Every Year, Bellefield gives Cornerstone the privilege of being in charge of its services. This includes the worship, ushers, prayers, readings, and the sermon. We call it, “University Sunday.” This year, we had two speakers: Zach Herbster, who spoke on “suffering” at the first and second service, and Kevin Tracey, who spoke on “love” at our third service. If you would like to hear their full sermons, please go to www.bellefield.org. In the meantime, here are some snippets from their manuscripts.
Zach Herbster, Saved to Suffer: “While all this talk of suffering might be easy to grasp theologically and intellectually, the affluent west still likes to avoid this reality at all costs. We have tremendous wealth, resources, and time that allows us to forget suffering by comforting ourselves with whatever we please. A recent New York post article announced that in America, and especially college campuses, “comfort is a preeminent value” that undergirds the American lifestyle. I hope we can grasp that this is incompatible with the Christian life, as it numbs us to the reality that Christians will often be uncomfortable in this world.
Let me be clear: affluence is not inherently sinful; it is a privilege and a great responsibility to have so much in order to be a steward of God’s kingdom. However, as Paul makes clear to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 4:8, affluence is a severe spiritual liability that can lead to complacency.
A final illustration: in 1978 Soviet author Alexander Solzhenitsyn gave a commencement speech at Harvard. He boldly claimed that the west had grown so comfortable that they focused more on “rights and freedoms more than responsibilities and purpose.” When comfort is preeminent, we inevitably are quick to proclaim what we are entitled to. But this is theologically bankrupt, for we know that God owes us nothing, and we have been made sons and daughters of God only by grace! Instead, we must focus on our responsibility as sons and daughters to gospel and our purpose: which is to be made into the image of Christ by following him in suffering. Solzhenitsyn puts it this way when addressing the contentious ideal of becoming “western-like”:
‘No, I could not recommend your society as an ideal for the transformation of ours. Through deep suffering, people in our own country have now achieved a spiritual development of such intensity that the Western system in its present state of spiritual exhaustion does not look attractive.’
This is humbling stuff. Let us not forget our true purpose as Christians while living affluently in an affluent culture.”
Kevin Tracey, Lord, You Know I Love You: Our time in Easter is amazing and beautiful and thrilling because we have all these moments of the risen Lord. These moments when God, in risen form, reminds us that even death wasn’t strong enough to overcome his love for us. That even in our darkest moments, when we nailed Love itself—Christ our Lord—to a cross, there will never a single thing that can overcome what Christ did for us. No matter where we are or where we turn, God is always waiting for us—always coming to us and loving us without restraint.
But sometimes that’s a really uncomfortable truth to hear. Sometimes, we don’t want to hear that God loves us unconditionally. We want a reason to scream and curse and cry, and not have to be confronted with the cross. Sometimes we want to deny what has been done for us, because honestly, that would be easier.
And so, probably because I’ve written too many papers over the years, I want to give you my main idea before we jump into some scripture: Jesus loves us in spite (and through) all we do to run the opposite way. And then, He charges us to go out into the world and love in exactly the same way.
Meet the Students
1. What is your favorite childhood memory? It’s really difficult for me to pick a single, favorite childhood memory, but one that is definitely close to the top is the day I got my dog, Indy. My parent’s played it off like we were just going to visit an old friend of my mother’s. As it turned out this friend was fostering a dog who had just had puppies because their owner could no longer care for them. I picked one of the puppies up to play with it (because who doesn’t love playing with puppies), and you can only imagine my surprise when my parent’s told me I got to keep her.
2. What has been your involvement in Cornerstone? Honestly, my involvement with Cornerstone is so much more than I ever thought it would be in one year. I thought because I was a freshman that I would just stand by and watch everyone else run the show. However, I’m so glad I changed my attitude because being a part of Cornerstone, Freshman Ministry Team, Worship Team, and a Discipleship Group has had such a positive impact on my life. I love being involved in various aspects of Cornerstone because it means that I get to see God working in so many different areas of my life.
3. How has Cornerstone helped you during your years at Pitt? Cornerstone has been such an influential part of my life since coming to Pitt. It has shown me how beautiful it is to have the love and support of a Christian community and what a difference that can make in how I see the world and how the world sees me. I have grown so much in my faith in such a short time which has given me the confidence to step outside of my comfort zone and push past the limits I thought I had. I’m so thankful that God led me to Cornerstone because not only have I grown so much in Him but I have also made some of the best friends I’ve ever had. Here’s to the next three years.
Financial Update
God has blessed us recently by helping us reach our monthly goal. Now, we are asking for help on a unique way of giving. If you are interested in learning more, please click on the picture below.
Moore News
We were recently able to take a weekend trip to the lovely Hidden Valley area of Pennsylvania, about 1 ½ hours outside of Pittsburgh. It was great to unplug for a couple of days, sleep in, and not be on any time restraints (except for three little stomachs)! Between the rain and the snow, we were able to play many board games, read books, and spend an afternoon at Seven Springs Resort to bowl, play miniature golf, and try our hand at some arcade games. But the best thing was hearing that the boys’ favorite part of the weekend was just spending time together.
I pray that this Newsletter finds you well!
In Christ,
Andy Moore
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