Led by: Revd George Mwaura

Gathering Music

Call to Worship

The Lord calls us to be salt and light in the world.
We come to shine the light of God’s love.

The Lord commands us: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
We come to learn what it means to truly love.

Isaiah asks: ‘Is it not to share your food with the hungry and provide shelter for the wanderer?’
We come to break the yoke of oppression and extend welcoming hands.

Jesus declares: ‘You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before others.’
We come to let our light break forth like the dawn.

God calls us to do away with the pointing finger and malicious talk.
We come to build bridges, not walls; to choose love over fear.

Then your light will rise in the darkness, and God will say: ‘Here am I.’
Let us worship the God who loves without boundaries, who welcomes all,
and who calls us to do the same!

Greetings and Welcome

Hymn: God is Love: let heaven adore him

God is Love: let heaven adore him;
God is Love: let earth rejoice;
let creation sing before him,
and exalt him with one voice.
He who laid the earth’s foundation,
he who spread the heavens above,
he who breathes through all creation,
he is Love, eternal Love.

God is Love: and he enfoldeth
all the world in one embrace;
with unfailing grasp he holdeth
every child of every race.
And when human hearts are breaking
under sorrow’s iron rod,
then they find the selfsame aching
deep within the heart of God.

God is Love: and though with blindness
sin afflicts the souls of all,
God’s eternal loving kindness
holds and guides us when we fall.
Sin and death and hell shall never
o’er us final triumph gain;
God is Love, so Love for ever
o’er the universe must reign.

Timothy Rees (1874–1939)
CCL31580

Prayers of Thanksgiving and Lament

Gracious and loving God, we give you thanks for the beautiful diversity of your creation,
for every colour, language, and culture that reflects your creative imagination,
and for calling us all your beloved children.
We thank you for Jesus Christ, who crossed every boundary to reach us,
who welcomed the outcast and loved without condition.
Yet, O God, we lament the sin of racism that continues to wound your children,
the systems of oppression that crush the vulnerable,
and the walls of division that separate those you have called to unity.
We lament the narratives of fear we have believed and perpetuated,
the times we have pointed fingers instead of extending hands, and chosen comfort over courage,
silence over solidarity.

We lament for those excluded from your house,
made to feel unwelcome in the place that should be home, their voices silenced, their gifts unused.
How long, O Lord, will your children suffer because of the colour of their skin?
How long will fear triumph over love? Hear our lament, O God, and turn our mourning into action.
Transform us by your grace, that we might become agents of reconciliation,
lights shining in the darkness.
In the name of Jesus Christ, who reconciles all things, we pray.

Amen

[Silence]

Prayer of the Week

Loving God, who commanded us to love our neighbour as ourselves,
grant us the courage to love without boundaries, the wisdom to see your image in every person,
and the strength to challenge all that divides your children.
Break down in us the walls of fear and prejudice, that we might truly be salt and light in the world,
sharing our bread with the hungry, welcoming the stranger,
and spending ourselves on behalf of the oppressed.
May our light break forth like the dawn, revealing your justice, mercy, and inclusive love,
that all might know they are precious in your sight.

Amen

Isaiah 58: 7–10

Read by Shay de Silva

⁷ Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter –
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
⁹ Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: here am I.

‘If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

NIV®

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

Hymn: Longing for light (Christ be our light)

Longing for light, we wait in darkness.
Longing for truth, we turn to you.
Make us your own, your holy people,
light for the world to see.

Christ be our light! Shine in our hearts.
Shine through the darkness.
Christ be our light!
Shine in your church gathered today.

Longing for peace, our world is troubled.
Longing for hope, many despair.
Your word alone has power to save us.
Make us your living voice.

Christ be our light! ….

Longing for food, many are hungry.
Longing for water, many still thirst.
Make us your bread, broken for others,
shared until all are fed.

Christ be our light! ….

Longing for shelter, many are homeless.
Longing for warmth, many are cold.
Make us your building, sheltering others,
walls made of living stone.

Christ be our light! ….

Many the gifts, many the people,
many the hearts that yearn to belong.
Let us be servants to one another,
helping your kingdom come.

Christ be our light! ….

Bernadette Farrell (b. 1957)
CCL31580

Matthew 5: 13–16

Read by Rosemary Goldie

Salt and light

¹³ ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

¹⁴ ‘You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

NIV®

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

Sermon

By Revd George Mwaura

[Silence]

Musical Interlude

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in one God,
Creator of all people, in whose image every human being is made –
fearfully and wonderfully, beautifully and uniquely.

We believe in Jesus Christ,
the Word made flesh, who crossed every boundary to reach us,
who welcomed the outcast, healed the marginalised,
and called us to love our neighbour without exception.
He was born in the margins, lived among the rejected, and died outside the city walls,
that all might be brought inside the embrace of God’s love.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
who breaks down dividing walls, who speaks in many languages,
who gifts the Church with beautiful diversity,
and who empowers us to be salt and light in the world.

We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church,
where there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, where all are one in Christ Jesus,
a community called to reflect the unity and diversity of heaven.

We believe we are called to love our neighbour,
the neighbour who looks like us and the neighbour who doesn’t,
the neighbour who speaks our language and the neighbour who doesn’t,
the neighbour who was born here and the neighbour who has journeyed from afar.

We believe that love is stronger than fear,
that light overcomes darkness, that justice will roll down like waters,
and that God’s kingdom is a place where all are welcome.

We believe that God calls us to:
Share our bread with the hungry,
Shelter the homeless wanderer,
Clothe the naked,
Break the yoke of oppression,
Stop pointing fingers and speaking malicious words,
Spend ourselves on behalf of the oppressed.

We believe that when we do these things,
our light will break forth like the dawn, our healing will quickly appear,
and God will say to us: ‘Here am I.’

We commit ourselves to this work of love, to building a community where all belong,
to challenging narratives of fear and exclusion,
to being salt and light in a world that desperately needs both.
This we believe. This we proclaim. This we will live.

Amen

Hymn: Brother, sister, let me serve you

Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.

We are pilgrims on a journey
and companions on the road;
we are here to help each other
walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ-light for you
in the night-time of your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you,
speak the peace tou long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping;
when you laugh I’ll laugh with you;
I will share your joy and sorrow
till we’ve seen this journey through.

When we sing to God in heaven
we shall find such harmony,
born of all we’ve known together
of Christ’s love and agony.

Brother, sister, let me serve you,
let me be as Christ to you;
pray that I may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.

Richard Gillard (b. 1953)
CCL31580

Prayers of intercession

Led by Maggie Kean

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

The dividing wall of hostility has been broken down in Christ.
We who were once far off have been brought near, by his blood.
We who were strangers and aliens are now fellow citizens with God’s people
and members of God’s household. May Christ’s peace. which transcends all boundaries, be with you all.
And also with you.

Let’s us offer one another Christ’s Peace and wave to those watching on the live stream.

Offertory and Notices

Journeying with Jesus – Lent Course 2026 – by Zoom

This Lent, step onto the road with Jesus. Join our six-week course Journeying with Jesus, based on the Diocese of Sheffield’s inspiring study through Luke’s Gospel. (Journeying with Jesus – The Diocese of Sheffield) Together we’ll explore stories of calling, healing, gratitude and transformation, discovering what it means to walk more closely with Christ in our everyday lives.

The course runs over six weeks, starting the week commencing 23 February and finishing by 1 April 2026. Come and share in scripture, discussion, reflection and prayer, as we journey together towards Easter. All are warmly welcome; whether you’re a long-time disciple or simply curious to explore faith more deeply. 🌿✝️

Revd George

There will be sessions running on Tuesdays starting at 7.15 pm, Wednesdays at 7.00 pm and Thursdays at 7.30 pm. If you wish to join the Tuesday group please contact Rosemary Kearsey (rosemary.kearsey@btopenworld.com); for the Wednesday group contact Pat Kyd (pat_kyd@yahoo.co.uk); and for the Thursday group contact Stuart Kean (stuart.kean@gmail.com).

Here is a summary of the weekly sessions:

• Week 1:  Setting out with Jesus – Jesus and three would-be followers (Luke 9: 51–62)

• Week 2:  Sitting down with Jesus– Mary and Martha (Luke 10: 38–42)
• Week 3:  Set free by Jesus– the woman with the twisted spine (Luke 13: 10–17)
• Week 4:  Supper with Jesus– a meal with a pharisee (Luke 14: 1–14)
• Week 5:  Saying thank you to Jesus– the ten lepers (Luke 17: 11–19)
• Week 6:  Saved by Jesus– Zacchaeus (Luke 19: 1–10)l

World Day of Prayer

2.30 pm Friday, 6 March 2026 at Christ the Cornerstone

This year’s Service will be held here, at Christ the Cornerstone. The material has been prepared by women from Nigeria. We invite everyone (men and women) who will be free on that Friday from 2.30 pm for about an hour, to join us for this service. (Please note that this is an afternoon Service this year.)

We are also looking for people (readers and non-readers) to participate. If you would like to be involved, please contact Rosemary Kearsey (01908 373263 rosemary.kearsey@btopenworld.com) or Diane Phillips (aaronandalexsnan@hotmail.com).

Rosemary Kearsey

Offertory Prayer

Gracious and generous God,
we give you thanks for the offerings given in advance for the work of your kingdom.
We are grateful for the faithful stewardship of your people, who give not out of abundance alone,
but out of love and commitment to your mission.
Bless these gifts and multiply them for your purposes.
May they bring hope to the hurting, welcome to the stranger, and proclaim your good news to all.
Use us, and all we offer, for your glory. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Hymn: Be thou my vision

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
be all else but naught to me save that thou art;
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word;
be thou ever with me, and I with thee, Lord;
be thou my great Father, and I thy true son;
be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight;
be thou my whole armour, be thou my true might;
be thou my soul’s shelter, be thou my high tower:
O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise:
be thou mine inheritance now and always;
be thou and thou only the first in my heart;
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art!

High King of heaven, thou heaven’s bright Sun,
O grant me its joys after vict’ry is won;
great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.

Irish (8th century)
tr. Mary Byrne (1880–1931)
versified Eleanor Hull (1860–1935)
CCL31580

Blessings and Sending out

Go now as salt and light into a world that needs both.
Go to love your neighbour, the neighbour next door and the neighbour across the world,
the neighbour who looks like you and the neighbour who doesn’t.
And may the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
rest and remain with you, now and always.

Amen

Dismissal

Church, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ, we will.

Amen

Congregational Blessing

May God’s blessing surround us each day,
as we trust him and walk in his way.
May his presence within guard and keep us from sin.
Go in peace, go in joy, go in love.