Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 23, 2020

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Nearly two weeks ago, the elders of Cornerstone called a congregational meeting for the election of new officers on Sunday, September 13th. Today you’ll find a page of pictures and bullet point bios of each candidate in the back of the bulletin. We hope you find this information helpful as you prepare to vote. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the candidates personally. Feel free to ask them to share their testimony of faith or sense of call to officership at Cornerstone. I can assure you—they would be delighted to hear from you.

For the election, we’re working on a plan that’s consistent with the parameters laid out in the Book of Church Order and gives the greatest number of communing members of Cornerstone an opportunity to vote in a safe, convenient, and efficient way. On September 13th, the plan is to call the congregational meeting to order immediately after the first service and hold a (very) brief election after each worship service. This gives every communing member who is present for in-person worship the opportunity to participate in the election with no additional meetings, registrations, or cleanings necessary.

Additionally, we are exploring ways for communing members of Cornerstone to vote electronically during the public livestream. We’re looking into an electronic voting option that satisfies the parameters of the Book of Church Order, ensures the integrity of the election, and allows communing members who are present-at-home the opportunity to participate. As September 13th draws closer, you can expect more specific information and direction from the church.

Finally, we’ve got a problem. It’s a good problem, but a problem, nonetheless. Each week the worship registration for the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. worship services reaches capacity within roughly 12 hours of opening registration. By 24- 48 hours, the overflow for 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. fills up. Though we’re usually at less than half capacity at the noon service, a sizable number of our folks are unable to attend that service. In order to accommodate the increased demand for in-person worship, we are expanding the worship capacity of our 10 a.m. service from 50% to 75% next Sunday, August 30th.

What does this mean? In the 10 a.m. service, we’ll be placing people on every row in the chapel, and instead of six feet of social distance, you’ll have a minimum of three feet between household units. So, if you’re comfortable edging a little closer to others, please consider attending the 10 a.m. service. If that’s not you, don’t despair! The 8 a.m. service will remain socially distanced as normal, and our noon service will remain mask required. We will also maintain our overflow options at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.

While we’re on the subject, your session is working with your staff and ministry leaders on what it would look like to begin expanding the reopening of in-person ministry in September. As local officials approve the reopening of schools and colleges for in person academic education, your session desires to see more opportunities available for in-person spiritual education and discipleship. In that spirit, the session and staff have begun working on additional guidelines that seek to protect the physical health of the flock while maintaining the priority of discipleship for the spiritual health of the flock.

There will be more to say on this soon, but, in the meantime, we would ask you to join us in prayer as we look to our God for help and carefully plan to move toward more in-person ministry opportunities in September.

Grace & Peace,

Nate

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 16, 2020

Dear Cornerstone Family,

In case you don’t know, Cornerstone is privileged to host a small classical Christian liberal arts college right here at the chapel. New College Franklin (NCF) is a four-year Christian liberal arts college dedicated to excellent academics and a community of discipleship. Believing all truth is God’s truth no matter where it’s found, NCF trains students through the liberal arts for wisdom, virtue, and service for the glory of Jesus Christ and His kingdom.

If you’re unfamiliar with NCF, I’d encourage you to check them out online at newcollegefranklin.org. You might also speak with our very own Greg Wilbur, who, in addition to his work at the church, serves as President of the college. I, too, would be more than happy to speak with you about the special partnership Cornerstone enjoys with NCF.

The academic year for NCF commences this week. Faculty and students are returning to the chapel for in- person classes in a safe, socially distant way. Please join us in praying that the Lord would bless NCF in every way this year!

If you’re a new student at NCF, we warmly welcome you to Franklin and Cornerstone Presbyterian Church! We can’t wait to get to know you better and look forward to serving you in a variety of ways during your time at NCF. If you’re a returning student, we’re so glad to have you back! We’ve missed you and can’t wait to continue the journey with you this year.

Finally, this past Wednesday, the session called a congregational meeting for election of new officers. Mr. Brent Roberts, Mr. Casey Taggart, Mr. Dan Fiedler, Mr. Matt Faulk, Mr. Matt Suits, and Mr. Wes Pittman are unanimously recommended for election as deacons, and Mr. Will Kesler, Mr. John Millard, and Mr. Ron Moffat are unanimously recommended for election as elders. All communing members are welcome and encouraged to participate in the election which will be held on Sunday, September 13th.

These men were nominated for office by you in January of this year and successfully completed officer training at the end of July. In August, they underwent written and oral examination by the session in the areas of Christian character, Bible knowledge, the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms, the PCA Book of Church Order, and the qualifications for church office (1 Timothy 3:1-13).

Next week, we will provide more information about the candidates so you can get to know them at a deeper level and prepare to vote your conscience on Sunday, September 13th. If you would, pause right now and whisper a prayer for these brothers, asking God to accomplish His will through the election.

Your servant,

Nate

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 9, 2020

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Just like that, we’ve come to the end of our summer Psalms series. Today marks the close of at least this portion of “Finding our Way to God: A Study in the Psalms.” I believe we can say with confidence—we have found our way to God this summer. Or, more properly, He has found His way to us. If your reflections and comments are any indication (and I believe they are), this series has been just what the Great Physician ordered.

But it’s time to look ahead, and it’s appropriate that we do so now. Summer is winding down. Kids are preparing to start school. The predictable fall routines will soon fall into place. And yet, this year is different. It’s not back to business as usual. COVID-19 is still a very present reality and likely will be for a while. Economic and financial stresses remain and, in some cases, are escalating. A significant national election is on the horizon, and the battle lines are firmly in place. I told someone this week, “You can literally feel the uneasiness in the air.”

In a time like this, where does God want us to set our focus? When I asked that question, my mind immediately returned to the foundation of our faith, to the Cornerstone on which everything we believe is based (Ephesians 2:19-22). We need a sustained look at the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the last five years, we’ve coursed through a litany of Bible books from the Old and New Testament including Daniel, Philemon, Jude, Habakkuk, Galatians, Jonah, Psalms, Genesis, and Philippians. In addition to these, we’ve tackled short topical series on prayer, freedom, love, church, relationships, and discipleship. This is not to mention five different Advent series, two Lenten series, and four vision renewal series at the start of each calendar year.

As I looked over the content and themes of what we’ve covered, and then looked out at the pressing needs of our time, I was convinced: now is the time to enter the life of Jesus Christ proper. Starting August 16, we will begin a series entitled, Follow Me: The Gospel of Mark.

Of all the gospel writers, Mark is the punchiest. A fast-moving, action-packed narrative that focuses on what it means to be a disciple of King Jesus, who came to establish a kingdom not of this world. In a time where it feels like the world is falling apart, what a comfort to know that the kingdom we’re living for— the kingdom that will last—is not of this world.

Moreover, King Jesus often does his best kingdom building work in the midst of things falling apart. Yes, it’s still 2020. More importantly, Jesus is still on the throne. And He always will be.

So, take heart. Things are looking up, friends.

Your servant,

Pastor Nate

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 2, 2020

At least three times a year, we offer the Exploring Cornerstone Class, which is our version of an Inquirer’s or New Member’s class. I’m leading an Exploring Cornerstone Class via Zoom on Monday nights right now for those who have been visiting with us in person or via livestream. As always, it’s such a joy to hear the stories of the people God leads to us and reflect together on the history, vision, commitments, and ministries of Cornerstone Pres.

This past Monday we did a 30,000-foot flyover of Reformation and Presbyterian history. Starting in 1517 with Martin Luther’s nailing of the 95 theses and ending with the founding of the Presbyterian Church in America in 1973, we spanned nearly five hundred years of history in 45 minutes. Given the constraints, it was a highly selective retelling of history. I limited us to key people, moments, and movements that deeply influenced the shape of Reformed and Presbyterian history.

At one point in the discussion, I noted how every era in church history has its blights, and that the men and movements within Reformed and Presbyterian history are no exception. I cited, for instance, the well documented anti-Semitism that shows up in the writings of Martin Luther and hinted at the questionable judgment of John Calvin in the death of Michael Servetus.

My purpose in briefly noting these difficult matters was not to condemn Luther or Calvin. Far from it! The historical record is clear: these men are champions of the Christian faith. They labored tirelessly for the glory of Jesus Christ and the good of His church in their generation. We stand on their shoulders and do well to follow their lead and example in so many ways.

My purpose in making the reference was to steer clear of two equal opposite tendencies in looking at historical figures. The first tendency is to idolize. We idolize a figure in history when we treat them as if they did no wrong. You know you’re falling into idolization if you find yourself ignoring or trying to explain away any perceived character flaw or transgression because down deep inside, you can’t stand the possibility that your hero is, at the end of the day, a fallen human being just like you (Romans 3:23).

The second tendency is to demonize. We demonize a figure in history when we treat them as if they can do no right—when we make their moral failings the whole story. We speak of them as if the only thing true about them is what they’ve done wrong, and we can’t imagine there’s anything redeemable about them (Matthew 7:11).

If we examine history with an honest eye, we won’t be surprised to learn our enemies do things that are good and right from time to time. We also won’t be surprised to see our hero goof up now and again. In the end, everyone is a mixed bag of original glory and original sin.

Let’s learn from the men and women of history. Let’s follow their example where we can. Let’s give them the respect they’re due. But let’s not idolize them or demonize them. Let’s let them be the humans they are.

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, July 26, 2020

Dear Cornerstone Family,

We lost a theological giant this week. Dr. J.I. Packer died on July 17, 2020 just a few days shy of his 94th birthday. Though born in England and nurtured in the low church Anglican tradition, Packer likely made his biggest impact in North American evangelicalism. His best-selling 1973 book, Knowing God, is still considered one of the best introductions of Reformed theology. If you haven’t read it, rectify that soon. I commend it highly.

Someone asked me this week what made Packer so influential. I found the question difficult to answer. To be honest, there is nothing particularly flashy about Packer as a person. Though a superior mind with a keen ability to communicate, especially in written word, his ministry was pretty ordinary for the most part. If you considered his life as a whole, I suspect you’d find he spent most every day teaching the Bible and writing good books. Which is probably why (at least from a human perspective) he was so influential. Packer was a man who ran the race and stayed the course. Day in and day out, he gave himself to the things that mattered most.

Two leading values I see in Packer’s ministry: purity and peace. Specifically, purity of the truth and peace in the church. If you were to survey the leading emphases in Packer’s lecturing and writing, take inventory of the historical figures and movements that captured his attention, and mark the kinds of controversies that typically ensnared him, you would see a man trying to unify the church in the truth. Even when I find myself at odds with Packer, I can’t help but respect him, for what I know he’s trying to do: speak the truth with love for the unity of the spirit and the bond of peace in the body of Christ (Eph. 4:1-3, 15).

Today, in heaven, Packer knows that for which labored: purity and peace. For that, we can rejoice! Well done, Dr. Packer. You did not run in vain, sir. “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!” (Rev.14:13)

Before I close, let me give you a brief update on the church ministry as we look toward the fall. Your staff and elders are in regular discussion about the state of the ministry during COVID-19. We continue to be very encouraged by the stories of God’s work in our body through in-person and livestream worship and the variety of other ministry initiatives happening over the summer with children, youth, men, and women. So many things to share, but I’ll save the heartening stories for a later time.

As you’d expect, we’re seeking God’s face for wisdom as we prepare for the fall. It is our earnest prayer and plan to increase in-person ministries as we move toward the fall while continuing to offer opportunities online and through livestream. As we begin to make plans, we ask you to pray for us. Pray for wisdom. Pray for the health and safety of our congregation. Pray for the ongoing effectiveness of the ministry. Pray that we would honor Jesus Christ by fulfilling our mission: “To Glorify God in the Gospel as Disciples who Make Disciples.”

More on all this soon. For now, let’s worship together!

Your servant,

Nate