I personally want to thank everyone at Cornerstone for the wonderful birthday wishes this past Sunday and of course the beautiful altar flowers given in my honor. Birthdays are wonderful but they also remind me that as I get older it becomes more and more important for me to build and leave a legacy for others. In our text this Sunday we will be looking at Elijah and Elisha, two prophets from the Book of Kings (2 Kings 2:1-12). In the passage Elijah has told Elisha that it is time for him to go up to Heaven. Throughout the passage it is known that Elijah will not be there forever and Elisha is the chosen successor. Elisha however would prefer that his master stay. This passage is a reminder that we must always be preparing others for our departure. I have only been pastor at Cornerstone for a little over half a year and I am VERY sure that my departure is no where soon. Not prepare others, however would be to deny the legacy that Christ had placed on Peter and consequently on all ministers, myself included. Peter was the rock on which the church was built and the message to Peter as well to other disciples was to make disciples of all nations.
As a Church we should remember everyday to look beyond the present and prepare for the future. Part of doing this is casting a vision for the church. A vision for the church is something we experience within our minds for the future of the church. Obtaining a vision is not too difficult, but it does require prayer and petition. This Sunday we will be concluding our “Best Year Yet” series and I would like to share a vision with you that I have for Cornerstone. This vision is what is going to help us have our “Best Year Yet”, but before we meet again I want to ask you to do two things: 1. Pray for God to reveal to you the new things that will be happening very soon. 2. Think about what story Cornerstone will be telling 5 years from now (Who will we be? What will we look like? Where will we go? Join us this Sunday at 10:30 AM as we gain “New Vision” for Cornerstone in 2018!
In God’s grip,
Pastor Chuck Church
