Pastoral Notes for Sunday, October 2, 2022

Dear Cornerstone family,

I asked Greg Wilbur to give a preview of the upcoming literature discussions as well as a very special opportunity for our next film discussion.

It is not unusual to hear the phrase that God is the Master Storyteller. The implications of God as author and narrator should encourage us to consider a number of patterns that apply to stories as a whole as well as all the world around us. Stories work as stories because they start somewhere and move through difficulties to a place of rest or resolution. In the simplest sense and in the broadest scope, THE story begins with a relationship with the Creator in the Garden of Eden which was broken by sin and followed by exile with a longing for a true home.

Or, the son of the King lost his bride who left home and is now hopelessly lost in the wilderness. The Prince enters into the wilderness to find his Beloved and to bring her home.

Or, the prodigal son leaves home for a life of dissipation and sin until he is covered by the mud and muck of the world. As he seeks out home, his father reaches out to bring him in and restore him to home with feasting.

Or, Hansel and Gretel, through the selfish sin of their mother, are forced from home into the wilds of the forest. They find a candy home and “mother,” but it turns out to be a false home and a false mother/witch who seeks to devour them in fire. After killing death, they pass over the cleansing waters and return to the home of their father. The famine is over, and they now have great riches and no want or lack.

Through these examples, I hope you can see the pattern of the Gospel as it moves through these stories of restored home and rescued love. With the three stories from the Brothers Grimm, we will explore different symbols and signs in versions of fairy tales that look far different from the versions we most typically know—especially in the loss of the inherent Gospel imagery and purpose. We will be reading Cinderella, a version of Sleeping Beauty, and Beauty and the Beast. With only 14 pages to read, there is plenty of time to prepare and come to the discussion on Monday night at 7:00 p.m.

Our next film discussion will be a very special opportunity. On Monday evening, October 24, we will have a pre-release screening of the film Surprised by Oxford. This film is based on the award-winning memoir by Carolyn Weber—who is a member of Cornerstone and a professor at New College Franklin. As part of the evening, we will have a panel discussion with Cornerstone member Ken Carpenter (who produced the film), Ryan Whitaker (the Writer and Director), Rose Reid (the star of the film), and Carolyn (author of the book). Not only will this be a significant opportunity to see the film but also interact with the creative process by which the film came to be.

By understanding how stories work and how to follow the significance in stories, the desire is to increase our ability to read scripture, the narratives of the culture around us, and to ground us in the truth of the Gospel.

Your servant,






Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 25, 2022

Dear Cornerstone family,

If you are new to Cornerstone, maybe even visiting for the first time, I want you to know what a joy it is to have you with us. It can be intimidating visiting a new church where you don’t know anyone and you’re not sure what will happen. On that note, I want to thank you for not giving into feelings of fear but, instead, mustering the courage to be here and worship the Lord.

Further, we believe all things happen for a purpose (Proverbs 16:4), and so your presence with us today is no accident. Therefore, it is our earnest prayer that you will receive the blessing the Lord has planned for His people today in worship. If there’s anything we can do to serve you, please let us know. After service, stop by and introduce yourself. I’ll be at the back of the chapel. I’d love to meet you personally. I’m so glad you’re here.

If you’re a veteran Cornerstone member, you have an opportunity to share the welcome of Christ today (Romans 15:7). I want you to remember what it was like to first visit the church. Remember how awkward it felt to be in an unfamiliar place? Remember the nervousness about not knowing anyone? Now, take a quick look around. Are you sitting near someone you don’t know? If so, recognize that as God’s kind providence. The Lord is giving you an opportunity to serve! Go ahead and help ease the awkwardness and apprehension by introducing yourself and learning a bit about them. Let them know how glad you are that they are with us in worship. These simple kindnesses will go a long way in extending the welcome of Christ today.

Beyond welcoming, Cornerstone desires for all people to know the joy and peace of union with Jesus Christ. To that end, we strive to create ministry environments and initiatives where the means of God’s grace are accessible to God’s people and thus favorable for spiritual growth. One way this happens is through our Sunday School adult education classes, aptly named The School of Discipleship. Every term we offer two adult School of Discipleship classes during the Sunday School hour (9:45-10:30 a.m.). Beginning next Sunday (October 2nd) two more School of Discipleship classes will be offered. Please take time to read the descriptions of the two classes below and make plans now to join us next week as we commit to growing in grace together.

Worship: In the Beauty of Holiness (Core Class, The Chapel)

The Psalmist instructs us to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. In this six-week course, Mr. Greg Wilbur will lead a class on congregational worship on the Lord’s Day. You will learn the content and flow of our worship service, and how beauty and holiness influence the structure and purpose of our worship gathering.

Technology and the Formation of Our Souls (Elective, Room 302-303)
Are you using your iPhone, or is your iPhone using you? In this six-week course, the Pastors of Cornerstone will explore technology as a biblical good, the dangers of technology in a post-fall world, and the formative power––for good and ill––that technology wields over our everyday lives. Join us as we seek wisdom for living faithfully in our increasingly technologized world.

Your servant,






Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 18, 2022

Dear Cornerstone family,

Months ago, when I was breaking down the various sections of Exodus for preaching, I wrestled long with how to tackle the part of the book we’re looking at today: the Ten Commandments. Do I go slowly through the commands and do a sermon on each one? Do I do one sermon on the whole section? For a variety of reasons, I landed on two sermons for Exodus 20, believing I could get to some of the text’s richness while not wading in too deep to all the ins and outs.

About a minute after I decided on this path, I wondered if it was the right decision. And the more I thought about it, the more I felt compelled to not miss this opportunity to do a command-by-command walk through this very important, foundational section of Scripture. But, instead of Sunday morning, I opted for Wednesday nights. So, on Wednesday nights this fall, we’re taking a slow pass through the Ten Commandments, trying to sit in and soak up as much of the richness of this section as we can.

On Wednesday night this past week, I asked the question, “Why take ten weeks on Wednesday night to teach through the Ten Commandments?” Three things came to mind:

First, the Ten Commandments are neglected in our time. Mark Twain once said, “A classic is a book that everyone praises, and no one reads.” I’m afraid the same could be said for the Ten Commandments. Yes, people generally know them – don’t murder, steal, etc. – but increasingly people do not have a sense of their meaningfulness or significance, and that’s really needed. In fact, that’s my next point.

Second, a thorough treatment of the Ten Commandments is needed in our time. Did you know that next to the Gospels, the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments have been considered by the church historically to be the most important sections of Scripture for the training of disciples of Jesus Christ? For instance, nearly half of the questions in the Westminster Shorter Catechism are devoted to the Ten Commandments. The reason is that our forefathers understood the Christian life as a following Christ life, and since Christ’s life was marked by law-keeping (see Matthew 5:17), our life must, too, or so the reasoning goes.

Thirdly, the Ten Commandments are often misunderstood in our time. At Cornerstone, we never want to wrongly present or emphasize the law in a way that undermines or subverts the primacy of grace. At the same time, we wouldn’t want to wrongly present or emphasize grace in such a way where God’s law or obedience was treated as if it was irrelevant or optional. What’s the relationship between law and grace? Can law and grace be harmonized in some way? Well, you should be able to tell by the title of my Wednesday night series, “God’s Gracious Law: The Ten Commandments” that I’m convinced that the Bible provides a beautiful harmony of grace and law. But in saying that, there’s still a lot of questions to answer.

So, we’re going to pursue those questions, and dig around in some of the complexities. Why? Because it’s important. It’s worth our time. And hope you’ll join us as we explore together the grace of God’s law and the law of God’s grace in the Ten Commandments this fall.





 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 11, 2022

Dear Cornerstone family,

In journeying through the Westminster Confession of Faith with our officer candidates, we recently reflected on Chapter 26, “The Communion of Saints.” Though one of the briefest chapters, I find the description of the church’s fellowship to be one of the most beautifully compelling portraits you’ll find anywhere.

WCF 26.1, All saints that are united to Jesus Christ their Head by His Spirit and by faith, have fellowship with Him in His graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory: and in being united to one another in love, they have communion in each other’s gifts and graces, and are obliged to the performance of such duties, public and private, as do conduce to their mutual good, both in the inward and outward man.

Notice, our communion does not consist in our participation in holy things (i.e. The Eucharist), as the Roman Catholics taught. Rather, our communion is a personal one; that is, it consists in the person of Jesus Christ. The whole of Christ’s life, which is the testimony of his love––“His graces, sufferings, death, resurrection, and glory” – –is our life together. Our fellowship with one another is the fruit of our shared union and communion with Jesus Christ.

Truth is, we may share very little in common humanly speaking. Some of you may sense that’s the case when you look around the room this morning. But take heart, a Christian community is full of all kinds of difference. For what makes a Christian community distinctive is the fact that it’s “founded on and animated by Christ,” to quote Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It is only Christ’s presence among us that draws us together in the communion of the saints.

At this point, the applications are endless, but I’d like to note, briefly, the importance of this point for worship. At no point is the church more the church than when the church is worshipping. For right now, we have come together to meet with Christ by faith, and Christ, by the Spirit, has promised to meet with us. In worship, the church communes with Christ and together is made into a holy habitation for God (see 1 Peter 2:5; Heb. 12:22-24).

That means the power of today’s worship is not in the liturgy. It’s not in the hymns or prayers. It’s not even in the sermon or the Lord’s Supper. As good and as necessary as these various elements of worship are, it’s only ever the presence of Christ by the Spirit in worship that can turn our praise into His dwelling place (Psalm 22:3). Churches are often so concerned about attendance numbers at worship services. But thousands upon thousands can attend a worship service, but if Christ does not attend by the power of the Spirit, the worship is in vain.

Let us never forget––worship is a supernatural reality. Good musicianship cannot change a soul. A dynamic preacher cannot save anyone. A well scripted liturgy cannot make a disciple of Jesus Christ. God may use these things. Indeed, he does! But the power is not in the things, no matter how excellently they are performed. True worship always comes from above.

As we prepare to worship today, pray that we would truly worship. Pray that God would be merciful and send the Spirit of Christ to fill and form us through worship into a dwelling place for God.





 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, September 4, 2022

Dear Cornerstone family,

Happy September! The Shurden family is visiting Rosalyn, our oldest daughter, at Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS, this weekend. Rosalyn’s 19th birthday was yesterday (September 3rd), so we’re celebrating her and enjoying a couple of days together as a family. As lovely as it is to worship with the saints at Grace Presbyterian Church in Starkville today, my heart longs to be with you. I can’t wait to be back with you next week and throughout the fall!

On a sadder note, I was grieved to hear the news this week of another high-profile pastor taking a leave of absence for an inappropriate online relationship with a woman not his wife. After hearing the report on Monday, I decided to take a few minutes on Tuesday morning at our weekly staff meeting to discuss it. I spoke first on a personal level about how I’ve benefited from this pastor’s ministry over the years. Then, I took a moment to note that if this man had been a businessman in the public sector he probably wouldn’t have been asked to take a leave of absence for an inappropriate online relationship, but because he’s a minister/elder, he’s held to a higher standard (James 3:1).

Paul says to Timothy that elders are to be “above reproach,” which literally means blameless (see Titus 1:7-8). Lest you get the wrong idea, to be blameless doesn’t mean sinless. It means, rather, that a minister’s life and conduct should be exemplary. That is, God’s people should consistently find their minister someone worthy of emulating. As they watch the manner of his life, they conclude, “He’s not perfect, but we see him striving to honor Christ in all things, and we find him, time and again, to be a faithful shepherd and guide.”

Saying that reminds me of a story. John Thornton was a godly English businessman in the nineteenth century who was known for his generous charitable contributions to noble causes. On the occasion of Charles Simeon’s ordination to gospel ministry, he wrote to the young minister these words, “Watch continually over your own spirit, and do all in love; we must grow downwards in humility to soar heavenward. I should recommend your having a watchful eye over yourself, for generally speaking, as is the minister so are the people.”

In light of all this, would you be willing to pray regularly for the wisdom and protection of your pastors and officers? Spiritual attack is a real thing. We are weak and vulnerable men. Nothing would pain us more than to bring shame on the name of Christ or hurt you, his precious people, because we failed to walk above reproach. For the sake of Christ’s glory and the good of the church, we ask that you pray for us––that we might fulfill Paul’s charge to Timothy, “Keep a close watch on your life and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16).

Your servant,