Pastoral Notes for Sunday, March 9, 2025

Dear Cornerstone family, 

If you haven’t yet picked up the Cornerstone devotional, Confronting the Sins We Tolerate, for the Lenten season, do not leave today without a copy. It’s available at both entrances of the Chapel this morning. It’s our gift from us to you!

I want to publicly thank Greg Wilbur and Maxwill Shell for their leadership in pulling the devotional together and for the Cornerstone staff, officers, members, and former interns (now pastors) who wrote devotionals for this publication. It’s a beautiful testimony of the immense gifts the Lord has given to our body both presently and throughout the years. 

Speaking of Lent, if you are unfamiliar with or have negative connotations of the Lenten season, you might find the piece I wrote below for the online ministry “She Reads Truth” a helpful explanation for how we approach this season as a historically Reformed and Presbyterian church.

The grand narrative of God’s Word through history is more than a tall tale. It is a historical record of real events with real people in real places and in real time. Indeed, as Paul makes plain in his letter to the church at Corinth, if Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection did not actually take place in time and space, then all is lost. We of all people are most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:9).

God not only authored the Bible’s true story—He’s the lead actor. Behind the flood, the call of Abraham, the Exodus, the rise of King David, the exile and return of Israel, and every other redemptive act, God is present and the prime mover. On every page of the Bible, God is the hero of the story. As the author and hero of redemption, God calls His people to remember the great things He has done (Deuteronomy 8:1-3). 

One of the means God used to stir the mind and imaginations of His people to remembrance was a calendar. From the Day of Atonement to the weekly Sabbath, to the annual feasts and festivals, God calendared salvation history to help the prone-to-forgetfulness Israelites relive their redemption each year (Leviticus 23).

Rightfully so, the shadow of the Old Testament calendar faded in the bright light of Christ’s fulfillment (Colossians 2:16-17). Although God issued no new calendar requirement for the New Testament church, He gave His people the freedom to order their days while maintaining the commitment to remember the redemption of Jesus Christ (Romans 15:4-9, Galatians 3:1-14, Romans 6:5-11, 2 Peter 1:3-11).

Not as a biblical requirement but as a discipleship tool, the early church began marking the days by the life and ministry of Jesus (Advent to Ascension) and the life and ministry of His church (Pentecost to Ordinary Time). Many Christians throughout the centuries have kept the practice, finding it a helpful means of remembering and connecting to both the life of Christ and the reality of His church, reaching around the world and across generations.

In that spirit, we invite you to join us for the forty days of Lent as we prayerfully prepare for the heartbreaking and heart-mending climax of the Christian year—the crucifixion and resurrection of our Savior.

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, March 2, 2025

Dear Cornerstone family, 

I’m preaching at the Missions Conference at Christ Church (PCA) in Katy, TX, this weekend where my dear friend, Rev. Fred Greco, is the pastor. I cherish your prayers for the ministry of the Word as I preach morning and evening services. I will be lifting you, the Cornerstone family, up as we worship today—especially Pastor Abercrombie as he delivers the Word from a beautifully challenging text of Scripture, 1 Corinthians 11.

I’m sad to miss the opportunity to meet prospective students and families this morning from our closest partnered ministry, New College Franklin. In 2009, New College Franklin welcomed their inaugural class of twelve students. From those humble beginnings, New College Franklin has grown steadily, attracting students from coast to coast in the United States as well as Canada.

As a classical Christian college committed to the seven liberal arts, NCF is devoted to the study of truth, beauty, and goodness wherever it is found, and to submit every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5).   

Since Cornerstone’s founding in 2011, we’ve had the privilege of hosting NCF in our building. Moreover, our own Chief Musician, Mr. Greg Wilbur, is the Founder of NCF and the current Interim President, Mr. Andy Patton, is a member of Cornerstone. We also have the privilege of having many NCF professors as members of Cornerstone including Dr. Carolyn Weber, Mr. Nathan Johnson, and Mr. Brandon Spun.

I hope the prospective students and families visiting us this morning are warmly welcomed by the Cornerstone family and spiritually edified by this morning’s worship service. If you’re a prospective student or a parent of a prospective student, please know we’re delighted you’re exploring NCF. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the church office if we can help answer any questions about Cornerstone or serve you in any capacity.

Finally, tomorrow is the end of early bird pricing for A Praying Life Seminar on March 21-22! If you haven’t yet signed up, what are you waiting for? Please, please do not let this remarkable opportunity slip by you. The content you will receive in this seminar is some of the best training in prayer you’ll find anywhere. Don’t wait! Sign up today through the Cornerstone website.

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, February 23, 2025

Dear Cornerstone family, 

One of the many joys of being a minister at Cornerstone Presbyterian Church is having the chance to work with young men and women who have interest in pursuing ministry vocationally. Though everyone’s call to ministry is different, it’s often true that interest in vocational ministry grows over time as one begins to exercise spiritual gifts and serves in the church.

To help assess a call to and aptitude for ministry, Cornerstone developed an internship program that is designed as a training ground for the work of ministry. Internship training includes but is not limited to theological, ecclesiological, and practical on-the-job ministry training. The intern will read, write, discuss, and be involved in practical ministry in order to test their head (intellectual), heart (spiritual), and hands (practical) in the work of ministry.

Over the 13 years of Cornerstone’s existence, the Lord has blessed Cornerstone with eleven interns. Currently, we have former interns serving as either pastors, counselors, or lay church workers in Oregon, California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

We’ve recently added a new intern to our staff who is no stranger to Cornerstone. Mr. James Goddard joined the Cornerstone staff as a Pastoral Counseling Intern in January. James is a long-time member at Cornerstone and is actively involved in young adults and men’s ministry.

James holds a Master of Arts and Counseling from Covenant Theological Seminary and a bachelor’s degree from New College Franklin in the Liberal Arts. James is a therapist who has interest in working in the context of a church. For the next year, he is spending ten hours a week on staff to explore his sense of call and gain valuable experience in working for a church. We are looking forward to seeing how James grows this year and to benefit from his training and gifts in Christian counseling.

Before I conclude, I want to remind you that last year the Finance Committee established The Seminary Student Support Fund to help provide additional support to former interns of Cornerstone who have answered the call of vocational ministry and enrolled in seminary education. As a church, we partner financially with interns pursuing vocational ministry for a portion of the costs associated with seminary education. Over the years, we’ve noticed interns often hit difficult patches financially (a medical procedure, vehicle repair, etc.) incurring significant costs beyond what they or we can provide.

To help meet this need, The Seminary Student Support Fund was created. It’s a way for you, the congregation, to give in a designated way to meet these additional needs of students. The application process, approval, and disbursements from The Seminary Student Support Fund is overseen by the Missions Committee. Only students who were interns of Cornerstone and are pursuing vocational ministry are eligible to receive help from The Seminary Student Support Fund.

In addition to your regular giving to Cornerstone, please consider a gift to this fund. When you give, designate your gift for The Seminary Student Support Fund. If you have any questions about the fund, contact our Mission’s Committee chairman, Mr. John Millard, at johnfrancmillard@gmail.com.

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, February 16, 2025

Dear Cornerstone family, 

On March the 5th (Ash Wednesday), Midweek at Cornerstone kicks off. Like in the past, we’ll gather on Wednesday evenings for food, fellowship, worship, study, and choir. There will be opportunities for discipleship from the youngest to the oldest. Please go ahead now and mark your calendar.

For our evening service during Midweek, we will be in a series entitled Confronting the Sins We Tolerate. As much as we hate to admit it, there are certain sins in our lives we’ve ceased fighting. Sins with which we’ve brokered an uneasy truce. Sins that have moved into our lives and made themselves at home.

Which sins is it for you? Is it gossip? What about worry? Could it be anger, or maybe discontent? These sins are easy to pass off as no big deal, which is exactly what the Evil One wants you to do. You aren’t committing the “big sins” like murder or adultery. Compared with other people, you’re not all that bad, are you?

The writer of Ecclesiastes says, “For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl. 5:11-12). In other words, sin is sin no matter if it’s big or small. Every sin is significant because it’s an affront to a holy God and is deserving of God’s wrath and punishment.

This is why James 2:10 says, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it,” and why Paul says in Galatians 3:10, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law and do them.”  

Thankfully, we have a Savior greater than our sin, who, as the hymn writer put it, “nailed [our sin] to the cross, and we bear it no more.” Hallelujah! But just because we’ve been saved from sin doesn’t mean sin isn’t an issue anymore. Every day each of us deal with the reality of remaining sin. The penalty of sin is paid. The power of sin is broken. And yet, the presence of sin remains. Therefore, each day until we die or until Jesus returns, we must be putting sin to death and living unto the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

In the six weeks leading up to Easter, we will consider what Jerry Bridges once called “Respectable Sins”––sins we don’t think are all that sinful. The sins we let slide. In this series, we will define each sin, consider the root of each sin, and explore strategies for putting them to death. If you’re serious about “laying aside…the sins which cling so closely” (Hebrews 12:1), don’t miss this important study.

Confronting the Sins We Tolerate 

·      3/5 – Pride and Selfishness 

·      3/12 – Discontent and Restlessness

·      3/19 – Anger and Frustration

·      3/26 – Anxiety and Worry 

·      4/2 – Envy and Jealousy 

·      4/9 – Gossip and Slander 

Your servant,

 

Pastoral Notes for Sunday, February 9, 2025

Dear Cornerstone family, 

In Greek history and thought, a hero was someone who descended from the gods possessing superhuman abilities. Homer defined a hero as “an intermediary.” That is, someone who bridges divinity and humanity born with a nature that touches upon heaven and earth.  

Achilles, the lead character in Homer’s Iliad, embodies heroism. He is the fruit of the union of Peleus, a Greek king, and the sea nymph, Thetis, a Greek goddess. He possesses superhuman strength, performing tremendous feats on the battlefield. Most notably, his slaying of Troy’s most decorated warrior, Hector.  

Defying even death itself, Achilles was diligent, dependable, and disciplined. No matter the objective, he would not be deterred. In the end, his military exploits would enshrine his name in the annals of history, securing his chief end—the glory of immortality.

Believing himself to be a descendent of the gods, Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) received the Illiad as the Bible. He commited large sections to memory and, if legend is to be believed, slept with a copy under his pillow every night. It was his only rule for faith and practice.

If the Illiad was Alexander’s Bible, then Achilles was his muse and mimesis. If Achilles was a fictional character in Homer’s epic poem, Alexander would be the historical incarnation living an epic life.  

To temper Alexander’s ambition, Aristotle, his tutor, labored to distinguish the difference between history and myth. Sadly, the megalomania was already firmly in place. Imagining himself the son of Zeus, Alexander took to himself divine honors and titles and set himself on a course toward world dominion. Aristobolus, Greek historian and contemporary of Alexander, wrote, “…he was never content with his conquests, and he wanted to rule everybody.”  

These ancient hero stories reflect and distort in different ways the reality of Christian heroism. As men and women made in the image of God, we are descended from God. Our natures touch upon heaven and earth. Designed as God’s heroes, our chief aim was to live for God’s glory and spread his rule over all the earth (Genesis 1:26-28).

But at the beginning of time, our enemy exploited our Achilles heel. With compelling lies, the Serpent defeated us. “You aren’t here to serve God; you are here to be God,” he said. Despite the hiss, it sounded good. And we bit.  

Hiding behind trees, God finds us and says, a seed of the woman—a hero—will come and undo all the bad we did. He will be a better Adam with no Achilles heel. He will be God’s hero. He will rescue us crushing the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15).

As we turn the pages, we learn it’s not Noah, Abraham, Moses, or David. These patriarchs are only shadows of the hero to come. When the New Testament opens, we learn the true hero—with God as Father and Mary as mother, touching heaven and earth—has come to crush the head of the Serpent, freeing us from the bondage of sin and death through the cross and the resurrection.

In worship today, we come to celebrate our hero, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are here to pay him homage, to hymn to him praise, to express our undivided devotion. For in him and him alone we find our glory and immortality.

Your servant,