Preacher: Revd George Mwaura
Led by: Revd George Mwaura
Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Gathering Music

Welcome

Gracious and loving God, we gather together today
in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit to mark this Racial Justice Sunday.

Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayers for an end to racism.

Lord, in your grace,
open our hearts and provoke us to respond with action.

Lord in your righteous anger,
empower Your prophets to speak truth to power.

Lord, in your love,
bind us together in solidarity, with a shared vision
to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly towards an end to racism
and into your Kingdom of love made real here on earth.

[Silence]

Welcome to the house of God.
We have come from all the corners of the earth.

Welcome to the hospitality of God.
We come as we are; we bring our life, our stories, our journey.

Welcome, brothers and sisters.
We are the rainbow people of God.

Welcome, chosen people.
May God our companion bind us in his love.

Amen

Hymn: To God be the glory

To God be the glory, great things he has done!
so loved he the world that he gave us his Son.
Who yielded his life in atonement for sin,
and opened the life-gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord!
Let the earth hear his voice!
Praise the Lord!  Praise the Lord!
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus his Son;
and give him the glory, great things he has done!

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
to every believer the promise of God!
And every offender who truly believes,
that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Praise the Lord!  …

Great things he has taught us, great things he has done,
and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
but purer, and higher, and greater will be
our wonder, our rapture, when Jesus we see.

Praise the Lord!  …

Fanny Crosby (née Frances J. van Alstyne) (1820–1915)
CCL31580

Gathering Prayer

God of welcome, gather us into your presence,
Trinity of love, God in Community.

May you know the hospitality of our Creator,
Trinity of love, God in Community.

May the weight of the world be held by our Redeemer,
Trinity of love, God in Community.

May we be inspired by the falling of Your Spirit in this place, ,
Trinity of love, God in Community.

[Silence]

God breathed all into life,
all of creation, diverse and beautiful.

How good and how wonderful it is
to worship God in spirit and truth.

Faith, love and hope come together in this place;
justice and peace embrace.

We worship God together.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Amen

Confession

Loving God,
before you and your people I confess to my failings –
to the wounding of myself, of others and of our shared home.

Before you and your people I confess to my failings –
to my complicities in practices and systems that denigrate
and strip away the dignity of others.

Before you and your people I confess to my failings –
to getting in the way of love and hindering the furtherance of your Kingdom
of love, peace and justice for all.

Before you and your people I confess to my failings –
to the wounding of myself, of others and of our shared home.

Before you and your people I confess to my failings –
to my complicities in practices and systems that denigrate
and strip away the dignity of others.

Before you and your people I confess to my failings –
to getting in the way of love and hindering the furtherance of your Kingdom
of love, peace and justice for all.

[Silence]

May the ever-loving God forgive you.
May the suffering Christ sustain you.
May the Holy Spirit enrich you.

We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord

Amen

Prayer of the Week

Holy and loving God – whose nature and ways are far beyond our understanding,
 we thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus – who lets us see your face in his:
who shows us your love in his actions and your grace in his manner of being.
In him too, O God, we see ourselves as you would have us be and as your power is able to make us.
Make us more like him now, we pray.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

2 Kings 2: 1–12

Read by Martin Petchey

Elijah Taken up to Heaven

¹ When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. ² Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; the Lord has sent me to Bethel.’

But Elisha said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel.

³ The company of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, ‘Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?’

‘Yes, I know,’ Elisha replied, ‘so be quiet.’

4Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.’

And he replied, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ So they went to Jericho.

5The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, ‘Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?’

‘Yes, I know,’ he replied, ‘so be quiet.’

⁶Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here; the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.’

And he replied, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them walked on.

⁷Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. ⁸ Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

⁹When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?’

‘Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,’ Elisha replied.

¹⁰ ‘You have asked a difficult thing,’ Elijah said, ‘yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours – otherwise, it will not.’

¹¹ As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. ¹² Elisha saw this and cried out, ‘My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!’ And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.

NIV®

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

Hymn: God on the Mountain

Life is easy, when you’re up on the mountain
and you’ve got peace of mind, like you’ve never known.
But when things change and you’re down in the valley
don’t lose faith, for you’re never alone.

And the God on the mountain is still God in the valley.
When things go wrong, He’ll make them right
And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times
The God of the day is still God in the night

We talk of faith when we’re up on the mountain,
talk comes so easy when life’s at its best.
But the valley of trials and temptations:
that’s when your faith is really put to the test.

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley.…

Bill & Gloria Gaither (2005)
CCL31580

Mark 9: 2–9

Read by Cheryl Montgomery

The Transfiguration

² After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. ³ His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. ⁴ And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

⁵ Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ ⁶ (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

⁷ Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!’

⁸ Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

⁹ As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

NIV®

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

Meditation

By Revd George Mwaura

[Silence]

Choral Response

Hymn: Brother, sister, let me serve you

Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey
and companions on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ-light for you
in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace tou long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh I’ll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow
till we’ve seen this journey through.

When we sing to God in heaven
we shall find such harmony,
born of all we’ve known together
of Christ’s love and agony.

Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.

Richard Gillard (b. 1953)
CCL31580

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in the Creator:
the maker of all things.

We believe in the Son:
the redeemer of our broken world.

We believe in the Spirit:
The sacred wind that binds all things together in the family of God.

Creator Father, beloved Son and living Spirit.

Amen

Prayers and Intercessions

Led by Grace Hunting

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

The Peace

Peace to you from God, who is our Father.
Peace from Jesus Christ, who is our peace.
Peace from the Holy Spirit, who gives us life
and desires we live reconciled lives
with the earth and all its inhabitants.

May the peace of God be always with you.
and also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Notices

Lent Vigil for Climate Justice

5.30–6.30 pm Ash Wednesday, 14 February 2024,
Church of Christ the Cornerstone, Milton Keynes

As the climate crisis wreaks havoc on our global neighbours, we will pray and demand bold action during Lent. Christian Aid together with Green Christian, A Rocha, Tearfund and others will gather from Ash Wednesday (14 February) to hold a vigil for 10 days, 24 hours a day outside the UK Parliament, as well as in churches and homes during this period. You are invited to join the Lent Vigil for Climate Justice that will be taking place at the Church of Christ the Cornerstone, in Milton Keynes on 14^th February (Ash Wednesday) from 5.30 – 6.30pm. Please do join us. For more information please go to the Christian Aid website: https://www.christianaid.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/climate-change/nfiff-lent-vigil-climate-justice#:~:text=As%20the%20climate%20crisis%20wreaks,Prayer%20is%20powerful.

Cornerstone Eco Church Core Group

Cornerstone Christmas Appeal 2023

A big thank you to everyone who so generously supported the Christmas Appeal.  The amount raised was £4468.96.  With Gift Aid this will give a total of £5343 to divide between the chosen charities.  A special thank you must go to everybody involved with the Children’s Choir, who sang in the city centre before Christmas and raised a total of £46.20 for the Appeal.

Christmas Appeal Committee

Lent Studies 2024

This year our Lent Study will be offered on three evenings each week starting in the week beginning 19 February 2024: Tuesdays with Rosemary Kearsey, Wednesdays with the regular Bible Study Group and Thursdays with Stuart Kean. We shall use the series prepared by Green Christian, Calling a Wounded Earth Home, which is based on five themes: Love, Truth, Wisdom, Justice and Hope. If you are interested in coming, please send an email to Mark in the office (admin@cornerstonemk.co.uk). You can find out more about Green Christian at https://greenchristian.org.uk.

Cheryl Montgomery

Hymn: Put peace into each other’s hands

Put peace into each other’s hands
and like a treasure hold it;
protect it like a candle flame,
with tenderness enfold it.

Put peace into each other’s hands,
with loving expectation;
be gentle in your words and way,
in touch with God’s creation.

Put peace into each other’s hands,
like bread we break for sharing;
look people warmly in the eye:
our life is meant for caring.

As at communion, shape your hands
into a waiting cradle;
the gift of Christ receive, revere,
united round the table.

Put Christ into each other’s hands,
he is love’s deepest measure;
in love make peace, give peace a chance:
and share it like a treasure.

Fred Kaan (1929–2009)
CCL31580

Blessing

In a world where we have, in the past, enslaved and dehumanised others,
we go to treat each person with dignity and respect.

In a world where profit is valued more than human life,
we go to proclaim the priceless worth of each person.

In a world where the ugliness of racism and White supremacy is found,
we go to show that love conquers all social ills.

Go forth into the world in peace; be of good courage; hold fast that which is good;
render to no one evil for evil; strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak;
help the afflicted; honour everyone;
love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.

And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.

Amen

Dismissal

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

Amen