Cornerstone is running a special on little girls this month!  (See two posts below.) Caitlin was born yesterday and is looking forward to meeting her church family.

“Let the little children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”

—The Lord Jesus, referring to children raised in the covenant of God

Someone once said, “Babies are such a nice way to start people.” And they are!  As Sophia Hawthorne — wife of Nathaniel Hawthorne (the author) — once observed, “How pleasant it is to see a human countenance which cannot be insincere.” She said this while commenting on her infant daughter Rose’s smile.

The next time you see a new human being, marvel again at the eternal, inexhaustible glory of God.  God made humanity in his own image, and we’ve not yet seen all the ways that image can be reflected upon, known, and enjoyed.  He is, after all, an infinite God.

Mike Mason said it best:  “A child is a revelation from God.  Prophets receive visions, mystics ponder the ineffable, great preachers deliver God’s word.  But the greatest revelation comes through flesh and blood.  Every child is a fresh, unheard–of image of God, and children keep coming and coming because the world has not yet conceived of all the fullness of God’s glory.”

Baby Hannah was born yesterday!  We look forward to seeing her at Cornerstone soon.

“Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.”
–Psalm 127.3

Gardiner Spring — a Presbyterian pastor who died in 1873 — once said this about these little images of God:

“The poorest, the weakest, the simplest child, is born for immortality.  This value outweighs the entire material universe, no matter how small a mark this child makes on it.  The tiniest infant owns a deathless intellect, and is as immortal as the Father of spirits.  No one can tell what this child will become.”

We’re glad to meet you, Hannah!

Why is this world here?  How did it get here?  What are we supposed to be doing here?  Why is this world so messed up?  Why are we so messed up?  Can anything be done to fix this mess?  Is there a purpose to all of this?

These are some of humanity’s most fundamental questions, and we’ll be dealing with them in our new sermon series, as we work our way through the first eleven chapters of Genesis.

And, yes, that is a smear of blood.  Because in the beginning something went wrong.  And someone’s going to have to pay for it.

One of our church members is a very committed volunteer with Set Free Ministries, a ministry that brings the good news of the forgiving–yet–just King to prisoners.

I recently accompanied him on one of these adventures.  Wow.  I now know what an acquaintance felt when he once wrote this:

“I think this is one reason I find worship services in prison so compelling — the joy and delight on the part of the guys in coming together as a forgiven community is almost palpable.  They act as men who have lost almost everything, including their dignity, and then gained the world in gaining Christ.  And they act like it.  They delight in recognizing that they had nothing at all, and now they have everything.

Respectable, middle–class churches nonetheless need to break through the patina of respectability that holds back expression of our joy and delight at having nothing of value in this world, but being given everything in Christ.”

Exactly.

To read a very interesting article that our church member, Bill Swenson, wrote about Set Free Ministries, click “Read More” below…

Read More...

I’m occasionally asked about our cool logo…

OK, actually I’ve hardly ever been asked about our cool logo.  But we do have one.  In my book it ranks right up there with the very subtle but cool logo that Fed Ex has in the negative space between the “E” and the “x.”

Take a look at our logo.  It’s found on the top of the page.  You can see a clearer picture of it on our website home page by clicking on “Home” above.

One of our elders designed it, and another one of our elders wrote up the following explanation for it:

Christian history has always been rich with symbols that serve to identify and unite believers in their faith.  Cornerstone’s logo reflects our connection to this rich symbolic heritage and to countless believers — past, present, and future — with whom we are one in Christ.

The cross of Christ is at the center of the logo, as Christ Himself is at the center of our faith and life.

The Chi–Rho [pastor’s note: this is the “P” with the “x” through the bottom half of it] represents the first two letters of the Greek word “christos,” meaning Christ.

The fish was one of the earliest and most recognizable symbols of the Christian faith, since many of Christ’s first disciples were fishermen by trade.  Also, the Greek word for fish, “ichthus,” could be made to stand for the phrase, “Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior.”

The letters C and P [pastor’s note: the “C” is blue; the “P” is gray], standing for Cornerstone Presbyterian, complete the logo and tie us into the great Body of Christ down through the centuries.

This explanation is also found in our church brochure, complete with pictures separating out the individual pieces of the logo.  Pick one up on Sunday!