Pastoral Notes for Sunday, November 10, 2019

Most of us first heard the name Kayne West back in the early 2000’s when his album, The College Dropout, debuted. It was the first of what is now seven albums, each of them wildly successful. In fact, West has sold more than 140 million albums worldwide. He is easily one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

Despite this success, West has been a subject of much debate. From his inflammatory political comments over the years, to outbursts on stage at music award ceremonies, to his public struggles with addiction and mental illness, West has been unpredictable at best and unstable at worst.

However, in a twist no one saw coming, West reported in September that he had been “born again” and gave his life to Jesus Christ. From that moment, West became an outspoken advocate for Christianity. On the night of his new gospel album release, Jesus is King, he appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Kimmel asked West if he considered himself to be a Christian music artist now, and West responded, “I’m a Christian everything.” 

Now, not surprisingly, West’s profession of faith and his release of Jesus is King has been polarizing, especially among Christians. Some have responded with joy, hailing West’s conversion as a public display of the power of the gospel. Others have responded with skepticism; fearful this is a publicity stunt or a religious high that will disappear as quickly as it came.

To be honest, both responses are understandable. On the one hand, Jesus tells us that heaven itself rejoices when one sinner repents (Luke 15:10). At the same time, the Scripture teaches us that true faith produces true fruit (Matthew 3:8) and is confirmed by perseverance to the end (Matthew 24:15; Romans 5:3-5). Both of these realities should be honored whenever someone makes a profession of faith.

In the end, our focus shouldn’t primarily be the heart of the person making the profession but on the God who is Lord of the heart. Truth is, we don’t know anyone’s heart. If we’re honest, we don’t even know our own heart most of the time (see Jeremiah 17:9). Therefore, we must rejoice in and trust God with Kanye West’s profession just as we do for ourselves. For in the end, it’s not your profession of faith that saves you; it’s the God of your profession that saves you. And that’s true whether its Kanye West or you or me.

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, November 3, 2019

If you are a member of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, you’ve been receiving e-mails for the last couple of weeks about the new platform for our Cornerstone directory, Church Community Builder (CCB). I’m pleased to say: the wait is almost over! Tomorrow (Nov. 4) you will receive an e-mail from Cornerstone with an activation link. That link is your ticket to create a sign-in to CCB and become an active (and avid!) user of the new Cornerstone directory!

If you’ve been reading through our e-mails and watching the introductory videos about CCB, then you already know that this new platform is far more than a directory. You will certainly be able to access the profiles of Cornerstone members, but it’s also a place where you can access the church calendar, contact your Home Fellowship Group or Bible study, register for an event, volunteer for a ministry team, and much more. Beyond pictures, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses, CCB is a ministry tool that will help you stay better connected to the ministry of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church. 

When you receive the e-mail tomorrow, go ahead and click on the link and set up your log in. Your basic profile has already been set up by the church staff. Please check your information—phone, e-mail, and address—and make sure everything is current. Then, as soon as possible, upload a picture to your profile, so we can see your smiling face! Also, we recognize that there might be some of you who really aren’t computer folks and may find it tricky to get used to an online system. If you, or anyone else, has any questions about the software, please do not hesitate to contact us at directory@cstonepres.org! Anneke Seely, our Discipleship Assistant, who has been spearheading the implementation of the software, will be glad to help you view and edit your profile, upload photos, and answer any questions that you might have about the software.

We would encourage you to add as much information to your profile page as you are comfortable. Your leaders and staff are able to view all the content on your profile page and knowing more about you—birthday, anniversary, vocation, etc.—helps us better serve you. But the only information that is publicly viewable to a Cornerstone member is your name, phone number, e-mail, and picture. If you’d like more or less of your profile to be seen, you can change your privacy settings yourself in CCB. But, again, that’s completely up to you.

Before I go, I’d like to thank Greg Wilbur and Anneke Seely, for all they did to get CCB set up for Cornerstone. Anneke especially has dedicated untold hours learning the program, troubleshooting tech issues, shepherding the migration of information, and training ministry leaders on the platform. We wouldn’t be at this place if it weren’t for her faithful labors. Thank you, Anneke, we are so grateful for you!

I’m really excited to see how CCB will help us stay connected as a church and become a tool for increasing effectiveness in ministry. Toward that end, be on the lookout for tomorrow’s e-mail. I look forward to seeing you online! 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, October 27, 2019

Frustrated with the false teaching and corruption in the church of his day, an Augustinian monk named Martin Luther took matters into his own hands when he posted the now famous 95 Theses (or grievances) on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. In God’s good providence, that simple action sparked one of the greatest gospel renewal and church reform movements the world has ever seen.

 And it all began on Halloween…

Wait, what? You read that right. The launch of what would become known as the Protestant Reformation began on the one night a year where ghosts and goblins rule the streets, October 31, 1517. Luther’s decision to nail the 95 Theses on that particular day was probably not a coincidence.

Halloween is short for All Hallows Eve. The word, “hallow” means to honor something or someone as “holy.” You know this because you say it every week in worship, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9). Historically speaking, All Hallows’ Eve was the name given to the night before the Christian feast of All Saint’s Day, which was celebrated on November 1st. All Saints Day is the annual remembrance of those who have died in Christ and gone before us into heaven.

It has been suggested that Martin Luther chose to nail his 95 Theses on the night before All Saints Day, because his protest was calling the church to return to “the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). Luther believed the late medieval Roman Catholic Church had lost its way theologically (1 Timothy 4:1), and that the time had come for a return to the historic understanding of the gospel and the work of the church.

Rehearsing the legacy of faith passed down through the generations is a critical part of what it means to be a Christian disciple (Hebrews 12:1). We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before, who have died and today dwell in heaven with Jesus Christ. It has been common practice in the church of yesteryear to pause during this season and remember those who have gone before us into glory and give thanks to the Lord for their life and legacy of faith.

As a way of stepping toward that practice, next Sunday, Nov. 3rd, we will recognize All Saints Day and take time in our worship services to name, remember, and give thanks for the people who have died in Christ whose life and ministry has done much to strengthen our walk of faith. You will have an opportunity in service to write a person(s) name on an All Saint’s Day Card and jot a few words of thanksgiving for how God used them in your life. It could be a grandmother who modeled humility, or a coach that challenged you spiritually, or a Sunday School teacher that taught you the Scripture, or a work colleague that always knew just how to lift you up when you were down. It could be a historical figure—a missionary, pastor, writer, musician, etc. It can be anyone who has passed from this life into the presence of Jesus Christ who the Lord has used to build you up in the faith.

If you would, take a few minutes this week to consider whose name you’ll write and how God used them in your life. The cards are available today at the entrances to the church. Please feel free to take one or two. They’ll also be available next week in the pews.

After filling out the card, bring it forward during communion on November 3rd, so your pastors and leaders can give thanks and celebrate God’s faithfulness through the generations. Let’s enter this special season together, remembering with thanksgiving those who have gone on before us—anticipating the day when we will all be reunited in glory.

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, October 20, 2019

On Saturday, October 12, the Cornerstone men enjoyed a beautiful day of teaching and fellowship at the Rau-wood Retreat Center in Franklin. If you weren’t able to be with us, I don’t mean to rub it in, but you really missed out on something special. From the gorgeous fall weather, to the truths we reflected on, to the cornhole competition, to the small group discussion, to Ali Faulk’s cinnamon rolls and Dickey’s barbeque—truly, it was a marvelous day.

After the retreat, several brothers said it was the most meaningful time they’ve shared with the men of Cornerstone. That’s high praise! I’d like to publicly thank Ron Moffat, Matt Faulk, Carl Ware, Will Hendrian, and Matt Suits for leading the way. We were the beneficiaries of your kind labors, brothers. So grateful!

As the retreat was wrapping up, a desire was voiced by some of the men to put what we learned into action and start meeting together in smaller groups. Stirred by the vision of Hebrews 10:19-25, we were sensing God calling us to more—to become a brotherhood committed to helping one another press on in the walk of faith.  

What prompted this response? Well, interestingly, it wasn’t some profound new insight or discovery. It wasn’t even anything that is unique to men. The point is so basic and universally applicable that it’s embarrassing how often we forget it. The point is this: spiritual health and growth depends on… drum roll… meeting together. See, I told you it was pretty basic. But truth be told, how often do we neglect it?

I was at a conference a few years back when the pastor sitting next to me saw on Facebook that one of his parishioners was leaving the Christian faith. The pastor was shocked at first. Then, upon reflection, he confessed that he could see this coming. The indicator? The member backed away from their small group a couple of years ago. They had become very sporadic at worship and ceased responding to overtures from folks who missed them and were concerned about them. In short, they were drifting away from the church and eventually drifted away from Christ altogether. Was missing church the only issue? Of course not. There was plenty of worldliness and more than a few unrepentant sins behind the scenes. But disappearance from church life was the first visible indicator of spiritual trouble.

 As you know, we live in an easy-come, easy-go church culture. Sunday worship often takes a backseat to travel, sports, and brunch, and regular fellowship with a small group is considered a spiritual accessory that’s optional at best. When this is the “air” around us, there’s a need for the “wind” of the Spirit to blow again like it did in the early church, when God’s people met with great frequency because they wanted to be together and believed their spiritual life and vitality depended on the fellowship (Acts 2:42-47).

Would you take a moment right now to pray for Cornerstone family? Pray that we’d grow to look more like the church of Acts 2:42-47. Pray that our love and commitment for one another would increasingly mirror the love and commitment Jesus Christ has for us. Pray that we’d increasingly act like our spiritual life and vitality depends in great measure on spending lots of time together.

Because it does.

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, October 13, 2019

I’m thankful that the church I grew up in emphasized Scripture memory. For during my grammar school years, I was forced (that’s how it felt) to memorize scores of key passages on various topics, many of which I still remember today.

One favorite topic for Scripture memory was using time wisely. Passages like: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time…” (Ephesians 5:15-16) and “So, teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12) were go-to texts for training us youngsters to not be wasteful of God’s precious gift of time.

Though I can’t say anyone ever said it this way, the fact is I took these verses to be saying that true wisdom requires that I use my time to do as many good things as I can as excellently as I can for the glory of God. There’s a lot to commend in this takeaway. For starters, working hard, doing things excellently, and keeping the glory of God front and center are all key biblical emphases.

But there was something missing—something that didn’t quite register until I was in my Synoptic Gospels class in seminary. We had just finished identifying key aspects in Mark’s writing style: a quick paced narrative focused on the action-packed nature of Jesus ministry. I remember thinking that Jesus’ life must have been a whirling dervish of ministry activity. He was always casting out demons, performing miracles, and preaching the gospel.

To be honest, I liked the sound of that. In fact, the frenetic, fast-paced nature of Mark’s gospel fit the lifestyle commitments I imbibed as a kid. Now, as a wannabe pastor, I wanted more than ever for my life to count. In the words of the great Baptist missionary William Carey, I was ready “To expect great things from God. And attempt great things for God.”  

At this point, the professor drew the class’s attention to Mark 1:35-39, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, ‘Everyone is looking for you.’ And he said to them, ‘Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.’ And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.”

“In the midst of all the ministry activity, what do you notice?” the professor asked. I thought to myself, “Ah, yes. We need to spend time in prayer before we go do ministry.” (That’s true, of course, but according to the professor, that’s not the focus of the text.) “Notice,” he said, “Jesus schedule was always full to overflowing, but he only did the things he was called to do. In all his many doings, Jesus stayed faithful to his life’s mission. Always.”

And just like that it hit me. Meeting everybody’s needs was not mission-critical for Jesus. Even when the disciples pressed the shame-inducing statement, “Everyone is looking for you,” Jesus was unfazed. He remained focused; his eyes on the mission. “Let’s go onto the next towns,” he said. Jesus knew the reason he was on the earth, and he wasn’t letting anyone or anything stand in the way.

 That day in class changed my life, for it was the first time I realized that I didn’t have to let the clamor of unmet needs and ministry opportunities dictate my day to day. In a word, I learned that God’s purpose for my life should set the priorities of my life. Though it’s taken years, and I’ve still got a ways to go, I am learning how to say “No” to many good and important things in order to say, “Yes” to what I know God is calling me to do. I am learning that to know one’s purpose and to let that purpose shape the priorities of life is a big part of what having a heart of wisdom is all about.