Led by Revd George Mwaura
Preacher: Jackie Darko Commey

Call to Worship

As we gather together, may we feel among us the presence of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
in our worship, our prayer, in hearing God’s Word and in the fellowship we shall enjoy.

Amen

Greetings and Welcome

Opening Prayer

Loving God, at the start of Lent, help us as we explore what it means to survive and thrive,
even in the difficult times. Thank you that you go before us and show us the way.

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.V

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

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Confession

Living God, thank you for your Word, an effective weapon that equips us for survival.
We give thanks for the unshakeable truths on which we can stand firm.
Lord Jesus, we praise you for always watching over us, through good times, bad times and desert times.
Thank you that when we falter all we need do is cry out to you and we are heard.
But Lord you know us and know our limitations
and so we ask that you forgive us when we ignore your leading;
when we favour our own comforts over the needs of others; when we do not learn from your Word;
when we do not recognise temptation or give in to it too easily;
when we tune in to accusing voices, instead of resting and trusting in your faithful promises.
Forgive us Lord and guide us by your spirit.

Amen

[Silence]

Prayer of the Week

Loving God, as we begin this new week, we seek shelter in your presence,
just as the psalmist found refuge under your wings.
You are our fortress and our God, in whom we place our complete trust.
Like Jesus in the wilderness, we face times of testing in our daily lives.
When we encounter temptations to doubt your goodness, to seek power on our own terms,
or to test your faithfulness, grant us the wisdom and strength that your Son showed.
Help us to stand firm in your Word,
knowing that you alone are our true sustenance in Jesus’ Mighty Name.

Amen

Scriptural Readings

Psalm 91: 1–3 & 9–16

Read by Martin Petchey

¹ Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.’

³ Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
[…]

⁹ If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
¹⁰ no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
¹² they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

¹⁴ ’Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honour him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him<
and show him my salvation.

NIV®

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

Hymn: Forty days and forty nights

Forty days and forty nights
thou wast fasting in the wild:
Forty days and forty nights
tempted still, yet unbeguiled.

Sunbeams scorching all the day,
chilly dew-drops nightly shed,
prowling beasts about the way,
stones thy pillow, earth thy bed,

Let us thy endurance share
and from earthly greed abstain
with thee watching unto prayer,
with thee strong to suffer pain.

Then if evil om us press,
flesh or spirit to assail,
victor in the wilderness,
help us not to swerve or fail!

So shall peace divine be ours;
holier gladness ours shall be,
come to us angelic powers,
such as ministered to thee.

Keep, O keep us, Saviour dear,
ever constant by thy side,
that with thee we may appear
at the eternal Eastertide.

George Hunt Smyttan (1822–1870) and Francis Pott (1832–1909)
CCL31580

Luke 4: 4–13

Read by Robin Kyd

⁴ Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone.”’

⁵ The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And he said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendour; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷ If you worship me, it will all be yours.’

⁸ Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”’

⁹ The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down from here. ¹⁰ For it is written:

‘“He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
¹¹ they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”’

¹² Jesus answered, ‘It is said: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’

¹³ When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

NIV®

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

Reflections

By Jackie Darko Commey

Instrumental Music for Meditation

Affirming Faith

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made: of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us all, and for our salvation he came down from heaven;
and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and was made human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried.
On the third day he rose from the dead in accordance with the scriptures.
He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father.
Who, with the Father and the Son, is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
We confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the age to come.

Amen

Prayers and Intercessions

Led by Joy Enenche

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

Sharing Peace

Blessed are the peacemakers, says the Lord:
they shall be called children of God.
We meet in the name of Christ and share his peace.
My dear friends, may the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be always with you.
and also with you!

Offertory Prayer

Gracious God, all abundance flows from your endless love.
We humbly present these offerings – both those given today and those already shared –
asking for your blessing as we build your kingdom through this church and beyond.
May these gifts serve your purpose and bring light to all corners of your world.

Amen

Notices

Lent Studies

Our Lent studies begin this week. We are holding three series of sessions, one on Monday/Tuesday, and two on Wednesday. The materials we shall be studying are from ‘A Search for Peace’ by John Birch from Faith & Worship (www.faithandworship.com).

This week we are following Study One: ‘The Human Search for Peace’.

7.15 pm Monday, 10 March 2025 by Zoom led by Rosemary & John Kearsey
7.00 pm Wednesday, 12 March 2025 by Zoom led by Revd George Mwaura
7.30 pm Wednesday, 12 March 2025 led by Stuart Kean

The further study sessions are:

Study Two: ‘The Human Destruction of Peace’
Study Three: ‘God, Peace, and the Old Testament’
Study Four: ‘God, Peace, and the New Testament’
Study Five: ‘Peace in the Lives of Believers’

If you have not already signed up for this year’s Lent studies, please contact Rosemary Kearsey or Robin Kyd for the Monday/Tuesday sessions, Robin Kyd for the Wednesday 7.00 pm sessions by Zoom or Stuart Kean for the Wednesday 7.30 pm sessions.

Bishop Steven’s visit to Cornerstone

7.00 pm Tuesday, 11 March 2025 in the Guildhall

All Church Council trustees, directors of the Trading Company, the PCC, Cornerstone Church employees and Cornerstone trustees of the Cornerstone Trust are invited to this meeting.

Those wishing to ask Bishop Steven questions or react to the Visitation Report have been asked to make their submission in advance by email to the bishop’s Executive Assistant, Marian Green marian.green@oxford.anglican.org.

Anniversary prayers at Cornerstone pillar at the MK Rose

5.30 pm Thursday, 13 March 2025

There is a pillar at the MK Rose in Campbell Park inscribed with the date of the dedication of the Church of Christ the Cornerstone on 13 March 1992.

On Thursday, 13 March 2025 everyone is invited to meet at MK Rose at 5.30 pm for prayers to celebrate this anniversary.

Pat Kyd, Church Secretary

FairTrade Stall in the Guildhall

Sunday, 9 March 2025

Alongside celebrations to welcome Bishop Dave, come along to browse new products, bargains, and to learn about Transform Trade and the challenges being faced by overseas producers due to climate change.

Joy Chapman, cjoy.chapman9@gmail.com

Thursday Morning Coffee

We had a very successful session last Thursday and so we shall continue regular weekly gatherings for coffee (or other drinks), fellowship and chat in the Cornerstone Café from 11.00 am every Thursday. This is an informal drop-in session, so feel free to come and go as you wish. There is a Zoom session for anyone who would like to join in, but is unable to come to the Cornerstone Café on a Thursday morning. For a link to the Zoom session please email robin_kyd@yahoo.co.uk.

Hymn: Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us

Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us
o’er the world’s tempestuous sea;
guard us, guide us, keep us, feed us,
for we have no help but thee;
yet possessing every blessing,
if our God our Father be.

Saviour, breathe forgiveness o’er us:
all our weakness thou dost know;
thou didst tread this earth before us,
thou didst feel kits keenest woe;
lone and dreary, faint and weary,
through the desert thou didst go.

Spirit of our God, descending,
fill our hearts with heavenly joy,
love with every passion blending,
pleasure that can never cloy:
thus provided, pardoned, guided,
nothing can our peace destroy.

James Edmeston (1791–1867)
CCL31580

Blessing

Go now and live in the shelter of the Most High.
When temptation comes, stand firm in your faith.
And May the Blessings of God Almighty,
the Father the son and the Holy Spirit
be with you today and always.

Amen

Sending out

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

In the name of Christ, we will.

Amen