Dear friends,

First, I wanted to thank those who joined us for our Olive Garden meal last Sunday. It was a joy for me, as your pastor, to see believers in Christ fellowship with and delight in one another (the good food was another perk). A big thank you to Mike and Annette Goater for planning the special night! And now…

A few thoughts on Ash Wednesday and Lent: Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40 days of Lent. For those of you who did not grow up in a Catholic or Mainline Church, you may be unfamiliar with these church Holy Days. For centuries, Christians have set apart the 40 days leading up to Easter/Resurrection Sunday for a time of reflection and prayer. As Christians, we believe Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday are the two most profound and important days in human history. Thus, it is wise to take a season each year to prepare for these profound times of remembrance.

So today, on Ash Wednesday, believers all around the world will attend worship services that mark the beginning of the 40 days of Lent (in fact if time allows, you might be blessed by finding an Ash Wednesday service). Today is a day to confess and repent from sin (hence the ashes). Today is a day to covenant with the Lord to make these next several weeks a time of prayer and meditation. Many people choose to take something out of their life (a fast) or put something into their life (a vow) to grow closer to the LORD. I commend both these ideas to you. Maybe you commit to read through one of the Gospels? Maybe you quit watching a certain TV show each week for prayer instead? Maybe you join a group of believers for a daily or weekly season of prayer? Regardless of whether you add or subtract something these next 40 days, I pray that God would bless these sacred 40 days of remembering our Lord Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

A few items to note:

Ladies Craft Night (March 1): If you are looking for a safe place to introduce a friend to the Cornerstone Church family, please consider coming out to Sue Frederick’s home next Thursday. Whether you are a crafty conversationalist or a knitting-guru, the time is meant to facilitate fellowship and encouragement.

Mini-Elder Retreat (March 2-3): Please pray for the elders of Cornerstone Church (Dave Erlacher, Darrel Herschberger, Matt Proctor, and Tony Weber) as we take a two-day retreat next week. We plan to do some self-evaluation and church-assessment, dive into some difficult Biblical territory, and seek the face of God for the advance of the Gospel and the edification of the saints.

“Operation Mobilization” – A Special Offering for Church Planting (March 4): The elders would like you to prayerfully consider giving a financial contribution to the Church Planting arm of the Central District Office of the Evangelical Free Church. Right now, the district is trying to raise funds in order to help small church plants and new church planters. Basically, the goal is to provide a large starting capital for new churches to pay a church planter’s salary in order that they can hit the ground running in their efforts to lead people to Jesus and plant a new church. Since the District Conference is March 5-6, we would like to take a special offering on March 4 that our delegates can then take to the conference as a way of showing our support and commitment to church planting. You can see a video about the ministry concept here: http://vimeo.com/29840628

Good Friday Service (April 6): On Friday night of Holy Week, we will be doing a combined worship service with the congregation of Northbrook Baptist Church. We will be meeting at their church (just west of the intersection of Council/Boyson). More details to come.

I’m so glad to be a part of God’s family at Cornerstone Church.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Matt

Genesis 1-11 portrays a world spiraling down into evil, confusion, and destruction. All human attempts to achieve victory, prestige, and honor have come up short (particularly  manifested in the construction of the Tower of Babel). There is no hope. In fact, the closing verses of chapter 11 show us that the seed of promise (Gen. 3:15) has arrived at a dead end. The promised seed of Eve has fallen upon an aging husband (Abram) and his barren wife (Sarai).  This cycle repeats itself in every generation. In every generation, great minds pursue great wisdom, great craftsman design greater tools and technology, and greater souls devise greater advances to save humanity. And yet, as Christopher Wright observes in his book, The Mission of God, “The greatest human achievements cannot solve the deepest human problems.”

But then God shows up and He calls Abram to go and to be a blessing (12:1-3). The power to be a blessing is not in Abram; the power to be a blessing is in the God of the call. God’s call transforms people. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:24 “…to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” By God’s call, we come to see the power and wisdom of God in the person of Jesus Christ. This call leads us to saving faith and then onto obedience. This call leads us to the greatest achievement in all of history: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57).

Friends, as we meditate and learn from the life, faith, and obedience of Abram, let us not forget that Abram is who he is only because of the call and power of God active in his life. It is because he belongs to God that he lives a life of faith. Similarly for us, our obedience and life of faith is because of the work and power of Jesus Christ in our lives. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24). The same God who took a broken and aging man, along with his barren bride, into a journey of faith still takes broken and barren people today and invites them onto the victorious journey with Christ the LORD.

Upcoming Events in the life of Cornerstone Church:

Baby Bottle Boomerang: Your contributions to Bridgehaven Pregnancy Support Center are due this Sunday February 12.

Ministry Community Meeting, Feb. 13: Reminder to the ministry leaders that we will meet to discuss your Ministry Action Plans for 2012. Please bring 2 copies of your MAP to the meeting. Be thinking of 1-2 prayer requests you can share for your ministry area for 2012.

February 19 Church Family Dinner at the Olive Garden: We have room for about a half dozen more attendees for our 6-8PM dinner. We plan to enjoy fellowship, good food, and a bit of fun on that evening. RSVP to Annette Goater.

The Journey of Faith Sermon Series: We encourage you to be a part of this sermon series by: 1) Attending our weekly worship services. 2) Joining a sermon-based small group. 3) Using the daily Bible-reading guide and 4) Committing to memorize Scripture (these resources are located on the offering table at the back of the Sanctuary).

Thank you friends,

Pastor Matt