The Second Sunday before Advent - 18 November 2018 - Sermon & Service Sheet...

Please click from here to play the audio recording of the sermon which was preached at the Parish Mass on Sunday 18 November 2018 (2nd Sunday before Advent). 
The preacher was the Vicar, Fr Paul Trathen.

Our service sheet for the day looks like this...

All Age Parish Mass - Sunday 22 July 2018 - Saint Mary Magdalene

This Sunday (22 July 2018) we will learn more about the 'apostle to the apostles', the first witness of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus, St Mary Magdalene.

As ever, at our ALL AGE PARISH MASS, there will be prayer and activity stations aplenty, as we all earn, reflect and pray...

All welcome!  See you there?  (Starts at 10.00am....finishes by 11.00am...)


 

Sea Sunday 2018

On Sunday 8 July 2018, we held our Parish Mass in the morning, in part recognising that it was Sea Sunday.

The Vicar is a former worker with the Mission to Seafarers - having served in the ports of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Dunkerque, France - and is now one of their Honorary Preachers.

You can find a link to the audio of his sermon, here.

St Peter's Day sermon 2018

On Sunday 1 July 2018, we held our Patronal Festival Parish Mass in the morning, and then travelled to our neighbours in Wanstead parish, where a number of us from the church family gathered to pray, talk and listen, to help gather and express our refreshed Vision and Values as a parish...

More details of the latter will percolate through our life in the coming weeks and months, but for now we post the excellent morning sermon given by our Deacon, Sue Diplock.

ASCENSION DAY - PARISH MASS

PARISH MASS FOR ASCENSION DAY 

ST PETER-IN-THE-FOREST

WALTHAMSTOW

THURSDAY 10 MAY 2018

9.30AM

There are no decorated evergreens, no greeting cards, no gifts, no poinsettias or lilies, no coloured eggs, no chocolate bunnies, and no responsive salutation. There’s just a Thursday with an extra name: Ascension. It’s not just the world that has ignored the festival. The Church seems to have lost interest as well. Most congregations have elected to forgo a worship service on Ascension and those that cling to the tradition count on few to attend. Apparently, Ascension Day doesn’t matter.

But it does matter. In fact, it matters every bit as much as Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas. It deserves to be celebrated. For those still unconvinced, here are seven reasons to rejoice on Ascension Day:

1. Jesus ascended so that the Holy Spirit could descend. 

The Spirit is the promised “other Comforter” essential to the life and growth of the Church—no Holy Spirit, no Church, no faith, no salvation. Jesus ascended to send the Spirit.

2. Jesus reigns now over everything. 

He has been enthroned at the Father’s right hand, and the full glory of the Godhead is His. The ascension is His coronation ceremony and highlights the splendour and authority of Jesus over every king, ruler, and nation.

3. The ascension was the plan from the very beginning. 

Just as the passion and resurrection were predicted in the Old Testament, so too was the ascension. Jesus’ extraordinary visible ascent is the essential capstone of his earthly ministry.

4. Jesus ascended bodily. 

Joined eternally to true God, a true human body is the object of honour and worship. This has profound impact on our understanding of God’s nature and also human nature. The material aspects of God’s creation are very good and endure forever.

5. The commission announced by Jesus is now in full force. 

Just as a death must precede the implementation of a will, so the ascension of Jesus must precede the implementation and empowerment of the command to the disciples (you included) to witness the reality of Jesus to the world.

6. The ascension of Jesus is a preview of the promised consummation. 

At the Last Day Jesus will return as He went: physically and visibly. It will not be a “spiritual” or metaphorical return, but an actual coming of His physical body. No one is going to miss it.

7. Jesus is Lord. 

Not only did Jesus come back from the dead, but He now reigns on high. He is Lord of all creation. He is Lord of your life.

Whether or not anyone else joins you, you’ve got much to celebrate on Ascension Day. At the very least, take a moment to gaze skyward, study a cloud, and offer a prayer of thanks and praise and anticipation to the one who now reigns on high and who is coming soon.

Holy Week and Easter Services at St Peter-in-the-Forest

Christmas Services at St Peter-in-the-Forest Church

Advent - a time to wait...

The holy season of Advent begins this Sunday 3 December 2017.

It is a time for watching and waiting, for preparing to behold the wonder of the Light of God revealed...

Why not join us for our All Age worship this Sunday, or our more traditional Parish Mass, on any of the other Sundays of December?...

You will be made most welcome at St Peter-in-the-Forest!

Sermon from the 13th Sunday after Trinity (Proper 17B)

This is a sermon preached by the Vicar, Fr Paul Trathen, at the Parish Mass on Sunday 30 August 2015.  He draws on the lectionary texts set for the day:

DEUTERONOMY 4:1-2, 6-9

JAMES 1:17-27

MARK 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Travelling light, in pairs?...

This is the transcript of a sermon preached by the Vicar of St Peter's (& Chaplain of Forest School), when visiting our neighbouring parish of St Andrew's, Leytonstone, on Sunday 5 July 2015.
Drawing on the scriptures set for Mass that day, he finds plenty to ponder about the idea that our parishes and ministries should travel together, and travel light...

Rules for life?...

On the Third Sunday of Lent, the Vicar preached about the Ten Commandments (our first scripture reading for the day being the account in Exodus 20 of Moses being given the Commandments from God). 
He offered this 'refreshed' phrasing of the 'Rules for life..."

          Watch what you worship

          Beware objects becoming idols

          Don’t enlist God to validate your own ideas

          Live life in a godly balance and let God refresh you

          Pay special attention to parents and family

          Don’t damage other people by your words or actions

          Be loyal to your partner throughout your life

          Don’t take what isn’t yours and don’t keep what you should be giving away

          Don’t lie to get yourself out of trouble or to get others into it

          Live with what you have and give thanks for it

Advent thoughts...

We had a thoughtful journey through the season of Advent 2014.  Here are some of its moments...