St. Peter's Fireside

On this All Saints’ Sunday, we have the joy of witnessing Kira’s baptism! During the baptism ceremony, the priest is going to anoint Kira with oil (which is a symbol of the Holy Spirit), and say these words: Kira, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own for ever. What does this mean? It turns out that our epistle reading from Ephesians has a great deal to say about...

In our Gospel passage this Sunday, a Jewish law expert tests Jesus asking, “...which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Though he asked for one command, Jesus responds with two: Love the Lord your God . . . and love your neighbour. Join us as we explore the connection between these commands, the importance of the order Jesus places them in, and what it might look like to order our loves righ...

This week at St. Pete’s, we are going to commit faux pas… We’re going to read someone else’s mail. Our epistle reading for this week is a personal letter from the ageing apostle Paul to his young protege Timothy; Paul gives Timothy four specific and important tasks — preach, correct, rebuke & encourage — they are the tasks of a preacher and evangelist. As we hear these instructions, we may wonder...

On this Thanksgiving Sunday, we get to feast upon the Parable of the Wedding Banquet from Matthew 22. Who is called to the Feast? Who accepts and who declines the invitation? Why does a man get thrown out for not being dressed appropriately? Come and see… all are invited to the Wedding Supper of the Lamb this Sunday at Pete’s. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/49v_S817fM...

This Sunday is a very exciting day in the life of our church, because our very own Phill Pearson will be ordained as a priest or presbyter! This service will look a little different than normal because it is not just a St Pete's service, it is an Anglican Diocese of Canada service. Bishop Mike will be present to ordain and preach, and clergy from other churches in the Diocese will be visiting, wea...

Join us this Sunday as we continue in the season After Pentecost. Most people think they know the story of Jonah, but they often miss the full story. We know about the prophet on the run who is swallowed by the fish and spit out three days later. But we forget about the second half of the story: the miracle of city-wide repentance and Jonah's despondency and anger towards God. Jonah is not meant t...

We kick off the Fall season with “Restoration Sunday!” Grady will be doing some teaching on our “About Statement” at St Pete’s: We are about Restoration in Christ through Scripture, Sacrament, and Spirit. He will also be inviting each one of us to embrace our own “Restoration Rhythms” this Fall using a special resource we’ve been developing as a staff team. Looking forward to seeing you Sunday as...

This Sunday we arrive at our final sermon in our “Summer in the Psalms” series. Psalm 119:33-40 speaks of our utter dependence upon God. In it, we pray for the graces of illumination, empowerment, confirmation, and the grace of the Gospel. A perfect posture as we face the coming Fall season! -- We gather on Sundays at 10am Pacific Time online and in-person at UBC Robson Square (800 Robson) in Vanc...

We have arrived at the penultimate psalm in our summer series, Psalm 26. In this psalm, we hear David cry out for justice and vindication; he asks God to test his heart and mind and declare his innocence, in contrast to those who are trying to condemn him. It is a potent and emotion-filled psalm. But this psalm also challenges us as we pray it today; we might not feel that, like David, we can call...

Join us this Sunday as Marion shares about how Psalm 138 is a song of testimony. David has experienced that the LORD has heard him, answered his prayer, and strengthened him! In response, David testifies to and sings of the greatness and goodness of the LORD before friend and foe alike. One day every tongue will confess the same, but for now in the midst of affliction, David trusts in the hand and...

Psalm 67 is a liturgical prayer that repeatedly asks for God’s blessing, not just for us and our well-being, but for the whole world. As we explore this short but powerful psalm, we’ll challenge a pervasive and dangerous heresy, consider how blessing works in the economy of God’s kingdom, and be invited to see all of life as a gift from God, given to us to reflect and proclaim his goodness and lov...

Exuberant worship bookends Psalm 29; the heavenly beings and the temple worshippers both cry out “Glory!” to God. In the middle 7 verses, we discover the reason for their worship: a mighty thunderstorm! Come Sunday and find out what this storm says about God and his heart to bless his people. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/XO6SHVWVqZE

Join us this Sunday as we continue in the season of Ordinary Time together. This morning will be a Family Service, meaning all our congregation will be together! We will also be having a morning Prayer Service, and our friend Shannon will be sharing her sermon! Why is memory so important for the people of God? This week in our series on Summer in the Psalms, the writer of Psalm 78 shows us why rem...

We have begun our new series, Summer in the Psalms. This week we’ll look at a chunk of Psalm 119, which is essentially a love letter to God’s Law. Why does the psalmist feel so strongly about statutes? Come and see! You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/4CJetCf8jSA

We have begun our new series, Summer in the Psalms. Over the next 8–10 weeks, we will be immersing ourselves in the Church's ancient prayer book, inviting it to expand our imagination of prayer. This week, we find ourselves in a psalm that will guide us in how to pray when we’re in trouble!

We have begun our new series, Summer in the Psalms. Over the next 8–10 weeks, we will be immersing ourselves in the Church's ancient prayer book, inviting it to expand our imagination of prayer. This week, we find ourselves in a psalm written for the celebration of the harvest. Yet before this prayer gives thanks to God for abundant crops, it reflects on the praise God deserves and our need for fo...

Prayer can be one of the greatest joys of the Christian life, and yet one of its greatest struggles. Many of us long to pray more consistently and more deeply, but find ourselves unsure of what to say, feeling like we lack the words to express ourselves to God. This Sunday, we begin our summer series in the Psalms, the prayer book of Scripture. We will explore how these beautiful poems of worship,...

This Sunday we continue on in Matthew 10, as Jesus prepares his disciples for what they can expect as his representatives in the world. Jesus’ words this week are challenging, difficult, and jarring. How should we read them? Read Matthew 10:34-42 to prepare. Watch the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/Dreof1cvYlg

In Matthew 10, Jesus calls his apostles to himself and then sends them out with the authority to carry out his work in Israel. But they don’t know what they’re signing up for! In our Gospel reading this week, the Lord begins to prepare them for what discipleship to Jesus will look like. Working through Matthew 10:16-33, this Sunday we’ll reflect on the Commission of Discipleship, the Cost of Disci...

As we witness baby Olivia being baptized into the covenant family of God, the text for the sermon is Exodus 19:1--8. God brings a motley clan of persons recently freed from slavery in Egypt to himself at Mount Sinai and makes them his people, in fulfillment of his covenant promise to Abraham. God calls them to listen to his voice and be his special possession, blessed to be a blessing, reflecting...

We will mark the beginning of the long stretch of “Time after Pentecost,” wherein the Church calls us to the slow and steady growth in Christ by the grace of the Holy Spirit. This spiritual growth is symbolized by the colour green. We will look at the calling of Matthew from the 9th chapter of his Gospel. For a rabbi to call a tax collector to be his disciple is like a street hockey captain choosi...

Trinity Sunday can sound like a theology exam, but at its heart it's the most personal truth in the universe: that before anything was made, God was already love. He still is and that love flows out to us. Join us this Sunday as we find out what difference that makes. Watch the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/UP5BNnGV4mI

After Easter and Christmas, the Day of Pentecost is the most important Holy Day of the Christian Year. Without the Holy Spirit, nothing that Christ has accomplished would be available to us. The Spirit takes what is of Jesus, and delivers it to us. In our sermon this week, we will look at how each reading shows how the Holy Spirit brings order to all things. He brings order to creation, to the nat...

Along with celebrating the baptisms of Oscar and Lucy, we will celebrate the Feast of the Ascension of Our Lord. In the creed, we confess that Jesus ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. What does it mean that Jesus “ascended into heaven”? Where and what is heaven? Where did he go? And what does it mean that he “sat down at the right hand of the Father?” Was he tired?...

In Acts 17, Paul enters Athens, a city filled with idols, competing beliefs, and rival philosophies, and from within that culture points people toward the God they do not yet know. Rather than condemning from a distance, he listens, engages, and speaks with both courage and gentleness. This Sunday, Phil will explore Paul’s model for evangelism and invite us to consider how we might faithfully witn...