Come as you are.
Life-long Jesus follower, or never cracked open a Bible. Shirt and tie guy, or jeans and sneakers person. You are welcome here. We invite you to join our perfectly imperfect community where we explore together the big questions: What’s the meaning of life? Does my life have a purpose? Who is Jesus? What does it mean to be a Christian? No question is dumb or insignificant. We explore these together, we seek to bring hope and healing in our neighbourhood and city through practical projects all while having fun and the odd potluck!
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St Paul’s Presbyterian Church
1545 Monaghan Road – enter at McDonnel Street
Join us at St Paul’s Presbyterian worship sanctuary located at the front north corner of The Mount Community Centre
YouTube
StPaulsPeterborough on YouTube
The service video will be playing live on Sunday or the recording will be available after to view / listen in if you missed it.
This week we have seen images of joyful crowds in Syria celebrating the fall of the Assad dynasty, a dynasty marked by violence, corruption, supression of human rights and more. It is a reminder to us that when things seem bleak, suddenly and often unexpectedly, a breakthrough can occur and with it a joy buried and smothered by worry, want and sorrow, can erupt and overflow.
This Sunday we will study John the Baptist’s words to the crowds who flocked to see him on the banks of the Jordan river. His words seem brutal. He calls his listeners, a “brood of vipers” ! At first glance it seems that John is more of a killjoy than a bringer of joy, an announcer of Good News for all people!.
Yet the Holy Spirit has drawn these crowds there and they ask John “What shall we do?” In his answer we find enduring joy, a joy for all where no one is in want, no one is excluded or exploited, and everyone is transformed by exuberant, unexpected joy. And couldn’t we all use more of that?!
To prepare, read ahead: Zephaniah 3:14-20 and Luke 3:7-18
This Sunday we continue our “More than Words” Advent series with a look at the word Hope. Just as care is sometimes confused with love, so too hope can be confused with optimism.The renowned theologian Juergen Moltmann, wrote a classic text on the subject called A Theology of Hope. In it he helpfully explains the difference between hope and optimism. Both, he says entail positive expectations with regard to the future. But they are radically different stances toward reality.
Have I lost you? Here’s a way to think about it: If my daughter Rachel could pick up Little Bear and read it when she was in kindergarten, I could legitimately be optimistic that she would do reasonably well in the first grade. If extrapolation is incorrect, optimism is misplaced, illusory. Perhaps my younger daughter Stephanie is very good at doing cartwheels as a young child (which she was), but it would have been foolish of me to bet that based on that skill alone she would win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics.
Our positive expectations of the future are based mostly on such extrapolative thinking. We see the orange glow on the horizon, and we expect that morning will be bathed in sunshine. Such informed, grounded optimism is important in our private and professional lives, for the functioning of families, economy and politics. But optimism is not hope.
One of Moltmann’s lasting contributions in Theology of Hope was to insist that hope, unlike optimism, is independent of people’s circumstances. Hope is not based on the possibilities of the situation and on correct extrapolation about the future. Hope is grounded in the faithfulness of God and therefore on the effectiveness of God’s promise.
This is the hope that energizes to work for positive change even when as the world gives into despair.
To prepare, please read: Jeremiah 32: 1-12; 33:1-16 and Luke 21:25-36.
Maybe, like me, you grew up watching courtroom TV such as “The Peoples’ Court” or “Judge Judy.” If so, you might have come to the conclusion that justice is about fairness, responsibility and keeping your word. I think we’d gladly use that definition in daily life. We often see justice as people getting what they deserve, and Judy certainly tried to make sure everyone received what they were owed, that everyone paid their dues and that no one got a free ride, and that no one was treated unfairly. But what are we to make of our ruler Jesus, standing before Pilate in the gospel lesson from John 18? Jesus is hardly on a throne. He isn’t sitting above anyone. He isn’t administering justice or issuing rulings. Jesus is the one on trial, and the trial itself is a sham, far from just. Join us this Sunday as we study two trials: Jesus trial before the Sanhedrin (the Jewish rulers) and his trial before Pilate. What do they teach us about what justice looks like in Jesus’ kingdom and how we can “do likewise” here and now?
To prepare, please read: 2 Samuel 23:1-7 and John 18:28-40.
This Sunday we will continue our new Advent sermon series titled “More than Words” as we look at scriptures that bring to life the word: faith. It’s one thing to say we have faith, but quite another to act out our faith. We often talk about faith as something we must generate within ourselves: “Just have a little faith,” you might have heard (or maybe you have even said this to someone) while struggling with a difficult problem or relationship. This command to “just have a little more faith” suggests that faith is a matter of will power. But faith, like all the Advent themes we’re exploring this season is a gift from God. However, God gifts us all differently and faith is a gift that not everyone has. The good news is that faith isn’t something you are required to have to come to church. Rather, church is the place to go when you don’t have faith for yourself, because it’s where other people carry faith for you. We lean on each other in loving vulnerability.
If we want to know what faith is, we should begin with God’s own faithfulness. This Sunday we’ll consider the story of Hannah, who longed for a son and believed God could fill her barren womb. She was right. What can we learn from her example? We’ll also consider “misplaced” faith as we eavesdrop on a conversation between Jesus and his disciples. Sometimes it is easier to place our faith in visible, concrete displays of power and wealth than in the honest vulnerability that is the true source of our salvation.
After our Remembrance Day commemoration portion of our service, we will transition into our regular service of worship. This year we are going to have an extended advent of seven weeks versus the usual four. Our theme for Advent this year is “More than Words.” This won’t be a look at how to control our tongues or advice to choose our words carefully…although both are worthwhile pursuits!
No, instead, we’ll be asking how do we, as Christians embody these words. How do we show them in our actions, attitudes, priorities and how does our triune God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit show these in scripture and practice?
Our first word is “care.” Care often gets confused with love. You can care about something without necessarily loving it. For example, if you care about your body you might eat more green vegetables and exercise, although you don’t particularly love either. Making a distinction between love and care isn’t just wordplay; it’s a necessity. Care is characterized by devotion, consistency, attention to detail, and some sense of obligation. It may require specialized skills, or it may just require time. Either way, care requires consistent investment — attention provided over the long haul.
Scripture is full of examples of God’s care for us, and this Sunday we’ll study how different leaders cared (or not) for the people in their communities. God so cared for this world, that He sent his only son, Jesus, at Christmas to show us how to live, love and care for others.
During Advent you will also receive a weekly devotional every Monday morning in your mailbox helping us to reflect and pray about the word we’ve studied the previous Sunday. Your first devotion will arrive November 11th.
To prepare, please read: 1 Kings 17: 8-24 and Mark 12:38-44
This Sunday we celebrate “All Saints” in our church calendar. You might be tempted to say All? are saints? But yes, ALL whom Christ has called, he has made saints!
But wait, you might say, how can I be a saint, if I’m also a sinner? Great question! Join us this Sunday as we look at this apparent contradiction.
To prepare, read ahead:
Philippians 1:1-26 (ESV)
Galatians 2:15-21
This Sunday we will finish our sermon series on forgiveness called “Reconcilable Differences” by asking: are we holding onto a grudge against God? If so, how can we resolve this difference with Him?
To help us think about how we navigate disappointments, losses and setbacks in life we will study the life of Joseph (no not Mary’s husband Joseph — the Joseph of the technicolour dreamcoat fame). God gave him dreams and the ability to interpret them. However little did he know that the dreams of grandeur he had would also involve heartbreak and imprisonment for doing the right thing!
If you are finding it hard to trust God’s plan for your life and are even a little angry at God for how life is treating you, I hope you’ll join us on Sunday.
To prepare, read ahead: Genesis 37, 39 and 45:1-11
This Sunday we will resume our “Reconcilable Differences” sermon series as we continue to learn from God’s word how we can become “forgiven forgivers.” We have received very positive feedback to this series and Pastor Debora thanks those who have shared with her how this teaching series is helping you build stronger relationships.
Our Music Director, Douglas Schalin suggested that we cover the topic of “forgiving ourselves.” He has observed that often people live with deep and persistent feelings of regret and self-condemnation over some action or words spoken which they feel are unforgivable.
So this Sunday we will discuss how we can forgive ourselves by studying the story of two men in scripture. Both messed up. One was able to receive Christ’s forgiveness, was restored in his relationship with his Lord, and went on to have a fruitful ministry. The other man turned away from Christ, gave into despair and killed himself. He believed what he had done to be unforgivable.
To prepare, read ahead: Matthew 26:14-16; 69-75 and Matthew 27:1-5
Happy Thanksgiving! Everyone is welcome to join us this Sunday.
Our own elder, Brenda Roxburgh, will be preaching on the theme that testimony is giving.
We look forward to hearing her words on this special Sunday.
To prepare, read Psalm 107: 1-9, John 8: 12-19, 1 John 5: 6-12.
This Sunday we will resume our sermon series called: Reconcilable Differences as we consider the cost of UNforgiveness.
As we know forgiveness, in and of itself, doesn’t make the pain go away. We can’t easily forget the betrayal, we don’t quickly rebuild lost trust and we may have experienced some permanent loss that can never be restored.
There is a cost to forgiveness and also to unforgiveness. God leaves it up to us which we will choose. There are consequences to both. What consequences ultimately will be easier for us to bear? Join us as we consider the price of unforgiveness.
To prepare, read: Leviticus 19:15-18, Matthew 6:5-15 and 2 Corinthians 2:5-11.
If you were asked to name Jesus’s disciples, or the writers of the Gospels or the New Testament letters, you would come up with a list of names, men’s names. But what of the women who played important parts in early Christianity? Could you name any of them, or describe what the roles they played? Sadly, most of us come up short on this information. But this Sunday, our own Elder Eric Prugh will discuss “Women with Jesus,” so we will all have a chance to make up for this lack of knowledge and understanding.
This Sunday we will continue with part two of our sermon series on “Reconcilable Differences.” In this sermon we’ll consider whether forgiveness is optional. Are some offences just too horrific to merit forgiveness — for example, the murder of a child? If we forgive in such cases does it mean we are letting the perpetrator “off the hook” and perhaps granting them permission to offend again?
This Sunday we will consider two contemporary real-life stories and contrast these with Jesus’ parable of the Unforgiving Servant. How would Jesus have us respond…and why?
This Sunday we are going to shine a spotlight on some of the good work undertaken by Presbyterian World Service and
This Sunday we will begin a new sermon series on the topic of forgiveness called “Reconcilable Differences.” We hear far more about irreconcilable differences these days – usually in the context of failed marriages.
But irreconcilable differences are not limited to marriage partnerships as we well know. It seems that it is far easier to slap a label on another person: “liar”, “anti-vaxxer”, “deranged”, than to work to understand their point of view and to seek common ground. The society in which we are living in has been called a “cancel culture” in which people move very quickly from a place of disagreement or a revelation of some scandal to automatically and permanently wishing to punish, condemn and cast out the offending party.
When Jesus was teaching long ago, in the crowd were those who hoped to cancel him. When he forgave a man of his sins, they were outraged that he should have the audacity to claim to be God. As we know, over time they did try to cancel him, permanently and forever on a cross. Fortunately for them, and us, they didn’t succeed and instead were offered forgiveness.
So how can we forgive? And if we do, does it mean that we are foregoing justice? We will be exploring these and other questions in the course of the series.
I hope you’ll join us and invite anyone you may know in your life who might be struggling to forgive — whether that’s themselves or someone else.
On another note: Our choir is back! It will be wonderful to have them participate in worship once again after a well-deserved summer break.
Once again we are asking for your support to bring some Christmas cheer to the orphans who live at Little Angels Orphanage in Jacmel, Haiti.
For $25 per child we can provide a gift for them to unwrap on Christmas Day.
Donations can be made by cash, cheque (payable to St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church), or
via etransfer to finance@stpaulspeterborough.ca. (reference Haiti Christmas Program in the memo line). If donating with cash please put your name and ‘Haiti Christmas’ on the outside of your envelope.
All donations are eligible to be included in your annual income tax receipt.
The deadline to contribute is December 6th.
If you, or someone you know has recently experienced the death of a loved one, St. Paul’s would like to invite you to join a community of support called “GriefShare” beginning in January. Over the course of 13 weeks we will explore some of the common experiences and feelings individuals face when a loved one dies through video presentations and group discussions. Among the topics covered are: loneliness and fear; regrets and anger; how grief affects other relationships and duties within the remaining family, how to cope with difficult emotions, brain fog and fatigue and much more.
OFFERING
You can send weekly or monthly offering by mail, by dropping off at the church’s new letter slot in the green door, by Pre Authorized Remittance (PAR), and through www.CanadaHelps.org by searching for St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church Peterborough. Electronic bank transfer (e-transfers) can be sent to finance@stpaulspeterborough.ca
