Led by Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Gathering Music

Welcome

Gathering Prayer

Loving God, thank you that when we are happy, you are with us;
when we are sad, you are with us; when we are frustrated, you are with us;
when we are angry, you are with us; when we are confused, you are with us;
when we don’t know how we feel, you are with us.

May we give ourselves, and all of our emotions, to our worship today.

[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: Be thou my vision

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
naught be all else to me save that thou art;
thou my best thought in the day and the night,
waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true Word;
I ever with thee, and thou with me, Lord;
thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Be thou my breast-plate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my armour, and be thou my might’
thou my soul’s shelter, and thou my high tower,
raise thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
thou mine inheritance through all my days;
thou, and thou only, the first in my heart,
high King of heaven, my treasure thou art!

High King of heaven, when battle is done,
grant heaven’s joy to me, O bright heaven’s sun;
Christ of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

Irish (8th century)
tr. Mary Byrne (1880–1931)
versified Eleanor Hull (1860–1935) and others
CCL31580

Confession

What I don’t understand, God, I cast aside, ignore, object to, ridicule and rebuke.
What I don’t understand I think must be wrong.
People that are different sometimes worry me, frighten me, disturb and concern me,
so I ignore them, turn my back on them, ignore their needs, their cries for help, their pain and anguish.

Almighty God, I’m sorry that in my vulnerable moments,
I can hurt these people and make them feel worthless, unloved and unwanted.
Forgive me, I pray, and strengthen my resolve to see other people’s lives and views, needs and desires.

[Silence]

God understands our vulnerability and our confusion and forgives all those who truly repent,
who are really sorry for wrong deeds and wrong thoughts and wrong ways.
God forgives; journey in peace.

Amen

Prayer of the Week

We give you thanks for variety and richness, for friend and neighbour.
We give you thanks for examples set and lessons taught.
We give you thanks for stories told and journeys shared.
We give you thanks for reconciliation and resolution.
We give you thanks for healing and redemption.
We give you thanks for acceptance and forgiveness.
We give you thanks for the chance of a fresh start.
We give you thanks for the gentleness and care of others in our vulnerability and need.
We give you thanks for time and space.
We give you thanks for
people who have journeyed with us, held our hands and been our crutch.
We give you thanks, dear God, for inspiring so many and for simply being YOU.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Hebrews 11: 29 – 12: 2

Read by Nerys Steeds

²⁹ By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched round them for seven days.

³¹ By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

³² And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, ³³ who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴ quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵ Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. ³⁶ Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were put to death by stoning; they were sawn in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and ill-treated – ³⁸ the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.

³⁹ These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, ⁴⁰ since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.

¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

NIV®

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

Hymn: Lead me Lord

Lead me Lord, lead me in your righteousness.
Make your way plain before my face.
Lead me Lord, lead me in your righteousness.
Make your way plain before my face.
For it is you, Lord, you Lord only
that makest me dwell in safety.

S.S. Wesley (1810–1876)
CCL31580

Luke 12: 49–56

Read by Peter Steeds

Not Peace but Division

⁴⁹ ‘I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! ⁵¹ Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. ⁵² From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’

Interpreting the Times

⁵⁴ He said to the crowd: ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, “It’s going to rain,” and it does. ⁵⁵ And when the south wind blows, you say, “It’s going to be hot,” and it is. ⁵⁶ Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?

NIV®

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

Meditation

[Silence]

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 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

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.

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

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Notices

Cornerstone Youth: Sunday School summer break

Sunday School in church is taking a break for the month of August, restarting on Sunday 4 September 2022. During August, activity packs for children to use during services will be available.

The Ministerial Leadership Team

From the Cornerstone Archives

Excerpts from the minutes of a Congregational Meeting chaired by Revd Robin Baker on Monday, 17 November 1980, when the church was still meeting in 72 North Twelfth Street, Milton Keynes.

Organisation

(a)       Church Council

The Chairman stated that the time was ripe to set up a more formal organisation, although at this stage it should be minimal and have the utmost flexibility. As an ecumenical parish , there was a need to be sensitive to all Christian traditions. He pointed out that, unfortunately, the different denominations in this country have not yet set up a legal structure which takes cognizance of ecumenical working. As a result, some of the legal matters which would have to be entered into might suggest the dominance of one particular denomination, although this was, in fact, not the case.

The first task was to set up a Church Council which would be the decision-making body. The Team Ministry recommended that all members of the congregation should be members of the Council and this was agreed.

(b)       Parochial Church Council

The Church space in the library will be jointly owned by three denominations, the United Reformed Church, the Methodist Church and the Church of England. The United Reformed Church is represented by its District Council which meets in Northampton; the Methodist Church will probably be represented by the Milton Keynes Circuit while the Church of England is normally represented by the Minister and the Parochial Church Council. As an ecumenical church, the Church of Christ the Cornerstone does not have a Parochial Church Council, however, to satisfy certain legal requirements a PCC will be required. It will comprise members of the congregation who, if they were not members of the ecumenical congregation, would consider themselves to be Anglican. The PCC, it was stressed, would not meet on its own, but only as part of the Church Council.

Offering

‘God loves a cheerful giver’

Thanks to your generous giving we can be an Oasis of Hope to Milton Keynes. Please keep supporting our mission!

If you are at our worship service in the church building and would like to make an offering, please place your offering in the basket at the door to the worship area. If you can’t find it, please ask the stewards.

There are many different ways to give: online, telephone banking or by cheque. For more information how to give please visit the Cornerstone website (www.cornerstonemk.co.uk) or contact: steward.cccmk@gmail.com. Thank you for your support. It is much appreciated.

Final Prayer

Lord, go with us. Help us to seek your treasure. Help us to look for all you’re doing right now.
Help us by our example as much as by our words to share your treasure and your life-giving story
with the people we meet this week.

Amen

Hymn: How great thou art

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
consider all the works thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
thy power throughout the universe displayed;
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee,
how great thou art, how great thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander,
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
and hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze;
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee, …

And when I think that God, his Son not sparing,
sent him to die – I scarce can take it in:
that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
he bled and died to take away my sin;
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee, …

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
and take me home – what joy shall fill my heart!
Then shall I bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee, …

Russian hymn by Carl Boberg (1850–1940) tr. Stuart K. Hine (1899–1989)
CCL31580

Blessings

May God the Father prepare your journey,
Jesus the Son guide your footsteps,
The Spirit of Life strengthen your body,
The Three in One watch over you, on every road that you may follow.
And the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you today and always

Amen

The Dismissal

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

Amen