Service of the Word – Live Streamed – Sunday, 23 June 2024
Led by: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga
Gathering Music
Welcome
Gathering Prayer
O Lord, we lift our eyes to see your glory. We open our hearts to receive your love.
We engage our minds to understand your truths. We offer our songs to praise your name.
Lord, as we give you our lives, please take everything that we are,
so that we may reveal your blessings to the world.
Amen
[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: Come down, O love divine
Come down, O love divine,
seek thou this soul of mine,
and visit it with thine own ardour glowing;
O comforter, draw near,
within my heart appear,
and kindle it, thy holy name bestowing.
O let it freely burn,
till earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
and let thy glorious light
shine ever on my sight,
and clothe me round, the while my path illuming.
Let holy charity
mine outward vesture be,
and lowliness become mine inner clothing;
true lowliness of heart,
which takes the humbler part,
and o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.
And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the power of human telling,
for none can guess its grace,
till he become the place
wherein the Holy Spirit makes his dwelling.
Bianco da Siena (d. 1434)
tr. Richard Frederick Littledale (1833–1890)
CCL31580
Confession
Come, all who have made mistakes.
Come, all who have said or done things they regret.
Come, all who have failed to do what was right.
Come, all who want to start afresh.
Come to the God who offers hope, healing, and forgiveness.
Kyrie (ancient version)
Forgive us, Lord,
for the times we forget that you have our back;
when we put our confidence in ourselves instead of you;
when we bury our heads in the sand, hoping it will all go away.
Forgive us, Lord,
for the times when we say empty words;
when we put our trust in the wrong things;
when we aren’t ready to take on a challenge;
when we have to be nudged, rather than following willingly;
when we have war and not peace on our minds.
Almighty God, we have confessed to you and faced our failings,
let us now in penitence hear your forgiving words that assure us of your love,
your forgiveness, and your patience with us.
Take the burden from us and help us to face the future with a lighter load and clearer vision.
Amen
Hymn: God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name (Freely, freely …)
God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name;
I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name;
and in Jesus’ name I come to you
to share his love as he told me to.
He said:
‘Freely, freely you have received;
freely, freely give.
Go in my name, and because you believe,
others will know that I live.’
All power is given in Jesus’ name,
in earth and heaven in Jesus’ name;
and in Jesus’ name I come to you
to share his power as he told me to.
He said:…
God gives us life in Jesus’ name’
he lives in us in Jesus’ name;
and in Jesus’ name I come to you
to share his peace as he told me to.
He said:…
Carol Owens
CCL31580
Prayer of the Week
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good thing,
graft in our hearts the love of your Name, increase in us true religion,
nourish us with all goodness, and bring forth in us the fruit of good works;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen
Gloria
Meditation – First Part
Mark 4: 35–38
Read by Chibby Chima-Okoro
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’ 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, ‘Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?’
NIV®
This is the Gospel of Christ.
Praise to Christ our light.
Meditation
Hymn: Yet not I but Through Christ in Me
[Choir] What gift of grace is Jesus, my redeemer,There is no more for heaven now to give.
He is my joy, my righteousness and freedom,
My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace. [Congregation] To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus,
For my life is wholly bound to His.
Oh, how strange and divine, I can sing, ‘All is mine’,
Yet not I, but through Christ in me. [Choir] The night is dark but I am not forsaken,
For by my side, the Saviour, He will stay.
I labour on in weakness and rejoicing,
For in my need, His power is displayed. [Congregation] To this I hold, my Shepherd will defend me
Through the deepest valley, He will lead.
Oh, the night has been won, and I shall overcome,
Yet not I, but through Christ in me. [Together] No fate I dread, I know I am forgiven;
The future sure, the price it has been paid.
For Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon
And He was raised to overthrow the grave.
Meditation – Second Part
Mark 4: 39–41
Read by Bob Collard
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40He said to his disciples, ‘Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?’
41 They were terrified and asked each other, ‘Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’
NIV®
This is the Gospel of Christ.
Praise to Christ our light.
Meditation
Hymn: Yet not I but Through Christ in Me
[Choir] To this I hold, my sin has been defeated,Jesus now and ever is my plea.
Oh, the chains are released, I can sing, ‘I am free’,
Yet not I, but through Christ in me. [Congregation] With every breath, I long to follow Jesus’
For He has said that He will bring me home,
And day by day, I know He will renew me
Until I stand with joy before the throne. [Choir] To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus;
All the glory evermore to Him.
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat,
‘Yet not I, but through Christ in me.’ [Together] To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus,
All the glory evermore to Him.
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat,
‘Yet not I, but through Christ in me.’ [Together] When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat,
‘Yet not I, but through Christ in me.’
‘Yet not I, but through Christ in me.’
‘Yet not I, but through Christ in me.’
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
Bishop of Oxford’s Visitation to Christ the Cornerstone
10.00 am Sunday, 7 July 2024
Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft, the Bishop of Oxford’ will be visiting Christ the Cornerstone for the Holy Communion Service at 10.00 am on Sunday, 7 July 2024 and will stay on afterwards for a bring-and-share lunch and question time. Bishop Steven is in the process of arranging a Bishop’s Visitation of Cornerstone to review governance, finance and the mission of the Church in liaison with the ecumenical church leaders’ group. His visit on 7 July 2024 will give him an opportunity to explain the aims of the visitation and the plans in the Diocese for the appointment of the new Bishop of Buckingham.
Bring-and-share lunch
You are invited to bring a savoury dish, a desert or some other item to share on the day. Please contact Ann Wilson for more details annwilson.mk@googlemail.com.
Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga
Flowers in the Worship Area
The Worship Area flowers are donated by June Halstead to celebrate her birthday on Saturday, 22 June 2024. We send love and best wishes for a very happy day.
Katherine Wheldon
General Election Hustings
Churches Together in Milton Keynes is promoting hustings with the parliamentary candidates for the General Election in each of the three Milton Keynes Constituencies. Hustings provide an opportunity for members of the public in a constituency to listen to and ask questions of the candidates.
The two remaining hustings will be held on the following dates:
- Buckingham & Bletchley Constituency: at St Frideswides, Water Eaton on Sunday, 23 June 2024 at 4.00–5.30 pm.
- Milton Keynes Central Constituency: at the Church of Christ the Cornerstone on Wednesday, 26 June 2024 at 7.30 for 8.00–9.30 pm.
Cornerstone is committed to voter registration and would like to encourage members to attend the hustings in their constituencies. We are also looking for volunteers to assist with the hustings that will be taking place at Cornerstone for Milton Keynes Central Constituency on Wednesday, 26 June 2024 at 7.00–9.30 pm to help welcome members of the public attending the hustings and to assist with serving refreshments before the hustings. Please contact David Chapman (david@dachapman.free-online.co.uk) or Stuart Kean (stuart.kean@gmail.com) if you can assist..
Cornerstone Church Picnic
Sunday, 21 July 2024 after the morning service in the Fred Roche Gardens
A Cornerstone Church Picnic will be held on 21 July 2024 after the Sunday morning service in the Fred Roche Gardens at the back of the church. The picnic will be an opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the gardens and will be a fun time. If it is wet the picnic will be held in the Guildhall. Please do put the date in your diary as we hope as many people as possible will attend. Please will you let Christine Mwaura know if you’re intending to come to the picnic and also if you would be willing to help with organising the picnic.
Eco Church Core Group
Offering
Final Prayer
Lord, thank you that you do not give up on us when we fail,
that you offer us a fresh start through your forgiveness.
Guide and teach us that we may learn from our mistakes,
and walk with us into each new day, in Jesus’ name.
Amen
Hymn: Our God is an awesome God
Our God is an awesome God,
who reigns from heaven above,
with wisdom, power and love.
Our God is an awesome God! [Repeat]
Rich Mullins (1955–1997)
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
Dismissal
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ,
Amen