Pastoral Notes for Sunday, December 18, 2022

Dear Cornerstone family,

Today is the fourth and final Sunday of Advent. Next Sunday the wait will be over! And on that blessed morn, we will gather for worship.

For some of us––maybe lots of us––worship on Christmas is, well, a bit of a downer. To be honest, a few Shurden children feel this way. I know this is hard to imagine, but getting dressed and getting out the door on what will almost certainly be a bitterly cold day to listen to Dad preach is not exactly their idea of a wonderful Christmas mornJ

Truth be told, it took their preacher Dad a moment to get used to the idea. When I first realized I would be preaching two Christmas Eve services followed quickly by two Christmas Day services my initial response wasn’t, “Yippee!” It took my heart a minute or two or three to catch up––to remember, as the old saying goes, “The reason for the season.”

Christmas on Sunday has a way of revealing our hearts, doesn’t it? It pushes us to answer hard questions about what we really love about this season. In a word, do we love the Christmas season, or do we love the Christ of Christmas?

You, like me, probably want to say, “Both!” And that’s right, at least to a degree. But you’ll know which you love more––the Christmas season or the Christ of Christmas––when you’re forced to choose between the two. In several small but real ways, worship on Christmas forces you to choose between the two.

For instance, it forces us to choose whether we’ll be slightly inconvenienced—rescheduling Christmas brunch—in order to worship the Christ who left all the comforts of heaven to save us. It forces us to choose whether we’ll delay gift giving until later in order to thank the Father in worship for the greatest gift he ever gave.

When I put it this way, it’s easy for me to see the right answer. But even seeing the right answer, the struggle doesn’t go away. Can’t you still hear that voice inside your head saying, “It would be so much easier not to go to church. I wouldn’t have to hear the kids whine. I could sit by the fire in my easy chair. Those pews are so cold and hard...” I know that voice well. It’s in my head, too. It wants me to choose the fleeting joys of the Christmas season over the eternal joys of the Christ of Christmas.

Which is why, if I may say so, I really need to be at church Christmas morn. To hush up that voice, and to move toward what I really want to be increasingly true about me––that I love the Christ of Christmas more than the Christmas season.

Your servant,






Pastoral Notes for Sunday, December 11, 2022

Dear Cornerstone family,

One of the staples of the Christmas season at Cornerstone is our annual Service of Lessons and Carols. For those new to our midst or unfamiliar with the history behind this glorious service, the service began in 1918 at King’s College Cambridge led by Eric Milner-White. The opening service was received with such great acclaim that it became an annual tradition at King’s College and beloved by millions throughout the world.

The BBC first broadcast the service in 1928 and, with the exception of 1930, the service has been broadcast every year since. The broadcast extended oversees in the mid 1930s, and its popularity quickly spread worldwide. It was even broadcast during World War II when the stained-glass windows of the cathedral and the heat source were removed from the building for security reasons. During those dark and tumultuous days for the world, the service of Lessons and Carols provided a gospel reminder of hope and peace.

As the popularity of the service grew, churches around the globe began to adapt the service for their own corporate use. Since our founding in 2011, Cornerstone has conducted a Lessons and Carols service each year. There are aspects of the service that remain the same, such as certain Scripture readings and carols, but there are always new pieces of orchestration and music, too. If you’ve never been to a Lessons and Carols service, the power is in the main theme of the Scriptural lessons and carols—what Dean Milner-White called, “the development of the loving purposes of God through the windows and words of the Bible.”

Before Midweek at Cornerstone ended back in November, I lingered outside the sanctuary door one Wednesday night while the choir practiced for this year’s Lessons and Carols service. Trust me when I say—we are in for a treat. Greg Wilbur, the choir, and the musicians have worked hard to make tonight’s service a special evening of worship. In order to accommodate schedules and attendance, there are two opportunities to enjoy tonight’s service. You can come at 5:00 or 7:00 p.m. Nursery for children up to age three will be available at the 5:00 p.m. service. We urge you to invite your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors to attend. There will be plenty of room!

Let’s together travel the pages of Scripture in readings and songs, coursing our way from the Garden of Eden to the manger in Bethlehem, tracing the hand of God in the salvation of the world.

I look forward to seeing you tonight!

Your servant,






Pastoral Notes for Sunday, December 4, 2022

Dear Cornerstone family,

The Cornerstone staff gathered for a fun fellowship lunch on Tuesday this week. As we talked and laughed about everything under the sun, the conversation turned at one point to the different personalities and perceptions God has given us and how those differences give shape to the way we see and experience the world. At some point, the comment was made, “So, if you’re sitting on a pier watching your children tube on the lake, do you see them having a good time or do you see all the ways they can possibly die?” As you’d guess, some of us primarily see the good time on the water while others of us are mapping the quickest route to the closest hospital! We’re all seeing the same thing––kids tubing on the lake––but what we “see” is radically different.

Now, let me ask you: which person is seeing things correctly? Is it the person seeing danger? Or is it the person seeing a good time? If you’re hesitant to answer, that’s a good sign. The question is a false dilemma. I’m making you choose between two things that aren’t mutually exclusive. In this case, both people are seeing something correctly.

I italicized something in the previous sentence to emphasize that both perspectives see a particular aspect of the situation correctly. One person is seeing the fun time on the water while another person is seeing (potential) danger. It’s good and right for both perspectives to be present. In fact, we need both perspectives.

We need people who can see the good time on the lake, for that is difficult for some of us to see. Some of us can get so tunneled in on potential dangers that we miss the good happening right in front of us. The seeing good perspective widens the reality of the seeing danger perspective, tempering fear and freeing us up to receive the good that is there.

At the same time, we need people who can see the dangers and sound the alarm. In fact, those who are particularly oriented at seeing the “fun on the lake” are often blind to the presence of real danger. The seeing danger perspective widens the reality of the seeing good perspective, dispelling naiveite and deepening wisdom.

The problem, of course, is that too often we absolutize our particular perspective as if it’s the only right way. When we do that, we sell ourselves and our relationships short. We cut ourselves off from the gifts, experiences, and perspectives of one another. At a more troubling level, we cut ourselves off from the grace God provides in and through the church.

Bet you didn’t expect me to say “church,” did you? We tend to view (read: perspective!) church as a place we go (the chapel) or an event we attend (worship). But if we’re tracking in the truth of the Scripture, we must recognize the church to be people—God’s people. And right now, you’re surrounded by them! Each person—including you, if you’re a follower of Christ—has God-given gifts, experiences, and perspectives that are intended for the building up of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:15-16).

So, how about you get to know someone new this morning? Invite them over for lunch or coffee later in the week. Tell your story. Listen to their testimony. Let their gifts, experiences, and perspectives widen your own reality as you share Christ together. In a word, receive the gift of the church.

Your servant,






Pastoral Notes for Sunday, November 27, 2022

Dear Cornerstone family,

As is our custom at Cornerstone, we have set aside the four weeks leading up to Christmas to prepare our hearts for Christ’s coming. This year we will consider what it means to wait for the Long-Expected Jesus.

Advent 2022 – Come Though Long-Expected Jesus

  • November 27: Wait for the Lord (Psalm 130)

  • December 4: The Birthplace of the Lord (Micah 5:1-5)

  • December 11: His Name Shall be Called (Isaiah 9:6-7)

  • December 18: Nothing will be Impossible with God (Luke 1:26-38)

  • December 25: Christ is Born Today (Luke 2:1-20)

    As we course through Advent, let’s commit ourselves to learning the godly discipline of eagerly waiting for the long-in-coming Savior. By looking back and remembering Christ’s first advent, we prepare our hearts for the coming of the Lord a second time. Moreover, our longing for Christ’s return grows all the more! For as we glimpse the glory of Bethlehem, we can’t help but turn in anticipation to the promised and coming New Jerusalem.

    When Christmas (finally!) arrives this year, let’s enjoy it. Let’s feast! Let’s sing and dance! Truly, let’s take hold of the gospel afresh and celebrate in a way that matches the good news of great joy that is for all people.

    And when the season of Epiphany commences, let’s be ready to follow Jesus in the New Year. Just as the magi from the East followed the star all the way to Jesus, we will once again set our mind on things above, where Christ is, and take up our missionary call. By God’s grace, we will grow more into the church God has called us to be—a city set on a hill, a light that cannot be hidden.

Your servant,






Pastoral Notes for Sunday, November 20, 2022

Dear Cornerstone family,

As I pause on this anniversary Sunday and consider the past eleven years, I can honestly say that being yoked together with you is one of the greatest joys of my life. The way you have unfailingly loved and supported my family and exercised long patience in bearing with me as your pastor is more than I could have ever hoped for. Truly, the lines have fallen in pleasant places, and my heart knows it very well.

Some of you have been a part of Cornerstone long enough to remember our particularization service eleven years ago. Most of you, however, threw your lot in with us somewhere along the way—quite a few of you even this last year. But whenever it was you decided to saddle up with this ragtag band of Christ followers is not important. What’s important is that you’re with us now, and that you’re a vital part of the story God is telling through Cornerstone.

I’m sure some of you have a hard time believing yourself to be a vital part of the story God is telling through Cornerstone right now. As you look around the church, you see members who are more gifted, whose contributions seem to be making a much bigger difference in the life of the church than yours. You think yourself to be a small fish in this pond; that if you disappeared, the church wouldn’t miss a thing. If that sentiment describes you, I urge you––don’t believe that lie.

It is true, of course, we all have different gifts, some more visible than others. It is also true that our ministry efforts will be more or less fruitful. God has designed it that way. But regardless if you’re the mouth or hand or big toe, know this––every part of the body is needed. Even if you feel yourself and contributions to be insignificant, take heart in knowing that the Apostle Paul goes out of his way to say that the less honorable or seemingly weaker parts of the body of Christ are indispensable to the life and health of the church (1 Corinthians 11:22).

I tell every participant in our Exploring Cornerstone class that if you join this church, we believe two things must be true. First, you need us. That’s right; if the Lord leads you to unite with us, it means that through the ministry and makeup of this local church God plans to bless you. Count on it. But secondly, we need you. Through your particular abilities and contributions––regardless of how miniscule you think them to be––God plans to bless us through you! There is no unneeded member of Cornerstone Presbyterian Church.

As we embark on our twelfth year together, let’s keep this in mind. Let’s expect to be blessed through the church, and let’s plan to be a blessing to the church! As we commit to walk by the light of these twin truths, let’s pray and watch with eager expectation as God pours out his grace on us and works through us for his glory in the year ahead.

Your servant,