Led by: 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

Call to Worship

The Lord is our light.
Let us draw near to learn from God,
to be led by God,
and to be strengthened by God.
Come now and let us wait for the Lord!

Greetings and Welcome

Opening Prayer

Living God, we gather in your light, seeking your peace.
You are our salvation, and we worship you.
Be strong for us and unite us, that we may see your goodness all around us.

Amen

Hymn: As the deer pants for the water

As the deer pants for the water,
so my soul longs after you.
You alone are my heart’s desire
and I long to worship you.

You alone are my strength, my shield,
to you alone may mus spirit yield.
You alone are my heart’s desire
and I long to worship you.

I want you more than gold or silver,
only you can satisfy.
You alone are the real joy-giver
and the apple of my eye.

You’re my Friend and you’re my Brother,
even though you are a king.
I love you more than any other,
so much more than anything.

Martin Nystrom (b. 1966)
CCL31580

Prayers of Approach, Thanksgiving and Confession

Thank you, loving God for making us your children,

for creating us in your image, and for caring for us always.

Thank you, for the guidance of the Scriptures,
for the support we receive from our brothers and sisters in Christ,
and for the gracious presence of your Son, Jesus, in our lives.

But Lord we know that we are not perfect,
and we are sorry that sometimes pressure overcomes us
and we make wrong decisions.

We know that we should wait on you, and be guided by you,
but we rush in headlong without thinking of the consequences for ourselves or for others.

Forgive us, and help us to be patient with you,
to be guided by you, and to be obedient to you
in the wilderness of this Lent.

[A moment of silence]

Assurance of Pardon

God pardons those who humbly repent and truly believe the gospel.
Since Jesus died for us, we have peace with God,
to whom be praise and honour forever.

Amen

Prayer of the Week

The house of God is our home, and in our hearts, we hold and cherish it,
through barren lands, through disappointment, through trouble within us and around us.
Through all our wandering in the wilderness of emptiness and distraction,
we are drawn here to worship and praise God, who makes a home with us,
whose presence fills and sustain us.

Amen

Ministry of the Word

Psalm 27

¹ The Lord is my light and my salvation –
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life –
of whom shall I be afraid?

² When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
³ Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.

⁴ One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.</span

⁶ Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.</span

⁷ Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
⁸ My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
⁹ Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Saviour.
¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
¹¹ Teach me your way, Lord;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
¹² Do not hand me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.

¹³ I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.

NIV®

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

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

Luke 13: 31–35

Jesus’ Sorrow for Jerusalem

³¹ At that time some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, ‘Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.’

³² He replied, ‘Go and tell that fox, “I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will reach my goal.” ³³ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day – for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem!

³⁴ ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. ³⁵ Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”

NIV®

Meditation

By Revd George Mwaura

[Silence]

Prayers of Intercession

Led by David Moore

Lord’s Prayer

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

Blessed are the peacemakers, says the Lord,
they shall be called children of God.
We meet in the name of Christ and share Christ’s peace.
And so, friends, may the peace of Christ be with you all.
And also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Notices

Funeral of Joan Allen

Milton Keynes Crematorium 1.15–2.00 pm Tuesday, 22 March 2022

Joan’s funeral will be at 1.15 pm on Tuesday, 22 March 2022 at MK Crematorium, led by Revd George. There will be a webcast of the service. There will be family flowers only. Donations may be made to Willen Hospice in memory of Joan. Joan’s daughter Kay Newman is inviting people from Cornerstone to come to the funeral reception at the Holiday Inn South by Junction 14 at 2.30 pm, with buffet sandwiches and cakes. If you wish to attend the reception, please let Kay (mailto:newkay2@yahoo.co.uk) know numbers (for catering purposes).

Ecumenical Council

Tuesday, 15 March 2022 7.00–8.30 pm by Zoom

This is the last meeting of the current Ecumenical Council before the Annual Congregational Meeting on Sunday, 3 April 2022. Retiring members of Ecumenical Council are Glynne Gordon-Carter and Ian & Janet Trimnell. All three have been very active members of Council over the past three years, and we thank them for their valuable contributions. All three will remain key members of Cornerstone, as they continue their many other roles.

At the Annual Congregational Meeting on Sunday, 3 April 2022 we need to elect five new members of Ecumenical Council to succeed the retiring members and to fill two outstanding vacancies. Please consider prayerfully whether you could contribute to the life of Cornerstone as a member of Ecumenical Council. Nomination papers are available in the Clerk’s pigeonhole in Reception, and need to be completed and returned to the Clerk as soon as possible.

Lent Study Living on the Breadline

Lent studies with our Wednesday and Thursday study groups continue this week, although the Tuesday study group have had to give way the Ecumenical Council meeting. If you have not been able to join one of the study groups, but would like to study this material at home, you can access the material from: Lent Course – Life on the Breadline.

‘God loves a cheerful giver’

Thanks to your generous giving we can be an OASIS OF HOPE to Milton Keynes.

Please keep supporting our mission!

If you are at our worship service in the church building and would like to make an offering, please place your offering in the basket at the door to the worship area. If you can’t find it, please ask the stewards.

There are many different ways to give: online, telephone banking or by cheque. For more information how to give please visit the Cornerstone website (www.cornerstonemk.co.uk) or contact: steward.cccmk@gmail.com.

Thank you for your support. It is much appreciated.

Hymn: Take my life, and let it be

Take my life, and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee;
take my moments and my days,
let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let the move
at the impulse of thy love love.
Take my feet, and let the be
swift and purposeful for thee.

Take my voice, and let it sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my intellect, and use
every power as thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it thine,
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart; it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure-store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.

Frances R. Havergal (1836–1879)
CCL31580

Blessings

May God our Mother and Father give you strength and courage;
may God grant you patience as you wait and know the wonders of her love.
And may God’s blessings fall and rest upon you and all those who you love
today, tomorrow and always.

Amen

Dismissal

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

In the name of Christ.

Amen