Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 27, 2020

Dear Cornerstone Family,

“People don't talk much about the Spanish Influenza, but that was a terrible thing... It was like a war. It really was. One funeral after another, right here in Iowa. We lost so many of the young people. And we got off pretty lightly.

People came to church wearing masks, if they came at all. They’d sit as far from each other as they could. There was talk that the Germans had caused it with some sort of secret weapon, and I think people wanted to believe that, because it saved them from reflecting on what other meaning it might have.” (p. 41)

The lines above are from Marilynne Robinson’s novel, Gilead. Written in 2004, Robinson could not have known that in 2020 we would be facing a pandemic complete with mask wearing and international drama regarding who’s to blame. But as the ole saying goes: the more things change, the more they stay the same.

History is a great teacher. By knowing history and the nature of things, Robinson wrote a piece of historical fiction that mirrored the future, which reminds us that our time is not nearly as unique as we think it is.

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.”—Ecclesiastes 1:9

What struck me most about Robinson’s lines this time (I’ve read the book three times) was how we search for explanations and people to blame when tragedy happens. It’s only natural. When a crime is committed, family members want to find out who did it and why. They want a face, name, and explanation. They want to know who is at fault. They want them to pay. To have these things will bring about some peace they suppose.

We’re no different when big tragedies strike. Just watch the news: “COVID-19 is an attack by China! Dr. Fauci and the CDC have made things worse! Trump mishandled the virus. He is to blame!”

Robinson suggests a better way. Instead of grasping for human explanations and pinning blame, let’s consider “what other meaning it might have.” For it might be that COVID-19 is the instrument of Someone who is mightily at work in a mysterious way (Isaiah 55:8-9), who is ordering all of human existence according to His good and sovereign will (Ephesians 1:11) for the good of His people (Romans 8:28) and the glory of His name (Romans 11:36).

In the final analysis, COVID-19 is God’s virus, and He will do with it exactly what He determines to do with it. Thankfully, He’s clear in the Scripture on exactly the kind of things He’s determined to do—we’re not left in the dark during tragedy. So, let’s move from finger pointing to raised palms and begin tracing this tragedy to the purposes of God revealed in Scripture. For the sooner we do, the sooner our minds and hearts have the chance to see “what other meaning” is afoot.

Your servant,

Nate signature.jpg
 


Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 20, 2020

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Coming out of last week’s sermon, I had a number of folks ask me about strategies for getting away with God for an extended period of time. Sometime in the next few weeks, I plan to take time to write about the historic Christian practice of retreat and discuss a few commitments I’ve made over the years for extended communion with God that have made a big difference. If that interests you, and I hope it does, watch this space!

That said, the problem we often face is not so much carving out the time to be alone with God but staying present and attentive to God when you’re alone with Him. To be honest, I find this to be the bigger challenge!

Along this line, I ran across the phrase “cultivated inattention” this week in an article Jordan Peters wrote in Local Culture. It’s a phrase the late Christopher Lasch coined to describe technology’s formative impact on human psyche. Lasch argued that the more exposure to technological mediums, especially the sensory stimulating encounters of video games, movies, etc. the more our minds are bent toward escaping from rather than engaging with reality.

Neil Gabler calls this phenomenon being “sensationalized.” According to Gabler, we are “sensationalized” when our attention can be held in almost trance-like devotion during some technological encounter, but we’re unable to sit still on the porch and listen to the rain fall for ten minutes or read a book for a half hour without checking our phone. It’s not just that we lose interest in reality, though that is true, too. It’s that our minds are increasingly unable to maintain the attention needed to engage with the real world in a sustained and meaningful way.

As a culture, we are like Cypher in the 1999 hit move The Matrix. He knows he’s inside a simulated reality that has no meaning in itself, but he has no desire to get out of it because the simulated reality gives him the escape his mind wants—escape from the troubles and challenges of the real world.

It is true; we must escape. As we saw last week, Jesus escaped from the crowd in Mark 1:35. He didn’t, however, escape into a simulated, artificial world. Rather, he escaped into ultimate reality. That is, he ran toward the thing most real and true—namely, His Father. This is the kind escape we need. When was the last time you escaped with God?

As you ponder that question, remember this: your attention is a valuable gift. You only have so much of it to give, and the world is jockeying for it in a thousand different ways. Take inventory of the things that are getting your attention. Then consider what are the things that are really worth your attention? Finally, what would it take for you to be more attentive to the things that deserve your attention? Don’t answer quickly. Sit with these questions for a while. Better yet, escape to ultimate reality by sitting with God and praying through these matters. Who knows? You might find time with God was the answer all along.

Your servant,

Nate signature.jpg
 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 13, 2020

Dear Cornerstone family,

Today is an important day in the life of our congregation! At the conclusion of each worship service this morning, we will immediately enter into a congregational meeting for the election of new officers. If you are a communing member of Cornerstone, we urge you to participate in today’s officer election. Through your vote, we believe God is confirming the call of new shepherd leaders at Cornerstone.

Because we’re meeting for election three different times, we will not be able to announce the outcome of the election this morning. After the final election and votes are tabulated, the election results will be emailed out to the membership of Cornerstone later today.

In other news, I’d like to publicly thank our staff for the hard work they’ve put into drafting additional COVID-19 guidelines as we expand in-person ministries. If you’ve not yet reviewed our expanded in-person ministry guidelines, please do so before the start of Sunday School next Sunday, September 20. It’s especially important that families with children who plan to participate in Sunday School read the guidelines before you attend next week. You can find a link to the guidelines on the front page of our church website and app.

Also, please note that next Sunday is the beginning of our new Sunday morning schedule. We will worship at 8 a.m. (50% capacity), 10:45 a.m. (75% capacity), and 12:30 p.m. (50 % capacity and mask required) with Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. We are maintaining our current worship guidelines and capacities through September 20. We will continue to evaluate things from week to week and make changes as wisdom and expediency dictates. Please stay tuned into the latest information from Cornerstone!

Finally, will you pray for the church? Even now, would you pause and pray?

  • Pray God would broaden the reach our ministry (Matt. 28:29-20)

  • Pray God would strengthen our faith and commitment (Heb. 11:6)

  • Pray God would give us joy and perseverance during trials (James 1:12)

  • Pray we would submit to God in all things and resist the devil (James 4:7)

  • Pray we would devote ourselves to reading the Scriptures and to prayer (Acts 2:42)

  • Pray we would live lives of loving sacrifice for one another (1 John 3:16-28)

  • Pray we would grow daily in astonishment of God’s love for us (Psalm 103:11-12)

  • Pray that we would pray in faith knowing that God hears and answers (1 John 5:13-15)

Your servant,

Nate signature.jpg
 


Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 6, 2020

I asked Ben to write the Pastoral Notes this week to give more information about the upcoming Men’s retreat.

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Let’s be honest—the last few months have been hard, for so many reasons. Across the board, people are experiencing more loneliness and disconnectedness than ever before, and my guess is that you’ve felt it, too. While “social distancing” may be a necessary short-term strategy for keeping a virus under control, we can probably all agree that it is a poor long-term strategy for living the Christian life. We need each other!

With this in view, brothers, I would love for you to join us for our Men’s Retreat on Saturday, September 26th. We’ll be spending the morning and early afternoon together at the Rau-Wood Retreat Center (just west of Franklin on Highway 96), enjoying fellowship with each other, good food, and time in God’s Word. Don’t underestimate the encouragement and refreshment that is available to us simply by being in each other’s company for half a Saturday! I believe you have something to give and to receive by being present with your brothers in Christ this weekend. Whether you’ve been a Cornerstone member for years, for a few months, or you’ve been visiting for a few weeks, you are welcome and encouraged to join us.

Our theme this year is “Straight Paths: On the Road with Proverbs.” In our two teaching sessions, we’re going to explore the pervasive imagery we find in Proverbs of life as a road, a path, a way that we walk. It’s really not a question of if we’re going somewhere, but where we’re going and how we’re getting there. Proverbs assumes that God made us as travelers on a journey, and throughout the book we find wisdom for how to travel well. We’re going to unpack together how God “makes our paths straight” on a journey that never seems to present us with straight paths, and hopefully discover some new and fresh ways Christ is calling and equipping us to follow him on the path he has us on now.

So please join us! You can register by going to the Cornerstone website or app. The cost is $20, and scholarships are available (please contact Ron Moffat, men’s ministry coordinator). If you’re a college student, you come for free! Looking forward to seeing you there!

Pastor Ben Griffith

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, August 30, 2020

Dear Cornerstone Family,

For the last three years, Mr. Larry Thompson has served as chairman of the deacons. In that time, Larry has shown himself to be a servant’s servant, organizing and mobilizing the deacons for the physical care of the church and the community. Without a doubt, our diaconate has grown in health and effectiveness under his watch. In a word, Larry has been God’s man of the hour for us, and I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for his example of Christ-like leadership.

As with all good things in life, Larry’s term as chairman is coming to an end, and it’s time for one of our other qualified deacons to take the helm. I’m pleased to announce that Mr. Todd Russell is that man. Todd was approved to be the next chairman of the deacons at our August meeting. He will start officially on September 1st. We look forward to seeing how God will use Todd to build on the foundation in place and help us “carry the ball forward” in diaconal ministry. Please pray for Todd as he takes the mantle and leads in this mission critical role.

Speaking of the diaconate, I want to take a moment to publicly thank our deacons and the army of Cornerstone volunteers who make in-person worship at Cornerstone a possibility each week. It’s a tremendous amount of extra work to prepare, execute, and clean for worship, but these dear saints have served tirelessly with a smile on their face. So again, I want to thank you, brothers and sisters of the Reopening Team, for loving the Cornerstone family so well during this season. Your steadfast and cheerful ministry is reflective of the Savior and a wonder to behold.

As you’ve no doubt noticed, we’ve slowly expanded in-person ministry opportunities at Cornerstone throughout August. Four weeks ago, we reopened the nursery at 8 a.m. Today we expanded the 10 a.m. service to 75% capacity. As you can tell from the announcement page, there are several new opportunities for men and women to gather in-person throughout the fall.

One question I’ve been hearing the last couple of weeks is, “When will we start Sunday School back?” We have circled Sunday, September 20 as a target date for the relaunch of in-person Sunday School! As you’d imagine, there’s a lot to figure out between now and then. Your staff is gathering information from you and other churches. We’re pulling together additional guidelines and protocols. Once everything’s in place, we’ll be ready to communicate particulars. In the meantime, please pray for God to give us wisdom and supply our many needs.

In closing, let me say one last thing. The expanded reopening of in-person ministry is not intended to imply that now is the right time for everyone to return to in-person ministry activity. Yes, the Scripture makes it clear that in-person gathering is the priority and norm of God’s people (Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:25), but in the present circumstances, we understand that gathering in-person may not be the wisest option for some in our midst at this time. Therefore, we continue to urge each Cornerstone member to act in good conscience before the Lord as you make decisions regarding in-person ministry activity. We will continue to maintain livestream worship and Zoom options for at-home ministry activity during the fall. Whether we’re present at home or in-person, let’s remember we’re one body, worshiping and serving the Lord together (Ephesians 4:4-6). To that end, let’s worship our King right now!

Your servant,

Nate