As imperfect people, we're grateful for Luke 15, where Jesus teaches us that God will do anything to find us. Oddly, God will leave 99 of us alone if that's what it takes to find just one. When He finds us He throws parties and celebrations, and He invites everyone to attend. We don't wait until death to find life; God has a good life for us now, even if at times we wonder about that. We don't think of death or illness as defining us; we think that we are defined by Jesus. We don't really know precisely how things will end up, or when they will end up. We do know that God is at work in the world to bring about the goodness of the Kingdom today, and in the days that come. People often mean well. People desire more happiness and less sorrow, more health and less sickness. But in spite of our good intentions we seem to get caught up in issues like pride, and anger, and we have more than a tinge of selfishness about us... and our addictions are too numerous to mention. So we hope in Jesus to fix all that. It is tempting to think that we have to do things to please God; we think if we please Him, then He will like us. It is also very tempting to get caught up in our own lives: as we try to get by, as we try to keep it together, or as we try to get ahead. This busy-ness keeps us from enjoying all God has for us. We don't think it is our place to please God, because in Jesus God had made us pleasing to Him. In the New Testament, we see that Jesus came to spend time with us. He taught us quite a few things, but mostly Jesus taught us that he loves us, and that he forgives us. Love and forgiveness are the ways of Jesus, and if we let him love and forgive us, we discover that we in turn can love and forgive others. Jesus said we need to deny ourselves, apparently as we do that Jesus is able to save us from ourselves and then we move into a more meaningful life... not easier, but more meaningful. Politics are important, but they aren't as important as God's Kingdom. God's Kingdom is primary, and trusting in that saves us. Real and genuine help comes to people through friendship and forgiveness. That's how Jesus comes to us, and how we want to go to others. Vote how you want for president, but Jesus is the Guy who makes real differences. The missional statement of Cornerstone is "Following Jesus... Finding Friends." It is our vision to be drawn into loving relationship with God and one another that leads us into finding and building friendships with others. In worship we share in each other's stories, we value singing, preaching, and the hearing of Scripture. All of which catches us up in prayer. Worship is focused on God, but we find it to be a remarkable time of community. We really enjoy being together with one another. We believe that Jesus often leads us into suffering; strange as that is, and we hope that we are learning to suffer more with Jesus. It is through suffering that we grow in faith and find friendships with others who also suffer. We really don't like judging others. We do it sometimes, but we try to catch ourselves and quit it. We don't talk much about doctrine, or rules that "must" be followed. Instead, we try to continually respond to God's ongoing Kingdom in the world, listening to the creativity of Spirit, and being faithful in love. Love is the hardest thing in the world to do, particularly when you don't like the other person. We think the words of Jesus are incredible; and we think He meant what He said. Things like "loving enemies," "blessing the poor," and "denying yourself" are vital to our faith. We emphasize reading the Bible--it's very important, and is foundational to our faith. We often suggest reading other books, too. Books that challenge us and cause us to think about important issues. Our dress is informal, our traditions are flexible. We value and emphasize teaching and mentoring young people. We think Jesus meant it when he said the commandments are really these two things: One, love God with everything we are, and secondly, love our neighbors as ourselves. So we try not to cloud the issue with a lot of things that are secondary to that. We view families as vital and understand that families in our culture are often made up of singe adults, or single parent families, or grandparent-children families. Of course there are many two-parent families, too, and it is our desire to develop relationships with all groups. We enjoy small groups. Small groups meet once a week, often in homes, and sometimes at church, coffee shops, or restaurants. That's it for now. |
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