St. Peter's Fireside is a church in Vancouver, B.C. seeking to be a faithful presence of renewal.
Picking Up Your Cross
Grady Buhler preaches from Romans 8:31-39 and Mark 8:31-38 on following Jesus for who Jesus is, rather than for what he gives us.
2/25/2024 • 24 minutes, 15 seconds
Remember Your Baptism
Rob Collis preaches from Mark 1.9-13 looking at Jesus' baptism and temptation in the wilderness. We're invited to consider our own experience with temptation – and what baptism means for us as we walk through the wilderness.
2/18/2024 • 29 minutes, 58 seconds
The Lord of the Mountain
This week Phill Pearson preaches from 2 Peter 1.13-21 and Mark 9.2-9, and explores the story of the Transfiguration. Throughout the Bible, people encountered God at the top of the mountain; but when Jesus went up with his disciples, they discovered that God was already beside them. As Phill unpacks the significance of this realization for us, he invites us to behold Jesus for ourselves, and by gazing upon him, to be transformed into his image.
2/11/2024 • 22 minutes, 40 seconds
Baptize and Teach
“What is the mission of the Church in the world?” This World Mission Sunday Grady Buhler preaches from Revelation 7:9-17 and Matthew 28:16-20 and explores how Jesus gave a very precise answer to the question of what the Mission of the Church in the world is.
2/5/2024 • 28 minutes, 43 seconds
The Authority of Jesus
As we continue in the season of Epiphany, this week Grady Buhler preaches from 1 Corinthians 8.1-13 and Mark 1.21-28, and explores the significance of how Jesus taught with his own authority, and why it matters that all authority belongs to Jesus.
1/28/2024 • 28 minutes, 53 seconds
Calling, Following, Becoming
As we continue in the season of Epiphany, this week Rob Collis preaches from Mark 1.14-20, and explores the encounter Jesus had with his first disciples when he called them to follow him. There are three parts to this encounter: calling, following, and becoming.
Looking at each of these in turn, he helps us to how, just as Jesus calls the disciples come and follow him, and promised to transform them by his power and presence working within them, so too is he calling each of us. The question becomes: Will we give him our ear to listen to what he has to say?
1/21/2024 • 29 minutes, 44 seconds
Here I Am
This week Phill Pearson preaches from 1 Samuel 3.1-20 and John 1.43-51, and as he looks at the two epiphany moments in these stories as people hear the God speaking, he explores the responses people have to hearing the word of the Lord.
1/14/2024 • 25 minutes, 18 seconds
An Epiphany for Magi
Join us this Sunday as we celebrate the season of Epiphany! This week Grady Buhler preaches from Ephesians 3.1-13 & Matthew 2.1-12. Following the journey of the magi when they came to visit and worship Jesus as a baby, he identifies four moments in their journey which serve as a map for our own growth in the Christian life, as we seek to hear for ourselves how Jesus is calling us to himself.
1/7/2024 • 27 minutes, 54 seconds
Abide With Us, Our Lord Emmanuel
This Chistmans Eve, Grady Buhler preaches from Luke 2:1-20, and unpacks the significance for how God came to us in the form of a baby, and how Jesus comes to be our Lord.
12/24/2023 • 16 minutes, 15 seconds
What is Christian Joy?
This week Grady Buhler preaches from 1 Thessalonians 5.12-28 and John 3.22-30, and as he unpacks Paul's instructions to rejoice always, he explores the questions: What is Christian joy? And how do we begin to cultivate it? He begins by helping us to see that joy is in some way related to grace, and is ultimately experienced through the recognition of grace; from there he looks at Paul's instructions to the Thessalonians, and encourages us to fan into flame the gift of joy in our own lives.
12/17/2023 • 26 minutes, 46 seconds
How To Read Challenging Bible Passages
This week Rob preaches from 2 Peter 3.8-15, and explores how we can read and understand challenging passages of scripture. Using the collect for the Second Sunday of Advent, he encourages us to follow the pattern: hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest to read any passage of scripture, and shows us how to do that using 2 Peter.
12/10/2023 • 28 minutes, 54 seconds
Christ Will Come Again
Advent is a season of waiting as we prepare for Jesus to come -- both as he came first as a baby, and as he comes to us now, but more importantly, Advent prepares us for when Jesus will come again as judge and king. This week Grady Buhler preaches from 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 and Mark 13:24-37, and explains what it means that Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead.
12/3/2023 • 28 minutes, 55 seconds
What we mean by Christ the King
This week Phill Pearson preaches from 1 Corinthians 15:20-28, and explains why the church celebrates Christ the King Sunday, and also what it means for Christ to be king.
11/26/2023 • 26 minutes, 14 seconds
A Faith Embodied
This week Grady Buhler preaches from Acts 8:14-17, and as he explains the significance of confirmation and the laying on of hands, he helps us to see the embodied nature of the Christian faith.
11/19/2023 • 31 minutes, 11 seconds
Here Comes the Bridegroom
Join us this Sunday as we welcome our new lead pastor, Grady Buhler! This week, Grady preaches from Matthew 25.1-13, and invites us to be filled with Jesus' healing presence.
11/19/2023 • 31 minutes, 51 seconds
A Song for the Journey
This Sunday we celebrate our 10 year anniversary! This week Rob Collis preaches from Psalm 126, and invites us into the journey of the Psalms of Ascent, which pilgrims used to sing together as they traveled to Jerusalem. As we explore and recall this journey of faith together, he invites us to consider the what, where, and when of our own journey, and to rediscover God's goodness for ourselves, no matter what season we find ourselves in.
11/6/2023 • 31 minutes, 36 seconds
The Kingdom of God: Now and Not Yet
This week Rob Collis preaches from Luke 17.20-37. In this passage, the Pharisees and the Disciples keep asking Jesus about the Kingdom of God, and Jesus keeps answering them – but he’s answering the question they would be asking, if only they knew what he knew. As Rob explores this passage, he tried to cut through some of the noise and confusion around this conversation, so that we can actually hear what Jesus is saying about the Kingdom of God.
10/22/2023 • 30 minutes, 30 seconds
The one about Sin, Forgiveness and Electricity.
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series in the Gospel of Luke. This week Phill Pearson preaches from Luke 17.1-19, and as he explores Jesus' teachings on Sin, Faith and Duty, he invites us into a life marked by forgiveness.
10/18/2023 • 32 minutes, 44 seconds
Lazarus and the Rich Man
This week Rob Collis preaches from Luke 16.19-31. As he unpacks Jesus' parable about the rich man and Lazarus, he explores the question: in light of the kingdom of heaven, what does it mean to not waste our lives?
10/8/2023 • 30 minutes, 53 seconds
The Shrewd Manager
This week Phill Pearson preaches from Luke 16.1-17, and as helps us understand Jesus' parable of the dishonest and shrewd manager, he invites us to see that we are stewards of the kingdom of heaven, and we're called to make friends for that kingdom.
10/1/2023 • 33 minutes, 45 seconds
Two Lost Sons
This week Lloyd Lee preaches from Luke 15.11-31, and as he unpacks the story of the prodigal son, he invites us to consider what is stopping us from entering into the Father's heart?
9/24/2023 • 36 minutes, 32 seconds
Stray Sheep and Lost Coins
This week we're excited to have Shannon preach for us from Luke 15.1-10. As she unpacks Jesus' parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, she invites us to discover the delight God has towards us in Christ, and to experience afresh the joy of being found.
9/17/2023 • 28 minutes, 17 seconds
Consider The Cost
This week Phill Pearson preaches from Luke 14.25-35, and unpacks Jesus' teaching about what it means to follow him. He helps us see that everything in life requires something of us - everything has a cost to it - and Jesus wants us to make sure we know up front.
9/10/2023 • 35 minutes, 33 seconds
Standing on Tiptoes
This week we take a break from our Luke series as Rob Collis preaches from Ezekiel 47.1-12. As he unpacks the end of Ezekiel's vision, he explores the significance of two of the things Ezekiel glimpsed, the temple and the river, and invites us to experience the living water of God's presence in our own lives.
9/3/2023 • 33 minutes
Who's At Your Table?
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke! This week, we're excited to have Colton Welpton preach for us from Luke 14:15-23, as he explores Jesus's parable about the Great Banquet, and what this means for us when it comes to hospitality.
8/27/2023 • 28 minutes, 36 seconds
Honour, Humility, and Hosts
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke! This week, Rob Collis preaches from Luke 14.7-14, and unpacks a dinner conversation Jesus had with some leading religious figures in his day. While everyone around the table were watching to see what Jesus would do, he also had his eyes on them; and as he saw them, he saw their hearts, and invited them to see themselves in a different way.
8/20/2023 • 29 minutes, 14 seconds
Fox in the Hen House
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke! This week, we're excited to welcome back guest preacher Ross Lockhart, as he preaches from Luke 13.31-35.
8/13/2023 • 23 minutes, 31 seconds
The Narrow Door
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke! This week, Lloyd Lee preaches from Luke 13.22-30, where Jesus was asked, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" Lloyd helps us to understand Jesus' answer, and how the door to the kingdom of heaven is narrow, but the feast is wide.
8/6/2023 • 28 minutes, 27 seconds
Surprising As Mustard Seeds
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke! This week we're delighted to welcome back guest preacher Ross Lockhart, as he preaches from Luke 13:18-21, and helps us to see the surprising way God brings his kingdom to earth.
7/30/2023 • 16 minutes, 21 seconds
One Sabbath Day...
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke! This week, Phill Pearson preaches from Luke 13.10-17 & 14.1-6, and invites us to discover and receive the gift of Sabbath.
7/23/2023 • 33 minutes, 7 seconds
Falling Towers and Fig Trees
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke! This week, Rob Collis preaches from Luke 13.1-9, and explores the difficult conversation Jesus when tragedies occur and towers fall down, and his call to repentance.
7/16/2023 • 33 minutes, 12 seconds
Not Peace But Division
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke! This week, Phill Pearson preaches from Luke 12.49-59, and explores what Jesus means when he says he has not come to bring peace, but division.
7/16/2023 • 32 minutes, 32 seconds
Ready and Waiting
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke! This week, Lloyd Lee preaches from Luke 12.35-48, and explores Jesus' teaching about being watchful and ready for the master's return.
7/16/2023 • 45 minutes, 16 seconds
Consider the Lillies
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke! This week, Phill Pearson preaches from Luke 12.13-34, and as he explores Jesus' teaching on money and possessions, he invites us to take stock of where our own treasure is, and to offer it back to God.
6/25/2023 • 36 minutes, 45 seconds
Fear and Love
In 2020, we started a journeying through the Gospel of Luke. After a long pause, we're picking back up in our study through Luke! This week, Phill Pearson preaches from Luke 12.1-12, and explores the five commands of Jesus about what we should fear, and how God's love meets us in our fear.
6/18/2023 • 34 minutes, 8 seconds
Good news for prisoners and slaves
Join us this Sunday as Richard Sandlin preaches from the letter to Philemon. As he unpacks the significance of what it means to be followers of Jesus Christ together, Richard invites us to consider the implications of how we are to treat and interact with everyone around us.
6/11/2023 • 24 minutes, 51 seconds
What's the deal with the Trinity?
Join us this Sunday as we celebrate Trinity Sunday. This week, Phill Pearson preaches from John 1:1-14 and John 17:20-26 and invites us to encounter the mystery, beauty, and necessity of the Trinity, so that we might know God more truly and love him more dearly.
6/4/2023 • 31 minutes, 6 seconds
Sent by the Holy Spirit
Join us this Sunday as we celebrate Pentecost Sunday, and wrap up our series, The Work of the People. As we conclude our season of talking about worship and liturgy, Lloyd Lee preaches from Acts 2:1-12 and Psalm 67 and invites us to see how our worship prepares us to be sent out by the power of the Holy Spirit to live as God's people in our world.
Want to learn more about liturgy? Visit www.stpf.ca/liturgy-main to learn more!
5/28/2023 • 36 minutes, 42 seconds
More than bread and wine
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series, The Work of the People. As we spend time talking about worship and liturgy, Rob Collis preaches from 1 Corinthians 11.17-34 and explains why we take time in our worship service to prepare to take communion, and how the act of taking communion unites us together in the body of Christ.
5/21/2023 • 29 minutes, 2 seconds
Why do we confess our sin?
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series, The Work of the People. As we spend time talking about worship and liturgy, Phill Pearson preaches from 1 John 1:5-10 and Psalm 32, and explains how, through the practice of confession, our worship leads to become a people shaped and formed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
5/14/2023 • 28 minutes, 22 seconds
Why do we give in worship?
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series, The Work of the People. As we spend time talking about worship and liturgy, Rob Collis preaches from 2 Corinthians 8 & 9 as he unpacks how our practices of worship lead us into faithful responses of generosity to God's work in our lives.
5/7/2023 • 36 minutes, 50 seconds
Why we say the creeds
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our new series, The Work of the People. As we spend time talking about worship and liturgy, Phill Pearson preaches from Romans 10.8-15 and Hebrews 11.1-3 as he unpacks the relationship between our worship and what we believe.
4/30/2023 • 32 minutes, 1 second
Prepared to Worship
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our new series, The Work of the People. As we spend time talking about worship and liturgy, we're excited to be joined this morning by Grady Buhler, who is the lead pastor at St. Timothy's Anglican Church in North Vancouver. This week, Grady preaches from Ephesians 2.13-22 as he explains how the liturgy prepares our hearts to worship God.
4/23/2023 • 32 minutes, 36 seconds
Fountain of Living Water
Join us this Sunday as we begin our new series, The Work of the People. As we begin a season talking about worship and liturgy, Rob Collis preaches from John 4.4-26. As he unpacks the conversation Jesus had beside a well, he helps us to hear Jesus' invitation to come and quench the yearning of our hearts through worship.
4/16/2023 • 31 minutes, 21 seconds
The Resurrected Scars of Jesus
Jesus Christ is risen from the dead: Alleluia! Join us this Easter Sunday as we celebrate Jesus' resurrection. This week, Lloyd Lee preaches from John 20 and invites us to pay attention to the scars on Jesus' hands, and to see how, because of his resurrected scars, everything has changed.
4/9/2023 • 35 minutes, 33 seconds
The King on the Road
Join us this week as we celebrate Palm Sunday! As we enter into Holy Week, Phill Pearson preaches from Mark 11.1-11 and invites us to join the King on the road as Jesus began his journey to the cross.
4/3/2023 • 26 minutes, 5 seconds
Joy of Salvation
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our journey in Philippians in our sub-series, Welcome To Our Heart. As we spend some time returning to our church's values, we're excited to have Carrie Schuliger preach from Philippians 4.1-23, and to share with us about our value of the Joy of Salvation.
3/26/2023 • 15 minutes, 13 seconds
Integrated Faith
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our journey in Philippians in our sub-series, Welcome To Our Heart. As we spend some time returning to our church's values, Rob Collis preaches from Philippians 3.7-21, and shares with us about our value of Integrated Faith.
3/19/2023 • 34 minutes, 31 seconds
Default to Prayer
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our journey in Philippians in our sub-series, Welcome To Our Heart. As we spend some time returning to our church's values, Phill Pearson preaches from Philippians 4.4-9, and shares with us about our value of Default to Prayer.
3/12/2023 • 23 minutes, 56 seconds
Interdependence
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our journey in Philippians in our sub-series, Welcome To Our Heart. As we spend some time returning to our church's values, Lloyd Lee preaches from Philippians 2.19-30, and shares with us about our value of Interdependence.
3/8/2023 • 38 minutes, 11 seconds
Under Authority
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our journey in Philippians in our sub-series, Welcome To Our Heart. As we spend some time returning to our church's values, we're excited to have Bishop Dan Gifford preach from Philippians 3.12-21, and to share with us about our value of Under Authority.
2/27/2023 • 31 minutes, 46 seconds
Beloved Dust
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent: a time of penitence, fasting, and prayer, as Christians prepare for Easter, and the great joy of the resurrection. Today, Rob Collis preaches from Ecclesiastes 3.26-22, and reminds us that we are dust, and to dust we shall return.
In the Bible, ashes are used as a sign of sorrow and repentance. But as we are marked with the ashes in sign of the cross, we are reminded of the life we share in Jesus Christ, and it is in this sure hope that we begin our journey into Lent.
2/23/2023 • 16 minutes, 6 seconds
Northward
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our journey through Philippians, and our sub-series Stumbling Towards Grace. Today Phill Pearson preaches from Philippians 2.1-11. As he unpacks how Jesus poured out his love for us upon the cross, he invites us to see that our way forward is in pursuit of the cross, and in being transformed into the likeness of Christ by his outpouring of love.
2/19/2023 • 27 minutes, 50 seconds
Like Stars in the Sky
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our journey in Philippians in our sub-series, Stumbling Through Grace. Today, Rob Collis preaches from Philippians 1.27-30, and invites us to take a deep breath to rest and take comfort in the good news of Jesus as we stumble together towards grace, knowing that, as we do, we are untied together in the Holy Spirit, and the light of Christ will shine through us as we shine like stars in the sky.
2/12/2023 • 32 minutes, 47 seconds
Ships, Saints, and Surfing
Join us this Sunday as we begin a new series going through Philippians, and our sub-series Stumbling Towards Grace. This week, Phill Pearson preaches from Philippians 1.1-14, and invites us to see that Jesus is still at work in our midst, and he will bring to completion the good work that he has started in us.
2/5/2023 • 30 minutes, 32 seconds
Farewell: In All Things
Join us this Sunday as we say farewell to the Sterne family. Today we remember all the wonderful ways God has been at work in our community and in the lives of Alastair and Julia since the founding of our church, and our dear friends Preston Gordon and Roger Revell join us to bless them as they follow Christ's call into the next season of their lives. Roger preaches from Romans 8.18-28, and invites us to see and know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him - the ones being called according to his purpose.
1/29/2023 • 28 minutes, 46 seconds
Jesus
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series, Lessons Along The Way. This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Hebrews 13.8 and John 10.11, and invites us to see that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
1/22/2023 • 26 minutes, 40 seconds
People
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series, Lessons Along The Way. This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Genesis 18.1-15 and Mark 8.22-26, and invites us to discover the beauty of seeing people with the eyes of Jesus, and seeing how we are more sinful than we could ever imagine, but also more beloved than we could ever dare to hope.
1/16/2023 • 32 minutes, 8 seconds
Goodness
Happy New Year! Join us this Sunday as we start our new series Lessons Along the Way. This week Alastair Sterne preaches from Psalm 27, and take us on the journey of how St. Peter's Fireside became a place that exists for people to discover the goodness of God with us.
1/8/2023 • 34 minutes, 45 seconds
Hope in the Darkness
Join us this Sunday as we conclude our Advent series: Voices in the Darkness. This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Matthew 12:14-21, and explores three questions: Who is God saying Jesus is? What will Jesus do? And how is Jesus going to do it?
12/18/2022 • 32 minutes, 19 seconds
Mary's Song, In Three Movements
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our Advent series: Voices in the Darkness. This week, Richard Sandlin preaches from Luke 1.46-55, and invites us to join with Mary in her song of joy at the news that Jesus is coming.
12/11/2022 • 24 minutes, 7 seconds
A Voice in the Wilderness
Join us this Sunday as we continue our Advent series: Voices in the Darkness. This week, Rob Collis preaches from Matthew 3.1-12, and invites us to hear the voice of John the Baptist as he calls us to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus.
12/4/2022 • 33 minutes, 53 seconds
A Voice in the Darkness
Join us this Sunday as we begin our new Advent series: Voices in the Darkness. This week, Phill Pearson preaches from Isaiah 9.1-7, and as he shows us Isaiah's explicit and implicit hope for God to come, he invites us to join with the prophets in the longing and hope for God to come and rescue us, and our world.
11/27/2022 • 26 minutes, 40 seconds
Encountering Love
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series, Encounters of Goodness. This week we're excited to welcome back guest preacher Carrie Schuliger. Carrie preaches from John 4.1-42, and invites us to see how Jesus' interaction with the woman at the well reveals that encountering his love frees us from shame, and leads us out to share his love with others.
11/20/2022 • 18 minutes, 21 seconds
Encountering Good News
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series, Encounters of Goodness. This week Phill Pearson preaches from Luke 24.13-35. As he unpacks the story of the road to Emmaus, he invites us to consider the spiritual practice of preaching, and how we are all called to preach the good news about Jesus.
11/14/2022 • 27 minutes, 29 seconds
Remembering Charcoal
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series, Encounters of Goodness. This week Rob Collis preaches from John 21.1-19. As he unpacks the story of Peter at the fireside, he invites us to join Peter and Jesus beside the fire, and to consider the spiritual practice of remembering.
11/6/2022 • 35 minutes, 42 seconds
Encountering Communion
Join us this Sunday for our Family Service! As we continue in our series, Encounters of Goodness Phill Pearson preaches from 1 Corinthians 11.17-26 and John 13.1-10, and invites us to discover the goodness of God through the spiritual practice of communion.
10/31/2022 • 25 minutes, 36 seconds
Encountering Prayer
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series, Encounters of Goodness. This week, Rob Collis preaches from Revelation 8.1-5, and invites us to discover the goodness of God through the spiritual practice of prayer. https://youtu.be/ZcdnyCp2-Io
10/23/2022 • 34 minutes, 53 seconds
Encountering Presence
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series, Encounters of Goodness. This week, Lloyd Lee preaches from Revelation 1.9-20. As he unpacks the wild vision of John's revelation, he invites us to see the nearness of Jesus, and to discover the goodness of God through the presence of Jesus Christ.
10/16/2022 • 32 minutes, 54 seconds
Encountering Sabbath
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series, Encounters of Goodness. This week, Phill Pearson preaches from Exodus 20.8-11, and invites us to discover the goodness of God through experiencing the spiritual practice of Sabbath. As we practice Sabbath, he shows us that it forms and shapes us, almost like an act of resistance, so that others can receive the gift of rest and dignity through us.
10/9/2022 • 25 minutes, 2 seconds
Beloved Goodness
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series, Encounters of Goodness. This week, Phill Pearson preaches from Matthew 3.13-4.11. As he explores the story of Jesus' baptism, he invites us to consider what it means for God to call us his beloved.
10/2/2022 • 28 minutes, 26 seconds
Extravagant Goodness
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series, Encounters of Goodness. This week, Rob Collis preaches from 1 Chronicles 17, and explores how King David encountered the goodness of God through the prophet Nathan, and what this reveals to us about God's goodness towards us.
9/25/2022 • 28 minutes, 41 seconds
Second Genesis
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our new series, Encounters of Goodness. This week, David Robinson preaches from John 20.11-18, and invites us into the story of when Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene after the resurrection. As he helps us see the real Mary from the Bible, he shows us that Mary's encounter with Jesus is a second Genesis, and paved the way for a long line of witnesses who have told us we, too, can experience the goodness of God for ourselves.
9/18/2022 • 24 minutes, 21 seconds
Leading Goodness
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our new series, Encounters of Goodness. This week, Lloyd Lee preaches from Exodus 13.17-14.29, and invites us into the story of how God encountered Moses and led him and the people of Israel out of slavery. As he explores the way God was leading Moses and the people of Israel, he invites us to consider the ways God is leading each of us, and to encounter the goodness of God as he leads us.
9/11/2022 • 35 minutes
Surprising Goodness
Join us this Sunday as we start our new series, Encounters of Goodness. This week, Phill Pearson preaches from Genesis 28.10-22, and invites us into the story of Jacob's encounter with God in Bethel, and to discover the surprising presence of God with us.
9/4/2022 • 33 minutes, 5 seconds
Revealing the Heart
Before Jesus ever went to the cross, he spent time with his disciples, preparing them for the time when he would no longer be with them. As we continue in our series in Luke, we're again joined by Bishop Dan Gifford, who preaches from Luke 11.53-12.3. He shows us how Jesus was revealing the hearts of his disciples and the people around him to heal them and renew them, and invites us to consider the state of our own hearts before God, too.
8/28/2022 • 25 minutes, 57 seconds
Practicing Prayer
Prayer is often described as simply having a conversation with God. But it can often feel more difficult than that. As we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke, guest preacher Ross Lockhart preaches from Luke 11.1-13 and helps us to learn how to be in the presence of God.
8/21/2022 • 31 minutes, 8 seconds
Praying Like Jesus
Bishop Dan Gifford preaches from Luke 11.1-13 looking at what Jesus taught on how we should pray, what we should pray, and why we should pray.
8/14/2022 • 28 minutes, 49 seconds
Slowing Down & Welcomed
In Luke's Gospel, we learn about two sisters who invited Jesus to come have dinner. But tensions rose between them as Mary sat at Jesus' feet while Martha rushed around, getting everything ready. This Sunday, our guest preacher Carrie Schuliger invites us into this story from Luke 10.38-42, and asks us to slow down to receive the generous hospitality of God for us, and enter into his welcome.
8/7/2022 • 20 minutes, 31 seconds
Lawyer on Trial
In Luke's Gospel, we read about a lawyer who put Jesus to the test. He wanted to challenge Jesus, and test if he was a credible religious teacher. But in replying, Jesus challenged him. As we continue in our series in Luke, Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 10:25-37 and invites us to hear Jesus' challenge to the lawyer -- to stop justifying ourselves in our own eyes, and instead receive the gift of eternal life. https://youtu.be/-IGWGTiQSPI
7/31/2022 • 27 minutes, 56 seconds
Failure Redeemed
We continue our series through the Gospel of Luke. Lloyd Lee preaches from Luke 9.37-50 on how Jesus reshapes, reedems, and reframes us.
7/24/2022 • 37 minutes, 54 seconds
Included in the Kingdom
Why do Christians feel the need to share their faith? Am I supposed to share my faith with other people? How can I share my faith without offending people? Shouldn't I leave it to people who are trained?
Phill Pearson explores these questions as he preaches from Luke 10:1-24 and examines what gives us motivation to share our faith.
7/19/2022 • 35 minutes, 8 seconds
Total Commitment
Jesus is leading a new Exodus: deliverance out of everything that enslaves us and keeps us from sharing in the life and love of Jesus. In this sermon, Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 9:51-62 and asks ,"What does it look like to follow Jesus the Messiah into a New Exodus?"
7/12/2022 • 30 minutes, 21 seconds
Sincere Faith
In Luke 9.37-45 and Mark 9.14-31 the same story is recorded: a man comes to Jesus asking him to help heal his son. The gospel of Mark records him saying to Jesus "if you can do anything." Jesus calls him out for his lack of belief and the father replies, "I believe, help me overcome my unbelief."
Alastair Sterne preaches from these passages and identifies this father's statement as the crux of sincere faith. We can turn to God with the smallest bit of faith and God will not disappoint us.
7/6/2022 • 33 minutes, 19 seconds
Listening to Jesus
Alastair Sterne continues our series in the Gospel of Luke, preaching from Luke 9:27-36 on listening to Jesus.
Watch the full service on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/QH0f7nmSX2I
6/29/2022 • 31 minutes, 4 seconds
The Cross of Discipleship
The Gospel of Luke is a carefully written narrative to help us answer the question, "Who is this Jesus of Nazareth?" This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 9:27-36. In this passage, the core question behind the gospel rises to the surface. Jesus turns to his disciples and says to them, point blank, "Who do you say I am?"
6/19/2022 • 36 minutes, 40 seconds
Discipleship (The Great Commission)
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series Brick & Mortar! This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Matthew 28:16-20 and explores how, as people of the gospel, we are disciples of Jesus, and our discipleship takes place wherever we are.
6/12/2022 • 40 minutes, 29 seconds
Temple of the Spirit
Join us this Pentecost Sunday as we continue in our series Brick & Mortar! As we celebrate Pentecost, Alastair Sterne preaches from Ephesians 2.19-22, and explores what it means for us as Christians to be set apart as God's holy temple on earth.
6/5/2022 • 35 minutes, 32 seconds
Life Together
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series Brick & Mortar! This week, Rob Collis preaches from John 13.34-35 and Colossians 3.9-17, and explores what it means for us to follow Jesus together, with one another, empowered by the love and strength of Jesus in us.
5/29/2022 • 30 minutes, 3 seconds
Nourishment
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series Brick & Mortar! This week, Lloyd Lee preaches from Isaiah 55.1-3 and 1 Corinthians 10.14-17, and explores how we, as the people of God, are bound together through Word and Sacrament.
5/25/2022 • 35 minutes, 18 seconds
Fullness of the Body
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series Brick & Mortar! This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Colossians 1.15-20 and Ephesians 3.14-21, and unpacks for us the heart of spiritual formation: that we may be filled with all the fullness of God.
5/15/2022 • 39 minutes, 26 seconds
Parts of the Body
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series Brick & Mortar! This week, Preston Gordon preaches from 1 Corinthians 12.1-31, and shares about how the church, as the body of Christ, is made up of many members. He explains that each of us, as members of Christ's body, belongs to God, and, in turn, every gift belongs to God.
5/8/2022 • 25 minutes, 40 seconds
Head of the Body
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series Brick & Mortar! This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Colossians 1:15-20 and Ephesians 1:15-23, and explores what it means for Jesus to be the head of the body, the Church, and what this means for us and our own bodies, since we are a part of his body.
5/1/2022 • 34 minutes, 35 seconds
Salvation
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series Brick & Mortar! This week, Preston Gordon preaches from John 3.1-18, and invites us to see how salvation is God's work of rescuing us and remaking us into His Kingdom people, through baptism of water, the Spirit, and faith.
4/24/2022 • 32 minutes, 57 seconds
Resurrection
Join us this Easter as we continue in our series Brick & Mortar! This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from 1 Corinthians 15 and Luke 24 and invites us to behold the resurrected Christ!
4/17/2022 • 31 minutes, 55 seconds
Atonement
Join us this Good Friday as Preston Gordon preaches about the day Jesus died for the forgiveness of sins.
4/16/2022 • 15 minutes, 34 seconds
Reconciliation
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series Brick & Mortar! As we enter into Holy Week, Lloyd Lee preaches for us from Colossians 1.15-23, and explains how we have been reconciled from alienation -- reconciled to God, by God, for the sake of the world.
4/10/2022 • 29 minutes
New Covenant
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series Brick & Mortar! This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Jeremiah 31.31-34 and Matthew 26.26-29, and explores what this shows us about the New Covenant.
4/3/2022 • 33 minutes, 50 seconds
Justification
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series Brick & Mortar! This week, Preston Gordon preaches from Galatians 2.11-21 about Justification, and explains how our pursuit of being justified by others will ensnare us in a form of bondage, but when we pursue our justification from God, we find freedom.
3/28/2022 • 29 minutes, 55 seconds
Grace
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series Brick & Mortar! This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Ephesians 2.1-10 as he unpacks grace, boasting, and faith.
3/20/2022 • 33 minutes, 9 seconds
Kingdom
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series Brick & Mortar! This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Isaiah 25.6-9 and Matthew 22.1-14 and he shares with us about the Kingdom of God.
3/13/2022 • 36 minutes, 30 seconds
Foundations
Join us this Sunday as we start a new series called Brick & Mortar! This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Ezra 3.8-13. Recounting how the ancient Israelites returned from exile and rebuilt the temple, he consider the different emotional experiences which arose from rebuilding their home and worshipping community, and invites us to hold space together for our own emotions in the midst of rebuilding our lives and our church from the pandemic.
3/7/2022 • 28 minutes, 31 seconds
Doing Lent Well
Ash Wednesday marks the start of the Lenten Season. To help you enter into Lent well, Richard Sandlin preaches for us from Matthew 6.1-21, and invites us to keep a holy Lent by abstaining from those things in our life that are pushing us to the sides of our own life.
3/3/2022 • 16 minutes, 42 seconds
Who Is Jesus?
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke. This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 9.1-22, and explores the question: Who Is Jesus?
2/27/2022 • 29 minutes, 44 seconds
The Touch of Jesus
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke. This week, Lloyd Lee preaches from Luke 8.40-56. As he unpacks the story of how Jesus heals a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years, and raises a little girl to life, he asks how we can trust in Jesus to care for us, and invites us to see and receive Jesus' tenacity, timing, and touch.
2/20/2022 • 31 minutes, 18 seconds
The Demoniac and Mercy
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke. This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 8.26-39, and invites us to see and know the radical mercy of Jesus shown in his encounter with a demon-possessed man.
2/13/2022 • 32 minutes, 35 seconds
Jesus and the Storm
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke. This week, Preston Gordon preaches from Luke 8.22-25. As he unpacks the events of Jesus calming a storm, he invites us to see Jesus with the sacred fear of the disciples, and to hear Jesus' invitation to follow and obey him.
2/6/2022 • 26 minutes, 49 seconds
Hearing & Good Soil
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke. This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 8.1-21, and explores what it means to hear Jesus speak, and for his word to be planted in good soil.
1/30/2022 • 34 minutes, 14 seconds
What Is Jesus Like?
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series in the Gospel of Luke. This week, Lloyd Lee preaches from Luke 7.36-50. As he unpacks an interaction Jesus had around a dinner table, he invites us to explore what Jesus is like.
1/23/2022 • 38 minutes, 23 seconds
Rhythm For Life
Join us this Sunday as we welcome our guest preacher, Carrie Schuliger. This week, Carrie preaches from Luke 5.17-26, and invites us into the practice of Ignatian imaginative prayer to inhabit the passage, and encounter Jesus through it.
1/16/2022 • 20 minutes, 51 seconds
Friend of Sinners
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke. This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 7.18-35 – as he explores how John the Baptist struggled to make sense of Jesus, he invites us to consider the roles of doubt, rejection, and friendship.
1/9/2022 • 36 minutes, 38 seconds
The Lord of Life
As we start the new year, we are returning to our series in the Gospel of Luke! This Sunday, Rob Collis preaches from Luke 7.1-17, and invites us to see that Jesus is the Lord of Life, who approaches us with his gift of life.
1/2/2022 • 26 minutes, 19 seconds
Arrivals and Departures
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our Advent series, Farewell! This week, guest preacher Ross Lockhart preaches from John 16:25-33 and unpacks the great comfort and hope that this broken world does not have the final say.
12/19/2021 • 22 minutes, 28 seconds
Sorrow and Joy
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our Advent series, Farewell! This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from John 16.16-24, and explores how the discomfort, troubles, and sorrows of this world will ultimately be transformed into comfort, delight, and joy.
12/12/2021 • 29 minutes, 17 seconds
Foretaste of Home
Join us as we continue in our Advent series, Farewell! This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from John 14:18-31, and explores the comfort of experiencing the warmth of our better and lasting home before we arrive.
12/5/2021 • 29 minutes, 6 seconds
Homesick
Join us as we start our new series for Advent: Farewell! This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from John 14.1-7, and considers the hope of a better and lasting home, intimately prepared for us by Jesus in the presence of our Father.
11/28/2021 • 29 minutes, 42 seconds
Hearing and Doing
This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 6.46-49, and unpacks Jesus' parable about building a house on the rock. He invites us to see Jesus is not content for people to simply believe in what he says; Jesus is intent on us doing what he says.
11/21/2021 • 38 minutes, 18 seconds
Fruit and the Heart
Join us this week as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke! This week, we welcome Alastair Sterne back from his sabbatical! Alastair preaches from Luke 6.43-45, and explores our hearts, the heart of Jesus, and the remedy for our hearts.
11/15/2021 • 30 minutes, 45 seconds
Living Your Own Part
Join us this week as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke! This week, Preston Gordon preaches from Luke 6.37-42. As he unpacks what Jesus taught about judging others and taking the log out of our own eye, he invites us to see Jesus' vision for a whole new way of relating with each other.
11/7/2021 • 31 minutes, 2 seconds
Love Your Enemies
Join us this week as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke! This week, Lloyd Lee preaches from Luke 6.27-36, and unpacks what Jesus meant when he told us to love our enemies.
11/1/2021 • 21 minutes, 8 seconds
How Do We Stand Firm In Our Faith?
This week Rob Collis preaches from Philippians 3.17-4.1, and explores the question: How do we stand firm in our faith?
10/24/2021 • 31 minutes, 2 seconds
Jesus Calls Them Blessed
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke. This week, Preston Gordon preaches from Luke 6.17-23, and invites us to consider who they are that Jesus calls "blessed."
10/17/2021 • 31 minutes, 49 seconds
Called to be Friends
Join us this week as we welcome our guest preacher, David Robinson! This week, David preaches from John 15.9-27, and invites us to consider what it means to be friends with Jesus.
David is a member of St. Peter's Fireside, and is a is Post-Doctoral Fellow in Philosophy, Theology, and Ethics at Regent College.
10/10/2021 • 39 minutes, 44 seconds
The Lord of Rest
Join us this week as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke! This week, Lloyd Lee preaches from Luke 6.1-11, and invites us to ask the Lord or rest to lead us to the rest that only he can give.
10/3/2021 • 30 minutes, 33 seconds
Fast or Feast?
Join us this week as we continue in our series going through the Gospel of Luke! This week, Preston Gordon preaches from Luke 5.33-39, where we see the religious leaders of Jesus' day making a big deal about how he and his disciples didn't keep all the religious fasts. Preston invites us to see how Jesus not only challenges the gloomy spirituality of the religious leaders, but also points to the delight God has in his children.
9/26/2021 • 34 minutes, 6 seconds
Contagious Holiness
Join us this week as we return to our series going through the Gospel of Luke! This week, Lloyd Lee preaches from Luke 5.27-32, as he unpacks Jesus' words to Levi to "Follow me," he invites us to hear Jesus say the same words to us, and to experience the touch of Jesus' contagious holiness.
9/19/2021 • 34 minutes, 4 seconds
Fireside and Fish
Join us this week as we return to UBC Robson Square! This week, Preston Gordon preaches from John 21.1-19. Pointing to how the world around us keeps changing as such a breakneck speed, Preston reminds us that the most important things don’t change - and Jesus and his kingdom are the most important things of all, and they will never change.
9/12/2021 • 30 minutes, 4 seconds
Fearful Wisdom
Join us this week as our guest preacher, Richard Sandlin, preaches from Psalm 111:10, and explores what it means for the fear of the Lord to be the beginning of wisdom. As he takes us on a journey about wisdom, he shows us how Christ is the end of wisdom.
We are excited to have Richard preach this week at St. Pete's! Richard has been accepted for ordination as a deacon with our denomination, and we look forward to providing opportunities like this for him to serve our community as he has done for many years. We know he can chat and lecture with his eyes closed; now we look forward to hearing him preach at St. Pete's!
9/5/2021 • 21 minutes, 56 seconds
A Ticket For The Kingdom
Join us this week for a special confirmation service as we are joined by Bishop Trevor Walters, who preaches from Luke 10.1-12, and invites us to consider the destination Jesus is calling us to journey towards with him, and to join with him in building his kingdom.
We are excited to have Bishop Trevor with us at St. Pete's this week! Trevor Walters is our Bishop here in Western Canada, and will be here for our Confirmation service in August. He has a heart for churches like ours seeking God's kingdom to come in our cities as it is in heaven, and will be retiring at the end of this year.
8/29/2021 • 16 minutes, 34 seconds
Gifted For What?
Join us this week as our guest preacher, Ross Lockhart, preaches from Ephesians 4.11-13. As he shares with us about the spiritual gifts that Christ offers us, he explores what these gifts are all for in the first place, and invites us to see how they lead to us growth in spiritual maturity into the full stature of Christ.
We are excited to welcome Ross to St. Pete's this week! Ross is an academic at several academic institutions in Vancouver, teaching and authoring on overlapping areas of leadership, mission, doctrine, and culture. He frequently contributes to a blog that aspires to do "Good Theology for Regular People", and supporting local churches like ours.
8/22/2021 • 24 minutes, 17 seconds
All Things To Himself
Join us this week as our guest preacher, Paul Treschow, preaches from 2 Corinthians 5.17-21, and helps us to see how God invites us to participate in reconciling all things to himself.
8/15/2021 • 25 minutes, 38 seconds
Invitation to Rest
Join us this week as our guest preacher, Carrie Schuliger, preaches from Matthew 11.28-30, and invites us to experience and return to Jesus' rest, because he is gentle and lowly at heart.
We are excited to welcome Carrie to St. Pete's this week! Carrie is a spiritual director here in Vancouver and recently led a summer group on contemplative prayer practices. She seeks to join others on their journeys with God through hospitality, simplicity, and contemplative practices.
8/8/2021 • 25 minutes, 55 seconds
It's Not What I'd Do
Join us this week as we finish up our summer series, Wilderness. This week, Phill Pearson preaches from Exodus 33.1-23, and invites us to explore God's uncharacteristic nature.
8/1/2021 • 25 minutes, 30 seconds
God, Israel, and the Golden Calf
Join us this week as we continue in our summer series, Wilderness. This week, Preston Gordon preaches from Exodus 32.1-14, and he invites us to think about how we think about God.
7/25/2021 • 30 minutes, 53 seconds
God's Loving Commandments
Join us this week as we continue in our summer series, Wilderness. This week, Lloyd Lee preaches from Exodus 20.1-21, and he invites us to see how God loved us even before he gave us his commands.
7/18/2021 • 31 minutes, 30 seconds
At the Mountain of God
Join us this week as we continue in our summer series, Wilderness. This week, Preston Gordon preaches from Exodus 19.1-25. As he looks at how the people of God drew near to Mount Sinai, he explores the question, What does it mean to be people surrendered to a Holy God?
7/11/2021 • 32 minutes, 32 seconds
Meat and Bread
Join us this week as we continue in our summer series, Wilderness. This week, Lloyd Lee preaches from Exodus 16.1-36, and he invites us to see how God provided manna in the wilderness for his people.
7/4/2021 • 33 minutes, 41 seconds
Bitter Thirst and Grace
Join us this week as we continue in our summer series, Wilderness. This week, Rob Collis preaches from Exodus 15.22-27 & Exodus 17.1-7, and explores the question: How does God respond to us when we stop trusting in his goodness?
6/27/2021 • 29 minutes, 47 seconds
A Song at the Sea
Join us this week as we continue in our summer series, Wilderness. This week, Preston preaches from Exodus 15.1-21. As he walks us through the song the people of Israel sang after passing through the Red Sea, he helps us to see that we lift up our hearts in the wilderness because we were created to do so.
6/20/2021 • 29 minutes, 19 seconds
Fear and the Wilderness
Join us this week as we continue in our summer series, Wilderness. This week Lloyd Lee preaches from Exodus 14.1-31. As he recounts how God parted the Red Sea when the people of Israel left Egypt, he invites us to see how God intervenes amidst fear, and despite fear, to save.
6/13/2021 • 32 minutes, 15 seconds
Sustenance in the Wilderness
Join us this Sunday as we start our new summer series, Wilderness. This week, Preston Gordon preaches from Exodus 13.1-22, and helps us to see that when we're in the wilderness we are sustained by the burning memory of God's love for us.
6/6/2021 • 27 minutes, 58 seconds
Trinity Changes Everything
Join us this week for Trinity Sunday. This week, Lloyd Lee preaches from Luke 3.21-22, and invites us to see the clearest picture of the Trinity we could ever find.
5/30/2021 • 24 minutes, 2 seconds
The Spirit Life
Join us this week for Pentecost Sunday! This week, Preston Gordon preaches from Acts 2.1-21, and explores how the Holy Spirit makes a way for a truer and richer spirituality.
5/23/2021 • 33 minutes, 13 seconds
Through The Roof
Join us as we continue in our series in the Gospel of Luke. The week, Preston Gordon preaches from Luke 5.17-26, and considers how Jesus healed a paralytic.
5/16/2021 • 28 minutes, 2 seconds
The Fear Of God
Join us this week as we continue in our series in the Gospel of Luke. This week Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 5.1-11, and invites us to consider the spiritual pattern of transformation.
5/9/2021 • 25 minutes, 35 seconds
Desolate Places
Join us this week a we continue in our series in the Gospel of Luke. This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 4.42-44 and 5:12-16, and examines how Jesus withdrew to desolate places to spend time with the Father, and his interaction with a man who had leprosy.
5/2/2021 • 34 minutes, 23 seconds
Finding Your Why
Join us this week as we continue in our series in the Gospel of Luke. This week Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 4.16-41
4/25/2021 • 43 minutes, 19 seconds
The Why of Jesus
Join us this week as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke. This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 4.14-30. Looking at the start of Jesus' ministry, he invites us to see how Jesus' identity translates into his mission—the why of Jesus.
4/18/2021 • 28 minutes, 50 seconds
The Faith of Thomas
Join us this week for the second week of Easter! This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from John 20.24-29, and has us consider how Thomas encountered the risen Christ.
4/11/2021 • 25 minutes, 18 seconds
Three Questions
Join us this Easter Sunday as we celebrate Jesus' resurrection! This week Alastair Sterne invites us to consider Jesus' three questions as we finish our journey with Simon Peter.
4/4/2021 • 26 minutes, 10 seconds
Three Denials
Join us this Good Friday as we continue in our week at the fireside and remember the story leading up to when Jesus went to the cross. As we continue in the journey of Simon Peter, Rob Collis preaches from John 18.15-27 and considers why we should sorrowful and thankful because of the cross.
4/3/2021 • 23 minutes, 46 seconds
Three Statements
Join us this Palm Sunday as we begin a week at the fireside, as we remember the story leading up to when Jesus went to the cross. This week Lloyd Lee preaches about Peter's three statements
3/28/2021 • 37 minutes, 27 seconds
The Third Temptation
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke. This week, Preston Gordon preaches from Luke 4.1-13 and considers Jesus' third temptation.
3/21/2021 • 28 minutes
The Second Temptation
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke. This week, Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 4.1-13 and considers Jesus' second temptation.
3/14/2021 • 23 minutes, 23 seconds
The First Temptation
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke. This week Lloyd Lee preaches from Luke 4.1-13, and considers Jesus' first temptation, and the significance of knowing who we are in the face of temptation.
3/7/2021 • 31 minutes, 51 seconds
Family Lines
Join us this Sunday as we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke. This week Preston Gordon preaches from Luke 3.23-38, and considers Jesus' genealogy, and the significance of our identity in the face of temptation.
2/28/2021 • 33 minutes, 48 seconds
Temptation & Identity
This week Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 3.21-22. He invites us to consider the significance of Jesus' baptism, and the importance of our identity in the face of temptation.
2/21/2021 • 32 minutes, 46 seconds
The Cost For John
Ash Wednesday marks the start of the Lenten Season. Lent is a time where we ponder our mortality, brokenness, and sinfulness. We do this to be freshly reminded of our need for God's redemption.
Lent prepares us for Easter by making us deeply mindful of the need for Jesus to save us. Because of this, Lent is known as a period of "bright sadness."
Just as the dark days of winter give way to the increased sunniness of spring, so too does the mess of our condition as broken people give way to something new and beautiful in Jesus.
To help you enter into Lent well, we are having an Ash Wednesday worship service. This online service will be contemplative in nature, and we will devote time to song, prayer, and a reflection on the purpose and promise of keeping Lent.
2/18/2021 • 20 minutes, 2 seconds
The Expectation of John
As we continue in our series through the Gospel of Luke, Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 3.1-20 and considers the expectation of John the Baptist.
2/14/2021 • 30 minutes, 51 seconds
The Message of John
John the Baptist was meant to prepare the way for the Lord. But how did he do that? People journeyed long and far across the wilderness to see him. So what did he say once they finally arrived?
As we continue in our series in Luke’s Gospel, Lloyd Lee preaches from Luke 3.7-14. As he looks at John the Baptist’s ministry, he invites us to consider John’s mission, manner, and message, and how this message of repentance is preparing the way for the good news about Jesus.
2/7/2021 • 32 minutes, 48 seconds
The Ministry of John
John had grown up, and had moved off into the wilderness – but not a wilderness filled with forests and mountains, but of barren deserts. There, in the desert, the word of God came to John. It was in the wilderness that John began to prepare the way.
As we continue in our series in the Luke’s Gospel, Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 3.1-20. As he looks at John the Baptist’s ministry, he invites us to see how the wilderness fostered John’s ministry of preparation, and helps us see how God is at work preparing people for himself today.
1/31/2021 • 30 minutes, 52 seconds
The Humanity of Jesus
Why does it matter that Jesus came as a human? Why did God need to come and walk among us? The fact that God became human is one of the most important beliefs in the Christian faith.
As we continue in our series in the Gospel of Luke, Lloyd Lee has us pause to consider the humanity of Jesus. Looking at Luke 2.6-7, 21, 40, 50-52, he invites us to consider the wonder of how, in the person of Jesus Christ, God became human, and he helps us to see how, in meeting us in our humanity, Jesus reveals what it means to be fully human, and saves us to live a fully human life.
1/24/2021 • 30 minutes, 52 seconds
Jesus' One Thing
If you could name the one thing that you are about, what would it be? As we continue in our series in Luke, Preston Gordon preaches from Luke 2.41-52, where we see Jesus, at the age of twelve, articulate his identity and purpose in one concise statement. By unpacking Jesus’ one thing, Preston helps us to help us to consider how we can live each day resting in God’s love.
1/17/2021 • 27 minutes, 21 seconds
Simeon & Anna
They had been waiting all their lives for God to move. Worshiping in the temple day and night, Simeon and Anna had spent their entire lives waiting on the promises of God. And their waiting was not wasted or in vain.
As we continue in our series in Luke, Alastair Sterne explains how Jesus comes to reveal our hearts, and how a life spent waiting on the promises of God is never a wasted life.
1/10/2021 • 27 minutes, 2 seconds
Shepherds & Angels
On a quiet night, when shepherds were fighting to stay awake as they watched over their sheep, their understanding and lived experience of reality seismically shifted when an angel appeared to them. At the start of this new year, we return our series in the Gospel of Luke as Rob Collis preaches from Luke 2.1-21, and helps us to hear the good news of the angels.
1/3/2021 • 30 minutes, 38 seconds
The Humble and Gentle God
Roughly 2000 years ago, a town crier arrived in a small backwater town named Nazareth. An envoy of Rome, he unrolled his scroll and pronounced the decree of the Emperor – on that day, at the sound of those words, everyone’s life was put on hold.
This Christmas Eve, Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 2.1-7, and shows us how the measures in place for our collective well-being during this pandemic can help us to experience and engage with the true story of how Jesus came into the world.
12/25/2020 • 18 minutes, 16 seconds
Light in the Darkness
In the fourth week of Advent we light the candle of love. We are people redeemed and sustained by God’s unfailing love. As we receive this love from Christ, his love in us, by the power of his Spirit, spills over to light a dark world.
On the last Sunday before Christmas, Alastair Sterne preaches from John 1.1-9, and invites us to reflect upon light and darkness. As he draws our attention to the darkness in our own lives and in the world around us, he helps us see that the true light is coming into the world, and Jesus will shine brighter still.
12/20/2020 • 30 minutes, 22 seconds
Trees, Fruit, & Leaves
In the third week of Advent we light the candle of joy. In the midst of a weary world, God has planted the seed of joy in our hearts. Our vision for the future, our hope for coming peace promised through Christ’s return, causes this joy to grow and flourish and spill over to bring beauty to the world around us.
As we continue in Advent, Rob Collis takes us on a journey through Genesis, Acts, and Revelation, and invites us to consider the three trees that emerge in the salvation story of Scripture. He helps us see the starring role these trees play in explaining how God is at work in the world, and how they help us make sense of the season of Advent.
12/13/2020 • 30 minutes, 26 seconds
A Place For Tears
In the second week of Advent we light the candle of peace. But our world is not peaceful – it’s full of conflict, shattered relationships, and discord. How can we delight in peace when our world and our lives are so broken?
As we continue in Advent, Preston Gordon preaches from Matthew 2.1-23. As he considers the brutal account of Herod’s atrocities, he explores why Matthew would choose to include this as he told us about Jesus coming into the world. He helps us see that God is active even in the darkest of times, and God can handle the darkness of the night.
12/6/2020 • 34 minutes, 36 seconds
Space For Lament
In the first week of Advent we light the candle of hope, and dare to express our longing for peace, for healing, and the well-being of all creation. We long for Jesus’ return so desperately because we recognize that all is not right with the world—we live in a world of difficulty and darkness, of pain and hardship, of affliction and tears.
As we enter the season of Advent, Lloyd Lee preaches from Isaiah 64.1-12 and Psalm 80. He grounds us in the heritage of the Christian calendar, and as we start our journey into the hope of Christ’s coming, he invites us to begin with the practice of lament.
11/29/2020 • 27 minutes, 30 seconds
Politics of the Kingdom
The New Testament is politically surprising. Ancient political leaders wielded their power in messy and brutal ways as they sought to civilize the world, build cities, and even declare themselves gods. But Luke’s gospel makes it clear that this wasn’t how God chose to work in his world.
As we continue in our series in the Gospel of Luke, Alastair Sterne takes us on a tour of some of the ancient leaders in Jesus’ day, and invites us to think about them in light of Christ the King.
11/22/2020 • 37 minutes, 20 seconds
Zechariah's Prophecy
Zechariah hadn't been able to speak for nine months - but suddenly his lips were opened and he could speak! Not having been able to speak for so long, what would he finally say?
As we continue in our series in Luke 1.67-80, Preston Gordon invites us to consider Zechariah's words, and helps unpack the story which is giving him so much hope.
11/15/2020 • 30 minutes, 13 seconds
His Name Is John
It’s been nine months since Zechariah went into the temple. Now as Elizabeth gives birth to their son, it’s time to give him a name. The neighbours and family want to name him after his father, but Elizabeth wants to call him John. Everyone turns to Zechariah to see what he thinks – and how he responds amazes them all!
As we continue in our series in Luke 1.57-66, Lloyd Lee explores how we can open our hands to God in surrender to his love, and how God’s hands will never let us go.
11/8/2020 • 34 minutes, 7 seconds
Mary's Song
In response to the news of what God was getting ready to do, Mary burst into song! But the news she heard wasn’t normal news – so why would she burst into a song?
As we continue in our series in Luke 1.46-56, Alastair Sterne considers how Mary’s song shows us how she cultivated her faith, and invites us to sing with Mary.
11/1/2020 • 31 minutes, 50 seconds
Elizabeth's Greeting
After her visit from Gabriel, Mary rushed to see Elizabeth. But before she could even take off her shoes and coat to tell her about what the angel said, Elizabeth burst into song! But how could Elizabeth already know that Mary is pregnant?
As we continue in our Luke series in Luke 1.39-56, Lloyd Lee considers the role of the Holy Spirit, and invites us to see ourselves within the five-act drama of Scripture.
10/25/2020 • 28 minutes, 15 seconds
Mary's Story
Six months after Gabriel first appeared in the temple, God summoned him again for a very different assignment. This time, he was delivering a message to a young woman in a small town out in the countryside - and his news was unlike any other.
As we continue in our series in Luke, Preston Gordon preaches from Luke 1.26-38 and invites us into the story of how Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel, and the news he delivered to her about what God was about to do.
10/18/2020 • 23 minutes, 23 seconds
The Gospel For The Barren
Luke’s gospel begins with Elizabeth: a woman who was stigmatized because she was barren. In the ancient world not having children was a sign of someone who God had overlooked. And is where Luke’s gospel starts. This is the gospel for the
stigmatized, the barren, the supposedly overlooked.
As we continue in our series in Luke, Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 1.5-25, and considers how the Gospel speaks to those who are hurting, and feeling overlooked by God.
10/11/2020 • 33 minutes, 53 seconds
What Is Faithful Waiting?
Zechariah had waited on God for his whole life. He had waited with his wife, Elizabeth, praying for a child. He had waited with all of Israel, praying for God to move. And after a lifetime of waiting, an angel appeared.
As we continue in our series in Luke, Lloyd Lee preaches through Luke 1.5-25, and considers what it looks like for us to wait faithfully on God.
10/5/2020 • 31 minutes, 29 seconds
What Is A Gospel?
The four gospels in the New Testament are the primary source of information we have about who Jesus was and what he did. But what exactly is a gospel, and why can we trust it?
As we continue in our series going through the Gospel of Luke, Rob Collis considers the nature of Luke’s Gospel, the claim that Luke “carefully investigated everything from the beginning,” and why we can trust his account about Jesus.
9/28/2020 • 24 minutes, 46 seconds
Who Was Theophilus?
Luke's Gospel is addressed to Theophilus. Who was he? And why did he ask Luke to write him a whole gospel?
As we continue in our new series going through the Luke's Gospel, Alastair Sterne considers what we know about Theophilus, and how his desire to explore the claims about Jesus can inform how we live today.
9/21/2020 • 30 minutes, 56 seconds
Who Was Luke?
Luke wrote 25% of the New Testament! But who was Luke?
As we launch our new series going through the Luke's Gospel, Alastair Sterne considers who the details of Luke's life, and why the Gospel of Luke is exactly what we need at a time like this.
9/13/2020 • 37 minutes, 53 seconds
Life Together
What does Psalm 133 tell us about Christian life together? How do we make sense of that during a pandemic?
Associate Pastor Preston Gordon speaks on Christian unity and community life together during the pandemic, beyond our normal gathering for Sunday worship.
"We must be this holy priesthood: praying over one another, confessing to one another, sharing God’s life with one another, in a pandemic where dwelling together in physical unity is harder than ever. We need small cells to come together – even if in threes or fours, or virtually, to own our priestly role."
St. Peter's Fireside is a church in Vancouver, BC. www.stpf.ca
9/10/2020 • 28 minutes, 25 seconds
Parables, Pearls, and Paradoxes
What is the kingdom of heaven like? In Matthew 13:44-46 Jesus told two parables to answer this question: The Parable of the Treasure and the Parable of the Pearl.
In this sermon guest preacher Phill considers the similarities and differences between these two parables, the paradoxes in the passage, and what they tell us about the kingdom of heaven.
St. Peter's Fireside is a church in Vancouver, BC. Our vision is simple: Jesus is alive and renewing everything—our city, its people, even us—and we get to be part it! To learn more, visit us at www.stpf.ca.
8/31/2020 • 17 minutes, 2 seconds
Webcams, Wifi, and Worship
Worshipping God together is an essential mark of the church. In this sermon Alastair Sterne preaches from Psalm 122 and considers how we should relate to technology as it becomes a part of our worship experience.
If you've disengaged from online worship because the virtual experience just fosters a deeper sense of disconnection and it's painful or you just don't like it, it's okay. We understand. We know meeting online isn't ideal.
We need the presence of other Christians - even if it's a digital presence for the time being. Alastair explores this topic and how we can flourish in this sermon.
Learn more about St. Peter's Fireside at www.stpf.ca
8/24/2020 • 31 minutes, 22 seconds
Contentment
This week we explore the topic of contentment, as Alastair Sterne preaches from Philippians 4.10-20
8/17/2020 • 30 minutes, 46 seconds
Solitude
This week Alastair Sterne preaches from Psalm 46 and Luke 5.12-16 on the topic of solitude and being in the presence of God.
8/10/2020 • 32 minutes, 12 seconds
A Step of Faith
This week Thea preaches on Matthew 14:22-33, the story of Jesus walking on water. In this passage we'll look at: Jesus' presence, Peter's response, and Jesus' response to Peter.
8/3/2020 • 30 minutes, 53 seconds
Valley of the Pandemic
This week Preston Gordon preaches from Psalm 23.
7/27/2020 • 29 minutes, 42 seconds
See This Woman
This week Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 7:36-50 on what Jesus teaches us about hospitality and forgiveness.
7/20/2020 • 31 minutes, 12 seconds
End of the Matter
This week Lloyd Lee concludes our series through the book of Ecclesiastes, preaching from Ecclesiastes 12:9-14.
7/13/2020 • 30 minutes, 35 seconds
Remember & Rejoice
This week Lloyd Lee preaches from Ecclesiastes 11.7-12.8 as we continue in our series going through the book of Ecclesiastes
7/7/2020 • 29 minutes, 9 seconds
Stay, Seize, Sow
This week Alastair Sterne preaches from Ecclesiastes 11.1-6 as we continue in our series going through the book of Ecclesiastes.
6/30/2020 • 32 minutes, 34 seconds
Wisdom, Folly, & Foolishness
This week Alastair Sterne preaches from Ecclesiastes 9.13-10.20 as we continue in our series through the book of Ecclesiastes.
6/22/2020 • 32 minutes, 47 seconds
Certainty and Uncertainty
This week Preston Gordon preaches from Ecclesiastes 9.1-12, as we return to our series going through the book of Ecclesiastes.
6/15/2020 • 28 minutes, 47 seconds
Virtual Exile
This week Rob Collis preaches out of Psalm 137.1-4
6/8/2020 • 30 minutes, 7 seconds
I Am The Vine
This week Alastair Sterne preaches from John 15:1 as we conclude our Easter series, When Jesus Speaks.
6/2/2020 • 37 minutes, 4 seconds
Way, Truth, Life
This week Rob Collis preaches from John 14.6 as we continue in our Easter series, When Jesus Speaks.
5/25/2020 • 31 minutes, 18 seconds
Jesus The I Am
This week Phill preaches from John 8.48-59 as we continue in our Easter series, When Jesus Speaks.
5/18/2020 • 23 minutes, 29 seconds
The Good Shepherd
This week Lloyd Lee preaches from John 10.14, as we continue in our series, When Jesus Speaks
5/12/2020 • 31 minutes, 29 seconds
The Door
This week Alastair Sterne preaches from John 10.9, as we continue in our series, When Jesus Speaks
5/4/2020 • 28 minutes, 15 seconds
Light of the World
This week Thea preaches from John 8.12 as we continue in our Easter series, When Jesus Speaks.
4/27/2020 • 26 minutes, 38 seconds
Bread of Life
This week Preston Gordon preaches from John 6.35 as we continue in our Easter series, When Jesus Speaks.
4/20/2020 • 26 minutes, 21 seconds
Resurrection and Life
This week Alastair Sterne preaches from John 11.25 as we launch our Easter series, When Jesus Speaks.
4/13/2020 • 33 minutes, 57 seconds
Those Six Hours
On this Good Friday Lloyd Lee preaches from Mark 15.33-39, and leads us to reflect upon those six hours that changed the world.
4/10/2020 • 28 minutes, 47 seconds
Directions, Celebration, Lament
Join us for Palm Sunday as Alastair Sterne preaches from Luke 19.28-42.
4/6/2020 • 25 minutes, 10 seconds
Life, Wisdom, Control
Join us as we continue in our series through the book of Ecclesiastes. This week, Lloyd Lee takes us through Ecclesiastes 7.15-29.
3/30/2020 • 33 minutes, 40 seconds
Wisdom And Sight
Wisdom And Sight by St. Peter's Fireside
3/22/2020 • 26 minutes, 27 seconds
Receiving Gifts Well
Receiving Gifts Well by St. Peter's Fireside
3/15/2020 • 27 minutes, 8 seconds
Speaking, Listening, Integrity
Speaking, Listening, Integrity by St. Peter's Fireside
3/10/2020 • 27 minutes, 7 seconds
Anti-Neighbour, Neighbour, Beloved Neighbour
Anti-Neighbour, Neighbour, Beloved Neighbour by St. Peter's Fireside
3/1/2020 • 33 minutes, 30 seconds
Discovery, Formation, Presence
Discovery, Formation, Presence by St. Peter's Fireside
2/25/2020 • 25 minutes, 44 seconds
Seasons, Eternity, Jesus
Seasons, Eternity, Jesus by St. Peter's Fireside
2/17/2020 • 22 minutes, 47 seconds
Search, Shadow, Surprise
Search, Shadow, Surprise by St. Peter's Fireside
2/10/2020 • 34 minutes, 37 seconds
Breath, Toil, Gain
Breath, Toil, Gain by St. Peter's Fireside
2/2/2020 • 25 minutes, 45 seconds
Presence
Presence by St. Peter's Fireside
1/26/2020 • 27 minutes, 40 seconds
Power
Power by St. Peter's Fireside
1/19/2020 • 28 minutes, 54 seconds
Posture
Posture by St. Peter's Fireside
1/12/2020 • 30 minutes, 13 seconds
Place
Place by St. Peter's Fireside
1/5/2020 • 36 minutes, 45 seconds
Knock, Seek, Find
Knock, Seek, Find by St. Peter's Fireside
12/8/2019 • 29 minutes, 29 seconds
Judge Not
Judge Not by St. Peter's Fireside
12/1/2019 • 29 minutes, 54 seconds
Mind, Heart, Feet
Mind, Heart, Feet by St. Peter's Fireside
11/24/2019 • 31 minutes, 42 seconds
Powelessness In The Passenger Seat
Powelessness In The Passenger Seat by St. Peter's Fireside
11/17/2019 • 25 minutes, 21 seconds
What Do You Treasure?
What Do You Treasure? by St. Peter's Fireside
11/10/2019 • 27 minutes, 16 seconds
The Names of the Church
The Names of the Church by St. Peter's Fireside
11/3/2019 • 23 minutes, 10 seconds
Why Forgive?
Why Forgive? by St. Peter's Fireside
10/27/2019 • 34 minutes, 6 seconds
The 7 Marks Of A Christian
The 7 Marks Of A Christian by St. Peter's Fireside
10/20/2019 • 11 minutes, 28 seconds
The Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer by St. Peter's Fireside
10/13/2019 • 27 minutes, 40 seconds
An Invitation To Pray
An Invitation To Pray by St. Peter's Fireside
10/6/2019 • 25 minutes, 56 seconds
Joining The Conversation
Joining The Conversation by St. Peter's Fireside
9/29/2019 • 27 minutes, 4 seconds
Giving In Secret
Giving In Secret by St. Peter's Fireside
9/22/2019 • 24 minutes, 19 seconds
Love Your Enemy
Love Your Enemy by St. Peter's Fireside
9/15/2019 • 30 minutes, 35 seconds
Retaliation And Revenge
Retaliation And Revenge by St. Peter's Fireside
9/8/2019 • 27 minutes, 20 seconds
Zeal Follows Love
Zeal Follows Love by St. Peter's Fireside
9/1/2019 • 31 minutes, 27 seconds
The Zeal Of Jesus
The Zeal Of Jesus by St. Peter's Fireside
8/25/2019 • 33 minutes, 54 seconds
Zeal In Worship
Zeal In Worship by St. Peter's Fireside
8/18/2019 • 35 minutes, 59 seconds
Why Zeal?
Why Zeal? by St. Peter's Fireside
8/11/2019 • 37 minutes, 48 seconds
Christian Contentment
Christian Contentment by St. Peter's Fireside
8/4/2019 • 29 minutes, 36 seconds
A Sustained Faith
A Sustained Faith by St. Peter's Fireside
7/28/2019 • 29 minutes, 5 seconds
A Patient Faith
A Patient Faith by St. Peter's Fireside
7/21/2019 • 29 minutes, 19 seconds
A Righteous Protest
A Righteous Protest by St. Peter's Fireside
7/15/2019 • 34 minutes, 52 seconds
Marriage and Divorce
Marriage and Divorce by St. Peter's Fireside
7/7/2019 • 36 minutes, 30 seconds
Vows and Intentions
Vows and Intentions by St. Peter's Fireside
7/1/2019 • 34 minutes, 30 seconds
Adultery and Lust
Adultery and Lust by St. Peter's Fireside
6/23/2019 • 38 minutes, 4 seconds
Murder and Anger
Murder and Anger by St. Peter's Fireside
6/17/2019 • 27 minutes, 46 seconds
Why Does Pentecost Matter?
Why Does Pentecost Matter? by St. Peter's Fireside
6/12/2019 • 26 minutes, 48 seconds
Fulfilled To Exceed
Fulfilled To Exceed by St. Peter's Fireside
6/2/2019 • 33 minutes, 50 seconds
Salt and Light
Salt and Light by St. Peter's Fireside
5/27/2019 • 26 minutes, 25 seconds
How Do We Follow Jesus When It's Costly
How Do We Follow Jesus When It's Costly by St. Peter's Fireside
5/21/2019 • 28 minutes, 54 seconds
The Blessed Persecuted
The Blessed Persecuted by St. Peter's Fireside
5/13/2019 • 34 minutes, 9 seconds
The Blessed Peacemakers
The Blessed Peacemakers by St. Peter's Fireside
5/5/2019 • 28 minutes, 41 seconds
The Blessed Pure
The Blessed Pure by St. Peter's Fireside
4/29/2019 • 37 minutes, 27 seconds
How Do You Explain The Resurrection?
How Do You Explain The Resurrection? by St. Peter's Fireside
4/21/2019 • 30 minutes, 25 seconds
This Is Jesus, The King
This Is Jesus, The King by St. Peter's Fireside
4/20/2019 • 26 minutes, 7 seconds
The Blessed Merciful
The Blessed Merciful by St. Peter's Fireside
4/14/2019 • 28 minutes, 4 seconds
The Blessed Hungry
The Blessed Hungry by St. Peter's Fireside
4/7/2019 • 36 minutes, 15 seconds
The Blessed Meek
The Blessed Meek by St. Peter's Fireside
4/1/2019 • 27 minutes, 50 seconds
The Blessed Mourners
How do we become blessed mourners?
3/24/2019 • 32 minutes, 15 seconds
The Blessed Poor
The Blessed Poor by St. Peter's Fireside
3/17/2019 • 30 minutes, 31 seconds
The Blessed Life
It's important to make sense of where the Sermon begins and ends.
3/12/2019 • 30 minutes, 5 seconds
The First Sermon
The First Sermon by St. Peter's Fireside
3/7/2019 • 10 minutes, 27 seconds
The Parables Of The Unfinished Tower And The Weaker King
Don't waste your life by failing to count the cost of discipleship
3/4/2019 • 31 minutes, 27 seconds
The Parable Of The Rich Fool
It is easy to waste our lives in covetousness and the pursuit of abundance, instead we should waste our lives in becoming rich toward God
2/24/2019 • 30 minutes, 25 seconds
The Parable Of The Rich Man And Lazarus
What appears like a wasted life is actually the path to abundant life
2/17/2019 • 26 minutes, 15 seconds
For The Sake Of The Harvest
In our annual charge, we feel called to three words: presence, compassion, and prayer
2/11/2019 • 28 minutes, 51 seconds
Saved For Reconciliation
The gospel is good news about how God is creating a new, unified humanity.
2/4/2019 • 39 minutes, 52 seconds
Saved For
We are saved into God's purpose and the good works he has prepared for us.
1/28/2019 • 29 minutes, 27 seconds
Saved Into
The gospel is good news about being saved into union with Christ
1/21/2019 • 34 minutes, 27 seconds
Saved By
The gospel is good news about how we are saved by the immeasurable riches of God's grace
1/13/2019 • 36 minutes, 5 seconds
Saved From
The gospel is good news about what we are saved from
1/6/2019 • 33 minutes, 57 seconds
Hope Realized
The book of Ruth is a eucatastrophe ('good catastrophe') in which we discover how God brings redemption and life even through death.
12/23/2018 • 30 minutes, 31 seconds
Hope Enacted
Hesed is the dance of God at work in and through us
12/17/2018 • 34 minutes
Hope Appears
Hope appears when God reveals his steadfast love.
12/10/2018 • 25 minutes, 27 seconds
Darkened Hope
In the pain, in the heartache, in the tragedy: God moves in a mysterious way.
12/2/2018 • 37 minutes, 39 seconds
Re-Enchanting The World
Re-Enchanting The World by St. Peter's Fireside
11/26/2018 • 36 minutes, 59 seconds
You Are Greatly Loved
God alone strengthens us to be sustained by his love, so that we can endure exile.
11/18/2018 • 35 minutes, 6 seconds
Looking For Life
Do we trust that Jesus can actually give us life?
11/11/2018 • 30 minutes, 17 seconds
Humble Boldness
We are greatly loved by God, and this is why we can confess with humble boldness.
11/4/2018 • 33 minutes, 35 seconds
The End Of Suffering
God shows us that suffering will end, so we can endure through suffering until the end.
10/28/2018 • 31 minutes, 21 seconds
The Thingness Of A Thing
The Thingness Of A Thing by St. Peter's Fireside
10/21/2018 • 32 minutes, 58 seconds
The Lion's Den
Whether the lions go hungry or fed, God saves his faithful people.
10/14/2018 • 27 minutes, 38 seconds
Writing On The Wall
The writing on the wall points us to our need for mercy and grace, and God delights in lavishing mercy and grace upon us.
10/8/2018 • 37 minutes, 15 seconds
The Tree God Cut Down
God gives us his kingdom through a great descent
9/30/2018 • 34 minutes, 42 seconds
Faith And Furnace
God gives us a faith that can endure, and even flourish, in fiery trials.
9/23/2018 • 29 minutes, 40 seconds
A Peaceful Presence
God has given us the promise of his kingdom, so we can become a peaceful presence in exile.
9/16/2018 • 33 minutes, 35 seconds
Faithful Resistance
Despite all appearances, God is in control and he gives us what we need to be faithful in exile.
9/9/2018 • 34 minutes, 5 seconds
The Grace Of God Pt. 2
Grace enables us to be devoted to good works, but not defined by our good works.
9/2/2018 • 34 minutes, 14 seconds
The Grace Of God Pt. 1
Only grace can change us through and through
8/26/2018 • 29 minutes, 39 seconds
Living Out Sound Doctrine
Living Out Sound Doctrine by St. Peter's Fireside
8/20/2018 • 39 minutes, 48 seconds
Christians, Pirates, & Swine
Who do we trust to lead us in the way of Christ?
8/12/2018 • 28 minutes, 19 seconds
The Bedrock of Faith
What is the foundation for living a faithful Christian life?
8/5/2018 • 31 minutes, 55 seconds
More Than You Ever Imagined
Jesus is more than you and I have ever imagined.
7/29/2018 • 26 minutes, 16 seconds
Longing For Home (Psalm 84)
What the human heart longs for is God's presence.
7/22/2018 • 27 minutes, 27 seconds
St. John's Vision Of Jesus
St. John's Vision Of Jesus by St. Peter's Fireside
7/15/2018 • 38 minutes, 51 seconds
Being With The Least
The practice of "being with the least" is connecting with Christ in our shared poverty.
7/8/2018 • 35 minutes, 10 seconds
Sabbath
Sabbath by St. Peter's Fireside
7/3/2018 • 24 minutes, 38 seconds
Testimony
Testimony is the process of becoming honest about ourselves before God and others
6/24/2018 • 37 minutes, 56 seconds
The Story Of St. Peter's Fireside
In this sermon, we reflect upon the story of St. Peter's Fireside and how we hope it will shape us as a community in the heart of the city.
6/18/2018 • 30 minutes, 59 seconds
Forgiveness
We can forgive because the whole of our lives have been forgiven.
6/14/2018 • 28 minutes, 33 seconds
The Table
When we are guests at the table Jesus hosts, it changes every other table.
6/3/2018 • 32 minutes, 24 seconds
Dwelling In Christ
If we dwell in Christ, we are attached to Jesus for the sake of the world.
5/27/2018 • 38 minutes, 46 seconds
Without The Spirit, There Is No Christian Life
Without the Spirit, there is no Christian life.
5/20/2018 • 28 minutes, 48 seconds
Beyond Comfortable
Are we following Jesus, or our comfort?
5/13/2018 • 26 minutes, 57 seconds
The Awe-Directed Life
Our lives can express that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and the good news is that even if we fail: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
5/6/2018 • 43 minutes, 37 seconds
An Unshakable Life
How can we discover an unshakable life in a shakable world?
4/29/2018 • 34 minutes, 11 seconds
Disciplined For Joy
Disciplined For Joy by St. Peter's Fireside
4/24/2018 • 25 minutes, 23 seconds
Rahab and The Conclusion of Faith
Rahab and The Conclusion of Faith by St. Peter's Fireside
4/19/2018 • 21 minutes, 53 seconds
Fix Your Eyes
True joy is found by fixing our eyes on Jesus, but how do we do that?
4/8/2018 • 34 minutes, 3 seconds
Is The Resurrection Idle Tales or Great Joy?
Jesus is alive. Listen as Pastor Alastair Sterne considers the two ways of responding to this news: from the ground up, or from Christ with us.
4/2/2018 • 37 minutes, 28 seconds
Why is this day good?
Why is this day, of all days, called good?
3/31/2018 • 30 minutes, 23 seconds
Godspeed
Godspeed by St. Peter's Fireside
3/25/2018 • 24 minutes, 50 seconds
Withward
Withward by St. Peter's Fireside
3/20/2018 • 30 minutes, 4 seconds
Outward
Our outwards life must run deep if it is going to spread wide.
3/12/2018 • 28 minutes, 36 seconds
Inward
We're called to behold and contemplate Christ's glory in our inner most being. Our most authentic self is the parts of us gripped and renewed by Jesus.
3/4/2018 • 33 minutes, 22 seconds
Upward
What is the one thing you're pursuing?
2/26/2018 • 29 minutes, 48 seconds
The Calling Of Abraham, Preston, and All
This sermon was delivered for a special ordination service at St. Peter's Fireside. Our pastor, Alastair Sterne, reflected on the call of Abraham and drew out principles that apply to all us, but particularly for Preston Gordon who was ordained as a deacon.
2/19/2018 • 18 minutes, 37 seconds
Isaiah 58
Isaiah 58 by St. Peter's Fireside
2/19/2018 • 20 minutes, 3 seconds
Faithful Faith
What is commendable faith?
2/11/2018 • 28 minutes, 11 seconds
What Is Faith?
What is faith?
2/4/2018 • 36 minutes, 2 seconds
A Community Of Faith, Hope, And Love
God has promised us a new and living way and invites us to walk into it together in faith hope and love.
1/29/2018 • 31 minutes, 36 seconds
The Way To Endurance
How do we endure well?
1/21/2018 • 36 minutes, 47 seconds
Perfectly Holy People
How do we become perfectly holy people?
1/14/2018 • 33 minutes, 26 seconds
The Sufficient Sacrifice
Why did our mediation with God require a cross?
1/7/2018 • 35 minutes, 26 seconds
Joy Of Heaven
Why is the birth of Jesus the joy of heaven?
12/25/2017 • 27 minutes, 35 seconds
Joy Of Faithfulness
Because God fulfills his promises, we can rejoice and magnify the Lord, and live in the joy of God’s faithfulness.
12/18/2017 • 32 minutes, 21 seconds
Joy Of Assurance
What is the joy of assurance?
12/10/2017 • 27 minutes, 26 seconds
Joy Of Anticipation
What is the joy of anticipation?
12/10/2017 • 22 minutes, 34 seconds
The Blood Of Jesus
Why do we need the blood of Jesus?
11/26/2017 • 34 minutes, 51 seconds
Awe In A Haunted World
What is it like to live not in the sketches and shadows of God, but in God’s very presence?
11/19/2017 • 34 minutes, 49 seconds
A Priest For The Perfectionist And Imperfectionist
In this sermon, pastor Alastair explores the question: Why is Jesus exactly the priest we need?
11/14/2017 • 30 minutes, 31 seconds
The Anchor Of Your Soul
In one of the most unsettling passages in Hebrews, pastor Alastair asks us the question, "What is the anchor of your soul?"
11/5/2017 • 37 minutes, 18 seconds
Bearing Burdens
Our associate pastor Preston Gordon challenged us with this profound truth: we bear one another’s burdens because we have a burden-bearing God.
10/29/2017 • 22 minutes, 57 seconds
The Empathy Of Jesus
This week in our Hebrews series, the focus of the letter shifts. The author now picks up the theme alluded to several times already: Jesus is our great high priest. This week, pastor Alastair Sterne asks the question, "Why must we attach ourselves to Jesus as our great high priest?"
10/22/2017 • 33 minutes, 51 seconds
A Better Rest
This week in our series in Hebrews, pastor Alastair works through Hebrews 3.7-4.13, he asks: How can we escape from restlessness into rest?
10/15/2017 • 40 minutes, 44 seconds
A Better Home
This week in our Hebrews series, Breanna Bowker explores Hebrews 3.1-6 and considers why the author compares Jesus to Moses. We discover that Jesus shares with us who he is.
10/8/2017 • 24 minutes, 6 seconds
The Fear Of Death
In this week of our series in Hebrews, pastor Alastair walks us through Hebrews 2.5-18 and asks the question: Why is Jesus our greatest source of comfort?
10/2/2017 • 33 minutes, 44 seconds
Pay Closer Attention
This week pastor Alastair explores the first call to action in the book of Hebrews. The question is: why should we pay even closer to Jesus?
9/24/2017 • 29 minutes, 13 seconds
Better Than Angels
In Hebrews 1.4-14, the author begins to shows how pieces of the Old Testament come together to speak as a whole about Jesus. In this sermon, pastor Alastair asks the question, "Why do we need to know that Jesus is greater than angels?"
9/17/2017 • 30 minutes, 37 seconds
God Exactly
In the first week of our new series in Hebrews, pastor Alastair Sterne explores Hebrews 1.1-4. In this passage, the author of Hebrews challenges us to consider who Jesus is: he is either the God of the universe, or he is not.
9/10/2017 • 31 minutes, 2 seconds
Our Story
In this sermon, pastor Alastair Sterne shares the story behind the name St. Peter's Fireside and invites us to participate in creating gracious spaces.
9/3/2017 • 28 minutes, 54 seconds
Revell In The Lord
Revell In The Lord by St. Peter's Fireside
8/27/2017 • 28 minutes, 53 seconds
Who Is This God?
Who Is This God? by St. Peter's Fireside
8/27/2017 • 34 minutes, 40 seconds
An Empowered Minority
An Empowered Minority by St. Peter's Fireside
8/16/2017 • 39 minutes, 8 seconds
Don't Touch The Ark!
Don't Touch The Ark! by St. Peter's Fireside
8/6/2017 • 33 minutes, 11 seconds
The King's Friend
The King's Friend by St. Peter's Fireside
8/3/2017 • 35 minutes, 10 seconds
A Royal Wrestling Match
A Royal Wrestling Match by St. Peter's Fireside
8/3/2017 • 32 minutes, 59 seconds
From Runt to Royalty
From Runt to Royalty by St. Peter's Fireside
8/3/2017 • 31 minutes, 39 seconds
Davd & Goliath
The story of David and Goliath is often portrayed as the underdog winning the victory and an inspiration for us to go fight our battles. Yet this passage is meant to get us asking a different set of questions: Who are you living for? Whose name are you trying to build? And most importantly: What does it mean to be a person after God's own heart?
7/9/2017 • 32 minutes, 38 seconds
Falling Forward
How did King David descend from being a man after God's own heart to committing adultery and murder?
6/26/2017 • 36 minutes, 29 seconds
A King Like All The Nations
Our hearts are restless until they rest in God. What we deeply yearn for is not to “live life to the full,” but to live fully for God.
6/21/2017 • 34 minutes, 24 seconds
What's Wrong With A King?
When Israel requests a King, we discover that God walks the path of rejection to bring about our salvation.
6/12/2017 • 27 minutes, 38 seconds
Empowered Joy
How do we become prophets of joy? In the last sermon in this series, Pastor Alastair explores how only the Holy Spirit can make us into prophets of joy.
6/4/2017 • 36 minutes, 36 seconds
Joy For The World
Who is joy for? Joy is not complete unless its shared.
5/30/2017 • 30 minutes, 31 seconds
Making Joy
What if we have a part to play in making joy?
5/30/2017 • 32 minutes, 40 seconds
The Identity of Joy
What if we could know that we are loved, delighted in, and rejoiced over at all times? How would this impact our joy?
5/16/2017 • 31 minutes, 11 seconds
The Posture of Joy
We're promised everlasting joy that we can taste here and now, but what posture must we take to receive it?
5/7/2017 • 30 minutes, 7 seconds
An Explosion of Joy
Why does the good news of salvation make our feet beautiful? Why do people, cities, nations, and all of creation burst out in song over this news?
5/1/2017 • 30 minutes, 59 seconds
Lament and Joy
In our new series, Prophets of Joy, we are exploring the theme of joy in the book of Isaiah. In this sermon, Pastor Alastair Sterne considers how joy is lost, and how it is restored through lament.
4/23/2017 • 29 minutes, 15 seconds
Who is Jesus?
Our study of Mark's gospel concludes with the Easter declaration: the tomb is empty, Christ is empty. But why did Mark end his gospel with the silence of three women? Why didn't they immediately proclaim the resurrection? And what does the resurrection tell us about who Jesus is?
4/19/2017 • 25 minutes, 44 seconds
Do you see who has arrived?
Who is Jesus? This is this fundamental question of Palm Sunday. Listen as Pastor Roger Revell reflects upon the audacious claim that Jesus made about himself: I am.
4/13/2017 • 26 minutes, 57 seconds
The Silence of Christ
In this passage, we discover that Jesus silently triumphs over all the powers — visible and invisible — to liberate us and set us free.
4/3/2017 • 34 minutes, 39 seconds
Jesus is God
Jesus has not denied any part of himself to us, even though we have denied him.
3/27/2017 • 34 minutes, 19 seconds
The Cup of Wrath
Why must Jesus drink a cup of wrath for our salvation? Why does God have wrath at all?
3/20/2017 • 32 minutes, 47 seconds
An Extravagant Table
Even though we betray him and fall away, Jesus sets the most extravagant table for us. We only need to take a seat.
3/13/2017 • 33 minutes, 38 seconds
All In
All In by St. Peter's Fireside
3/6/2017 • 29 minutes, 45 seconds
The God Of The Way Things One Day Will Be
What do you keep your sights fixed on? Do you focus on the here and now, do you only see what is? We worship the God of the way things were and the way things will one day be, and this changes how we live in the here and now.
3/2/2017 • 19 minutes, 8 seconds
The Resurrection & Money
Listen as Pastor Roger Revell explains how the resurrection changes how we approach our resources, especially our money.
2/27/2017 • 31 minutes, 36 seconds
The Resurrection & Time
In this series, A Different Kind of Life, Pastor Roger explores what it means to live into the power of the resurrection. In this sermon, he explores how the present of Jesus in us changes how we approach our time, and especially our work.
2/21/2017 • 32 minutes, 43 seconds
Finding Goodness and Peace
When it comes to goodness and peace, what our culture offers partially God offers completely.
2/15/2017 • 44 minutes, 45 seconds
How to Stay Awake
This week, Pastor Roger Revell reminds us that Jesus is coming back: which means there is waking up that's going to happen, and some waking up that needs to happen.
2/6/2017 • 29 minutes, 46 seconds
Let's Talk About Sex and Work
God’s will for us is to become more like Christ with our bodies and with our time, so that the world can see his beauty through us.
2/1/2017 • 39 minutes, 45 seconds
A Guide to Spiritual Warfare
As we fight the good fight of faith, we do so knowing that the victory is already won. In the meantime, God has given us people, joy, and prayer for us to persevere for the long haul.
1/24/2017 • 36 minutes, 57 seconds
How to overcome people pleasing
When we recognize the gift of the gospel for what it really is, it changes how we relate to each other. We become a people of integrity and a family of deep affection.
1/19/2017 • 28 minutes, 35 seconds
Gripped by Love and Joy
In the first week of our series in 1 Thessalonians, Pastor Alastair explores one big idea: when we are gripped by the love and joy of the gospel, we become an example and a witness to those around us and to our city.
1/8/2017 • 41 minutes, 2 seconds
Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment
In the next instalment of our series entitled Shadowlands, and our last sermon of the year, Alastair Sterne explores the life of King Josiah. Josiah's reign was said in scripture to be the best of all the kings of Israel, but mercy was still required.
12/19/2016 • 34 minutes, 51 seconds
Back From the Brink
In the next instalment of our series entitled Shadowlands, Roger Revell explores the story of King Hezekiah. He was a good king, which is a far cry from the others, but he wasn't good enough.
12/13/2016 • 30 minutes, 57 seconds
Do You See?
In the next instalment of our series entitled Shadowlands, Roger Revell explores the idea that some gain sight and others are blinded so that everyone can see.
12/8/2016 • 30 minutes, 15 seconds
Getting Well
We are continuing our series entitled Shadowlands in which we're exploring the books of 1 and 2 Kings. This week, Roger Revell walks us through the story of Naaman, his healing, and what truths we can uncover for our own lives.
11/29/2016 • 31 minutes, 29 seconds
Stay Awake
In the next instalment of our series entitled The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne tackles the often perplexing text of Mark 13 and explores the big idea that the church needs to stay awake.
11/21/2016 • 36 minutes, 15 seconds
Two Cents Worth
In the next instalment of our series entitled The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne explores the big idea that there is no pretense with Jesus.
11/15/2016 • 31 minutes, 21 seconds
Chasing Joy
We are three years old! Over the past three years of ministry at St. Peter's Fireside, God has given us the task of building up. Building up for what you say? Joy. But more specifically the joy of God's salvation. Listen in as Alastair Sterne explores the big idea that we delight in the Lord as he delights in us.
11/7/2016 • 37 minutes, 40 seconds
Stability in an Uncertain World
In this instalment of our series entitled The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne explores the big idea that Jesus is our solid ground in an unstable world.
10/31/2016 • 33 minutes, 12 seconds
From Shame to Celebration
In the latest instalment of our series entitled The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne explores the big idea that Jesus turns our shame into celebration.
10/24/2016 • 33 minutes, 3 seconds
A New and Better Temple
In the latest instalment of our series entitled The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne explores fig trees, the temple, and the big idea that Jesus moves mountains for us to be with God.
10/17/2016 • 31 minutes, 40 seconds
The King's Arrival
In the latest instalment of our series entitled The Gospel of Mark, Roger Revell explores what it means for Jesus to be king, and what that kingship looks like if we submit to it.
10/11/2016 • 30 minutes, 28 seconds
What Do You Want Me to Do For You?
In this instalment of our series entitled The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne explores the question that Jesus asks both his disciples James and John, and blind Bartimaeus: "What do you want me to do for you?" Some answers to this question are better than others.
10/3/2016 • 32 minutes, 7 seconds
The Great Divorce
In the next instalment of our series entitled The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne unpacks Mark's passage about divorce. As usual in the gospels, Jesus' words are often used as images of a deeper reality, and help us understand God's view of us, and his plan for our lives.
9/19/2016 • 36 minutes, 14 seconds
I Believe, Help My Unbelief
In the latest instalment of our series entitled The Gospel of Mark, we come across a conflicted man approaching Jesus with an honest prayer: "Lord, I believe, help my unbelief!" How can belief and unbelief exist together, and what does this mean for our lives? Listen and find out.
9/12/2016 • 35 minutes, 40 seconds
The Transfiguration
In the next instalment of our series exploring the Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne explores the big idea that we cannot truly see who Jesus is unless we listen to what he says.
9/6/2016 • 35 minutes, 14 seconds
Dangerous Confessions
In Mark Part III we take a shift from Mark's question "Who is Jesus?" Halfway through his gospel, Mark makes a shift from explaining who Jesus is, to explaining what Jesus came to do. In this instalment, Alastair Sterne posits the big idea that when we confess who Jesus is, we also confess who we have to be to follow him.
8/29/2016 • 34 minutes, 21 seconds
Murder in the Vineyard
In the final instalment of our series entitled Shadowlands, Roger Revell guides us through the last bit of King Ahab's life in order to help us see that God's mercy is unmatched.
8/22/2016 • 36 minutes, 26 seconds
Elijah Runs
In the next instalment of our series called Shadowlands, we're continuing to explore how despite the shadows cast on Israel by each of their kings, God is still in control of His story. Roger Revell walks us through a moment in 1 Kings where the prophet Elijah runs...give a listen to find out why!
8/15/2016 • 35 minutes, 28 seconds
The Lord is God
In the latest instalment of our series entitled Shadowlands, Roger Revell continues to walk us through the kingly accounts of 1 Kings. This time, however, a prophet by the name of Elijah comes on the scene. Why does Scripture give this account? Give this sermon a listen to find out!
8/8/2016 • 36 minutes, 25 seconds
The Father's Voice
In this instalment of our series entitled Shadowlands, Preston Gordon explores the kingship of Rehoboam, and what it means to hear and listen to the Father's voice.
8/2/2016 • 25 minutes, 46 seconds
Something's Rotten in the Land of Israel
In the third instalment of our summer series entitled Shadowlands, Roger Revell concludes the story of King Solomon by exploring grace and God's faithfulness in the midst of a king gone bad.
7/25/2016 • 30 minutes, 27 seconds
New Wisdom in Action
In the second instalment of our series in the books of Kings called Shadowlands, Roger Revell unpacks what it looks like for King Solomon to follow God's wisdom.
7/18/2016 • 30 minutes, 19 seconds
The Wisdom of Two Kings
We're beginning a new Summer series entitled Shadowlands. We'll be exploring the Kings of the Old Testament, and learning from both their wise decisions and their mistakes. In our first instalment, Roger Revel lays out the background of the books of Kings (Kings 1 and Kings 2), and unpacks what wisdom looked like for David and his son Solomon.
7/11/2016 • 38 minutes, 24 seconds
Do You Still Not Understand?
In the last installment in Part Two of our series, The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne explores Mark 8.1-26. Here's the big idea: Jesus Christ is here to supply the spiritual needs of the whole world, of all of us, because he's God. But this brings a pressing question: Do we understand this?
7/3/2016 • 32 minutes, 59 seconds
The Mother Of The Gentiles
In the latest installment of our series, The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne explores Mark 7.24-37. Here's the big idea: The crumbs Jesus leaves under the table aren’t sparse, but abundant. The question we have to ask ourselves is, “Are we willing to find our place under the table to eat them?”
6/26/2016 • 32 minutes, 32 seconds
Outside In, Inside Out
In the latest installment of our series, The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne explores Mark 7.14-23. Here's the big idea: The darkness in the world actually starts in our hearts. Only Jesus can cleanse us from the inside out.
6/19/2016 • 36 minutes, 1 second
The Sufficiency Of Scripture
In the latest installment of our series, The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne explores Mark 7.1-13. Here's the big idea: The authority Jesus has over Scripture is trustworthy, because he uses it not to burden or crush us, but to free us.
6/13/2016 • 42 minutes, 45 seconds
Hard Hearts, New Hearts
In the latest installment of our series The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne explores the infamous passage when Jesus walks on water. But this passage isn't a rescue story, it's an epiphany. The big idea: Jesus didn't just come to save us from the storms, but to save us from our hardness of heart.
6/6/2016 • 35 minutes, 50 seconds
An Unknown Hunger
In the latest instalment of our series The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne walks us through the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand, and helps us understand that we all have some sort of hunger in our lives, and it's Jesus who can satiate it.
5/30/2016 • 33 minutes, 37 seconds
Dusty Paths and Hard Hearts
In the latest instalment of our series entitled The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne helps us understand what it means to follow Jesus. In short, it means that if we're truly with Jesus, we will be sent out. What does this mean in our context? Listen and find out!
5/23/2016 • 27 minutes, 43 seconds
The Third Person of the Trinity
Who is the Holy Spirit? Is it some kind of feeling or nebulous presence? On this Pentecost Sunday, Roger Revell helps us understand the Holy Spirit as a person in the Trinity, and the work that the Holy Spirit does within the Trinity, and in our own lives.
5/16/2016 • 30 minutes, 31 seconds
The Offense of Jesus
As we continue exploring the Gospel of Mark, we often come across passages difficult to digest. In this instalment, Alastair Sterne unpacks why Jesus wasn't able to do mighty works in his hometown. Faith, doubt, and unbelief are all on the table, but what do each of them mean?
5/9/2016 • 36 minutes, 53 seconds
Death Is Not the End
In this week's instalment of our series entitled The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne walks us through the story of Jairus and the bleeding woman in Mark 5. In this story, the big idea we come across is that death is not the end for us, rather seeing Jesus face to face is where we will find ourselves.
5/1/2016 • 34 minutes, 47 seconds
What Does Jesus Have to Do With Us?
In the latest instalment of our series entitled The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne explores what happens when Jesus heals a demon possessed man. Why did Jesus do this? Could it be that the thought of a world where He can't have us breaks His heart? Listen and see!
4/25/2016 • 31 minutes, 42 seconds
Who is Jesus?
In this instalment of our series entitled The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne explores the story of Jesus calming the storm. Ultimately the story is a story of faith. Where is your faith?
4/17/2016 • 31 minutes, 59 seconds
Of Seeds and Kingdoms
We're continuing our series entitled the Gospel of Mark where we explore who Jesus is, and what His kingdom looks like. In this instalment, Roger Revell looks at an agrarian passage in Mark's Gospel to see that seeds are indeed powerful creations, and God's kingdom is the harvest of such seeds.
4/11/2016 • 28 minutes, 20 seconds
Spread Broadly, Crushed Deeply
We're diving back into the Gospel of Mark after some time away. This week, Alastair Sterne explores the parable of the sower, the power of a seed, and what all this means for our hearts and souls.
4/4/2016 • 31 minutes, 39 seconds
A Garden Where Nothing is the Same
Jesus tells Mary Magdalene not to cling to him, but this statement can speak to us now. If this is true, why do Christians hold onto Jesus? In this Easter sermon, Alastair Sterne explores the idea that it isn't that we cling to Jesus, it's that the resurrection takes a hold of us.
3/29/2016 • 26 minutes, 40 seconds
Tithing
In the final week of our series entitled Making Change, Roger Revell walks us through some tough words found in Malachi 3. What does it mean to rob God, and why does it matter if we do?
3/21/2016 • 36 minutes, 27 seconds
Sharing
In the second week of our series entitled Making Change, Roger Revell explores the idea of radical generosity, and how our lives can be turned upside down (in a good way)by living it out.
3/14/2016 • 36 minutes, 14 seconds
Choose Your God
Welcome to the first instalment in our series entitled Making Change. This series is designed to help us think about our finances and the role they play in helping others see the beauty of the Gospel. To start, Roger Revell explores the deep hold money can have on our lives, and how a paradigm shift may be in order.
3/7/2016 • 34 minutes, 6 seconds
The Body of Christ
In the last instalment of our series entitled Brick and Mortar, Alastair Sterne explores what the Church really is. The irony is that the Church isn't brick and mortar, it's flesh and blood. Give this message a listen, and find out what Paul's letter to the Ephesians has to say about the Church.
2/29/2016 • 37 minutes, 39 seconds
The Word Proclaimed
In the third instalment of our series entitled Brick and Mortar, Alastair Sterne explores the idea that scripture is God-breathed. What does this even mean? If scripture is indeed God-breathed, what does that mean about how we should treat it? Give this sermon a listen find out!
2/22/2016 • 33 minutes, 4 seconds
Applying Mortar
In the second week of our series entitled Brick and Mortar, Alastair Sterne explores the next brick in our faith: the Holy Spirit. Who is the Holy Spirit, and what does He do, and how do we know Him?
2/15/2016 • 36 minutes, 45 seconds
Christ in the Wilderness
Ash Wednesday is a reminder of our mortality and sinfulness contrasted against the beauty of Jesus. Preston Gordon walks us through Christ's temptation in the wilderness, and the poignancy of being sinful, but having hope because Easter is around the corner.
2/12/2016 • 17 minutes, 11 seconds
Building Wisely
Welcome to our new series entitled Brick and Mortar. In this first sermon, Amanda Russell-Jones explores the passage of the wise and foolish builders, and helps us understand why Jesus is the only foundation worth building our lives upon.
2/10/2016 • 36 minutes, 24 seconds
Are We Hearing?
In the final instalment of our series entitled Making Sense of Jesus, Roger Revell walks us through why hearing is often overlooked by our culture, but is crucial to our lives as believers.
1/31/2016 • 33 minutes, 32 seconds
The Fragrance of Christ
In this latest instalment of our series entitled Making Sense of Jesus, Alastair Sterne tackles the sense of smell. What does it mean to be the fragrance of Christ, and what does it smell like to others?
1/25/2016 • 32 minutes, 43 seconds
Touching Grace (Baptism)
In the next instalment of our series entitled Making Sense of Jesus, Alastair Sterne helps us understand the significance and meaning of Baptism and why it is so important to remember our participation in this sacrament.
1/19/2016 • 35 minutes, 29 seconds
Tasting Jesus (Communion)
In our second instalment of the series Making Sense of Jesus, Alastair Sterne helps us make sense of the sacrament of communion, and explains exactly what it means in the light of who Jesus is.
1/11/2016 • 31 minutes, 32 seconds
Behold, I Saw
Tune into the first instalment of our new series entitled Making Sense of Jesus. It's often difficult to make sense of who Jesus is, but He made Himself known to us and wants to be understood. What does it mean to see Jesus, and what happens when we do?
1/5/2016 • 36 minutes, 17 seconds
Before the Sun Sets
In the last instalment of our Advent series called Light Into Darkness, Alastair Sterne walks us through an unpopular thought that the window of opportunity for salvation will close. However, it is open for the taking now.
12/21/2015 • 29 minutes, 55 seconds
Living In The Light
In the third week of Advent, Pastor Roger Revell explores one big idea: living in the light doesn’t just warm you up, it changes you. Listen as he explores how the light of Christ transforms and changes our lives.
12/16/2015 • 34 minutes, 39 seconds
But We Loved The Darkness
In the second week of our Advent series, Light Into Darkness, Shannon Parrott explores how God so loved the world but we so loved the darkness. However, the good news is that Jesus loves us more than we love the darkness: he hasn't come to condemn, but to save.
12/7/2015 • 28 minutes, 27 seconds
Shine Brighter Still!
In the first sermon in our Advent series, Light Into Darkness, Pastor Alastair Sterne explores how Jesus, our true light, shines into the darkness, and will shine brighter still.
11/30/2015 • 33 minutes, 10 seconds
Has Jesus Lost His Mind?
Has Jesus lost his mind? Listen in to Alastair Sterne's latest sermon in our series The Gospel of Mark. Alastair takes us through what blasphemy of the Holy Spirit really is, and teaches us about the multiple accusations Jesus encountered.
11/23/2015 • 31 minutes, 37 seconds
Who is in the Driver's Seat?
We had a special treat this past Sunday. Bishop Stephen Leung joined us and taught us about what cross-cultural ministry looked like in the New Testament church, and who the guiding force in this early ministry was. The answer is simple, yet profound.
11/16/2015 • 32 minutes, 8 seconds
Mountain Top Spirituality For Every Day Life
In the next instalment of our series entitled The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne helps us understand that the Church is not a movement. The Church is an agent of the movement that Jesus started, and the only way to remain a part of this movement is to remain with Him.
11/9/2015 • 30 minutes, 30 seconds
Let's Kill Jesus
Following Jesus is hard, but it's not complicated. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Listen in on this instalment of our Gospel of Mark series as Alastair Sterne explains how the Sabbath is meant to be for those who follow Jesus.
11/2/2015 • 34 minutes, 50 seconds
The Bridegroom
Check out the next instalment in our series The Gospel of Mark. In this sermon, Roger Revell helps us understand how Jesus is the ultimate example of commitment and love.
10/26/2015 • 35 minutes, 2 seconds
The Scandal of Grace
Listen in to the latest sermon from our series entitled The Gospel of Mark. In this sermon, Alastair Sterne explores the depths of Jesus' grace, how scandalous it was for His time, and what it means for us.
10/19/2015 • 31 minutes, 26 seconds
The Deepest Need
As we continue to dive into the Gospel of Mark, we're finding that Jesus' authority goes way beyond healing physical needs. Listen in as Alastair Sterne helps us understand what Jesus saw as humanity's deepest need.
10/13/2015 • 31 minutes, 37 seconds
Desolate Places
Listen in to this week's instalment of our series on the Gospel of Mark. Alastair Sterne helps us understand why desolate places aren't always negative spaces. They were actually quite important to the ministry of Jesus.
10/5/2015 • 29 minutes, 13 seconds
What's My Calling?
In the third week of our series entitled The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne explores what it means to be called by Jesus into a life that follows His ways.
9/21/2015 • 26 minutes, 11 seconds
The Ministry of the Trinity
We're in the second week of our brand new series The Gospel of Mark. This week Alastair Sterne takes us through the second half of Mark's prologue, and explains what the doctrine of the Trinity is, what it means about Jesus, what it should mean to us.
9/14/2015 • 31 minutes, 5 seconds
The King Has Come
In part one of our new series The Gospel of Mark, Alastair Sterne unpacks who Mark says Jesus is, and how Jesus' ministry affects some of the current cultural narratives.
9/8/2015 • 29 minutes, 36 seconds
Power Made Perfect in Weakness
In the final week of our series entitled "Weaklings," Alastair Sterne explains how weakness can be considered a gift from the Lord, and how Paul's famous thorn in his side may be such a gift.
8/31/2015 • 27 minutes, 57 seconds
More Than Meets the Eye
In our third week exploring the fourth chapter of 2 Corinthians, Alida Oegema explains how weakness should be encouraging to the Christian because it better describes the reality of our lives. Christianity isn't the "utopian outlier." It is messy, yet filled with hope.
8/24/2015 • 27 minutes, 54 seconds
Death In Us, Life For Others
In our next instalment of Weaklings, Roger Revell takes us through 2 Corinthians 4:7-15 to explore what it means to carry the message of Christ from a place of weakness.
8/18/2015 • 33 minutes, 4 seconds
The God Who Is There
In the first week of our new series entitled Weaklings, Pastor Alastair Sterne explores how our greatest weakness is our greatest strength.
8/10/2015 • 27 minutes, 31 seconds
Real Confidence And True Hope (Psalm 27)
In this final instalment of our series on the Psalms, Roger Revell explores Psalm 27 to glean truth about our confidence in Christ and the hope that He gives us.
8/6/2015 • 29 minutes, 52 seconds
Psalm 63: Worship In The Wilderness
In this next instalment of our series on the Psalms, Alida Oegema takes us through Psalm 63. She explores what it means to see our circumstances in the light of who God is and what He has done for us.
7/27/2015 • 31 minutes, 52 seconds
The True Deliverer: Crying to God For Help
Are you okay with asking for help? In this week of our Psalms series, Roger Revell dives into Psalm 59 to help us understand that it is indeed okay to cry out when life seems overwhelming.
7/20/2015 • 30 minutes, 43 seconds
The Face Of Mission (Psalm 67)
What does it take to love others and seek justice? Maybe it isn't loving or serving more. In the first sermon of our new sermon series, Psalms, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks us through Psalm 67. In this Psalm we find out that loving others and seeking justice is counter-intuitive. How so? We "behold" and then pour out.
7/7/2015 • 29 minutes, 31 seconds
To Whom Must I Become A Neighbour?
In the last week of the series, The Table Of Undeserving Friends, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks us through Luke 10.25-37. In this passage we discover that hospitality has everything to do with salvation. We shouldn't ask "Who is my neighbour?" but "To whom must I become a neighbour?"
6/29/2015 • 27 minutes, 12 seconds
Embracing Outsider(s)
Unfortunately the sermon from this week was not recorded. The transcript is available at stpetersfireside.org/transcripts/touf-jn252015.pdf
6/25/2015 • 19 seconds
Strange Strangers
In the nineth week of the series, The Table Of Undeserving Friends, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks us through Genesis 18.1-15. In this passage we discover the importance of being present and willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of welcoming strangers.
We apologize, the introduction to this sermon was not recorded. The manuscript is below:
In our series, The Table Of Undeserving Friends, we’ve been looking at the vastness of God’s welcoming grace. The guests at his table are diverse and unique. We’ve been listening to some of their stories that we might learn more and more about the depths of God’s grace and how we might become people who welcome others as Christ has welcomed us.
Today I want to look at a more practical, but-not-so-normal instruction found in the Scriptures. Hebrews Chapter 13:2, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
This seems a pretty straight forward instruction. Show hospitality to strangers, welcome them, because they might be angels! This is clear enough. Yet it’s pretty peculiar. Most of us don’t walk around in our day to day lives with a sense that the supernatural is intersecting with the natural. What are we supposed to glean from this instruction in Hebrews?
There is a lot more to this command than simply being nice to strangers solely because there might be more to them than meets the eye. It’s likely the author of Hebrews has a more notable example of this happening in mind.
Genesis Chapter 18. Abraham welcomes three strangers into his presence and home. They turn out to be messengers sent from God, who speak the very words of God himself. It’s a powerful story full of irony and humor and confusion.
Today we’re going to grab a seat beside Abraham at God’s table. What will he have to teach us about extending God’s welcoming grace?
Welcoming strangers requires being present. It requires an interruptible spirit. It requires a sense that there is nothing ordinary about the here-and-now. But this sort of posture isn’t a natural disposition in us. It is birthed out of God’s welcoming grace.
6/15/2015 • 25 minutes, 58 seconds
Dining With Your Enemies
In the eighth week of the series, The Table Of Undeserving Friends, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks us through Acts 9. In this passage we learn that loving our enemies isn't just an idea, it's a practice; and it's a practice that can only take place when we recognize that we too have been enemies.
6/7/2015 • 31 minutes, 48 seconds
Hospitality For The Weak
In the seventh week of the series, The Table Of Undeserving Friends, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks us through 2 Kings 5. Naaman's encounter with the prophet Elisha. We see that no amount of power or strength can earn us a seat at God's table. The way into the kingdom of God is through weakness, not strength.
5/31/2015 • 28 minutes, 57 seconds
All Lines Now Open
In celebration of Pentecost, Pastor Alastair preached on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-11. In this passage, we discover the power which gave birth to the early church: The Holy Spirit. If Pentecost didn't happen, the church is just a social club. But if Pentecost truly happened (and it did), the church is the body of Christ and is invited to play a part in making Jesus known for the sake of the nations.
5/25/2015 • 32 minutes, 26 seconds
Come On In!
In the sixth week of the series, The Table Of Undeserving Friends, Pastor Roger Revell at 1 Kings 17. The prophet Elijah's time with the widow of Zarephath teaches us that God's hospitality is most profound and life changing in mutual human weakness.
5/18/2015 • 39 minutes, 8 seconds
A Beautiful Intervention
In the fifth week of the series, The Table Of Undeserving Friends, Pastor Alastair Sterne looks at 1 Samuel 25. Abigail intervenes between the foolishness of her husband, Nabal, and the reckless anger of King David. In doing show, she shows us how messy hospitality can be here and now and how we need someone to intervene for us.
5/10/2015 • 28 minutes, 27 seconds
A Woman Worth Seeing
In the fourth week of our series, The Table Of Undeserving Friends, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks through Luke 7:36-50. In this scandalous scene, Jesus dines with Simon the Pharisee and a prostitute. In it, he asks Simon, "Do you see this woman?" How we see her determines how we see God welcoming others.
5/3/2015 • 33 minutes, 17 seconds
Mary and Martha
In the second week of the series Bishop Trevor Walters looks at hospitality through the story of two quarreling sisters: Mary and Martha. He looks at the surprising display of hospitality that Jesus shows Mary by allowing her to sit with his other disciples and listen to his teachings. Through this he demonstrates that hospitality is not about the details and the finest food and drink, but rather about offering ourselves to our guests.
4/27/2015 • 20 minutes, 3 seconds
A Double Portrait
In the third week of the series Michael Chase walks us through the story of Solomon Welcoming the Queen of Sheba to Jerusalem. He uses Jesus' reading of the Solomon and Sheba story to expound both the way in which Jesus lays out the table for us and the way we are to approach it. He also shows that like Solomon's display of hospitality, ours too are imperfect. Yet we take refuge in the fact that God still used Solomon and he continues to use us to make himself known in the world.
4/27/2015 • 29 minutes, 10 seconds
The Surprising Guestlist
In the first week of our series, The Table Of Undeserving Friends, Pastor Alastair looks at how King David extended a radical, unprecedented, breathtaking welcome to Mephibosheth. He asks the question, "What drove David to do this?" and in the same way we have to ask ourselves "What should drive us to exhibit the same welcoming arms in our own lives?"
4/12/2015 • 33 minutes, 35 seconds
Unless I See It I Will Never Believe
In this Easter Sunday sermon, Pastor Alastair Sterne looks at Thomas' encounter with the risen Lord. His experience captures the climax and lunacy of Easter, and in it we discover that what we think we need to believe in Jesus may not be what we actually need.
4/6/2015 • 30 minutes, 39 seconds
Why Did Jesus Die?
In this Good Friday sermon, Pastor Roger Revell dwells on why Jesus had to die and how it reveals to us the great cost of sin.
4/6/2015 • 25 minutes, 31 seconds
The Coming King
In this sermon Pastor Michael Chase shows us why Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey is such a significant event. It was the way he chose to show the world that he was the king they had been waiting for. But a very specific kind of King - a king of peace. He examines the various reactions to Jesus' 'Triumphal Entry' and why it's so important that we don't miss who Jesus is revealing himself to be.
3/29/2015 • 28 minutes, 54 seconds
Quarreling Under The Unpredictable Plant
In the last week of our series in Jonah, Pastor Alastair Sterne looks at Jonah 4:1-11. Jonah isn't about a whale, it's about a plant. Under the unpredictable plant, Jonah explodes with anger at God. In this passage, we discover that Jonah can't live with grace. But we also see that Jonah can't live without grace either. Why is grace so difficult for Jonah to accept? Why is grace so difficult for us to accept too?
3/22/2015 • 32 minutes, 9 seconds
Entering God's Call
In the fourth week of our series in Jonah, Pastor Alastair Sterne looks at Jonah 3:1-10. Jonah finally walks in God’s calling and heads to Ninevah. And in his footsteps we discover that our primarily calling is always to God himself. But the people and place God calls us to play an important part in our calling to follow God.
3/16/2015 • 31 minutes, 21 seconds
Praying From Sheol
In the third week of our series in Jonah, Pastor Alastair Sterne looks at Jonah 1:17-2:10. When Jonah can descend no further from God, he finally prays. But while his prayer looks good on the surface, it is rife with problems. Jonah's prayer forces us to consider how we pray, and why God still answers our prayers even when our hearts and words are a mess.
3/9/2015 • 31 minutes, 29 seconds
Dying To God's Call
In the second week of our series in Jonah, Pastor Alastair Sterne looks at Jonah 1:4-16. In this passage, he explores how Jonah would prefer death over living with a fuller picture of who God is. We too have to confront how we settle for smaller versions of God, even if it's to our own demise.
3/2/2015 • 30 minutes, 23 seconds
Fleeing From The City
In the first week of our series in Jonah, Pastor Alastair Sterne looks at Jonah 1:1-3. In this passage, he explores Jonah's almost allergic reaction to the call of God. In the same way, we too flee from God's call to go to the city.
2/23/2015 • 28 minutes, 18 seconds
Lent: Becoming The People Of Easter
The Lenten season is often misunderstood. People say "It's empty ritual" or they question it's origins and say "It's not in Scripture!" But if we meaningfully engage in the season of Lent, God can use it to help us become more fully the people of Easter.
2/20/2015 • 18 minutes, 56 seconds
Be Wealthy!
In the third and final week of our series, Love Money, Pastor Roger looks at 1 Timothy 6:11-16. In this passage, we encounter an invitation to unload and share wealth rather than grasp and accumulate it. We also find an outline for the right pursuit of money, the joy-filled possibilities for wealth, and the true source of wealth found in relationship with Christ.
2/16/2015 • 34 minutes, 24 seconds
Riches That Can Be Enjoyed
In the second week of our series, Love Money, Pastor Alastair looks at 1 Timothy 6:9-10, 17-19. This is one of the few passages in all of Scripture that offers a corrective for the rich. While being rich can be problematic, it's also an opportunity to demonstrate God's richness and generosity.
2/9/2015 • 31 minutes, 21 seconds
Contentment Doesn't Have A Price Tag
In the first week of our series Love/Money, Pastor Alastair Sterne looks at 1 Timothy 6:6-10. Why would you spend your life pursuing money when it can’t even bring you contentment and it can’t prepare you for life on the other side of death? You might gain some wealth but with wealth alone you gain discontentment. But if you pursue Christ, it’s great gain. You may or may not gain some material wealth here and now, but you will gain an contentment that is imperishable.
2/2/2015 • 28 minutes, 59 seconds
A Kept People
In the fourth and final week of our series in Jude, Pastor Mike Chase explores the final two verse of Jude's letter, the doxology. After Jude's emphasis on the necessity of keeping ourselves in the love of God, he moves to praising God for the fact that he only he can truly keep us from stumbling. Not only is the doxology a beautiful piece of writing but it sums up the essence of salvation.
1/26/2015 • 23 minutes, 7 seconds
The Life Of The Beloved
In the third week of our series in Jude, Listen as Pastor Alastair Sterne explores Jude 20-23. In this passage he explores what life as the Beloved looks like: it's a life with the beloved and for the sake of others.
1/19/2015 • 34 minutes, 4 seconds
A Necessary Reminder
In the second week of our series in Jude, Listen as Pastor Alastair Sterne explores Jude 5-19. In this difficult text, he looks at the practices and ways of the ungodly and their end: hell. But he also looks at how the response of the Beloved should reflect the merciful response of Christ who went to the cross for the ungodly.
1/11/2015 • 34 minutes, 25 seconds
Contending for the Faith
Jude understood that every day we face pressures from within the world, within the church, and within our own souls which press against our faith. He writes to remind the church, past and present, that we must “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” Listen as Pastor Alastair Sterne explores Jude 1-4 and explains what it means for us to contend for our faith today.
1/5/2015 • 30 minutes, 34 seconds
Silent Night
On Christmas Eve Pastor Alastair explored Zechariah 2:10-13. Listen as he talks about how Advent is a time for singing and rejoicing, but Christmas is a time for awe and silence.
12/24/2014 • 17 minutes, 45 seconds
A Resistant Heart
In the last week of our Advent series on the Parable of The Prodigal Son, Alida Oegema walks us through the eldest son's response to his father's radical welcoming of his brother. In it she explores how Jesus redefines who needs grace: not just those who have broken all the rules, but also those who have kept them.
12/22/2014 • 28 minutes, 48 seconds
A Gracious Heart
In the third week of our Advent series on the Parable of The Prodigal Son, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks us through the younger son's return to his father. The father's reception of his son is stunning and astounding, and the way in which he receives his son is a picture of how God the Father is willing to receive us.
12/14/2014 • 35 minutes, 9 seconds
A Surrendered Heart
In the second week of our Advent series on the Parable of The Prodigal Son, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks us through the younger son coming to his senses. He looks at his rehearsal and how it teaches us to surrender our own hearts to God.
12/14/2014 • 27 minutes, 58 seconds
A Wandering Heart
In the first week of our Advent series on the Parable of The Prodigal Son, Pastor Michael Chase walks us through why this is both a brilliant story for Advent. Not only does it help us understand why Jesus is so important, but also how we are to prepare our hearts to celebrate his coming. He focuses on the first part of parable, showing both the extravagance of the father's love and the depth of his son's rejection of him.
12/1/2014 • 29 minutes, 29 seconds
A Worthy Faith
In the final sermon of this nine week series on Hebrews 11, Pastor Roger walks us through the challenging, sobering, but hope-rooted words of Hebrews 11.32-40. He shows how faith always has outworkings in human history. Sometimes it involves victory; at other times, it requires loss and deprivation. Only faith with Christ as its object can find endurance and courage amidst the losses that are sometimes part of following Jesus. Such faith is not absent of hope. It looks towards ultimate triumph, waiting with expectation for a 'better, heavenly city' (Hebrews 11.16).
11/25/2014 • 33 minutes, 30 seconds
A Welcoming Faith (Rahab)
In the eighth week of our nine week series, Cloud Of Witnesses, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks us through Hebrews 11:31. In it he shows how Rahab welcomed others as she believed God would welcome her. And in this way, she looked forward to Jesus, who extends not only kindness for kindness, but God's welcome to those who could never deserve it.
11/17/2014 • 29 minutes, 34 seconds
A Powerless Faith (Moses)
In the seventh week of our nine week series, Cloud Of Witnesses, Pastor Michael Chase walks us through Hebrews 11:23-28. In it he shows how Moses, when faced with the power of Pharaoh, chose to rest in the power of God. However, in the end we see that God's power is most perfectly displayed in his willingness to take on powerlessness in the form of the cross.
11/13/2014 • 27 minutes, 24 seconds
A Tested Faith (Abraham & Isaac)
In the sixth week of our nine week series, Cloud Of Witnesses, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks us through Genesis 22:1-14. In it he looks at the testing of faith, God's provision, and our own testing.
11/2/2014 • 30 minutes, 24 seconds
An Exiled Faith (Abraham & Sarah)
In the fifth week of our nine week series, Cloud Of Witnesses, Pastor Michael Chase walks us through Hebrews 11:8-16. In it he looks at how faith drives us into exile, what faith looks like in the midst of exile, and the sort of faith that carries us through exile into the promises of God.
10/27/2014 • 31 minutes, 4 seconds
An Enduring Faith (Noah)
In the fourth week of our nine week series, Cloud Of Witnesses, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks us through Hebrews 11.7. In it he asks the question "How can we endure the judgment of God?" He looks at Noah's unseen event, our unseen event, and the faith that endures.
10/19/2014 • 30 minutes, 23 seconds
A Pleasing Faith (Enoch)
In the third week of our nine week series, Cloud Of Witnesses, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks us through Hebrews 11.5-6. In it he asks the question "How can we please God?" He explores what Enoch's faith has to tell us about the pleasure of God, pleasing God, and the joy of Christ.
10/12/2014 • 30 minutes, 6 seconds
A Faith That Speaks (Abel)
In the second week of our nine week series, Cloud Of Witnesses, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks us through Hebrews 11.4 and Genesis 4.1-16. In it he asks the question "Why does God require faith?" He considers the faith of Abel, the anger of Cain, and how Abel still speaks to us today.
10/5/2014 • 30 minutes, 44 seconds
A Faith Perfected
In the first week of our nine week series, Cloud Of Witnesses, Pastor Michael Chase walks us through Hebrews 11.1-3. In it he asks the question "What is faith?" He considers how faith relates to reason, our whole lives, and ultimately to Jesus.
9/29/2014 • 28 minutes
Our Grace
In the last week of our three week series, Calling Failing Grace, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks through John 21:1-19. He explores the aftermath of failure, the return to failure, and the grace that changes everything.
9/21/2014 • 33 minutes, 30 seconds
Our Failing
In the first week of our three week series, Calling Failing Grace, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks through Luke 22:31-34 and Luke 22:52-62. He explores the denial of failure, the reality of failure, and the role of failure in our faith.
9/14/2014 • 30 minutes, 40 seconds
Our Calling
In the first week of our three week series, Calling Failing Grace, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks through Luke 5:1-11. He explores how God always call us beyond ourselves, what God's calling does in us, and where God's calling leads us.
9/8/2014 • 31 minutes, 12 seconds
It's All God
In the last week of our five week series, Talking About How We Talk About Jesus, Stephen Mulder walks through Acts 16:5-11. He explores how God is sovereign even over our salvation. God's sovereignty, however, does not lead us to apathy but is actually our deepest motivator for sharing our faith.
8/31/2014 • 29 minutes, 51 seconds
Led And Prepared
In the fourth week of our five week series, Talking About How We Talk About Jesus, Alida Oegema walks through Acts 8:26-40. She explores how talking about Jesus is only possible because of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit leads us and prepares others. It's a lot like learning how to dance.
8/24/2014 • 28 minutes, 26 seconds
Go And Make
In the third week of our five week series, Talking About How We Talk About Jesus, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks through Matthew 28:16-20. He talks about how when we invite people to "come and see" or when we "go and tell" people about the gospel, we're actually fulfilling Jesus' command to "go and make disciples."
8/17/2014 • 32 minutes, 50 seconds
Go And Tell
In the second week of our five week series, Talking About How We Talk About Jesus, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks through Mark 5:1-20. He explores how Jesus is the only one who can transform a life and how we're called to go tell people of our encounters of his mercy.
8/10/2014 • 31 minutes, 42 seconds
Come And See
In the first week of our five week series, Talking About How We Talk About Jesus, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks through John 1:43-51. He explores how Jesus invites people into encounters with him. As we follow his example, we invite people to come and see Jesus through Scripture and prophesy.
8/3/2014 • 29 minutes, 45 seconds
Covenantal Praise
In the second week of our three week series on the Psalm, Michael Chase looks at a Psalm of Reorientation - Psalm 103. He explains that the Psalm begins with the "self summoning the self to praise" and then goes on to show the basis of that praise: God's transformative, generous and covenantal way with us.
7/21/2014 • 27 minutes, 31 seconds
Permission To Speak Freely
In this sermon on Psalm 88, Roger Revell discusses the reality of frustration, sorrow, anger and disorientation in Christian life. Psalm 88, along with other lament psalms, give us permission to speak freely before God. The fact that Jesus Christ, too, knows the misery of such psalms becomes the source of hope in such moments of despair.
7/14/2014 • 38 minutes, 22 seconds
Much And Little
In the eleventh and final week of our ten week series in Philippians, Pastor Mike Chase walks through Philippians 4:10-23 in which Paul finally turns to say 'thank you' for the gift the Philippians sent him. But his 'thank you' looks nothing like what we would expect. Instead, he uses this final section of the letter to teach them about the true meaning of friendship, contentment and generosity.
7/8/2014 • 30 minutes
A Pirate's Path To Peace
Pastor Roger unpacks Paul's exhortation to Christians to experience inner tranquility, joy, and gratitude. But how do we find relief from the anxiety and worry that plagues us? By making sure that we root our sense of well-being in God's presence and promises. This is a sometimes subversive undertaking. But its one that leads to peace which surpasses understanding.
6/30/2014 • 30 minutes, 32 seconds
Enemies And Citizens
Unfortunately the sermon from the eight week of our series in Philippians did not record. We hope you enjoy this rendition of the theme song from the Lion King instead.
6/24/2014 • 20 seconds
The Surpassing Worth Of Knowing Jesus
In the eighth week of our ten week series in Philippians, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks through Philippians 3:1-15, one of the most intimate and personal passages in all of Paul's letters. Because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus as our Lord, we can count everything as a loss as we press on to gaining him.
6/15/2014 • 40 minutes
Letters In People
In the seventh week of our ten week series in Philippians, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks through Philippians 2:19-30, which can seem like an odd passage at first. It’s just updates about people Paul is sending the Philippians way. But there’s more to it. It’s a passage about how we actually step closer to Jesus by stepping towards people who make him desirable and plausible to us.
6/8/2014 • 28 minutes, 6 seconds
Work Out Your Salvation
In the sixth week of our ten week series in Philippians, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks through Philippians 2:12-18. In this passage, Paul reminds the Philippians that the God who began a good work in their lives will bring it to completion, but between now and then he is working in and through us. Listen as Alastair unpacks how God invites us to participate in his ongoing work of salvation in our lives, and the work that we can do so that the gospel shines through our lives.
6/2/2014 • 25 minutes, 25 seconds
The Stories That Define Us
In the fifth week of our ten week series in Philippians, Pastor Alastair Sterne walks through Philippians 2:1-11. At this point in the letter Paul is still hashing out what it looks like to live in a manner worthy of the gospel, and so he recites the story that governs and shapes the life of the church. Listen as Alastair unpacks how stories define us, and how the story of the gospel has the power to birth humility in us.
5/25/2014 • 34 minutes, 55 seconds
The Gift Of Suffering
In the fourth week of our ten week series in Philippians, Pastor Mike Chase walks through Philippians 1:27-30. At this point in the letter Paul turns to talk about the Philippian's situation, encouraging them to live as worthy citizens of the gospel. Listen as Mike unpacks what Paul means by this and shows why suffering for the sake of the gospel is ultimately a gift.
5/18/2014 • 31 minutes, 37 seconds
A 'Fries Or Salad?' Decision
In the third week of our ten week series in Philippians, Pastor Mike Chase explores Philippians 1:18a-26. In this section of the letter Paul takes up the question of life and death. Listen as Mike shows why we ought to prefer death to life, why should ultimately choose life, and how that sort of posture is even possible.
5/11/2014 • 27 minutes, 15 seconds
Advancing The Gospel
In the second week of our ten week series in Philippians, Pastor Alastair Sterne explores Philippians 1:12-18a. Listen as he explains how God advances the gospel in us, through us, with us and even despite us.
5/6/2014 • 35 minutes, 13 seconds
From Start To Finish And Everywhere In Between
In the first week of our ten week series in Philippians, Pastor Alastair Sterne explores Philippians 1:1-11. Because of the stunning totality of the gospel we have a joy bigger than ourselves. Listen as he looks at the joy of the gospel, our struggle with joy, and the ongoing joy of the gospel.
4/27/2014 • 32 minutes, 14 seconds
"The Resurrection Is A Myth!"
Most people say “The resurrection is a myth!” That's even what Jesus' own followers said to a group of women who first said the resurrection happened. "They're making it up! Don't listen to them!" Why can't Christians let the resurrection go? Pastor Alastair Sterne looks at the eye-witness testimony of the empty tomb, how we respond to it, and why Christians can't let the resurrection go.
4/20/2014 • 30 minutes, 16 seconds
Remember. Return.
This week Pastor Mike Chase us through the last section of the book of Malachi. He shows us that our ability to stand before God on the day of judgment requires three things: God's long and selective memory, our returning to him in both fear and promise, and Christ's reversal. Because in the end, God became the one who was despised and rejected in order that he might make us his treasured possession.
4/13/2014 • 27 minutes, 11 seconds
Why Does God Want Our Money?
This week, Pastor Alastair Sterne takes us through Malachi 3:7-12. This commonly misunderstood passage on tithing helps us answer the question, "Why does God want our money?" Pastor Alastair looks at the curse of our wallet-shaped hearts and how God reshapes our hearts through giving to be more like His generous heart.
4/6/2014 • 33 minutes, 57 seconds
Where Is The God Of Justice?
This week, Pastor Alastair Sterne takes us through Malachi 2:7-3:6. God says explicitly, “I do not change.” His love towards his people is unchanging. Yet it doesn’t alway seem that way does it? Sometimes it seems God has changed, and sometimes we want God to change. Listen as Pastor Alastair explains why do we want God to change, the bad news of a God who doesn’t change, and the good news of a God who doesn’t change.
3/30/2014 • 31 minutes, 34 seconds
A Faithless Love
This week Pastor Michael Chase deals with a topic very close to God's heart: Marriage and divorce. He shares about God’s vision for marriage as a picture of His faithfulness to his people, and therefore why divorce is so devastating. However, it is not only a sermon for those who are married, because everyone, no matter what stage or mode of life they are at, is affected by marriage. And finally he shows how the one true source and foundation of marriage is Christ; the faithful bridegroom who died to unite himself with his adulterous bride.
3/23/2014 • 27 minutes, 39 seconds
Laying It To Heart
In the third week of our seven week series in Malachi, Roger Revell unpacks Malachi 2.1-9. This is a difficult and even jarring passage. Listen as Roger explores God's expectations for his priests and discusses Malachi's sharp criticisms against them. Some of the same problems exist in the church today. In spite of all such failures, God's grace is at work. This is why he sent his son, Jesus, to be the true and perfect priest to his people.
3/16/2014 • 33 minutes, 23 seconds
How Have We Despised Your Name?
In the second week of our seven week series in Malachi, Pastor Alastair Sterne explores Malachi 1:6-14. Listen as he explains how the sacrifices we make for God reflect how we see ourselves and how we see God.
3/9/2014 • 34 minutes, 25 seconds
Psalm 32
As we celebrate Ash Wednesday, Pastor Michael Chase speaks to us about what is at the heart of the season of Lent: a yielding of self to God. We are all deeply affected by sin, not only in how it breaks our relationship with God, but also because of the toll it takes on our bodies. Psalm 32 is a fitting text for Lent because it invites us to experience restored intimacy with God and shows us what that actually looks like.
3/5/2014 • 17 minutes, 23 seconds
Don't Worry, Seek The Kingdom
Next to the kingdom of God, Jesus speaks about money more than any other topic. What Jesus teaches about money has huge implications for our lives. This week, Pastor Alastair Sterne looks at Luke 12:22-34. Jesus teaches us that where we put our treasure our hearts will be. When we invest ourselves and our stuff into the world, we will worry. But when we invest into the kingdom of God, we find a greater return than we could ever expect.
2/23/2014 • 31 minutes, 24 seconds
The Foolishness Of Wealth
Next to the kingdom of God, Jesus speaks about money more than any other topic. What Jesus teaches about money has huge implications for our lives. This week, Pastor Alastair Sterne looks at Luke 12:13-21. In it we see that there is more to life than our stuff. But when we make life about our stuff, we always want more stuff and we damage our lives, our relationships, and most of all our relationship with God. There is more to life, there is true riches but it's not found in our stuff at all.
2/17/2014 • 31 minutes, 56 seconds
A Costly Repentance
Next to the kingdom of God, Jesus speaks about money more than any other topic. What Jesus teaches about money has huge implications for our lives. This week, Pastor Michael Chase looks at Luke 18:35-19:10. In it we see that repentance is always costly. True repentance makes money a peripheral reality in our lives, but just because money moves to the periphery it doesn't mean that how we deal with it is unimportant.
2/9/2014 • 26 minutes, 25 seconds
The Currency Of The Kingdom
Next to the kingdom of God, Jesus speaks about money more than any other topic. What Jesus teaches about money has huge implications for our lives. This week, Pastor Alastair Sterne looks at Luke 18:18-30. In it we see the themes of the kingdom of God and money colliding. The economy of God does not operate like the economies of our world.
2/3/2014 • 31 minutes
How Have You Loved Us?
In the first week of our seven week series in Malachi, Pastor Alastair Sterne explores Malachi 1:1-5. Listen as he talks about how the people of God began to question God's love in such a way that it led to accusations and false conclusions about who God is. Yet God in his love engaged all the tough questions and doubts because God wants his people to not only understand his love intellectually, but to experience and know it in their lives.