Sunday Review
All Sizzle, No Steak
The phrase “all sizzle and no steak” has always been one of my favorite. It’s such a powerful phrase that evokes an immediate understanding. We’ve all been hungry, waiting for our food, able to hear it sizzling in a pan, able to smell it cook, with our mouths watering. And then, we’re let down. The sound, the smell, the anticipation has heightened our expectations, and yet what we received has fallen far short. Is this something that we in the…
Win the Argument, Lose the Soul
Have you ever seen someone’s online bio read: My opinions are my own. It’s a way of offering a disclaimer that their personal opinions shouldn’t be connected unfairly to their place of employment. My online bio reads: My opinions are my own, but they should be yours as well. Now, I obviously meant that as a joke, but there are times when that feels too true for my own good. Hold on My Heart When I get into an argument…
It's Our Church
The church is a singular entity—one body, one family, gathering, locally, in one place. And yet it’s made up of several, even hundreds, of individuals. Hundreds of individuals united under the banner of one King for one purpose: announcing His triumph over death and the resurrection power that He offers to all who are dead in their sin. Jesus was resurrected, proving Himself to be the Son of God with the power to remove our sin and resurrect us as…
It's My Church
“My” is a tricky word, especially when applied to something as big as the church. Because it’s not “my” church. It’s Jesus’ church. But then again, Cornerstone is “my” church. It’s the church where I worship. It’s the church where I serve and grow. It’s the church I’m raising my family in. It’s my spiritual home. This is my church. I don’t own it, but in a way, it “owns” me. I’m committed to this church. I believe in it,…
It's His Church
Pastor Erik did a great job stating out our new sermon series I Love My Church! by helping us understand that the Church belongs to Jesus. When we ask, “Whose Church?” the answer is always “Jesus’.” Let’s look back at some of the scripture Pastor Erik referenced and then take this whole idea a step further. (If you missed Pastor Erik’s message because of the snow, you can watch it here, download the audio here, and watch our first “I…
Jesus, The Revolutionary
This Sunday, Pastor Erik shared a great message about the first “palm” Sunday and the meaning, to the people in the crowd, greeting Jesus, of the palm branches. In case you missed it, here’s a brief synopsis: Before Jesus was born, a man named Judas Maccabee led a revolt against those who we’re oppressing Israel. After this successful rebellion, Israel used the palm branch as a symbol of their nationalistic desires. When the crowd grabbed palm branches and waved them…
Jesus Doesn't Want Followers
This Sunday, Pastor Erik spoke to us about sacrifice. In his sermon, he made some great points about what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. I’d like us to think about this for a few minutes here. Most people who claim to be Christians can be grouped into two basic categories: follower or disciple. A follower is one who is active in the performance of their faith, thorough in their behavior, and vocal in their adherence to the…
The Suffering Servant
This past Sunday, Pastor Erik spoke on suffering. In this world, we all face suffering and are forced to endure pain. We may not always have answer for why this is, but we do have a Savior who has suffered, not only like us, but for us and for our sin. Check out this passage of prophecy about Jesus, written by the prophet Isaiah, nearly eight centuries before Jesus. After the passage, listen to the song included at the end,…
Sunday Prayer | Avoiding the Plague
Throughout this week, let’s take time to pray this prayer and reflect on this morning’s message. Lord God, we have violated Your commandments and we repent. Like our fathers before us, we have found idolatry strangely attractive. Forgive us, we pray. Father, we thank You for the intercession of Your Son on our behalf. Give us hope again today. We have security and deliverance from all sin and idolatry through the greatness of Your mercy to us in Christ. You,…
God Knows Your Place
We’re one more week closer to Christmas! The snow’s getting higher (so are your credit card bills), and our anticipation is only growing! But before we get carried away, let’s look at Pastor Erik’s sermon for this past week. He shared with us about the town of Bethlehem—the place where Christ was born—a small, backward town in Judah. It was a nothing, backward town that hadn’t really had a claim to fame since David, Israel’s greatest king, was found there…
He Gave His Son
This Sunday, Pastor Erik spoke to us about how God has provided for us a sacrifice, a payment for our sin. He told us the story of Abraham and Isaac and how God told Abraham to take Isaac, his only son, the son that he had been promised would father nations, and sacrifice him to God. Of course, God didn’t really want Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. He wanted to test Abraham, to see if he would hold anything back from…