Led by Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga
Preacher: Revd George Mwaura

Please note that the video feed will go live from around 9:50 am and will be switched off after the service.
A separate video feed of the choir is available here.

Gathering Music

Welcome

Gathering Prayer

Beloved of God, come, turn to Christ.
When Jesus was baptised in the Jordan and the Holy Spirit descended upon him,
he knew he was beloved by God.
Let us know the warmth of God’s love today.

[Silence]

Loving God, we come to worship.
You have called each of us by name; we belong to you.
Pour out your Spirit on us, we pray, that we may know your love and our belovedness today.

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

The last two years have wrecked and reconfigured our lives in many ways.
As we emerge, we confess we feel lost.
An arid wilderness lies before us, bereft of certainties we thought secure,
and we must search for spiritual succour to help us journey through this wasteland.
But we are exhausted, Lord, and our heads droop.
Our faith is faltering and we want short cuts, quick results, instant gratification.

Forgive us, Lord, for seeking renewal in the wrong places.
We raise our faces to you, O Lord,
for in you we belong and are known and loved, even when we no longer know who we really are.
Call us by name. Renew us that we may play our part in restoring the world.

[Silence]

Lord, your forgiveness comes like cooling rain,
streams in the desert of our wild, disorientated wanderings,
calming our woes, washing our regrets into the sands
that will shockingly and surprisingly bloom with new life,
when we thought all the good seeds within us had dried to barren husks.
From your forgiveness comes renewal,
and the strength to rise again like a phoenix from the ashes of our wastelands,
wallowing in despair no more, ready and able to move on – with you.

Amen

Prayer of the Week

God of all creation, the fertile plains and wilderness belong to you,
and it is there you often call us to find you.
From the wastelands of our lives, we seek you, as did those who sought John by the Jordan River.
We now humbly bow our heads for cleansing
and joyfully renew our baptismal vows,
acknowledging that Baptism is a gift from you through Jesus our Lord.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Psalm 29

Read by Adrian Boynton

¹ Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
² Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name;
worship the Lord in the splendour of his holiness.

³ The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
⁴ The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
⁵ The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
⁶ He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.
⁷ The voice of the Lord strikes
with flashes of lightning.
⁸ The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
⁹ The voice of the Lord twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’

¹⁰ The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King for ever.
¹¹ The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.

NIV®

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

Luke 3: 15–17 & 21–22

Read by Richard May-Miller

¹⁵ The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. ¹⁶ John answered them all, ‘I baptise you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

…

The Baptism of Jesus

²¹ When all the people were being baptised, Jesus was baptised too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’

NIV®

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

Meditation

By Revd George Mwaura

[Silence]

Affirmation of Faith

Let us declare our faith.

We believe in God the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.

We believe in God the Son,
who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit,
who strengthens us with power from on high.

We believe in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit

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.

Hymn: What a friend we have in Jesus

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear –
all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged: take it to the Lord in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness – take it to the Lord in prayer!

Are we weak and heavy-laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Saviour, still our refuge! Take it to the Lord in prayer!
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In his arms he’ll take and shield thee, thou wilt find a solace there.

Joseph Scriven (1819–1886)
CCL31580

Prayers and Intercessions

Led by Katherine Wheldon

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.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.

Amen

Notices

Cornerstone Prayer Network

Prayer is central to our Christian fellowship. The Cornerstone Prayer Network is here for people who have asked us to pray for them. Please send your prayer requests to cornerstonechurch.prayernetwork@gmail.com and the details will be passed on to the members of the Prayer Network. If your prayer request is for someone else, please check with them before sending details to the Cornerstone Prayer Network.

Maggie Greaves has been facilitating the Prayer Network with love and compassion for so many years, for which we are extremely grateful, and now she has decided to stand down. June Halstead is looking after the Prayer Network now, and we offer her our wholehearted support.

If you would like to become a member of the Cornerstone Prayer Network, please send your details by email to cornerstonechurch.prayernetwork@gmail.com, or speak to June after a Service in the church.

Wednesday evening Bible Study

Bible Study sessions with Revd George resume by Zoom at 7.00 pm this Wednesday (12 January 2021), with a review of Nehemiah 1–9. We shall continue studying the remaining chapters of Nehemiah on the remaining Wednesdays in January. If you have not joined these Bible Study sessions previously, but would like to start now, please contact Pat Kyd (pat_kyd@yahoo.co.uk) for the details to access the Zoom sessions.

Committee meetings this week

The Social Justice Committee is meeting on Monday at 6.00 pm and the Finance & Resources Committee will meet at 7.00 pm on Thursday. Both meetings are by Zoom.

Final Prayer

Holy Spirit, go with us into the world.
Re-source us with your power and your presence.
Father God, help us to know your love, and that we are your beloved sons and daughters.
Lord Jesus Christ, help us to learn from you, and to follow your example,
that we may share belovedness with everyone we meet.

Amen

Hymn: Just as I am, without one plea

Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou biddst me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am, though tossed about
with many a conflict, many a doubt,
fighting within, and fears without,
O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
sight, riches, healing of the mind,
yea, all I need, in thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
because thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am (thy love unknown
hath broken every barrier down),
now, to be thine, yea, thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come!

Just as I am, of that free love
the breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
here for a season, then above,
O Lamb of God, I come!

Charlotte Elliott(1789–1871)
CCL31580

 

The Blessing

May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face shine on you, and be gracious to you.
May the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace;
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