Cornerstone Church PCA - Manchester, MD

05/27/2026

Restored. Restoried.

One of the best parts of being a pastor is the privilege of hearing the incredible stories of the people I serve. I get to hear the good stories and the hard stories.

All kinds of stories that center around different plot lines…
Marriage.
Kids.
Love.
Death.
Sickness.
Finances.

If it’s native to the human experience, there’s a story.

And like a kaleidoscope, our stories weave in and out in an abundance of colors, shapes, and sizes… and like a kaleidoscope, they’re beautiful (and a bit overwhelming).

But the one story that every Christian shares in common is that of restoration.

Restoration is the work of taking something that was lost, deteriorating, or decrepit and turning it into something beautiful, whole, and “new.” It’s a story of transformation and renewal.

I love those stories. In fact, I never get tired of hearing them. It’s the best story in the universe, because it’s the story of the Gospel… and it’s deeply human. That's why we love them so much!

When we watch shows like Fixer Upper… or Extreme Makeover Home Edition…or The Biggest Loser…
We are watching stories of restoration!

When we watch movies like The Princess Diaries…or Star Wars…
We are watching stories of restoration!

When we celebrate a friend in recovery…or when a loved one rings the bell in the cancer wing…
We are watching someone live a story of restoration!

We love these stories because they speak to us in a deeply human and deeply spiritual way.

The Gospel is the story of how God restores a broken humanity.

Where once there was a darkness in my heart… there is now light, and life, and hope!

Where once there was a broken relationship between God and me… there is now peace, and love, and unity.

Where once there was pride born of insecurity… there is now humility, and with it, the ability to love others, not for what I can gain from them, but because I am so abundantly loved that I have love to share.

Restoration is the fundamental longing of every human heart. Because deep down, we all know that we are broken… that the story we are living is not as vibrant and full as our hearts tell us it should be.

And that’s our second clue that this is the longing of every heart...
Because restoration brings with it a new story.

Consider an old rusty car. It’s been sitting in a barn, abandoned and left to time for 50 years. Then, by no effort of its own, a master mechanic finds it, buys it, and restores it.
Where once there was a rusty box of metal sitting on deflated rubber… There is now a beautiful car, radiantly gleaming in the sun, and ready to explore the world!

What does the owner do with the vehicle?

Does he put it back in that dusty barn to rot again?

NEVER.

He drives it.
He shows it off.
He takes it to car shows.
He cares for it.

Like that car, those who know Jesus have been restored and re-storied. We have a new purpose. We have been restored by God through Jesus, and have been re-storied by Him as well. Where once we lived for ourselves, we now live to tell the story of restoration and to share that story with others. Not because we did anything to be restored, but because Christ did everything to restore us… and His restoration is offered to all, free of charge, and He intends to use us to show the world His restorative power!

And Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." - John 10:10

Restored.

Re-storied.

It’s the best story ever told.
And it’s not done being written, yet.
God is always adding new chapters… and new characters!

Reflection Questions:

1) Where have you seen God’s restoring work in your life?

2) What areas need God’s restoring work today?
How can you live in the “new story” that God is telling in and through your life?

3) Who do you know that could use some restoration? How can you show them God’s love this week?

05/25/2026

Loving Savior. Leaping Church!

"We are a leaping church! Leaping to Jesus in faith. Leaping for joy because of what He has done. And leaping into action - engaging in the very work that He has done in us! And people will see us, like they saw this man, and wonder: what has happened to you!? And the answer is the same! Jesus looked upon me in my lowest place, loved me, and liberated me from the disease I was born with: sin. And now... rather than crawl and beg my way through life, I leap!!"

Acts 3:1-11

Are you looking for a place to connect and grow in your faith and alongside others? Then we can't wait to meet you! Join us every Sunday morning for worship at 9:30am and Sunday School (all ages) at 10:45am, as we grow in our understanding of God's love and live the abundant life that Jesus promises to His disciples!

Worship. Walk. Witness.

This sermon was preached by Pastor Rob Gicking at Cornerstone Church in Manchester, Maryland.

05/18/2026

Welcome to the SPLASH ZONE!! 🏝️🏖️🐬

"Christians aren't better people because of their own efforts. They're people who have been so loved, so forgiven, so blessed by God through Jesus Christ, that they become overwhelmed by His grace and mercy, and that love overflows out of them and toward God and others. They're splash zone, people. God's love pours out on them like a waterfall, and bounces off of them, splashing everybody around them! We love, because He first loved us!"

Looking for a place to grow in your faith and worship, walk, and witness alongside other people? Then we hope you'll join us at Cornerstone!

Worship Service - 9:30am
Sunday School (all ages) - 10:45am

We can't wait to meet you!

This sermon was preached by Pastor Rob Gicking at Cornerstone Church in Manchester, Maryland.

05/11/2026

What is REAL Christianity anyway? 🧐

No... Not "reel" Christianity. Not pop-culture Christianity. Not "influencer" Christianity. Not "sound bite" Christianity.

Real, Christ-centered, Bible-based Christianity... what is it?

If you've ever struggled to answer that question... or perhaps, like our pastor, sometimes we all just need a refresher, then take a listen to this week's sermon, "Christianity 101," and see what the Bible says being a Christian is all about!

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If you're looking for a place to grow in your faith, engage with the Lord, or meet other broken people trying to find their way in this life, then we hope you'll join us at Cornerstone Church every Sunday.

9:30am - Worship
10:45am - Sunday School

We are a group of sinful, but loved, people who respond to the amazing news of the Gospel in the threefold pattern of Biblical discipleship: worship. walk. witness.

We can't wait to meet you!

This sermon was given by Rob Gicken on May 10, 2026, at Cornerstone Church in Manchester, Maryland.

05/04/2026

"We are the product of Pentecost!"
✈️🔥

Acts 2:1-13
OmniLingo

Looking for a place where you can learn more about the Bible and walk alongside others who are doing the same? Then we hope you'll join us at Cornerstone Church in Manchester, MD, every Sunday morning at 9:30am.

We're a vibrant community of people (broken and sinful like you) who have experienced God's amazing grace in the Gospel and seek to respond daily in the threefold pattern of discipleship: Worship. Walk. Witness.

We can't wait to meet you!!

1 like. "Omnilingo, Acts 2:1-13"

04/28/2026

"We don't always get it. Neither did the disciples. But Jesus always does. And that's great news!"

Take a listen to this week's sermon as we start our new series in Acts and continue to be guided by God's Word for our lives! There's no better message than the Gospel. And no better place to grow than in the church!

Join us every Sunday at 9:30am for Worship and 10:45a for Sunday School.

Worship. Walk. Witness.

1 like. "High and Lifted Up, Acts 1"

04/23/2026

Hey Cornerstone - BIG REMINDER!!! 🔥🔥🔥

Tonight (Thursday, 4/23 at 6pm) is our FINAL Hebrews class, and we are celebrating with the best pizza in Carroll County: GENOVA'S!

Even if you've missed every other class, we hope you'll join us! There will be nourishment for your belly and your soul! 😎 And all are welcome: kids included!

Note: If you are planning to show up, let us know so we can order enough pizza!

04/21/2026

"The literal and physical resurrection of Christ is the promise that one day, everything wrong with us, both spiritually and physically, will be made new and made perfect for those who believe! And the proper response to that offer is first to rejoice, and second, to offer every breath in worshipful response to Christ!"

Take a listen to this week's sermon to hear more about the LITERAL resurrection of Jesus Christ and what it means for you and me!

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Are you looking for a place to grow in faith?

Then join us on Sundays at 9:30am. We can't wait to meet you!

Worship. Walk. Witness.

Literally! Luke 24:36-53

04/08/2026

"What was once an impossibility is now fully realized in Jesus Christ. Where once, death was the final stop for all men, it is now the portal to paradise for those who believe. And the offer is for everyone... because Christ's victory was THAT great!! And the best part is, we don't only pause to celebrate that truth once a year. Resurrection is a daily joy for the Christian, because Jesus IS RISEN, eternally. And so will we!"

If you're looking for a place to grow in your faith and with others, then we hope you'll accept our invitation. 😁 Join us every Sunday at 9:30am for worship and for Sunday School classes afterward.

Worship. Walk. Witness.

This sermon was preached by Rob Gicking at Cornerstone Church in Manchester, Maryland, on April 5, 2026.

03/24/2026

Have you ever looked in the mirror and hated what you saw?
I have.
And I’m willing to bet that I’m not alone.

–

It’s often said that the reason people have no interest in the Bible is that it’s just a long list of outdated moral imperatives written by people in an age long past with no relevance to our lives today. But is that really true?

The resounding answer is: NO!

The Bible is the story of a loving God who created all things in good order. It’s the story of a special creation, humans, who, though made in His image and endowed with special privilege as the pinnacle of His creation, rebelled against Him, seeking to be served rather than to serve; and how that one decision cost them the very thing they had hoped to gain: peace… life… joy and ultimate satisfaction.

Sin enters the world through man. And the world suffers.
Call me cynical, but as I look around at our world and seek to make sense of it, there’s no better answer than the one that Scripture puts forth: the problem with the world … is us. You and me.

Now, here’s where things get interesting.

After recording the damning story of our own failure to uphold God’s covenant (which consisted of one rule, by the way… just one… and we couldn’t even do that), the Bible continues to put forth evidence, time and time again, for all the ways that humans fail to exist as they should.

And only after hundreds of years of depraved living do we get the infamous “rules” that so many of us grow up reciting: The 10 Commandments. You can look them up if you’d like (Exodus 20 or Google), but the whole thing is summarized in 2 commands:
1) Love God.
2) Love others.

Now, after that, the Bible gives hundreds, if not thousands, of rules for how we do that. And we call that portion of the Bible: The Law.

But if we’re not careful, we’ll make a very unreasonable and illogical assessment. We’ll forget the entire book of Genesis and the first 19 chapters of Exodus, and we’ll read the Law as if it’s a guidebook rather than a mirror.

You see, the New Testament makes it perfectly clear that NOBODY can uphold the Law. It’s just too hard. How can they make such a wide-sweeping accusation?
Because we couldn’t even follow one simple rule: don’t eat the fruit! And if we couldn’t do that, how on earth could we possibly be expected to uphold TEN laws, all of which are far more difficult than simply abstaining from one fruit among the hundreds in our original home of Eden?!

The Law was never meant to be a path toward righteousness. It was meant to be a mirror.

And in an ugly world, filled with ugly people, who do ugly things… a mirror is a very dangerous thing.

Because a mirror shows us the truth about ourselves, whether we want to see it or not.
And when ugly people (like you and me) come into contact with a mirror, there are only 3 responses.

Response 1: Break the mirror. Shatter it into pieces. And do your best to go on living in self-deluded ignorance, seeking to forget and to deny what the mirror shows to be true; distracting yourself with the pleasures and thrills of this world.

Response 2: Become self-obsessed. Spend the rest of your days fixated on improving your image, making sure you do everything in your power to look, act, and speak in such a way that puts you head and shoulders above the rest of the ugly world around you.

Response 3: Hate what you see… and cry out for mercy, grace, and hope!

Friends - I’ve tried all three responses at different points in my life. I’ve lived to satisfy my appetites, denying the truth. And I’ve tried to fix myself by “doing life the right way.” I’ve run from the mirror. And I’ve attempted to cover my inner ugliness with the outward beauty of self-righteousness.
And you know what?
None of it was able to provide any true healing…

I still hated what I saw in the mirror.

There’s only one life-giving response to the commands of Scripture, and that’s to cry out for mercy. And there’s a great hope for those who do.

Because the God who gave the 10 Commandments already knew we were unable to fulfill them. And so, in love and mercy, He sent His Son to save all the ugly people like you and me.

Jesus lived the perfect life that we couldn’t and died the death that we owed, so that you and I - ugly as we are - might no longer have to look in the mirror at our reflection and crumble in despair.

No… the Bible isn’t a list of rules. It’s the incredible story of how a Creator God made all things good; how we all have turned His good creation into something ugly, and how even then, God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us; to trade His beauty for our ashes.

That’s why the Gospel isn’t religion.
Religion is a list of rules; of dos and don’ts.

The Gospel is the GOOD NEWS that those who know they are unable to measure up have hope, because the Savior came to seek and save the lost - the broken - and the ugly.

Don’t let the mirror scare you.

There is a GREAT HOPE for those brave enough to see their need.
And a GREAT SAVIOR who redeems and renews all those who call on Him in faith.

–

And that’s why I want to invite you to come to Cornerstone Church for Easter. We are broken people, just like you, who know the joy of God’s mercy and grace. If you’re tired of looking into the mirror … if you hate what you see… then, I hope you’ll join us. Because with Jesus, there’s always room for more! And once you know Him, you’ll never be the same!

Easter at Cornerstone Church

Good Friday - 6:30pm
Easter Sunday - 9:30am
Egg Hunt for Kids (birth to 5th grade) - 10:40am