Led by Revd George Mwaura

Greetings and Welcome

Grace, mercy and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Today we hear two stories of liberation.
In Exodus, God makes a way through the waters and leads Israel out of slavery into freedom.
In the Gospel, Jesus calls us out of another kind of bondage:
the bondage of resentment, bitterness and unforgiveness.

Call to Worship

Come, people of God, for the Lord makes a way where there seems to be no way.
God leads us from bondage into freedom.

Come, people of God, for the Lord is gracious and compassionate.
God forgives us and calls us to forgive.

Come with the burdens you have carried and the wounds you have known.
We bring them into the presence of the God of mercy.

Come, worship the God who delivers, restores and renews.
We will worship the Lord with thankful hearts.

Amen

Opening Prayer

God of sea and wilderness, God of freedom and new beginnings,
you called your people out of slavery and opened a pathway through the waters.
You call us still from fear into faith, from bitterness into mercy,
from resentment into freedom, and from death into life.
As we worship you today, quiet our restless hearts and open us to your presence.
Speak to us through your Word. Remind us of the grace we have received.
Give us courage to release the burdens we carry
and teach us to become people whose lives reflect your mercy.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Confession

Merciful God, we thank you that your love does not depend upon our deserving it.
We thank you for the grace that seeks us when we wander, the mercy that meets us when we fail,
and the love that refuses to abandon us.
We thank you for the story of your people, for the waters through which you led them,
for the wilderness through which you sustained them, and for the freedom you placed before them.
Above all, we thank you for Jesus Christ, in whom you have shown us the depth of your love
and offered us forgiveness, healing and new life.

Yet, gracious God, we confess that although we gladly receive mercy,
we are sometimes reluctant to offer it. We remember injuries long after they have happened.
We replay harsh words in our minds. We hold tightly to resentment.
We judge others more severely than we judge ourselves.
Sometimes we have wounded others by what we have said or done.
Sometimes pride has prevented us from apologising.
Sometimes fear has prevented us from seeking reconciliation.
Forgive us, Lord.

Release us from everything that enslaves our hearts.
Where forgiveness is difficult, give us grace. Where reconciliation is possible, give us courage.
Where relationships are unsafe or broken beyond repair,
give us wisdom to establish healthy boundaries without allowing bitterness to rule us.
Make us people who know ourselves forgiven and therefore learn to forgive.
In the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen

Kyrie

[Silence]

Absolution and Assurance of Grace

Hear the good news: God does not leave us trapped by yesterday.
The God who opened the sea for Israel still opens pathways into freedom.
In Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven, our burdens are lifted and a new beginning is offered to us.
Receive God’s mercy. Walk in God’s freedom.
And as you have been forgiven, go and become ministers of forgiveness and grace.

Thanks be to God.

Amen

Prayer of the Week

God of boundless mercy, you led your people through the waters from slavery into freedom
and in Jesus Christ, you have forgiven us more than we could ever repay.
Release us from resentment, heal the wounds that imprison our hearts,
and give us grace to forgive as we have been forgiven;
that our lives may bear witness to the reconciling love of Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen

Exodus 14: 19–31

Read by Robin Kyd

¹⁹ Then the angel of God, who had been travelling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, ²⁰ coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other; so neither went near the other all night long.

²¹ Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, ²² and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

²³ The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. ²⁴ During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. ²⁵ He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, ‘Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.’

²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.’ ²⁷ Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing towards it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. ²⁸ The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen – the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

²⁹ But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. ³⁰ That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. ³¹ And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

NIV®

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

Amazing grace!

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
and grace my fears relieved;
how precious did that grace appear
the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, trials and snares
I have already come.
’Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
and grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me;
his word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be
as long as life endures.

John Newton (1725–1807)
CCL31580

Matthew 18: 21–35

Read by Pat Kyd

The parable of the unmerciful servant

²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’

²² Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

²³ ‘Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. ²⁵ Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

²⁶ ‘At this the servant fell on his knees before him. “Be patient with me,” he begged, “and I will pay back everything.” ²⁷ The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.

²⁸ ‘But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. “Pay back what you owe me!” he demanded.

²⁹ ‘His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, “Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.”

³⁰ ‘But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. ³¹ When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

³² ‘Then the master called the servant in. “You wicked servant,” he said, “I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. ³³ Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?  ³⁴ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

³⁵ ‘This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’

NIV®

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

Sermon

By Revd George Mwaura

[Silence for reflection]

Affirmation of Faith

Let us affirm together the faith that gives us hope.

We believe in God, the God of creation and liberation,
who hears the cry of the oppressed and leads people from slavery into freedom.

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s Son, who proclaimed forgiveness, welcomed sinners,
healed the broken, and on the cross revealed the limitless mercy of God.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts, gives us courage to forgive,
and makes reconciliation possible.

We believe that grace is stronger than guilt, love is stronger than hatred,
mercy triumphs over judgement,
and in Christ there is always the possibility of a new beginning.
We are God’s forgiven people, called to become a forgiving people.

Amen

Hymn: There’s a wideness in God’s mercy

There’s a wideness in God’s mercy
like the wideness of the sea;
there’s a kindness in his justice
which is more than liberty.

There is no place where earth’s sorrows
are more felt than up in heaven;
there is no place where earth’s failings
have such kindly judgement given.

For the love of God is broader
then the measure of man’s mind;
and the heart of the Eternal
is most wonderfully kind.

But we make his love too narrow
by false limits of our own;
and we magnify his strictness
with a zeal he will not own.

There is plentiful redemption
in the blood that has been shed;
there is joy for all the members
in the sorrows of the Head.

There is grace enough for thousands
of new worlds as great as this;
there is room for fresh creations
in that upper home of bliss.

If our love were but more simple,
we should take him at his word;
and our lives would be all gladness
in the joy of Christ our Lord.

Frederick William Faber (1814–1863)
CCL31580

Prayers of Intercession

Led by Cheryl Montgomery

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 the Peace

Christ has reconciled us to God and calls us to become ministers of reconciliation.
We are invited to share in his peace.
May the peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.

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 you 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

Welcome our new Curate, Revd Lara Deen and her family

Offertory and Notices

Screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing Film

2.00–4.00 pm this Sunday (13 September 2026) at Cornerstone

You are invited to attend a free screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing Film about the risks to British life from ongoing damage to nature and to our climate. The film presents a clear, measured overview of how the climate and nature crisis is affecting everyday life in Britain – and what the evidence says about risks and responses. This screening is for members of the faith communities in Milton Keynes. The 45-minute film will be followed by a time of discussion.

Please book your free ticket using EventBrite by clicking here and registering: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/peoples-emergency-briefing-film-for-milton-keynes-faith-communities-tickets-1995450216313?aff=oddtdtcreator.

Revd George Mwaura, Chair, Churches Together in Milton Keynes
The Co-Convenors and Committee of Interfaith MK
Dr Stuart Kean, Convenor, MK Eco Church Network

Cornerstone Church Council

7.00 pm Monday, 14 September 2026

The Church Council meets this week at 7.00 pm on Monday (14 September 2026) in the Small Hall.

Cornerstone Covenant Renewal Weekend

Saturday–Sunday, 19–20 September 2026

Our Service at 10.00 am next Sunday (20 September 2026) will be an All Age Covenant Renewal Service. It will be followed by a Bring and Share Lunch.

If you are new to the Church of Christ the Cornerstone and would like to become a Church Member, please speak to Cheryl Montgomery, Pat Kyd, Peter Cope or Revd George and ask for a membership form.

Revd Sarah Eden-Jones’s Induction Service

7.00 pm Monday, 28 September 2026

Our new Minister, Revd Sarah Eden-Jones, will be inducted by Bishop Dave, Bishop of Buckingham, at the Church of Christ the Cornerstone on Monday, 28 September 2026. The Induction Service is scheduled for 7.00 pm. The Service will be very well-attended, so you are advised to arrive in good time. This Service will be live-streamed.

Offertory Prayer

Gracious God, all abundance flows from your endless love.
We humbly present these offerings before you, those placed before your altar today,
and those given faithfully electronically throughout the week in ways seen and unseen.
Receive and bless them, that they may serve your purposes,
and reflect the generous love revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord

Amen

Hymn: Love divine, all loves excelling

Love divine, all loves excelling,
joy of heaven, to earth come down,
fix in us thy humble dwelling,
all thy faithful mercies crown.
Jesus, thou art all compassion,
pure unbounded love thou art;
visit us with thy salvation,
enter every trembling heart.

Come, almighty to deliver,
let us all thy grace receive;
suddenly return, and never,
never more thy temples leave.
There we would be always blessing,
serve thee as thy hosts above;
pray, and praise thee, without ceasing,
glory in thy perfect love.

Finish then thy new creation:
pure and spotless let us be;
let us see thy great salvation
perfectly restored in thee;
changed from glory into glory
till in heaven we take our place,
till we cast our crowns before thee,
lost in wonder, love, and praise.

Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
CCL31580

Blessing and Sending Out

Go from this place, refusing to be imprisoned by the wounds of yesterday.
Go as those who have crossed the waters, whose debts have been forgiven.

And may the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
rest upon us, upon those we love, and those we struggle to love, today and always.

Amen

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

In the name of Christ.

Amen

Benediction

May God’s blessing surround you each day,
as you trust him and walk in his way.
May his presence within guard and keep you from sin.
Go in peace, go in joy, go in love.