A Scriptural Meditation: In preparation for this Sunday’s sermon on the Trinity, I spent some time meditating on Isaiah 59. For the first 15 verses of Isaiah 59 we read that humanity’s condition is pitiful. We have set up a barrier between ourselves and God because of our sin (v. 2); we have defiled our entire person through injustice, violence and a hell-bent passion for evil (vv. 3-8); and as such, we are groping and stumbling for hope, but we are incapable of rescuing ourselves (vv. 9-15). But then Isaiah speaks in verses 16-17, “The LORD saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; so his own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him. He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.” God acts to destroy the barrier, cleanse our defilement, and lift us up from our paralyzed condition. And how does this happen (from verses 20 and 21): “The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the LORD. “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and forever,” says the LORD. What I am struck by is the involvement of each member of the Trinity in bringing about our salvation. The LORD (God the Father) plans, the Redeemer (God the Son, Jesus) comes, and the Spirit (Holy Spirit) confirms this truth on  our very lips. Glory to the Triune God who has worked our salvation! May our lives be overwhelmed in 2012 with this Great God of our Salvation.

What’s Coming Up in the Life of Cornerstone Church?

Membership Class starts this Sunday at 9AM: A member of Cornerstone Church covenants to grow in Christian community, to invest in the church family and the Gospel with their time, talent and treasures, and to submit themselves to the church family and its leaders for accountability, protection, and growth. If you are considering church membership, we encourage you to attend a 4 week Membership Class Sunday mornings January 8, 15, 22, 29 at 9AM. We will also meet an additional time outside of the Sunday morning for a more intimate, homey gathering. At the end of the class, individuals can decide if they would like to take the few additional steps toward membership in our church family.

“Delighting in the Divine” Sermon Series Continues: We will have part 2 of our journey into Article I of the Evangelical Free Church’s Statement of Faith this Sunday. The big question we are trying to tackle is this: How can Christians believe in both a singular Godhead and three Divine Persons? (That’s just bad math.) In the first sermon we addressed this particularly controversial question: How can God be “infinitely perfect” and yet do “all things for His own glory”? If you missed last Sunday’s sermon, you can download it our webpage here.

Missions Month, January 2012: Ever wonder about the ministry behind the Christmas-time red kettles and bell ringers? Join us during the 9am Sunday School hour each Sunday this January as we learn about the action-packed story behind “The Salvation Army” and its founder. William Booth was a preacher in England in the 1800s. He and his wife Catherine were called by God to serve people who were not welcomed in the established churches of that time. The Booths followed God’s call, even when they were in danger.

Small Groups are coming…Our Spring 2012 small groups will be launching at the end of January. Keep on the lookout for meeting times and locations. Cornerstone Church is passionate about people sharing life together around God’s Word. Please make joining a small group a priority for you in 2012.

Visitation in 2012: Starting in January, our elder shepherds are going to begin an intentional process of meeting with each household in our church family throughout 2012. The goal is simply to love, support, and pray for our church family at a more personal level. These will be approximately 1 hour long visits involving 1-2 elders. These will start up at the end of January, and you will be called in advance…no surprise visits 🙂

Facebook Users:  If you haven’t “liked” or “subscribed” to Cornerstone Church Marion Marion please do. We are using Facebook to keep people updated on important announcements, new sermon podcasts, and the like. For those of you who do not use Facebook, we are posting regular updates on our website at this address:  https://cornerstone-marion.org/category/news/

Ministry Community (Monday Jan. 9, 7PM): This Monday the elected leaders will spend the first portion of the Ministry Community Meeting in prayer together. We will read Psalms, spend time in silence, small group prayer, etc. The final portion will be spent in the elder shepherding teams in order to focus on our ministry goals at the beginning of 2012. If you would like the Ministry Community to be praying for anything on your behalf, please let me know by Sunday.

I’m excited for our journey together in 2012!

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Matt