Service, Sacrifice, and the Tour de France

Paul Conti – Associate Pastor, Cornerstone Church

“Don’t push your way to the front…Put yourself aside and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a hand.”
Philippians 2: 2a, 3-4

Servant. In the vernacular of the cycling world the word is domestique – French for servant. Their role is to ride into the wind, allowing their designated team leader to tuck in behind them. They are there to protect, to replenish resources of food and water, and to shield the leader from potential injury.

A particular domestique caught my attention during last year’s Tour de France. Team Sky were in the 17^th stage of a grueling 21 day endurance race. Bradley Wiggins, the team leader, held a slim lead in the overall standings. It was clear that his super domestique, Chris Froome, was the stronger rider that day. Froome had a lot left in his tank and was poised to attack in the mountain stage, but as he looked at Wiggins, it was clear the leader did not have the energy. What would he do? Winning a stage at the Tour is one of the great dreams of a competitive rider. Froome chose his role over his aspiration. One writer remarked, “Froome repeatedly waited for Wiggins on the final climb, costing him the chance of winning the stage.”

It wasn’t only the stage win he laid down that day. He could have selfishly abandoned his post and attempted to seize control of the Tour, but he bent his will to the goal of the team.  “Wow!” I thought to myself. I admired him for his willingness to let go of his own desire in order to pursue the team’s goals. At one stage he said, “I follow orders at all costs.” Another domestique from Tours past, José Luis Arrieta, described the role as: “growing in the service of sacrifice”.

I have often wondered what it cost Jesus to lay aside His divine privileges, to sacrifice so that we might know life. First, becoming human, then enduring suffering and death so that the redemptive purposes of God would be accomplished. As I watched these world class athletes pursue their ambitions, I got a small glimpse of what this kind of obedience means. I serve alongside many volunteers who give of themselves each week at Cornerstone, and in them I see people inspired to lay down their own desires in pursuit of the greater good. They serve selflessly, often in ways unseen and seemingly not dramatic but nevertheless, significant and God honoring.

Chris Froome – Courtesy of The Guardian

Last Sunday, Chris Froome rolled into Paris, winning the 2013 Tour de France. A year later, it was now his turn to wear the yellow champions jersey. The inner strength forged last year in this young man is now worn with humility and joy.

“Taking the very nature of a servant…he humbled Himself…becoming obedient.”
Philippians 2:6-7

Doing for the “Least of These”

Chloe Brisbane, Missions Catalyst – Cornerstone Church

I recently graduated from UC Berkeley and last month joined Cornerstone’s staff in a new position as Missions Catalyst.  People ask me if this is my dream job or if I like working with my dad, who is the Lead Pastor.  I laugh and simply say that I know it’s where the Lord wants me to be.  It is truly a gift from God to be part of building a ministry designed to create opportunities for people to serve and show Christ’s love to others, locally and globally.

When I think about what caused me to have this heart for serving others, I wish I could say that I just woke up one day and decided that I love helping the poor; or that I read a Scripture verse and boom! – I became the next Mother Teresa.  It wouldn’t be the truth about what changed my heart.  Actually, it took a leap of faith and having enough courage to make a trip to Ethiopia to see my friend and brother in Christ, Wubshet, whom I had been sponsoring through Compassion International for more than six years.

Wubshet had been diagnosed with bone cancer, his hands and feet were crippled, both his parents had passed away, he had been bed-ridden for two years, and the only family member he had left was his nearly blind grandmother. Through the example of his life, I have come to see who Jesus truly is.  Wubshet showed me that Jesus Christ can truly satisfy ALL my needs.  He had nothing in terms of possessions, and it seemed like he should have had no hope, but there he was on his bed, smiling and thanking God for his life.  He was hopeful, joyful, and thankful.  Wubshet passed away a few years after we met, but his life helped me to see that every day is a gift from the Lord – that every day I have the opportunity to bask in the joy of the Lord and to share the love of Christ with others.  After my personal encounter with him, I would never be the same.

Genesis 1:27 tells us that we are all made in the image of God.  For this reason, when a Christ-follower takes the opportunity to meet another’s physical need – like food or clothing – it’s truly like giving to Christ: “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me”  (Matthew 25:40).

If we are all made in the image of Christ, then serving each other is one of the highest privileges we have because it is like we are giving our resources to the Lord.  The idea that serving is one of the greatest gifts we can receive is what I want to convey to our Cornerstone community.  It seems like a paradox that giving ourselves away will actually fill us more; but by serving others – locally and globally – we can see Jesus Christ displayed throughout the world, and we can gain a clearer picture of what it means to be disciples of Christ.

I’m excited to see where the Lord will take Cornerstone through this new ministry and I believe that, as Mother Teresa said, “God is wanting to show His greatness by using our nothingness”.

Changing the Way We Think and Act

Carlos Jimenez – Pastoral Care Team, Cornerstone Church

In his letter to the Christian community in Rome, the apostle Paul shares the following exhortation: Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
(Romans 12:2, NLT)

As an introvert, I’m encouraged to know that thinking can have a meaningful impact on my life. Nevertheless, as I’ve come to realize through personal experience; reflection that is consistently detached from action can become spiritually ineffective. I guess this is why I’ve always loved the Book of James and relied upon it to keep myself grounded.

I was recently reminded of this story from Max Lucado’s Introduction to his commentary on the Book of James.

“Francis of Assisi once invited an apprentice to go with him to a nearby village to preach. The young monk quickly agreed, seizing an opportunity to hear his teacher speak. When they arrived in the village, St. Francis began to visit with the people.

First he stopped in on the butcher. Next a visit with the cobbler. Then a short walk to the home of a woman who’d recently buried her husband. After that a stop at the school to chat with the teacher. This continued throughout the morning. After some time, Francis told his disciple that it was time to return to the abbey.

The student didn’t understand. “But we came to preach,” he reminded. “We haven’t preached a sermon.”

“Haven’t we?” questioned [Francis]. “People have watched us, listened to us, responded to us. Every word we have spoken, every deed we have done has been a sermon. We have preached all morning.”

James would have liked that. As far as he was concerned, Christianity was more action on Monday than worship on Sunday. “My brothers and sisters, if people say they have faith but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing. Can faith like that save them?” (James 2:14).

[James’] message is bare-knuckled; his style is bare-boned. Talk is cheap, he argues. Service is invaluable. It’s not that works save the Christian, but that works mark the Christian. In James’ book of logic, it only makes sense that we who have been given much should give much. Not just with words. But with our lives.

Or as St. Francis is noted as saying, “Preach without ceasing. If you must, use words.””

This story resonates with me because I aspire to be a thoughtful follower of Jesus whose actions reflect his faith and have an impact on others. At the same time, it’s not a “destination” I expect to reach in my lifetime – it’s a lifelong journey. In that regard, I can truly affirm Max Lucado’s statement that service is invaluable. Every time I serve in one of our church events, I know that people (some anyway!) are watching me, listening to me, and responding to me. Every word I speak and everything I do is a sermon. I don’t always communicate what I intend to and I often fall short of the standards I’ve set, but I keep pushing on because it’s the journey that counts…a journey of transformation that involves both action and reflection.

Giving and Serving

Paul Conti – Associate Pastor, Cornerstone Church

2 Corinthians 9:7  “Let each one give as he purposes in his heart.”

Over the past six months Cornerstone has made two trips to Haiti to help build a language and vocational school. Nothing else like it exists in a region that is home to 80,000 people. For many Haitians, learning a trade or another language exponentially multiplies their opportunities in life. The following are a few lessons about giving and serving I have learned from my involvement in short-term missions and in leading Cornerstone’s First Impressions Ministry.

Lesson 1: The Power of Small Things
Sometimes we’re hesitant to serve because we feel there isn’t a need or that we have little to offer. As overseer of the First Impressions Ministry, I watch how our greeters, ushers, and parking team serve our community. A seemingly small gesture of kindness and attention to detail can often change the opinion a person has of church. How great our service is ultimately depends upon our willingness to do whatever needs to be done. In Haiti, I’ve watched team members paint a house, sort rice, pass buckets of cement, and play with children. Taken individually, these acts are small. Done faithfully, joyfully, and repeatedly, these simple acts multiply. Those who experience this generosity experience much more than a job well done. They experience the love of God.

Lesson 2:  Give What Is In Your Heart To Give
While I was with the Haitian director on the second floor of the first building we helped build in Fond Parisien; I asked him, “How much would it cost to feed the 100 people in the fishing village we are visiting?”  “$250 dollars”, he replied.  Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought about the times I’ve spent this much on my own family on a single trip to Costco. I spoke to our team, and we pooled our resources. Within 24 hours we were seated under the shade of a great tree in the center of the village, feeding them rice, beans, and chicken. We shared what we had and it fed many.

It is not just actions in Third World countries that make a difference. There are needs all around us. We may have the means to meet someone’s physical need. Another may need prayer. Some people just need someone to listen. We never know where the journey will lead when we say yes to the first step we are called to take.

Lesson 3: Serving Is About Building Relationships
All the cement for the Haiti project is painstakingly mixed by hand in small batches on the ground. Over the course of our past two trips there, several team members have built a relationship with Rene, whom we refer to as  “The Cement Maestro.” If you’re lucky, you become part of the Maestro’s band of mixers. When we first met, smiles were uncommon for Rene. I didn’t know his story. He would tell me over and over that he didn’t speak English, so I combined my high school French, the Creole I was learning, and the little bit of Spanish that I knew in order to get to know him. This past June when we arrived, he greeted me with a big hug and a smile. He opened up and shared that in the earthquake a wall had fallen on his leg and crushed it. This required surgery to put a plate in his leg. Now that I know him better, I see him as much more than “The Cement Maestro.” I look at him and see someone who has overcome much.

There is power in doing what God invites us to do, in seeing the person in front of us through God’s eyes. Very often, our willingness to serve can set in motion something far greater than we may ever know.