Pastoral Notes for Sunday, December 31, 2017

“He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”—1 Thessalonians 5:24

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”—Philippians 1:6

For the first five months of 2018, we’re going to work verse by verse through Genesis 1-11 in a series entitled, “New Beginnings.” I’ve titled the series “New Beginnings” for two reasons primarily.

First and most obviously is the fact that this series will begin next Sunday, which is the first Sunday of the new year, January 7, 2018 (Epiphany). But, the second reason is that Genesis, as the title indicates, is a book of beginnings.

Most famously, Genesis retells the story of the beginning of time, space, and history. Only in Genesis do we find a systematic retelling of the creation narrative. But as the story of the beginning unfolds, we find that creation’s beginning is only the first among many “new beginnings” in the book. For Israel, the original audience, Genesis served as the foundation of the Law (also known as the Torah). Given through Moses to the post-Exodus Israelites, Genesis revealed the origin and backstory of God’s covenant love for his people. A love that runs like a red thread through the pages of the Old Testament, culminating in the New Testament with the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

Not all the beginnings in Genesis are good, however. Sin makes its first appearance on earth in Genesis 3. In Genesis 4, we witness the first murder. In Genesis 7, we witness the one-and-only worldwide flood. Yet with each of these “new beginnings” an opportunity is presented—an opportunity for repentance, redemption, and recreation. That is to say that the narrative of Genesis is shot through with grace, which is the only real and enduring foundation for all new beginnings. 

As we look ahead to 2018, with all its expectations and fears, Genesis teaches us to trust the gracious Creator God who was there at the beginning. For He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Which means that no matter what starts and stops, fits and spurts this year brings, one thing is certain: we can trust this God to carry us all the way.

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, December 24, 2017

 “Here is the answer to the human predicament, the solution to our slavery to sin and our separation from God. God bridged the gap by coming from heaven to earth. This is how much the mighty God cares about us. Love was when God spanned the gulf. Love was when God become man. Love was when God surprised those he had created by being born as one of them—as a baby.”—Alistair Begg

“Filling the world,

He lies in a manger.

Ruler of the stars

He nurses at his mother’s bosom.

He is both great in the nature of God,

And small in the form of a servant.”

—St. Augustine

 

 

“Perhaps this Christmas you feel your hold on faith is weak and faltering. That may be so. But Christ’s hold on you is firm and sure. He left the glory of heaven to rescue the people the Father had given him. And he will not lose any. He will not lose you—not if you’ve been given to him by the Father.”—Tim Chester

 

“Moonless darkness stands between.

Past, O Past, no more be seen!

But the Bethlehem star may lead me

To the sight of Him who freed me

From the self that I have been.

 

Make me pure, Lord: Thou are holy;

Make me meek, Lord: Thou wert lowly;

Now beginning, and always:

Now begin,

On Christmas Day.”

—Gerard Manley Hopkins

 

“Christmas means that, through the grace of God and the incarnation, peace with God is available; and if you make peace with God, then you can go out and make peace with everybody else. And the more people who embrace the gospel do that, the better off the world is. Christmas, therefore, means the increase of peace—both with God and between people—across the face of the world.”—Timothy Keller

 

“Now,

I in him surrender

to the crush and cry of birth.

Because eternity

was closeted in time

He is my open door to forever.”

—Luci Shaw

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, December 17, 2017

Over the years, my dear and patient wife has witnessed my steady increase in love for and accumulation of books. When we were dating, she thought it was cute. She even told me once that she couldn’t wait till we get married, so she could read my books. I thought to myself, “This is the woman for me!” But now that we’re 16 years into marriage, she’s less enamored with my love affair for ink and paper. She’s more convinced I have a problem—maybe a pathological issue. Just because I sleep with a book under my pillow and wake up first thing in the morning to run my fingers through the pages and sniff the ink, doesn’t mean I have a problem, right?

For the two or three of you out there that are actually interested in what I’ve read and benefited from this year, I thought I’d join the “Best Books of 2017” trend and post my own list. Quick qualification: not all these books were published this year though some were. These are simply books I’ve read this year and feel comfortable recommending to you. With that said, in no particular order, here we go…

Pilgrim in the Ruins: A Life of Walker Percy by Jay Tolson – When I read The Moviegoer by Walker Percy in college, I was immediately hooked. I started systematically, at least a book of year, working through his writing (mostly novels), which were right up my alley—deeply southern in orientation, existential in nature, and spiritually searching in spirit. Being captivated by his work for many years now, I’ve long wanted to know more about the man behind the books. Tolson’s magisterial and authoritative biography has set on my shelf for several years and finally this year I picked it up, and then couldn’t put it down. I found the work meddlesomely personal in research, culturally keen about southern life, while being meanderingly precocious about matters of the heart. More than a biography, I often sensed I was learning about me as I was learning about Percy. Truly, one of the best literary biographies I’ve ever read.

How to Think by Alan Jacobs – I’ve long been a fan of Alan Jacobs. His work, The Narnian (Harper Collins, 2008), is still my favorite biography of C.S. Lewis. And his books of essays, particularly Shaming the Devil (Eerdmans, 2004) and Visit to Vanity Fair (Brazos, 2001) have been works I’ve returned to time and again for their observations, profundity, and wit. When I saw that he was working on a book on thinking, I preordered it. The day it arrived I began reading, thinking (no pun intended) I’d survey it quickly and give it a deeper read later. That never happened. From page one, I went into a deep dive and didn’t come up for air until I read the last page. Anyone who is interested in how impatience impairs thought, or how technology aids herd mentalities, or how like-minded is not the same has like-hearted should read this book. It’s a gem.

The Benedict Option by Rod Dreher – A few years back I began to occasionally read Dreher’s blog at the American Conservative. I found his cultural analysis and prescriptions stretching in directions that were compelling and almost never comfortable. So, I kept reading. In March of this year, The Benedict Option hit the market and the blogosphere caught fire. People loved it. People hated it. But everyone had an opinion on it. I let the buzz die down and read it a few months later. And what I found, for the most part, was a challenging but inviting introduction to historic Christianity. Using the monastery as a model for cultural engagement, Dreher attempts to plunder the riches of the Benedictine rule for the recovery (or survival) of Christianity in the West. New York Times columnist David Brooks says that The Benedict Option is “…the most important religious book of the decade.” Giving room for literary hyperbole, Brooks is onto something.

I’m out of space here, but you can continue reading more about the books I read this year on my blog at www.nateshurden.wordpress.com.

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, December 10, 2017

Tonight is the night, and I can hardly wait.

One of the staples of the Christmas season at Cornerstone is our annual Service of Lessons & Carols. For those new to our midst or unfamiliar with the history behind this glorious service, the service began in 1918 at King’s College Cambridge led by Eric Milner-White, who was Dean of King’s College at the time. The opening service was received with such great acclaim that it became an annual tradition at King’s College and is today one of the most beloved Christmas services throughout the world.

Throughout the years, the service has, for the most part, remained the same. Minor revisions were made in 1919 involving rearrangements of the lessons. And every year there are adaptations of music and carols, though the service has always opened with one of my favorite hymns, “Once in Royal David’s City.”

The BBC first broadcasted the service in 1928 and, with the exception of 1930; the service has been broadcasted every year since. The broadcast extended overseas in the mid 1930’s and it’s popularity quickly spread worldwide. It was even broadcasted during World War II when the stain glass windows of the cathedral and the heat source were removed from the building for security reasons. During those dark and tumultuous days for the world, the service of Lessons of Carols provided a gospel reminder of hope and peace.  

As the popularity of the service grew, churches around the globe began to adapt the service for their own corporate use. If you’ve never attended a Lessons & Carols service before, the power is in the main theme of the Scriptural lessons and carols. What Dean Milner-White called, “the development of the loving purposes of God through the windows and words of the Bible.” 

A few weeks back I eavesdropped on the choir as they practiced for this year's Lessons & Carols service. Trust me friends; we are in for a treat! Speaking of treats, I should note that we will have members from our sister congregation, All Saint’s Presbyterian Church (PCA), joining us for tonight’s worship service. I am particularly thrilled to have All Saint’s pastor and my dear friend, Rev. Matt Bradley, participating as one of our readers tonight. Be sure to welcome Rev. Bradley and other All Saint’s members as you have an opportunity tonight.

On that note, it’s not too late to invite friends and family to join you for tonight’s service. Any and all are welcome to take the grand journey with us—a journey through the Scriptures, from the beginning of time to the fullness of time, from the Garden of Eden to the little town of Bethlehem. In a word, it is the journey of the gospel of grace, the good news of great joy that is for all people (Luke 2:10).

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, December 3, 2017

You’ve probably noticed the work going on just to the right of the chapel—the dirt work, the pipes, and the slab of concrete. In case you were wondering if the colorful, submarine-looking pipes are going to remain exposed, they’re not. A steel box is going to be placed over the pipes sometime fairly soon, which will ensure safety and, hopefully, ease the look of things. The truth is that sometimes you have to mess things up in order to make things better! In other words, that “mess” you see is actually a sign of progress.

If you’re new with us, you might be wondering, “What exactly are we progressing toward?” Well, about a year ago now, the antebellum home next door, Lillie Belles, was purchased by an investor and leased to the owners of the very successful Nashville restaurant, Biscuit Love. As a part of the renovation process, Biscuit Love is putting in a sprinkler system as required by Franklin Fire Marshall’s office. As most of you know, the Fire Marshall is requiring us to do the same thing. Very graciously, our new neighbors offered to pay for the underground utility work for the project and are allowing us to tap into the new sprinkler water line. That gesture of kindness saved us thousands of dollars!

Now that all the underground work is complete, the same contractor who did Biscuit Love’s work has added us to their active project list. We are currently revisiting initial estimates for the project. Once that work is done we will meet again with the Fire Marshal to begin the approval process, and the permitting process with the Franklin Codes Department will follow. If there are no setbacks along the way, our sprinkler system project should begin late winter or early spring. We are hopeful that this new sprinkler system will ensure the safety of our congregation as well as preserving our building in the unlikely event of a fire.

Speaking of safety, I mentioned three weeks ago that a team of Cornerstone officers and volunteers were working on making several significant advances to our onsite security plan. Two weeks ago the Cornerstone leadership met and approved a full security assessment with Agape Tactical, a faith-based organization that provides comprehensive and actionable security plans for churches in order to protect persons, facilities, and information. During our regularly scheduled worship services this last week, representatives from Agape Tactical conducted a full security assessment of the church. Our security team met this week to review their recommendations and to prioritize next steps.

If you’d like to learn more or even volunteer to serve on our security team, please reach out to Jim Robinson at jc2robinson@comcast.net. If you are interested in learning more about the sprinkler upgrade, please contact Jim Smith at jims@svmic.com. These brothers would be delighted to answer any questions you might have about either project.

Please continue to pray with us as together we strive, with the Lord’s help, to make Cornerstone a better and safer place to gather, fellowship, learn, and worship.