| 2 Corinthians 1 |

Hello world,
New sermon up. May you be comforted and blessed as you consider the role of suffering in your life. http://www.wellspringtoronto.ca/church/Podcast/Entries/2010/11/28_Nov_28th_Steve.html

Cheers.
-steve

| My bread and butter |

I'm beginning to notice a trend in my own train of thought. You see, it seems no matter where I begin in Scripture, when it comes to preaching I eventually end up at a message of hope. Perhaps it is because my own narrative is formed out of hope and framed by hope. Of all the vices, hopelessness has played a minimal role in my life. Thus, when I read a text, and when I prepare a sermon, I eventually end up at hope. The hope of the gospel, the hope of the resurrection, the hope of a new day, of a new moment, of a new heart, of new creation itself, hope is such a key idea in the stories of our lives and in the metanarrative of the good news of Jesus Christ.

Even when I start pondering how I eventually end up at hope, I start preaching. Sigh.

So I wonder; is there more to life, more to preaching, more to inspiring a congregation to peace, to love, or to a sense of urgency for this dark and broken culture? I'm not sure there is. To me, hope is the backbone for all of these things. As soon as the disciples of Jesus ceased hoping, they fell back into the mundane; they became powerless and empty. After seeing the resurrected King, they were reinvigorated and refueled to go out and minister.

So consider that this Christmas season. What is your hope? And if you find yourself struggling to put your finger on it, take a look at Hebrews 6:9-20, with a specific look at Hebrews 6:19.

Cheers.

| Of soap-operas, safety, and security |

Admittedly, I've been watching this corny yet intriguing new show Hellcats. It's a show about college life, with a Legally Blonde feel to it as the protagonist is a law-student doubling as a cheerleader. It's a show that shows the hardship of college life, of a girl who doesn't have the money to make it, but she has the determination and the doppleganger skill-set to make it big; it's a show about overcoming obstacles and hardships. As a result, I like it. Cheesy as it may be, it is my new favourite show, sitting behind my all-time favourite Survivor.

Today I was procrastinating, sitting in the Tyndale Seminary lounge watching an episode, and I was rocked by the depth of the conversation I was listening to. Two students were dialogging college life, and how it's so easy to get caught up in it all. The one said, "Lancer [the college] is beautiful. The campus is paradise, it's like a drug. It's easy to forget what's going on out in the world. And sometimes I think it would be great to just lock that big iron gate at the entrance and stay here forever, safe and clueless."

For me, life here at Tyndale is almost over. Perhaps I'll pursue my Masters here at Tyndale in the years to come, but for now, I set my gaze just beyond the graduation cap and gown, just outside the "big iron gate at the entrance", knowing that I cannot stay here forever. The comfort of this place is addictive. The chapel services are phenomenal - complete with exceptional sermons and worship that makes your stomach jump a little. The community life is something I've not become submerged in, but good friends litter these halls, and I'll miss every one of them.

Beyond this place, the real world eats up young up-and-coming pastors. When I finally move beyond the 'pastoral intern' title in search of 'senior pastor' or 'associate pastor', churches will be waiting like wolves ready to chew me up and spit me out. The comfort of being a student - of being in the process of learning - will be lost to me. Certainly I'll never stop learning, but I'll no longer be able to use it as an excuse.

It's a scary reality, but a reality I look so forward to. Unlike the characters of Hellcats, I cannot wait to shake this place and run headlong into ministry. I cannot wait for the exhilarating rollercoaster that awaits Em and I. Joy and sorrow, hope and despair, comfort and suffering, these all await us beyond the "big iron gate at the entrance". If only the church had the same hopes, to move beyond the "safe and clueless" environment of Sunday service into the world as sheep among wolves.

| Coffee is no substitute for Sleep |

As I sit here nursing a coffee at my kitchen table on this lovely windy day, I have come upon an obvious truth; coffee is no substitute for sleep. While coffee may help temporarily restore wakefulness when experiencing fatigue or drowsiness™, it is no substitute for the real thing. It may be the most beautifully tasting beverage in the world, but it still remains only a beverage, ever falling short of the bed-and-blanket-bundle that so invigorates my life.

So what's my point? In a world of artificial sweeteners, false senses of security, prayers for the mere placebo effect, and for temporary restoration to the problem of life, the only cure is rest. But "rest in what?", you say. Rest in Christ. It is one thing to go out bearing the mantle of Christ - going and doing, and going and doing. But at the end of the day, if we fail to recognize the wind in our sails, the strength for our going, the passion for our doing, or the rest for our souls, then we have missed something so crucial about this thing called Christianity.

Look at the life of Jesus. He was a guy who went out teaching, proclaiming, healing, and working wondrous miracles, but at the end of the day, he retreated to be with his Father above. Many times in the gospels, Jesus is the guy retreating from the crowds to be in the presence of God.

I'm especially mindful of this in the busyness of my own life. I may be the guy going out and doing the work of Jesus Christ, but if I don't return home to experience Christ in the sweet silent sensational moments of contemplation and peace, I'm missing something so vital, so refreshing, and so magnificent. Consider the Christmas season as it swiftly approaches; take time in the hustle and bustle of sharing the good news of Jesus, just to grab a warm blanket (perhaps before a fireplace) and draw near to him. Nothing is a good replacement for God, not even coffee.

Thanks for reading.

| Reinvigoration through Recalibration |

Alas, I feel that the funk is subsiding. The fog is lifting and the words are flowing once again. Papers are being written, love is being shown, and I feel I can breathe new life again. And as I look back on the week behind me, one thing stands out as a driving force for this turn around: when I get back to the basics, when I rediscover my passions and I stick to them, everything else falls into place.

For starters, ministry is a double-edged sword. It can be the passions and the driving force for going out and doing, but it can also be that which hinders the same. Too much emphasis on what's not working in ministry can be draining and exhausting. And yet a simple visitation over coffee and lunch can recalibrate ministry, that it's all about a God who loves His people so much that He wants to commune with them. In this light, all that I'm called to do is love on people, listen to their stories, and speak God into their lives. It's really that simple.

The other major contributor was rediscovering my role as knight extraordinaire for my darling wife. (http://make-me-meek.blogspot.com) In the face of despair and frustration, I was able to step up, defend her, seek justice for her pain, and speak the light of truth into a dark situation. I really truly believe that God has called me to speak truth in hard situations, and this has recalibrated my heart; I am reinvigorated and ready to go.

God is good.

Thanks for reading.

| I hate Christmas parties |

Last year in November I had the opportunity to preach on Isaiah 9, the great passage that a light will dawn out of the darkness, that unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall rest on his shoulders. It was an Advent sermon at Wellspring. I say this because it provides some context to how I see the Christmas season.

Quite like the glimmer of light and hope that the prophetic birth foretold of the Saviour of the world offered, so too is the Christmas story. Quite like the darkness, the captivity, and the warfare that surround this early Isaiah prophecy, so too is the Christmas season. We live in a world that wants to take the only light out, perhaps to replace it a light bulb or an LED; our world desires to take the baby out of the baby story that transformed history past, present, and future. It's for this light that I love Christmas. Even the word itself seems to break down into Christ (the person, the Messiah) and mas (a communal celebration); it seems to imply a party for Christ.

So if you have heard grumblings about me being a grinch or a scrooge, put it into this context. I admit I have no care for trees or decorations, for themed cards or for catchy jingles. To use two Relient K song titles - one a truth for me and the other a fallacy - I hate Christmas parties and I Celebrate the Day. I do celebrate the day; I may celebrate it differently than the masses, but I celebrate it nonetheless. And I don't hate Christmas parties. So long as that light is not ripped away and replaced by some other light source, (and so long as the decorations aren't too over the top), I'll be there, eggnog in my hand, glad that I have such an incredible family, and glad that Jesus is King over hearts, even though He's lost some ground in the holiday season.