Dear Cornerstone Family,
It’s been argued that no word picture in the whole of Scripture better encapsulates God’s redemptive mission than that of a shepherd. Let me show you why.
Remember Abel in Genesis 4? He is the first shepherd mentioned in Scripture. We don’t know much about him, but we know what’s important: he was the first person recorded in the Bible to bring a pleasing sacrifice to God (Genesis 4:4). Hmm, a shepherd that brings a pleasing sacrifice to God...does that sound familiar?
In Exodus, we’re introduced to another shepherd, Moses. He was tending Jethro’s flock on Mount Horeb when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a burning bush, calling him to shepherd God’s people out of bondage in Egypt (Exodus 3). Hmm, a shepherd who frees God’s people from bondage...does that sound familiar?
Later, God sends Samuel to Jesse’s home to anoint the next king of Israel (1 Samuel 16). Jesse’s sons come before Samuel, and one by one they are rejected. Finally, Samuel asks, “Is this all your sons?” Jesse responds, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping sheep.” Well, by now you know—he’s the one! The shepherd boy, David, becomes the next and greatest king of Israel. Hmm, a shepherd king who loves and leads God’s people...does that sound familiar?
Yes, all this background and more leads us to Jesus’s statement in John 10:11, “I am the good shepherd.” Like Abel, but better than Abel, Jesus offers himself as a pleasing sacrifice to God on our behalf. Like Moses, but better than Moses, Jesus leads us out of the bondage of sin and into the freedom of salvation. Like David, but better than David, Jesus rules over us with truth and grace and secures us a home with Him in the New Heavens and the New Earth.
It makes sense, then, why Peter would employ the language of shepherd to speak of the role of elders and deacons. Though it’s clear that church officers are mere men, their relationship to the flock is to be conducted under and patterned after the Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. From the beginning, Cornerstone has sought to be a church that cares for its members through an active shepherding ministry. Upon membership, each family unit is assigned a shepherding elder and deacon. The shepherds are tasked with the responsibility to care for both the spiritual and physical needs of those under their care.
As you’ll probably recall, we brought on three new elders and six new deacons in the fall of 2020. In order to incorporate these brothers into the work of shepherding, new elder and deacon teams were formed and a redraft of the whole congregation was conducted in November. If you’re a member of Cornerstone, you’ve received an email (and maybe a phone call, too) from your new elder and deacon shepherds in the last few weeks. Over the next year, it is our earnest hope and plan to be in regular (at least quarterly) touch with every member of Cornerstone. When your shepherd reaches out in the future, please know they do so in love for you! They genuinely want to know how you’re doing, how they can pray for you, and if we can serve you in any way.
Though we will strive to be faithful in our shepherding, we will undoubtedly fall short. (Please remember that your shepherds are sheep, too!) We ask for your grace and patience as we stumble forward in this work. Pray that in the year to come our shepherding would increasingly be reflective of the Good Shepherd’s never-failing care of us.
Your servant,
