Led by Revd George Mwaura

Preacher: Revd Sonia Hicks,
Chair of Northampton Methodist District

Gathering Music

Call to Worship

In a world torn apart by conflict and fear,
we come to you seeking peace, O Prince of Peace.

As we enter this Advent season,
let the promise of your coming reign of peace bring calm to our troubled hearts.

Welcome and Greetings

Prayers

God of love, guide our feet into the ways of peace,
fill our hearts with a passion to serve.

Shed the light of your acceptance into the darkness of our insecurity.
As we listen to your Word and offer our prayers,
may we hear you calling us afresh to the tasks you have entrusted us
in the name of the redeemer we await.

Amen

Lighting the Advent Candle

Today we light the second candle, the Bethlehem candle. It represents the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. The candle also symbolizes peace and preparation for the coming of Christ.

Hymn: Hail to the Lord’s Anointed!

Hail to the Lord’s Anointed!
Great David’s greater Son!
hail, in the time appointed,
his reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
to set the captive free,
to take away transgression,
and rule in equity.

He comes with succour speedy
to those who suffer wrong;
to help the poor and needy,
and bid the weak be strong;
to give them songs for sighing,
their darkness turn to light,
who souls, condemned and dying,
were precious in his sight.

He shall come down like showers,
upon the fruitful earth
and love, joy, hope’ like flowers,
spring in his path to birth:
before him on the mountains
shall peace, the herald, go;
and righteousness in fountains
from hill and valley flow.

Arabia’s desert-ranger
to him shall bow the knee;
the Ethiopian stranger
his glory come to see;
with offerings of devotion
ships from the isles shall meet,
to pour the wealth of ocean
in tribute at his feet.

Kings shall down before him,
and gold and incense bring;
all nations shall adore him,
his praise all people sing:
to him shall prayer unceasing
and daily vows ascend;
his kingdom still increasing,
a kingdom without end.

O’er every foe victorious,
he on his throne shall rest;
from age to age more glorious,
all-blessing and all-blest:
the tide of time shall never
his covenant remove;
his name shall stand for ever,
that name to us is love.

James Montgomery (1771–1854)
CCL31580

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Confession

We praise you God for those who, like John the Baptist,
have spoken out daringly, faithfully and passionately to further your kingdom.
Give us ears to hear the prophetic voices of our own time,
and strength to be courageous in the way we live and speak and dream.
But Lord, there is no hiding from you;
You know our weakness and so we come humbly confessing our sins and transgressions.
Forgive us, when we have not listened to those whose voices like John have been challenging,
when we have turned away from those whose voices have been pleading,
when we have used our own voices unkindly. Forgive us and bless us.

Amen

[Silence]

Kyrie

Prayer of the Week

God of all seasons, as we journey through this second week of Advent,
we reflect on the words of the prophet Isaiah as spoken by John the Baptist:
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.
In a world filled with darkness and inequality, we yearn for the light of your presence
and the levelling of the rough places in our lives and in the lives of those around us.
Help us to be like John, a voice crying out in the wilderness, calling others to repentance and baptism.
Give us the courage to stand up against injustice
and to point others to the hope that is to come in Jesus Christ

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Daniel 3: 12–25

Read by Stuart Kean

¹² ‘But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon – Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego – who pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up.’

¹³ Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king, ¹⁴ and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, ‘Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? ¹⁵ Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?’

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.’

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual ²⁰ and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. ²¹ So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. ²² The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, ²³ and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace.

²⁴ Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, ‘Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?’

They replied, ‘Certainly, Your Majesty.’

²⁵ He said, ‘Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’

NIV®

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

Hymn: Hills of the North, rejoice

Hills of the North, rejoice,
river and mountain-spring,
hark to the advent voice;
valley and lowland sing.
Christ comes in righteousness and love,
he brings salvation from above.

Isles of the Southern seas,
sing to the listening earth,
carry on every breeze
hope of a world’s new birth:
in Christ shall all be made anew,
his word is pure, his promise true.

Lands of the East, arise,
he is your brightest morn,
greet him with joyous eyes
praise shall his path adorn:
your seers have longed to know their Lord;
to you he comes, the final word.

Shores of the utmost West,
lands of the setting sun,
welcome the heavenly guest
in whom the dawn has come:
he brings a never-ending light
who triumphed o’er our darkest night.

Shout, as you journey home,
songs be in every mouth,
lo, from the North they come,
from East and West and South:
in Jesus all shall find their rest,
in him the universe be blest.

Editors of English Praise (1975)
based on Charles E. Oakley (1832–1865)
CCL31580

Luke 1: 68–79

Read by Joy Chapman

Zechariah’s Song

⁶⁸ ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
⁶⁹ He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
⁷⁰ (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
⁷¹ salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
⁷² to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
⁷³ the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
⁷⁴ to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
⁷⁵ in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

⁷⁶ And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
⁷⁷ to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
⁷⁹ to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.’

NIV®

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

Meditation

By Revd Sonia Hicks,
Chair of Northampton Methodist District

[Silence]

Hymn: Come, thou long-expected Jesus

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free,
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.

Israel’s strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a king,
born to reign in us for ever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.

By thine own eternal Spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all-sufficient merit
raise us to thy glorious throne.

Charles Wesley (1707–1788)
CCL31580

Affirmation of Faith

In this season of waiting, we confess our hope in the One who has come, is coming, and will come again.
We affirm that Jesus, born of Mary, is the Messiah foretold by the prophets,
bringing light to a world in darkness.
He is the fulfilment of every promise,
the embodiment of God’s steadfast love for his people.

We confess our impatience, our weariness, our temptation to lose faith in the midst of uncertainty.
Yet in the face of these shortcomings, we affirm the mercy of the Lord,
who does not abandon us to our doubts,
but calls us again and again to trust in his goodness.

In this Advent season, we say ‘Yes’ to God’s work of transformation within us.
We invite the Holy Spirit to prepare us anew, to clear a path in the wilderness,
to burn away our complacency and refine our resolve.

Amen, come Lord Jesus

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

The Peace

As we await the coming of Christ, let us share in the hope that brings us peace.

May the peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all,
and also, with you.

Share peace in our agreed protocol.

Notices

Cornerstone Christmas Charity Appeal 2024

Our Christmas Charity Appeal is now open for business! It has raised the amazing total of over £133,000 for local and international charities over the past twelve years.

The charities we are supporting this year are Advantage Africa, MK:Act (Domestic abuse intervention service), Tools for Self Reliance and Milton Keynes Christian Foundation’s Urban Farm.

A leaflet with details of all these charities and ways to donate (cash / cheque / bank transfer) is available in the church entrance hall and has already been emailed to everyone on our mailing list. The appeal is open until the end of December 2024.

Your generosity is very much appreciated! Thank you.

Cornerstone Appeal Committee

Offering Envelopes for 2025

If you would like a set of offering envelopes for next year, please let me know. If you are currently using envelopes, you are already on the list to receive a set for next year, but I need to know if there is anyone else who would like a set for 2025.

Janet Trimnell, steward.cccmk@gmail.com

Advent Bible study week 3 Waiting in Hope

Bible readings: Zephaniah 3: 14–20, Luke 3: 7–18

Light up the dome for a loved one! Help raise funds for the church

Just a reminder: If you would like to light up our dome for a night this Christmas in memory of someone special or to celebrate a special occasion, please sign up on the poster in Reception.

If you are not able to get into the church but would like to choose a date, please contact our treasurer at petercope26@gmail.com.

Thank you.

Peter Cope

Bishop of Oxford’s Visitation to Cornerstone

Date for your diary: Sunday, 26 January 2025

The Bishop of Oxford’s representatives have completed their report on Cornerstone. The Bishop will attend morning worship at Cornerstone on Sunday, 26 January 2025 and will speak to the Congregation afterwards about the report. There will be a bring-and-share lunch.

easyfundraising

Thank you to those of you who are signed up to easyfundraising. The latest payment from them is £27.96 for church funds. The total raised in this way now stands at more than £730.

If you shop online and are interested in helping to raise funds for the Church while you shop at no extra expense to yourself, please take a look at www.easyfundraising.org.uk and sign up. The church is listed as Church of Christ the Cornerstone – Milton Keynes.

Janet Trimnell, steward.cccmk@gmail.com

Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga

Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga is on annual leave until Wednesday, 11 December 2024.

Offertory

Closing Prayers

As we leave this sacred space, let us carry the light of Christ into the world.
May our hearts, ignited by the hope of Advent, shine brightly for all to see.
Guide us, Lord, as we journey through these days of preparation,
that we may be beacons of your love and peace.
Fill us with the courage to share your message and the compassion to serve those in need.
May our lives be a testament to the promise of your coming.
We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord, who is the true Light of the world.

Amen

Hymn: I cannot tell why he, whom angels worship

I cannot tell why he, whom angels worship,
should set his love upon the sons of men,
or why, as Shepherd, he should seek the wanderers,
to bring them back, the know not how or when.
But this I know, that he was born of Mary
when Bethl’em’s manger was his only home,
and that he lived at Nazareth and laboured,
and so the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is come.

I cannot tell how silently he suffered,
as with his peace he graced the place of tears,
or how his heart upon the cross was broken,
the crown of pain to three and thirty years.
But this I know, he heals the broken-hearted
and stays our sin and calms our lurking fear
and lifts the burden from the heavy laden;
for still the Saviour, Saviour of the world is here.

I cannot tell how he will win the nations,
how he will claim his earthly heritage
how satisfy the needs and aspirations
of east and west, of sinner and of sage.
But this I know, all flesh shall see his glory,
and he shall reap the harvest he has sown,
and some glad day his sun will shine in splendour
when he the Saviour, Saviour of the world, is known.

I cannot tell how all the lands will worship,
when at his bidding every storm is stilled,
or who can say how great the jubilation
when every heart with joy and love is filled.
But this I know, the skies will thrill with rapture,
and myriad myriad human voices sing’
and earth to heav’n, and heav’n to earth, will answer,
‘at last the Saviour, Saviour of the world is King!’

William Young Fullerton (1857–1952)
CCL31580

Blessing

Friends, go back into the world, and like John,
be a voice that cries into the injustices and the darkness of our world.
And the blessings of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
rest and remain upon us all, now and for ever.

Amen

Sending out

Church, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

In the name of Christ, we will.

Amen