Pastoral Notes for Sunday, December 1, 2024

Dear Cornerstone family, 

At our particular juncture in history, preparing for Christmas often has little to do with preparing for Christ’s coming. For the vast majority, the holiday season is marked by a flurry of parties and shopping sprees with little time for quiet reflection and heart preparation around the mystery of Christ’s incarnation.  

Consequently, we enter this season with great anticipation and a fair amount of dread. We are glutted with social contact and yet feel alone. We are frazzled, harried, and stressed in the midst of what is supposed to be a time full of cheer. Even when the flashes of joy do come, and they usually do, those flashes often lack relation to the story of the baby boy born of a peasant girl in a stable in Bethlehem—the one Scripture calls, “the good news of great joy for all people” and “the hope of all the nations” (Luke 2:10; Matthew 12:21).  

J.B. Phillips once wrote, “The towering miracle of God’s visit to this planet on which we live will be glossed over, brushed aside or rendered impotent by over-familiarity for many this Christmas. Even by the believer the full weight of the event is not always appreciated. His faith is in Jesus Christ—he believes with all his heart that this man, who lived and died and rose again in Palestine, was truly the Son of God. He may have, in addition, some working experience that the man Jesus is still alive, and yet be largely unaware of the intense meaning of what he believes.”  

Could this be true of you? Has the wonder of Christ’s advent faded for you? Has the glory of the incarnation ceased to amaze? Is your hopeful expectation of Christ’s return being elbowed out by all the holiday fanfare?

To draw us into the mystery of Christ’s first advent and to prepare us for his return, we are turning our attention to the poets and songwriters of the Old Testament reflecting on five key Messianic Psalms.  

Waiting for Messiah: The Psalms of Advent 

December 1 — Psalm 2:1-12

December 8 — Psalm 8:1-9

December 15 — Psalm 40:1-17

December 22 — Psalm 98:1-9

December 29 — Psalm 146:1-10

On this first day of Advent, let’s boldly declare that evil and death and pain and loss won’t last. For Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, will have the final word. Therefore, let faith, hope, and love rise again within you, and let’s watch together with eager expectation for the return Christ. For the saying is true and worthy of acceptance, “Blessed are those servants whom the Master finds awake when He comes” (Luke 12:37).

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, November 24, 2024

Dear Cornerstone family, 

Happy anniversary! On the 20th of November—thirteen years ago—Cornerstone was received as a member church in the Presbyterian Church in America. Over the last thirteen years, we’ve seen God do amazing things in our midst, and I’m thrilled for the special opportunity today in worship to remember God’s faithfulness, retell the stories of God’s grace, and together renew our commitment to God’s call.  

When we were preparing for our ten-year anniversary (three years ago), a friend asked me that week, “What’s one truth that stands out to you after ten years of pastoring Cornerstone?” Like a reflex of soul, I responded, “How much we all need Jesus.” Then, after a short pause I added, “And how much we all need the church.”

The claim that we all need Jesus is a given. Who would disagree with that? But the claim that we all need the church? Well, that’s a different story. For many in our day, church is a nice addition, an optional extra. Few today are convinced of the necessity of the church.

Nevertheless, every Sunday in worship we confess with the ancient church that we believe in the “one holy catholic church.” When we do that, we are claiming that our faith in Christ can’t be extricated from other Christians. Jesus didn’t die for us to be saved individuals; He died to make us a people. When we are saved, we are saved into community. Our faith in Christ is personal, but it’s never private. We absolutely need the church because we are the church. As the third century church father Cyprian once said, “You can no longer have God for your Father, if you have not the church as your Mother.”

In preparation for today’s service, I took a half hour to think back on the thirteen years of Cornerstone’s existence. As I did so, stories came flooding back to mind. Stories of salvation, of overcome addictions, of restored marriages. Stories of lost members, divorces, and apostasy. Stories of weddings, births, and funerals. Stories of new member classes, of hospital visits, and of hard church discipline cases. I had a hard time fighting back the tears—tears of joy and, yes, some tears of sadness, too. Such is the nature of church life and ministry.

But one overriding emotion suffused the whole time of reflection—gratefulness. Truly, I consider it one of the greatest blessings in life to be numbered among you. That’s to say nothing of the high honor—an honor I do not deserve—to be called your pastor. What an amazing gift! 

On this 13th anniversary Sunday, let’s enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise (Psalm 100:4)! Let’s be whole-hearted and full-throated as we sing to God and testify of His goodness toward us in Jesus Christ, and, yes, the gift of the church.  

Let’s worship God!

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, November 10, 2024

Dear Cornerstone family, 

Well, it’s the second week of November, and that means Thanksgiving is fast approaching. For many of us, Thanksgiving is the annual opportunity to be reunited with friends and family, to watch a little football, and to savor the flavors of our favorite holiday fare. (I can almost taste the turkey and dressing and pumpkin pie, can’t you?)  

But the real question is not who will win the football game, or if Grandma will provide her melt-in-your-mouth yeast rolls, but will we be thankful on Thanksgiving? More to the point, what will you do to ready your heart for Thanksgiving? Take to heart these three simple instructions as you prepare to give thanks this Thanksgiving.

1.    Take time to remember the experiences of this past year. Pay attention to what God’s providence has brought into your life. Review each month slowly and gain a sense for the narrative flow of the year. Take special note of the watershed moments and the smaller formative times where emotional memory is stored—times of great joy or sadness. Commit these moments to writing and add any on-the-spot reflections you may have. 

2.    Take time to trace these remembrances to the purposes of God. Since God is sovereignly directing all things according to His purposes (Romans 8:28-30), nothing in your life this year is without meaning. Therefore, take time to consider how the glory of God is expressed in what you’ve experienced this past year. Though you will be tempted to neglect the hard or difficult memories from the year, please don’t. Prayerfully ask God for the eyes to see and heart to interpret each experience—good or bad—according to the redemptive purposes of God (Philippians 2:13).

3.    Take time to share what you see with others. After you’ve remembered and begun tracing these experiences to God’s purposes, share what you’ve learned with others. Take time over Thanksgiving Dinner with the family or set aside a few moments at a quieter time with a few close friends to share how God has been at work. Whatever the context, be intentional in your sharing and make much of God. 

“Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the peoples, proclaim that His name is exalted.” —Isaiah 12:3b

Your servant,

 


Pastoral Notes for Sunday, November 3, 2024

Dear Cornerstone family, 

At the 2024 General Assembly in Richmond, VA, I was elected to serve on the Permanent Committee of Mission to North America, which is the Presbyterian Church in America’s agency entrusted to support and oversee church planting and vitality across North America. The fall meeting of the MNA Permanent Committee was this week in Atlanta, GA.  

One particular ministry under the umbrella of MNA is Mission to State. Mission to State aims to provide spiritual guidance, support, and encouragement to those serving in government. As a service to churches in the PCA, Mission to State published a prayer guide for churches leading up to this week’s national election. I am republishing the prayer guide below in hopes that you will use it this week as you lift up prayers for our nation.  

“I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” —Ephesians 1:18-21  

How To Pray

  • Pray for “the eyes of your heart” to be enlightened to the reality of the immeasurable greatness of Jesus’s power.

  • Pray for a greater trust in God’s sovereignty over this election season.

  • Pray for the church as a whole to place greater trust in the rule and reign of Jesus.

  • Pray for Christ to intercede for the needs of your community.

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” — 1 Timothy 2:14

How To Pray

  • Pray for all who work in government (i.e. a high position) and for those about to be elected.

  • Pray for people you know personally who work in government (consider reaching out and asking how you can pray for them specifically).

  • Pray for “a peaceful and quiet life” that is “godly and dignified in every way.”

  • Pray for those who have not come to the knowledge of the truth.

  • Pray for Christ to intercede for our elected officials and our government workers.

  • Give thanks for the good work that is being done through our government.

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” ––Romans 13:1 

How To Pray

  • Pray for a peaceful election, and that all Christians would be subject to the governing authorities.

  • Pray for God to be merciful and gracious to our country.

Your servant,

 


Pastoral Notes for Sunday, October 27, 2024

Dear Cornerstone family, 

On June 15, 1520, Pope Leo X issued a papal bull of which Martin Luther was the subject. The Pope cited Luther with 41 instances of doctrinal deviation from the Roman Catholic Church.  Luther had sixty days to recant or further action would be taken. 

Luther wasted no time in publishing his answer. With some pomp and publicity, Luther lit a match and burned the papal bull publicly. Luther’s in-your-face rejection of the papal bull was not received kindly by the Pope. In response, in January 1521, Luther received an edict of excommunication from the Pope. Just like that—he was no longer a member of the Roman Catholic Church.

It’s hard for modern Christians to appreciate the gravity of this action. The Roman Catholic Church was the church in Western Europe at the time. You couldn’t go down the street to the Baptist or Episcopal church because there were no Baptist or Episcopal churches. Indeed, other than the Eastern Orthodox Church, which was thousands of miles away, there was no other branch of the church to which one could affiliate. To be cut off from the Roman Catholic Church was to be completely cut off from the church. Period. End of story. Or was it?  

Luther responded to his excommunication with an excommunication of a more significant kind. The theological errors of Rome were obscuring the gospel to such a degree that Luther claimed Rome could no longer be considered a true church. Indeed, Rome’s rejection of justification by faith alone––“the article by which the church stands or falls”––was proof enough in Luther’s mind that Rome could no longer be regarded as a true church.   

To support this claim, Luther returned to the Bible’s doctrine of the church. Luther argued that the true church does not consist in its history or in its institutional structures. Rather, the true church is found wherever the true gospel is preached. “The sure mark by which the Christian congregation can be recognized is that the pure gospel is preached there. For just as the banner of an army is the sure sign by which one can know what kind of lord and army has taken the field, so too the gospel is the sure sign by which one knows where Christ and his army are encamped” (Luther’s Works, 41:231-232).

Including Luther but speaking more broadly of the Magisterial Reformers, Michael Reeves and Tim Chester said this, “It was not the Reformers who had departed from the true church. It was Rome that had departed from the true gospel…the church is the universal body of people on earth and in heaven who have been formed by the gospel. You are not saved by being a part of the church. You are a part of the church by being saved” (Why the Reformation Still Matters, p. 164-165).

In worship today, we join with thousands of churches across the world remembering and giving thanks for the truth of the gospel recovered during the Protestant Reformation. At the same time, we recognize the work of reformation is not done. Even the purest churches today are “subject to mixture and error” (WCF 25.5). And so we labor in hope, asking the Lord to continue reforming the church until a yet more glorious day dawns—the perfection of Christ’s church (Philippians 1:6).

Your servant,