen