St. Peter's Fireside

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 forgiveness. As we examine this psalm, we will see God's incredible faithfulness, wrestle with the nature of praise, and begin to see how the Psalms point us to Jesus. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/5okE_0V5UWs

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, praise and lament teach us the vocabulary of prayer and invite us to come to God in all seasons. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/ObN4YUFTlVs

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 Discipleship, the Course of Discipleship, and finally the Comfort of Discipleship. Looking forward to seeing you this weekend! You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/RigJDxH8Gv0

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 his character into the world as a light to all the nations. We'll consider how despite things going disastrously wrong after this good beginning, God brings forth from his prototype people, the most special person of all. In Him God brings us to himself as his new people from every nation, tribe, language, and people group. We'll look at what it means that we are God's special possession today--not special as the world defines it, but a special kind of special that is all gift. A gift that grows the more we give it away.

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 choosing the worst player to be his first pick. But we will see that choosing people like Matthew (and us!) is the very reason Jesus came. Come and see! You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/4xEhcAop0Os

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 nations, to the Church, and to our souls. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/JJWJHw0jZoM

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? Does God the Father even have hands? The answers to these child-like but excellent questions turn out to have huge ramifications for our faith and life in Jesus. Come and see!

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 witness to Christ in our own cultural moment. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/ut_xfEO0PYA

This Sunday, our apprentice Jude will be preaching (for his first time at St. Pete's!) we are looking at the first fourteen verses of John 14, which includes one of Jesus’ most famous declarations: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (14:6). We’ll explore what this meant for the disciples and what it means for us today! You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/dh2BlgX3Nnk

Easter is the inauguration of a new creation and a new people, with new ways of relating to one another as the People of God. But we still live in a fallen world, and the Kingdom of God isn’t fully realized. How are Christians to relate to the world, including the governing authorities? Our reading from 1 Peter 2:13-25 speaks to this very question. Join us as we explore themes of authority and freedom from a biblical perspective. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/OujUUfydeaw

Our senior apprentice, Xue Ting, will be leading us through Acts 2:14, 36-37! Join us for “Marks of an Easter People,” where we’ll look at how to live out transformed lives in community as people who have experienced, identified with, and belong to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/cvE2p0DuJfM

What does the resurrection really mean? This Sunday, we explore two teachings from Peter: one is the first recorded post-resurrection sermon, and the other was written decades later to Christian exiles scattered across the world. Together, these teachings reveal a God who acts in history, a risen King who reigns, and a living hope that changes everything. We will see that the resurrection isn’t merely about what happened to Jesus, it’s about what happens to us: new birth, enduring hope, and faith refined through every trial. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/dclzIPttGdI

Join us this Sunday as we journey from the season of Lent towards Easter together. As Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey into what will prove to be a crucial week, the people are shaken, asking, "Who is this?" We will look at how we answer that question, the danger of merely following the crowd, and what Jesus himself reveals about who He is. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/gsmiBCqrWmY

This Sunday we will look at the wonderful story of Jesus healing the man born blind from John 9. Why does Jesus spit on the ground? Why don’t the blind man’s neighbours recognize him after he is healed? Why do the Pharisees throw him out of the synagogue, and what does it all have to do with us? Come and “see”! You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/8o4uqXxyRhc

This week's sermon will include a discussion of one of the hot-button topics in the church and wider society today. In Romans 1, Paul lays out how we collectively exchanged the worship of God for the worship of idols. Because of this, God “gave us over” to all manner of impurities. The list Paul gives of our impurities is long, but we must admit that he includes homosexual acts as a chief example. How are we to approach this? We might experience same-sex attraction ourselves, but even if we don’t, we all have loved ones who do. In her wisdom, the Church pairs Romans 1 with John chapter 4 and the account of the Samaritan woman at the well. This woman, like all of us, has experienced relational and sexual brokenness as a result of our collective sin. Having had five husbands and currently living with one who is not her husband, we might say that she is “maritally irregular” in her society. We will explore how Jesus treats her, and us. Come and see. You can view the full sermon here: https://youtube.com/live/CVRckFN1oWg

Join us this Sunday as we journey through the season of Lent together. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/ebqoe5HyHGU

You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/_c0ehjpYeTU Lent is the perfect time to review and renew our rule of life (also known as Rhythm for Life at St. Pete’s). A rule of life is simply a means of intentionally organizing our life around practices or disciplines that invite the Holy Spirit to help us grow into Christlikeness. In other words, it's a personal plan for discipleship. The disciplines are not a means of belonging to Jesus; they are tools to offer the Spirit that we might become more like the One to whom we already belong. A key feature of the Christian disciplines is that in order for them to bear spiritual fruit, they are undertaken in secret. There are many spiritual disciplines, but most of them fall under Jesus’ teaching on prayer, fasting, and giving (see Matthew 6). Prayer may include the daily office (Daily Office or St. Pete’s version), spontaneous prayer, meditating on Scripture, lectio divina, silence, solitude, and journaling. Fasting may include abstaining from food on certain days, certain meals, specific foods, media, entertainment, and work (keeping sabbath). Giving may include tithing, giving to those in need, donating to outwards partners like Jacob’s Well, serving, volunteering, practicing hospitality, and various forms of stewardship. If you would like accompaniment in reviewing and renewing your personal rule of life, please do reach out to one of the clergy.

As we stand on the threshold between Epiphany and Lent, we will focus on Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. In this letter, Paul makes a bold claim: everything he once counted as spiritual success — his pedigree, performance, and religious passion — he now calls loss compared to one thing: knowing Christ. What if the greatest obstacle to knowing Jesus isn’t failure, but quiet confidence in our own goodness? What if the Christian life isn’t about impressing God, but releasing our grip on achievement and learning to receive? This Sunday, we explore what stands in the way of intimacy with Christ, how we encounter him in both resurrection power and suffering love, and why Lent is an invitation, not to earn more, but to cling more closely to the One who already holds us. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/jQdK4xFNUA0

Each year, every church in our Diocese is encouraged to keep the second-to-last Sunday in Epiphany as “World Mission Sunday.” The whole Season of Epiphany is dedicated to Christ as the Light to the nations, but on this Sunday especially, we are encouraged to reflect on Jesus’ great commission to his Church to make disciples of all nations. Our sermon this week will reflect on Matthew 9:35-38, wherein Jesus encourages his disciples, saying, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.” Looking forward to praying with you! You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/WS59JUtma5s

Long ago, before the co-option of Advent by commercialism, the celebration of the Incarnation - God the Son come to us in flesh and blood - began on Christmas Eve and lasted 40 days until the feast of the Presentation of Christ in the Temple, also called Candlemas. As Grady introduced to us last year, we will again consider the story of the divine appointment at the temple in Jerusalem of the infant Jesus, Mary, and Joseph with two faithful senior citizens, Simeon and Anna. They have waited a long time for this day, and immediately recognize and speak forth that God is fulfilling his Old Covenant promises in the coming of this child who will inaugurate the New Covenant in his blood. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/wnHAazhbfZ4

We will be reading about how Jesus begins his public ministry by preaching. His first sermon is this: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” What does it mean to repent? What is the Kingdom of Heaven? What does it mean that the Kingdom of Heaven is “at hand?” Come and see! You can veiw the full service: https://youtube.com/live/2nEyq781aGA

Our Gospel reading for this Sunday unfolds as a drama of names. Jesus is called by several different names by those around him, lamb of God, the one who was before, Rabbi and Messiah. People can’t seem to decide what to call him. Then, Jesus turns the tables. He looks at a man named Simon and gives him a new name—one that reshapes his future and gives him a new sense of purpose. As we explore this passage together, I want to pay close attention to the names Jesus is given and what they teach us about who he truly is. After exploring these names, I want to wrestle with why Jesus changes Simon’s name, and what that moment might say—not only about Simon—but about you and me as well. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/qAA7-uImj8w -- We gather on Sundays at 10am Pacific Time online and in-person at UBC Robson Square (800 Robson) in Vancouver, BC. If you're able, we invite you to come visit us in-person! Learn more at https://www.stpetersfireside.org -- St. Peter's Fireside is a church in Vancouver, BC. St. Peter’s Fireside exists to Discover the Goodness of God together. We believe that Jesus is alive and bringing new life into us and this city. As a church, we are formed by his goodness, and seek to share that goodness to serve each other, our neighbours and our city. Want to learn more? Visit us at https://www.stpetersfireside.org

We’ll be looking at St Matthew’s account (we’re out of Luke!) of the Baptism of Jesus. Matthew is the only gospel that gives us the little discussion between John the Baptist and Jesus before the baptism happens. John wants to stop it, and we can understand why. Why should the sinless Jesus undergo a baptism of repentance? It doesn’t seem appropriate. Jesus’ answer is that “it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” What does this mean, and what does it have to do with us? Come and ponder this question. Alongside the Baptism of Jesus, we will also joyfully celebrate the baptism of Judah Treschow. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/LM75QsxhbZk -- We gather on Sundays at 10am Pacific Time online and in-person at UBC Robson Square (800 Robson) in Vancouver, BC. If you're able, we invite you to come visit us in-person! Learn more at https://www.stpetersfireside.org -- St. Peter's Fireside is a church in Vancouver, BC. St. Peter’s Fireside exists to Discover the Goodness of God together. We believe that Jesus is alive and bringing new life into us and this city. As a church, we are formed by his goodness, and seek to share that goodness to serve each other, our neighbours and our city. Want to learn more? Visit us at https://www.stpetersfireside.org

Join us back at Robson Square this Sunday for the Second Sunday of Christmas, and our celebration of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/8Asr3b61p3g -- We gather on Sundays at 10am Pacific Time online and in-person at UBC Robson Square (800 Robson) in Vancouver, BC. If you're able, we invite you to come visit us in-person! Learn more at https://www.stpetersfireside.org -- St. Peter's Fireside is a church in Vancouver, BC. St. Peter’s Fireside exists to Discover the Goodness of God together. We believe that Jesus is alive and bringing new life into us and this city. As a church, we are formed by his goodness, and seek to share that goodness to serve each other, our neighbours and our city. Want to learn more? Visit us at https://www.stpetersfireside.org

This Sunday, on the 4th Sunday of Advent, we finally get to anticipate Christmas! We’ll look at Isaiah’s famous prophecy: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa 7:14). We’ll begin by reading this text literally, in its original context. I think we’ll find that this will leave us unsatisfied. This will lead us to the question: What is the Old Testament for Christians? The answer is incredibly exciting! I’m looking forward to encountering Christ with you this Sunday as he opens to us the Scriptures and as we recognize him in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24). You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/KfAUbz-xclQ

This Sunday, our apprentice Xue Ting will be preaching as we continue our Advent journey in the book of Isaiah, this time in chapter 35. We journey from the desolation of exile, into the everlasting joy of redemption. We look at movements from barrenness to flourishing, our weakness to God's deliverance, and from spiritual exile to spiritual homecoming. We're looking forward to worshipping together on Sunday! You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/94z27Gas4HM

This Sunday, we continue our Advent journey in the Book of Isaiah, this time in chapter 11. This chapter reveals much about the Messiah. He is a “Sprout from a Stump,” Spirit-saturated, the Just Judge, the Corrector of Creation, the Eliminator of Evil, and the Flag for All Folk. Our Messiah is glorious in his multifaceted splendour! Looking forward to worshipping Him with you on Sunday! You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/ksidBmbpWY0

If I had to pick a book of the Bible to represent the spirit of Advent, it would be Isaiah. This Sunday, we will begin a new series called “Advent in Isaiah.” We begin this week with Isaiah 2:1-5 and the striking image of the mountain of the house of the Lord being raised above all other mountains, drawing all nations to itself. We will also light Advent candles and sing one or two Advent favourites! I can’t wait. Come, Lord Jesus! You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/jhwasJjolRQ

This week, for Christ the King Sunday, we'll be jumping into the middle of Jeremiah - a book that spoke to God's wayward people on the brink of catastrophe and exile in a way that brought comfort and hope. In Jer. 23.1-6, God confronts the sin of Judah's unfaithful kings (or shepherds), promises to care for his sheep, and points ahead to a "righteous" king who would come to save them. This should be a comforting and hopeful message within the context of our own (trying) times! Looking forward to seeing you there. You can view the full sermon here https://youtube.com/live/fwgGHgwOD5M

Believe it or not, we are nearing the end of the Liturgical Calendar (The Christian Year begins in Advent). In this season, sometimes nicknamed “Kingdomtide,” the readings are challenging. They speak of the political, environmental, economic, religious, and social upheavals that will occur before the return of the Lord. What is the Christian response to these upheavals? Do we do everything we can to try to avoid and escape troubles? Do we capitulate to the World and cooperate with its machinations? Or is there another way? Come and see! You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/RLisH6-k-TM

This Sunday, we continue our journey through Paul’s second letter to the young pastor Timothy. In this passage, Paul turns from instructing Timothy to reflecting on his own circumstances. Imprisoned and awaiting a trial he knows may end in death, Paul looks back on his ministry, updates Timothy on fellow workers, asks for some simple comforts, and shares his deep sense of loneliness. We see Paul at his most human and vulnerable—aware that Christ is with him, yet still feeling the ache of abandonment. As we look at this portrait of Paul, we will see a life of faith lived in light of the gospel, we will witness a glimpse of reconciliation, and we will see how Paul is not as alone as he feels. You can view the full sermon here: https://youtube.com/live/AWHxBiL4jkA

This Sunday, we return to the lectionary to guide our preaching until Advent. We’ll focus our preaching on the epistle reading 2 Timothy 3:10-4:5. In 2 Timothy, Paul writes to a young pastor who feels in over his head — a feeling many of us know well. But Paul’s words to Timothy aren’t just for pastors; they’re for anyone who is trying to live faithfully when life feels uncertain. Join us as we hear Paul’s encouragement and exhortation to stay rooted in the gospel, cling to Scripture, and keep going when following Jesus gets hard. View the full sermon here: https://youtube.com/live/9sZF8KVZhUk

On this Thanksgiving Sunday, we’ll be asking the questions: For what are we to be thankful? How are we to express our thanks? Seemingly simple Sunday School questions with Sunday School answers, but our text from Deuteronomy 8 reveals that there are layers of richness and complexity here that we can explore. You can view the full sermon here: https://youtube.com/live/DVZeNVcuoiE

This Fall season, we’ll begin a new four-part sermon series on mission. Join in the final sermon in this series. You can view the full sermon here: https://youtube.com/live/aEvewb_Eo2A

This Fall season, we’ll begin a new four-part sermon series on mission. This Sunday we look at the second great task of the Church: evangelization. What is the good news, and how can we share it both individually and corporately? Come and see!

Looking at the call of Matthew who was simply sitting down at his tax booth when he had a life changing encounter with Jesus. We will look at what Jesus called him to and what that means for all of us who also seek to respond to His call too. You can view the full service here: https://youtube.com/live/q-8bEGNa4Zg

Last week, Grady began a four-week series on the mission of the church. He ended by mentioning there are “Three great tasks” the church is to do: Worship God, Evangelize & Give Ourselves in Charity. This week, Phill will be exploring that first great task, Worship God. Why is worship the first task of the church? What does it mean to worship? And why does Sunday so often feel different from the rest of the week? It has brought Phill great joy to explore this task, and he is so excited to invite you into what he has learned. You can view the full service here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUUFE_jH_e4

This Sunday as we kick off the Fall season, we’ll begin a new four-part sermon series on mission. This message will lay a theological foundation for the subsequent three, so try to make it if you can! Looking forward to worshipping with you on Sunday.

This Sunday, we come to the end of Hebrews, as well as the end of our series Letters to the Church. The writer of Hebrews in the application points of his sermon-come-letter speaks to living a life of persevering faith in the face of persecution and being an outsider. Early Christians took an oath to each other to live true to this 'Outsider's Pact' for God's glory and the sake of the world that desperately needs Jesus. We'll consider what this means for us today. See you Sunday ... and in the meantime, stay gold.

True and Better | Letters to the by St. Peter's Fireside

This week’s passage — Hebrews 12:1–14 — offers us two striking and deeply pastoral images: A runner pressing on with perseverance, and God as a disciplining parent. These aren’t just helpful metaphors — they are invitations to reframe how we see our hardship and suffering. Rather than signs of failure, these moments may actually be where God is most at work, shaping us for the race ahead. We will wrestle with the significance of the great cloud of witnesses, imagine what it means to fix our eyes on Jesus, explore the theology of Concurrence and be be invited to see God's hand at work in all parts of our lives. It is sure to be an exciting Sunday, and we hope to share it with you.

What is faith? This is the question we’ll be tackling this Sunday as we jump into the Letter to the Hebrews.

Last week in Paul's letter to the Colossians we heard that Christ is all sufficient! In him we are freed from the disqualifying strictures of legalism, false spirituality, and asceticism that incite spiritual pride and divide the body of Christ. This week in our final sermon in Colossians (3:5--17) we talk about what through the gospel we are freed for: to nurture our new life in Christ both individually and collectively. Thank you Jesus! Read Colossians 3:5–17 to prepare.

This Sunday we will look a little deeper into the so-called “Colossian Heresy.” What were the “hollow and deceptive philosophies” threatening the church in Colossae, how did Paul address them, and where do we see them in our world today? Come and see!

This Sunday we have the privilege of reading one of the most Christ-exalting passages in all of Scripture. What does the “Christ Hymn” of Colossians teach us about Jesus, and what does it mean for our faith?

This Sunday, we begin the second letter in our Summer series. As we turn to the opening of Colossians, we encounter a markedly different tone from our previous study. Whereas Paul wrote to the Galatians with strong critique and a defense against false teaching, Colossians opens with joy, gratitude, and encouragement. Most significantly, this introduction draws us into Paul’s heartfelt prayers for the church—prayers offered as the community continues to grow in faith and maturity. Through them, we discover the marks of a healthy church and are invited to deepen our own and love of knowledge of God.

Join us as we continue in our summer series, Letters to the church, journeying through the Lectionary Epistle readings, along the way we will journey through Galatians, Colossians, Hebrews and a brief stop in Philemon.

Join us as we continue in our summer series, Letters to the church, journeying through the Lectionary Epistle readings, along the way we will journey through Galatians, Colossians, Hebrews and a brief stop in Philemon.