Cornerstone is only four–and–a–half years old, but in that short amount of time we’ve been blessed by God to see one of the most dramatic and breath–taking pictures of the gospel lived out in our midst three glorious times. 

The first was when we saw little Jacob (from Azerbaijan) adopted into the home of a Cornerstone family.  The second time was when little Ani (from Ukraine) was adopted into the home of a Cornerstone family.  And just this week, little Ellie (from Guatemala) was adopted and brought into her new home.

Welcome home, Ellie!  We love you already, and we look forward to getting to know you!

A friend of mine in seminary use to tell a wonderful story about adoption.  His father was a pediatrician, and one of his patients was a little boy.  It seems that whenever the doctor saw this little boy, he was always wearing the same shirt — an old, worn, ratty–looking, faded sweatshirt with the word “Wilson” printed on the front (“Wilson” as in the sporting–goods retailer). 

The doctor often noted how odd it was that this boy from a well–to–do family was forever wearing the same old sweatshirt, which eventually began to look much worse for wear.  Finally he asked the question.

Here’s the story the doctor was told: 

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The Bible talks about feasting and food quite a bit.  If you want to let your mind wander through the Scriptures tracing out the theme of food, go read the June 23, 2007 post entitled (creatively enough) “Food.” It won’t do more than just get you started, but you’ll see something of what I’m talking about.  This book is not exactly vegetarian–friendly reading. 

“A cucumber should be well sliced, and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out as good for nothing.”
—Samuel Johnson

“Vegetables are interesting but lack a sense of purpose when unaccompanied by a good cut of meat.”
—Fran Lebowitz

Noting God’s interest in food and feasting (both as reality and as metaphor), it shouldn’t surprise us that when the King took his place upon the mountain to teach his people how true godliness is revealed and lived out (Matthew 5.1,2), he said to them, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (verse 6)

God promises complete and utter satisfaction to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. 

But what does it look like to hunger and thirst for righteousness? 

Is Jesus talking our “legal” righteousness before God — that is, our justification?  If so, then that means to hunger and thirst for Christ Himself, for he is our only righteousness. 

Or is Jesus talking about our “moral” righteousness — a righteousness of character and conduct that is pleasing to God?  If so, then we are again driven to Christ Himself because that kind of infinite righteousness will never be achieved by our merely external conformity to a collection of rules.  That would be the deceptive, self–flattering trap in which the pharisees found themselves.  The moral righteousness that God requires penetrates to heart, mind, and motive. 

But perhaps Jesus is pushing us even beyond that.  Perhaps he’s pressing his disciples to cultivate a hunger and craving for the redemptive good of the world itself. Perhaps we should consider this as a call to a greater interest in a “social” righteousness.  God is quite interested in that form of righteousness too, after all.  Indeed, that’s part of the hunger that drove him to the cross.  John Stott puts it this way:

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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.”

In our “Faith” studies we’ve been hammering away on the goodness of all the “stuff” of creation.  Christianity is not a gnostic religion.  Are you familiar with gnosticism?

Gnosticism was an early heresy that denied the fundamental goodness of creation.  The gnostics taught that this world was not created by the Supreme Good God, but by an evil, rebellious, “lesser” deity.  And so the world that this “lesser” god made was an evil place… a prison from which we need to be rescued.

For the gnostics, salvation consisted of withdrawing and detaching one’s self from this evil world.  And if you withdraw and detach yourself sufficiently from the “stuff” of this world, then you can achieve a sort of mystical/spiritual union with the Supreme Good God.  And that’s how you achieve salvation.

As I said — heresy.  This teaching declares outright war on everything that the Bible has to say about this life and this world.

Consider what Paul says in 1 Timothy 4.1–5.  He says that it is a departure from the Christian faith (in fact, he says it’s the teaching of deceitful demons!) to withdraw and detach one’s self from a world “that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”

And then he says this:  (Someone once called it a “manifesto.”) “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”

And then in verse 6 Paul tells Timothy that IF he drives this particular point home to the believers whom he serves (as their pastor), THEN he “will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.”

It’s very plain.  False teachers accuse / malign / incriminate / denounce / blame / besmirch God’s creation (or some parts of God’s creation).  Faithful believers declare the GOODNESS of God’s creation.

In fact, right here we find one of the great reminders of the world of difference between Christianity and every other religion, worldview, opinion, or philosophy that you could line up against it.

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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!