Pastoral Notes for Sunday, December 20, 2020

Dear Cornerstone Family,

Every Advent about this time, I pull together a few quotes from my Yuletide reading to share. This year, sadly, my seasonal reading was cut short by research for upcoming articles, conferences, and classes. Even with that, I sneaked in a bookish exploration or two, running wild in grand mystery of the incarnation. Below are a few jewels from my treasure hunts, as we draw the waiting season of Advent to a close and prepare for the festivity of Christmas.

“Maybe Christmas” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”—Dr. Seuss

“Christmas says there is a cosmic scheme of things. God made us as his image to reflect his glory. We have sinned and fallen short of that glory (Romans 3:23). But the Son of God, who is the very image of God (Colossians 1:15), was sent by God, and came in love to restore his image. Through faith in him, we discover that our lives fit into the ‘cosmic scheme of things.’ He recreates in us a love for himself and restores us to fellowship with himself, which transforms self-directed love into love of our neighbors. That is the destiny for which we were created.”—Sinclair Ferguson

On this day of thine own Nativity;

Show thyself the Prince of Peace;

Bid our jarring conflicts cease.”—Charles Wesley

“In the Christian story, God descends to reascend. He comes down; down the from the heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity... down to the very roots and seabed of the Nature He has created. But He goes down to come up again and bring the whole ruined world with Him. One has the picture of a strong man stooping lower and lower to get himself underneath some great complicated burden. He must stoop in order to lift; he must almost disappear under the load before he incredibly straightens his back and marches off with the whole mass swaying on his shoulders.”—C.S. Lewis“

"There is nothing so secular that it cannot be sacred, and that is one of the deepest messages of the incarnation.”—Madeline Engle

“We have nearly arrived at the great merry-making season of the year. On Christmas day we shall find all England enjoying themselves with all the good cheer which they can afford. Servants of God, you who have the largest share in the person of him who was born at Bethlehem, I invite you to the best of all Christmas fare—to nobler food than makes the table groan—bread from heaven, for your spirit. Behold, how rich and how abundant are the provisions which God has made for the high festival which he would have his servants keep, not now and then, but all the days of their lives.”—C.H. Spurgeon,

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Pastoral Notes for Sunday, December 13, 2020

I asked Martha Brooks, co-leader of our Women’s Ministry, to write this week’s Pastoral Notes.

Ever since our girls were born, they have spent one day a week at my parents’ house. This sacred day gave me a break from diapers and chicken nuggets and gave the girls a day with someone much kinder than I who was delighted to change the Barbie doll’s dress for the one hundredth time. Even now, when it isn’t basketball/track/school play season, Mom picks them up from school once a week, and she brings out the good snacks, and basically does anything they want for three hours until Preston picks them up and forces them to come back to our house “because that’s where WE live!”

We have always referred to this day as “Grandma Day” even though my Dad has been there most of the time as well. And while he may not have always gotten in on the princess tea parties (although “The King” was known to make an appearance every now and again) he has his own special things he does with the girls. One of those things involves heading out, beginning in early January, walking or piled into the golf cart, and looking for signs of Spring—buds, patches of green grass, the beginnings of a nest. Dad is an outdoor kind of guy, and he is of the school that thinks snow is awful, ice is worse, and 95 degrees is just about right. When the girls were little and would spot those first signs of Spring, usually crocuses and buttercups, Dad’s excitement about the hope of warmer days sure to come would spill over onto them, and they would return home declaring the time had come to get out our bathing suits because Grandpa says it’s almost Spring! Well, no, I’d explain, it’s below freezing and here’s your puffy coat and hat and hurry up and stuff your hands into these mittens. (Parenting tip: Don’t try to put gloves on little kids. They cannot do it. Can. Not. Mittens are your friends.) But yes, Spring will come. That’s a promise. You can hang your bathing-suit-hopes on it.

I don’t know if we’ve ever collectively had a time when we’ve needed something to hang our hopes on more than after 2020. In many ways, for many people, it’s been a year fraught with hopelessness. A year full of cancellations, disappointments, uncertainty, and loss at every turn. Time and again Preston and I have answered our daughters’ many questions, “We don’t know. We just don’t know.”

The thing we keep coming back to is this: we trust Scripture. We are sure of that. Let’s go to Scripture. Let’s take our disappointments and our lost hopes, and let’s see what the Lord says about them. And every time we open the Word and listen to God speaking—listen to His promises—it’s like the hope of those first crocus buds that promise Spring: “I will... I did... I am... I came... I am coming...”

And there hangs our hope.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the kindness of God to leave us His Word. To leave us these buds of hope. And while there is so much value in sitting down every day and simply reading Scripture, there is also much value in studying Scripture in a community of believers—wrestling together, noticing things we never did before, discovering the magnificent truths that are our certain future. To that end, the Women’s Ministry is offering multiple Bible study times beginning in January, all working through selected Psalms. In addition to facilitating the study of Scripture, we want to deepen the community of believers, so we facilitate some fun, too! The groups have periodic fellowships where we pull out the good snacks and learn more pieces of each other’s stories and laugh a lot. We’ve also been known to cry together and drop everything and pray as we bear each other’s burdens. We are putting legs on the phrase “walk through life together.” Sign-ups will open this week; be sure to watch your email.

Join us. Come study Scripture with your sisters. Discover afresh where you can hang your hope.

Grace, Martha Brooks

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, December 6, 2020

Dear Cornerstone Family,

As I nearly froze to death tossing the football with the boys on Tuesday afternoon, as the dark of night descended at 4:45pm (Shew, it’s going to be long winter for me), I gave myself permission to reminisce about longer, warmer days... like the time my Dad first tried his hand at gardening. He’d long expressed a desire to return to “mankind’s original vocation,” to get his hands dirty and grow his own food—to be a man of the earth. It was a desire that, to be honest, bewildered the rest of the family.

Dad was an accountant. Need I say more? He spent his days with numbers, pushing pencils, and keying calculators. It was difficult envisioning him with boots on his feet and a tiller in his grip. That said, he was a farmer by name. My Dad’s name is George. George is a combination of two Greek words meaning earth and work. Etymologically, he was destined to be a worker of the soil. In every other way...well, not so much.

Nevertheless, with help from neighbors who were real farmers, and the slave labor of his son (ahem), Dad eventually fulfilled his gardening dream. And though the dream only lasted a few years (turns out gardening is a lot of work), some of my fondest summer memories include walking the rows to see how the squash and zucchini were coming along, and if the tomatoes were starting to redden, and if the deer had gotten the best of the snap beans. (They always got the best of the snap beans.)

Call me nostalgic if you want, but there’s something magical about a garden. Soil, seed, water, sun and a little attention (okay, a lot of attention) and before you know it, you’re smelling fried okra cooking on the stove—the perfect late summer delicacy. (Is winter over yet?)

There’s a lot of lessons to be learned in gardening, but chief among them is the need for patience. My Mom used to say, “A watched pot never boils.” Meaning, time moves ever so slowly when you’re eagerly waiting for something to occur. Gardening can be a “watched pot.” The farmer plants in faith, trusting that in due time, by God’s grace, he will enjoy the fruit of his labors.

Not surprisingly, in describing the work of the kingdom, Jesus turns to agricultural metaphors time and again. Our hearts are like various soils (Matthew 13:1-9), faith is like a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20), and if we’d just lift up our eyes, we’d see the world is white with harvest and needy of laborers (John 4:34). As we tend the field before us, growth may be imperceptible, but we press on like farmers who, “...wait for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it until it receives the early and the late rains” (James 5:7).

Like gardening, kingdom work can’t be hurried along. We must guard against weariness, knowing that in due time we will reap (Galatians 6:9). That’s a promise. Let’s just be faithful to do our part, and then watch the Lord of the harvest (Matthew 9:38) give the growth (1 Corinthians 3:7).

Your servant,

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Pastoral Notes for Sunday, November 29, 2020


I asked Pastor Ben Griffith to provide an opportunity for members of the congregation to share why they value the Home Fellowship Group ministry at Cornerstone. Here is what Ben, and several folks from the congregation, had to say:

For the past few weeks, you’ve hopefully been hearing and seeing our invitations to join a Home Fellowship Group (HFG) next year. There is still time to sign up. HFGs provide a small group context for us to share life together, pray for one another, and process God’s word together. Of all the things we’ve learned in 2020, I’m sure we could all say we have a renewed appreciation for the value of community. Our HFG ministry is simply a way to encourage and foster meaningful, spiritual, intentional community within our body—and we would love for you to participate.

I asked a few Cornerstone members to share about their experience in a Home Fellowship Group. If you are still on the fence about joining one next year, perhaps one of your brothers or sisters can give you a nudge:

“Our fellowship group has been a fantastic source of fellowship and friendship over the past several years. By opening up our homes (or meeting at a nearby park), we’ve also been able to open up about life’s challenges, provide encouragement, and pray for one another. It’s genuinely one of the highlights of my week to meet with these brothers and sisters!” ~Matt Suits

“Participating in an HFG group has meant, for Cindi and I, the development of friendships—the significant kind of friendships that help keep us centered in Christ, who is our life. We have eaten, studied, and prayed together, worked, celebrated and mourned together, and even vacationed together. Loving one another in the context of a small group is, I believe, doing life God’s way, and pays huge dividends! I do hope your lives are similarly rich and blessed.” ~Bob Wolk

“Our HFG has made us feel at home at Cornerstone by loving us - taking on our needs through prayer, hospitality, and service. It is one of the best ways to get connected, build friendships, and learn how to love people as they grow in Christ. It’s the tangible arm of community at Cornerstone and one of our favorite ministries at the church.” ~Taylor Thompson

“Home Fellowship Groups are the place to get connected and get to know the church family in the body of Christ. It’s the place to partner for prayer, dig into the Word, support, encourage, provide accountability, food and fun. Each have their own flavor, check them out until you find a good fit. God has amazing saints in each group that want to connect, grow, and experience life together.” ~Sherry Cebada

“It can take time to get connected at church. We are thankful for HFGs which have given us a “family group” within this body to know and be known, pray and grow, enjoy fellowship and fun. Each group is unique; jump in and find where you fit! One of the benefits of being a Christian is not walking life alone. HFGs are a way to experience the benefits of the body of Christ in an intimate and continuous way.” ~Steve Cebada

You can sign up online on the Cornerstone website, on our church app, or through the link on the weekly newsletter. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out! hfg@cstonepres.org



Pastoral Notes for Sunday, November 22, 2020


Dear Cornerstone Family,

On November 20, 2011, Cornerstone was received as a particularized (member) church of the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA). Can you believe it? We are nine years old! To honor the occasion, I took time this week to reflect on those early days, revisiting a few of my journal entries from that year. As I thought and read, I fought back tears. It’s so clear, friends; God has been so kind to us.

Someone asked me this week, “Was planting Cornerstone difficult?” The most honest way I know of answering that question is, “Yes and no.” It was a lot of hard work, and there are many people—staff, elders, deacons, and volunteers—that spent themselves for the establishment of Cornerstone. Since those early days, many more people have thrown their lot in with us, spending untold time, energy, and resources to sustain and grow the ministry of Cornerstone. All of them certainly deserve our appreciation.

Even with that, one thing is clear—God was doing the heavy lifting. God’s sovereign grace was the one constant underneath all these efforts. He is the “secret ingredient” of Cornerstone’s life and impact. Yes, God is pleased to use us, but human beings don’t build the church—only God does that (Matthew 16:18). So, as we gather together in worship, celebrating God’s faithfulness, let’s give credit where it’s due. Let’s thank God for Cornerstone by declaring with one voice, “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!” (Psalm 115:1)

As we pause today and reflect on God’s kindness to us as a church, we’re laying foundations for the season of Advent which begins next Sunday, Nov. 29th. For where is the kindness of God seen more clearly than in the giving of his beloved Son (John 3:16)?

Please be sure to pick up our Advent Devotional, “Christ, Our Certain Hope,” this morning. You’ll find copies in the pew racks and at the entrances to the building. The daily services, readings, and quotes in the devotional have been carefully selected to help you keep pace with the emphases of our Advent sermon series and prepare you for the coming of Christ.

Speaking of the sermon series, this year’s Advent emphasis will focus on the first and second comings of Christ. For the first two weeks, we’ll consider the Old Testament’s anticipation of the Messiah and the fulfillment of Christ’s first coming. In week three and four, we’ll focus on the call to be patient and faithful in waiting for Christ’s second coming and the assurance that God will ready us for that great day. Over the course of the four weeks, we will come to know Jesus Christ as our rock of redemption and a reason for hope.

Christ, Our Certain Hope

  • Nov. 29 – Jeremiah 33:14-18, “Days are Coming”

  • Dec. 6 – Romans 15:8-13, “Abound in Hope”

  • Dec. 13 – James 5:7-11, “Establish Your Hearts”

  • Dec. 20 – 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, “Kept for the Coming of the Lord”

Your servant,

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