Letter from the Editor

Dear reader,

 

It is strange to be writing my very first Letter from the Editor 3,000 miles from campus, knees tucked underneath the same wooden desk I used in high school. For many months now, we have been living in isolation and displacement, lost time and broken promises. For many months to come, we will be living in the shadow of viruses—racial violence, socioeconomic inequality, and of course, COVID-19. Much has changed, and so have we.

 

But despite the evolving seasons of coronavirus, one thing has stayed the same: the hope for an end, the promise of a vaccine. As I write this letter, vaccine administrations are occurring for the first time across the country—and by the time you read these words, you may have joined that count.

 

Here at Cornerstone, we have been reflecting on promises, not just of physical healing but also of eternal restoration. We have been thinking about the promises that have been broken due to the pandemic—lost opportunities, fragmented communities, lives lost. We have been thinking about the many promises we ourselves have broken. But we have also been thinking about the promises that can never be broken, the ones that echo in eternity. In such a time as this, which are the promises we hold dear to our hearts? Which are the ones that shine a light in our darkest hours, reminding us of beauty, goodness, and life?

 

In Psalm 130, David writes that his “soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning… for with the Lord there is steadfast love.” But as we know, waiting is a difficult task, even with His steadfast love. It is hard to believe in the tangibility of such a promise when so many promises have been torn apart before, when brokenness seems to abound, and when “reality” feels at best abstract, virtual, and tedious. Yet we cannot help but yearn—for greater, for higher, for better.

 

C.S. Lewis writes that “we long for more, and God’s promise is that there is more awaiting us. More to delight us than we will ever exhaust.” In these pages, you will find that longing—the heartache that accompanies it, and the healing that remedies it. Naomi Kim paints a portrait of searing thirst and promised renewal. Yune Jee Bang wrestles with the grief of death—but also ponders the things that lie beyond grief. While Karis Ryu deals with the gritty intimacies of Christian life, Chaelin Jung challenges the sweeping assurances of materialistic faith, urging us to remember the brighter, deeper promises.

 

What we have poured into this issue is a message of hope and love: despite the many uncertainties that we face in the wake of the pandemic, there is one unwavering Promise. Even as we, the Cornerstone staff, yearn for in-person community, political reparation, and racial equity, we cling to the greater assurance of Christ.

 

Much has changed, and so have we. But there is One who is unshakable and unchanging, and He has promised to rescue us from all the places where we have been scattered. Just as we invite you into these pages, He invites you into His Promise.

 

Yours truly,