Category: This Week at The Centre

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  
Love never fails.

This passage from 1 Corinthians 13 is often read at weddings, as part of the encouragement to the couple being married on how they should act towards each other in their relationship. It is a good and lofty goal, but if we’re honest with ourselves, is unattainable. We cannot do this.

By now you might be asking yourself, “This is Christmas, and this is now the fourth week of advent. What does this passage have to do with the birth of Jesus?” The answer is: everything!  

Jesus, the Son of God, is love. He perfectly demonstrates God’s love to us. He is love come to us, to save us, redeem us, and give us a new life full of His love. What I’d like you to do now is reread the passage above, but everywhere you see the word “love” (or it is implied) replace it with “Jesus”. That is the message of Christmas — God’s love has come to us because we could not get to Him.  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTOYekVnDsg — one of my favourite Christmas songs!)

This Sunday we will be gathering at our regular time of 4pm, but it will be a special Christmas service. Hope you can join us!

Blessings, Pastor Mike

Joy to the World, the Lord is come!

This is one of the most popular and familiar carols sung around Christmas. It is full of hope, and expectation, and, naturally, joy! But what are we to be joyful about? If we look around in our society we see lots of brokenness, pain, frustration and sorrow. We see families falling apart, jobs lost, sickness and sadness. Where is the joy?

It is true that if we look to our world we have a hard time finding joy, and that’s why we need to look outside of creation. Everything within creation has been frustrated by sin and brokenness (read Romans 1 to get the full effect). Even those things that are supposed to bring us joy quite often let us down.  

But let me give you some good news about joy! Jesus came into the world, into creation, to fix what is broken and restore what’s been lost. He came to bring us joy, and joy in increasing measure. What I mean by that is that the more you trust in Him the more joy you’ll have! It doesn’t mean that all your problems will suddenly disappear. In fact, you may have new problems because you are following Him more closely. What it means is that you will see the problems and trials that you’re facing for what they really are — momentary and short lived. When our hope and satisfaction come from Jesus we will find that our joy is magnified (See Philippians 4:11-13).

So this Christmas, don’t let your joy only come from stuff, or events, or even relationships. Focus first on Jesus, the giver of every good gift — give Him thanks for blessing you — and recognize that through Him, only through Him, can we have true, lasting and eternal joy!

Pastor Mike

The Hebrew word for peace is ‘shalom’ but it means much more than what our english word means. Peace for us in english is simply the absence of war or conflict, but most of us know that just because there is no outward fighting or hostilities doesn’t necessarily mean that isn’t any animosity or that relationships are repaired. Even if an argument is over, and peace has returned, there can still be tension and an uneasiness. There might be peace, but there isn’t shalom.

The word shalom means that not only is there an absence of fighting, but there is also a working together to restore what was broken. It is repairing damaged relationships, making good on payments for what was broken or lost, and rebuilding what was torn down.  

When we understand peace this way it should change the way we see Jesus. Yes, He is the Prince of Peace (see the prophecy in Isaiah 9:2-7), the One who has come to make peace between us and God, but He doesn’t just end the fighting between us and God (see Romans 5:8), He begins to restore the broken relationship that we have with God. More than that, He pays for our sins, our debt, through His sacrificial death which means we’re no longer bound by sin (read through Ephesians 2). And as the Prince of Peace His reign will bring a full restoration of creation, rebuilding everything to the way it’s supposed to be. This has already begun, but we’re not all the way there just yet.  

Once we’ve accepted Jesus’ offer of peace, we are then called to become peace makers (see Matthew 5:9), going out in His name bringing restoration and peace. We won’t just stop fighting, we’ll start repairing and rebuilding and restoring, and doing all this in Jesus’ name and for His glory!

Blessings, Pastor Mike

Hope, Peace, Joy, Love 

This Sunday marks the beginning of the Christmas season (Advent) in the church, not Black Friday, or the Santa Clause parade. We take the four Sundays leading up to Christmas to prepare and think about what it meant for Jesus to come to us, and what that means for us now.
Hope, or faith, is the act of looking forward to something that hasn’t happened just yet. It is a longing over an unanswered question, or something unfulfilled. My kids often hope for a snow day around this time of year, while I long for the longer days and warmer weather of Spring (I know, I know, winter hasn’t even started yet and already I’m looking for it be over!). We can also hope for loved ones to return, a new job to come through for us, or for someone to get better. But in every case we’re hoping and longing for  something better. We are unsatisfied, incomplete, and looking to be whole.

In the Old Testament, the first part of the Bible that tells the story of the people of Israel, they were looking and hoping for a Messiah, someone to come and rescue them and lead them to freedom. They wanted a mighty king to come and lead them in battle to defeat their enemies and set them free from oppression. And God did promise them that a Messiah would come, but He wouldn’t be anything like what they were hoping for or expecting.  

This is often the case for us. We hope for an answer to our problems, and think that it will turn out like we planned, but often it doesn’t. Does this mean that God doesn’t hear us, or want what’s best for us? Not at all. God’s plan for us is perfect, and will come about at the perfect time, but we need to be patient, keep on hoping and looking for God to act. The Jewish people were hoping for a strong warrior king as their Messiah, but instead got a helpless baby born to outsiders. He may not have been what they were hoping for, but He was exactly what they needed. And He still is for us today.

Blessings, Pastor Mike

Quiet, faithful obedience. It’s an incredibly difficult thing for us to do. If we’re honest, it feels good to be recognized and encouraged for a work that we’ve done. We like to be noticed, and for people to tell us, “Good job! Well done!” It’s also difficult to continue to do the work even after the initial fanfare is over, when something is no longer new and exciting, but is simply a task that needs to be completed. Quite often, many tasks are only noticed when they’re left undone!

Quiet, faithful obedience is generally what we are called to as followers of Christ. To serve God when no one’s watching or when there’s no promise of a reward is our standard (look at Matthew 6). To continue on, even in the face of adversity or frustration, because that is what we are called to do. Jesus gives us this example during the sham of a trial he endured (Mark 14:53-15:15). He suffered insults and injury because He knew that was what He was called to do. He could have called down legions of angels to fight for Him (John 18:36), but He knew that it wasn’t the way to accomplish what God had planned. Quiet, faithful obedience is what He was called to, and it’s what He offered back to God.

What is God calling you to do? In what ways can you demonstrate your love and faithfulness to Him? It won’t always be easy, and you likely won’t be recognized for all that you do, but if it’s what you’re called to do then know this: Jesus is with you, and will stand alongside you during those quiet, faithful moments of obedience to Him. Don’t give up. Persevere. And look to Him for your strength and encouragement.

Our gathering is at the regular time this Sunday at 4pm. Hope to see you there.

Blessings,

Pastor Mike

I think if we’re honest with ourselves there’s something in our life that we’d rather not have to think about or do, something that weighs us down and causes us anxiety. Perhaps it’s a painful conversation that you know you need to have with a loved one. Maybe you need to make a lifestyle change and it’s scaring you. Or maybe you need to leave your current, comfortable job and try something new, something unknown and untried. Whatever it is, it has you terrified. You don’t know exactly how things are going to work out.

Let me tell you, you’re not alone. There are people right now going through the same thing you are, and there’s many more who have gone before you. Moreover, we know Jesus also struggled with these same feelings and anxious thoughts. You are not alone!

On the night before Jesus was crucified (actually, it was only a few hours before He died), Jesus went and prayed. He called out to God in agonizing fashion. The Gospel of Luke says that Jesus was in such anguish that He was sweating blood (Luke 22:44) as He asked God to take the task from Him. But each time He ended with the phrase, “Yet not what I will, but what you will.” It’s a recognition that God is in control, that He knows the beginning from the end and all points in between, and He knows what’s best. It is an admission of complete and utter dependence upon Him.

Are you there yet? I know I still have a ways to go! But I do know this: as I call out to God, He hears me. He knows what I’m going through. Jesus understands and empathizes because He too has suffered. And it’s because of His sufferings that I’m able, that we are able, to call out to God. Jesus did what we can not do — He made a way for us to be with God. He was in anguish; He called out to God and sweat blood; He was beaten and crucified; but He rose from the dead making a way for us to go from death to life! No matter what you are facing, God is with you, and His strength is all you need, it is more than enough!

Pastor Mike

When I was growing up, mealtimes were always a special time in my household. It was a chance to gather, slow down, share about our day, and look forward to what was next. In our culture, there are also special meals — different times where we get together with family and friends to celebrate, give thanks, and remember. If you stop and think about it, much of what we do centres around food! It shouldn’t be a surprise that one of the main celebrations and activities that the Christian church takes part in on a regular basis also centres around a meal — Communion, or the Lord’s Supper.

Communion itself finds its roots in a Jewish meal celebration, the Passover. That meal commemorated the Jewish people’s exodus from slavery in Egypt into the promised land of Canaan. Each part of the meal plays a symbolic roll in telling the story, from the bitter herbs that remind the Jews of how they were enslaved, to the Passover lamb that reminds them of how they were spared because of the blood from a sacrificial lamb. In the same way that Jesus takes all of the teaching from the Old Testament and summarizes it into two laws (love God with everything you’ve got, and love your neighbour as yourself [see Mark 12:28-34]), the Passover is also condensed into two elements, the bread and the wine. The bread represents Jesus’ body, broken for us, given as a sacrifice. The wine represents His blood, the sign of a new covenant between us and God, and shed for our sins (look at Mark 14:12-26 and 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

As Christians we are called to celebrate the Lord’s Supper on a regular basis to remember what Jesus has done, and to remind ourselves that He will one day return. Until He does return, we are instructed to continue celebrating Communion as the church. This Sunday at our gathering we will do this and look at the symbolism and significance of what this memorial means to us today. We gather at 4pm — hope you’re able to join with us.

Pastor Mike

“Pay attention! Be ready! Keep your head up and don’t get distracted!” These were all things that I used to yell to my players when I coached volleyball. For high school boys (really, young men) it was easy for them to lose focus in the game. They’d be looking in the stands to see who was or wasn’t there, chatting with each other, or just daydreaming! And this behaviour was even more pronounced during practices. The guys would generally start strong, but would fade the further into practice we got. It was hard to keep them on task, and it took constant reminders and encouragement to keep them focused.

This Sunday we’re going to be looking at a passage in Mark that has been the root of much confusion and even controversy in the church. Mark 13 speaks about the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, as well as the second coming of Christ. People have debated whether this is only talking about events from the 1st century or events still to come, or perhaps both. It’s a passage and topic that has divided churches and families, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Jesus is warning His disciples, and those that will come after the disciples, to be prepared for when He returns. They are to be watchful, ready, and not give up hope. Things may look bleak, but Jesus will return and make all things new. This is a message of hope and promise.

On Sunday, I may not say everything about this passage that you may want me to say. We might even disagree over some aspects of the sermon, and that’s okay. My prayer is that on the things that are of first importance — who Jesus is, what He came to do, and what He promises to do — that we will find common ground, be able to stand together watching and waiting for Jesus to return. Our gathering starts at 4 pm on Sunday. Hope to see you there!

Pastor Mike