Led by Revd George Mwaura

Gathering Music

Welcome

Gathering Prayer

Lord, we are gathered here safely, in the presence of the good shepherd.
We feel your arms penning us in, surrounding us with your love.
We are secure in belonging to you. You know us, and we rejoice in knowing you.

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: All my hope on God is founded

All my hope on God is founded;
he doth still my trust renew.
Me through change and chance he guideth,
only good and only true.
God unknown,
he alone
calls my heart to be his own.

God’s great goodness aye endureth
deep his wisdom, passing thought:
splendour, light, and life attend him,
beauty springeth out of naught.
Evermore
from his store
new-born worlds rise and adore.

Daily doth th’Almighty giver
bounteous gifts on us bestow;
his desire our soul delighteth,
pleasure leads us where we go.
Love doth stand
at his hand;
joy doth wait on his command.

Still from man to God eternal
sacrifice of praise be done,
high above all praises praising
for the gift of Christ his Son.
Christ doth call
one and all:
ye who follow shall not fall.

Robert Bridges (1844–1930)
CCL31580

Confession

Lord, we know what we want, and we want it now.
We will follow any new fad to get it; or any stranger.

Forgive us, Good Shepherd, and bring us back
to where we know and are truly known.

Lord, we know where we want to go.
And sometimes, we don’t mind treading on a few toes to get there,
even trying to get ahead of our leader.

Forgive us, Good Shepherd, and bring us back
to where we know and are truly known.

We think we know who we are, but only you, Lord, truly know us.

Forgive us, Good Shepherd, and bring us back
to where we know and are truly known.

Lord, sometimes we are content with a lesser form of life than the one you desire for us.
We don’t always try to get to know other people before we let them influence us.

Forgive us, Good Shepherd, and bring us back
to where we know and are truly known.

[Silence]

Thank you, O God, that in you we have the safety and security of your abundant forgiveness.
As a woolly jumper can hold us tight, surrounding us with warmth and wellbeing,
so does your forgiveness wrap us in security and new hope. Praise be to God.

Amen

Prayer of the Week

Loving God, we are gathered here safely in the presence of a true shepherd,
secure in the knowledge that you love us and you will never abandon us to the wolves of this world.
You would rather give up your life to protect us.
But quite often, Lord, we get lost in the alluring pastures of this world
and you abandon everything to search and bring us back to the fold.
Thank you that we have safety and security of your abundant forgiveness
and provision in your Kingdom.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Psalm 23

Read by Brian Halstead

¹ The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
for ever.

NIV®

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

John 10: 1–10

Read by Katherine Wheldon

The good shepherd and his sheep

¹ ‘Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognise a stranger’s voice.’ ⁶ Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, ‘Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

NIV®

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

Meditation

By Revd George Mwaura

[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

Intercessions

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

Hymn: How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
in a believer’s ear!
It sooths his sorrows, heals his wounds,
and drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole,
and calms the troubled breast;
’tis manna to the hungry soul,
and to the weary rest.

Dear name! the rock on which I build,
my shield and hiding place,
my never-failing treasury filled
with boundless stores of grace.

Jesus! my Shepherd, Brother Friend,
my Prophet, Priest and King,
my Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
accept the praise I bring.

Weak is the effort of my heart,
and cold my warmest thought;
but when I see thee as thou art,
I’ll praise thee as I ought.

Till then I would thy love proclaim
with every fleeting breath;
and may the music of thy name
refresh my soul in death.

John Newton (1725–1807)
CCL31580

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

Cornerstone celebration of Coronation next Sunday (7 May 2023)

Raise a toast to King Charles III! Come and join everyone for coffee after the morning Service next Sunday to celebrate with cake and fizz.

Live streaming of services – Volunteers needed urgently!

We already have a small group of people who have kindly offered to help with the live streaming of services, but we need two or three more people! Please can you help? If we can get enough people, you might be needed only once a month or less often.

Training will be given and Ian Trimnell has prepared clear written instructions for you. You would need your own laptop or computer to help with this.

If you can help, please could you let Peter (petercope26@gmail.com) or George know in the next day or two. Many thanks.

Peter Cope

Season of Pentecost Wednesday Bible study

Friends,

Welcome to this exciting and fresh look into the study of the parables of the Kingdom. Together, during the season of Pentecost, we shall endeavour to peel off the layers of time using the wisdom of the Holy Spirt and the tools available to us to look afresh into the parables of Jesus. By talking about familiar situations, Jesus introduced concepts of God’s Kingdom into the minds of his listeners. I highly caution interpreting the parables of Jesus as short, moralistic lessons; this can cause problems. Instead, we should see these stories as important ways that Jesus communicated how he was bringing the Kingdom of God into the world of the Jews and the gentiles. ‘But why study the parables?’ you might ask. Well, the importance of the parables can hardly be overestimated. They comprise a substantial part of the recorded preaching of Jesus. The parables are generally regarded by scholars as among the sayings which we can confidently ascribe to the historical Jesus; they are, for the most part, authentic words of Jesus. Parables open our eyes to deeper insights into Christ and his Kingdom, and give us a greater glimpse into the spiritual realm.

We shall look at parables in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament, but mostly concentrate on the parables in the New Testament. We shaill study them under the two headings of: The Nature of the Kingdom and the Ethics of the Kingdom.  I am really excited about this exploration, and I invite you register your interest with Pat Kyd, our Bible study secretary if you are not registered yet. As usual, we meet on Wednesdays at 7.00 pm for about an hour and a quarter. Our first session is on 10 May 2023. Welcome everyone!

Blessing, y’all
Revd G.

Milton Keynes Food Bank

MK Food Bank continues to face an increasing demand for food from families who are struggling with the increasing cost of living. Cornerstone is a collecting point for donations of food. Please help the Food Bank by bringing donations of food and leaving them in the cupboard in Reception. You can bring in your donations at any time when the church building is open.

These are some of the items that are most needed:

• Tinned meat and fish
• Long-life milk
• Fruit juice and squash
• Cooking oil
• Jams, peanut butter, chocolate spread
• Dry or tinned pasta
• Pasta sauce
• Biscuits
• Tinned fruit
• Tinned vegetables (but not baked beans, which are currently over-stocked)
• Dried rice (500g)
• Rice pudding and custard
• Tea and coffee
• Tinned soup
• Savoury snacks and cereal bars

Visit the Food Bank website: https://mkfoodbank.org.uk/ to find out more about the Food Bank and how you can help.

What issues should be prioritised at the General Election next year?

The General Election is expected to be held in November next year, and Citizens:UK (https://www.citizensuk.org/) is starting to organise now, so as be ready to lobby parliamentary candidates on issues of justice and social well-being. All the Citizens Alliances and Chapters are currently discussing the priorities for the campaigns and as a member of the Milton Keynes Citizens Alliance we will have delegates at the Thames Valley Assembly on 3 May 2023 when decisions will be made on the priorities for our Chapter. Please help our delegates to represent Cornerstone by telling them what you think should be prioritised among the short list of proposals below. Please either mark up this sheet to show what you think are most important and leave it at Reception, or speak to Cathy Hampton, Joy or David Chapman, or else email or phone David on dachapman9@gmail.com, 01908 666422, with your priorities.

• Climate Justice
• Housing and homelessness
• Living hours (providing security of working hours alongside a real Living Wage)
• Cost of living crisis
• Democracy and devolution
• Racial Justice in education

Offering

Final Prayer

As we leave this place, go with us and guide us through the coming days.
Protect us from harm and help us to hear your voice.
Create opportunities for us to share your love with those we meet.

Amen

Hymn: The King of love my shepherd is

The King of love my shepherd is,
whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am his
and he is mine for ever.

Where streams of living water flow
my ransomed soul he leadeth,
and where the verdant pastures grow
with food celestial feedeth.

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
but yet in love he sought me,
and on his shoulder gently laid,
and home rejoicing brought me.

In death’s dark vale I fear no ill
with thee, dear Lord, beside me;
thy rod and staff my comfort still,
thy cross before to guide me.

Thou spread’st a table in my sight;
thy unction grace bestoweth;
and O what transport of delight
from thy pure chalice floweth!

And so through all the length of days
thy goodness faileth never:
good Shepherd, may I sing thy praise
within thy house for ever.

W.H. Baker (1821–1877)
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