Brunch
2023-05-20 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Vancouver) | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
After a couple of years with very few gatherings due to the fear of Covid, St. Paul’s is planning to have a monthly Saturday brunch. The first of these brunches will occur on Mar 18. If you would like to attend, please let us know so that we will have enough food for everyone. The brunch will begin at 10:00 AM. We look forward for this time of fellowship, and look forward to seeing you there.

Divine Worship
2023-05-21 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Worship Service at 10:30am
SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
(21 May 2023)

Acts 1:12–26
1 Peter 4:12–19; 5:6–11
John 17:1–11

Our Lord Jesus Is with Us in the Upper Room of His Church on Earth

On the night when He was betrayed, our Lord Jesus prayed for His apostles and His Church on earth. “The hour” had come when the Father would glorify His Son by the cross (John 17:1). Through the shedding of His blood, He would bring forgiveness for the sins of the world, and in His resurrection and ascension He would unite all Christians with the Father “that they may be one” with God (John 17:11). He manifested His name to the apostles and gave them the words of the Father to speak in His name. The apostolic witness of His cross and resurrection (Acts 1:21–22) gathers disciples together “with one accord” into the one Body of Christ (Acts 1:14). “Devoting themselves to prayer,” they wait upon the Lord in “the upper room” (Acts 1:13–14), the place of His Holy Supper. Strengthened by the Gospel, Christians bear the cross of Christ in patience and peace, rejoicing to share in His suffering, in order that they “may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:13).

Coffee Service: Refreshments served after Worship

Loaves and Fishes
2023-05-23 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-05-30 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-06-06 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-06-13 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-06-20 11:00 - 12:00, 2023-09-05 11:00 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Loaves and Fishes is a Nanaimo area food bank that provides food for those in need. Food pick and registration is by appointment only. Please check the information below for additional details. Food pick up is between 11am and 12pm.

Clay Tree Society Outreach
2023-05-25 09:00 - 10:00, 2023-06-01 09:00 - 10:00 | Clay Tree Society, 838 Old Victoria Rd, Nanaimo, BC, Canada
Clay Tree outreach delivers the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people with Developmental Disabilities. This is a wonderful opportunity to share the message of salvation, and visit with people with disabilities. Please contact Pastor Fraser at the church if you would like to assist with this Christian outreach.

Divine Worship
2023-05-28 10:30 - 12:00, 2023-09-03 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Worship Service at 10:30am

Coffee Service: Refreshments served after Worship

Divine Worship
2023-06-04 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Worship Service at 10:30am

THE HOLY TRINITY
(4 June 2023)

Genesis 1:1—2:4a
Acts 2:14a, 22–36
Matthew 28:16–20

The Holy Triune God Recreates Us in the Image and Likeness of Christ Jesus

The holy Triune God “created the heavens and the earth,” and “behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:1, 31). However, after Adam and Eve fell into sin and plunged God’s good creation into decay and death, the Son of God would be “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God” to be “crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:23). As Jesus “received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:33), He also raises up all the baptized and pours out the Spirit upon them through the preaching of His Gospel. He sends out His apostles to “make disciples of all nations” by “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” and “teaching them to observe all that [He has] commanded” (Matt. 28:19–20). Through such baptizing and teaching — Gospel and Sacraments — the holy Triune God recreates us in the image and likeness of His incarnate Son, Jesus, the Christ, and behold, it is “very good” (Gen. 1:31).
Coffee Service: Refreshments served after Worship

Board Meeting
2023-06-08 19:00 - 21:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Elected members of the board meet for the monthly board meeting.

Divine Worship
2023-06-11 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Worship Service at 10:30am

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Proper 5
(11 June 2023)

Hosea 5:15–6:6
Romans 4:13–25
Matthew 9:9–13

Jesus Calls Sinners to Repentance and Newness of Life in Accordance with His Mercy

In calling Matthew the tax collector to follow Him, Jesus demonstrates that He has come “not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt. 9:9, 13). As a good physician, He comes not to confirm them in their sins, but to heal them with His grace, calling them to repentance, faith and newness of life (Matt. 9:12). He puts them to death by the preaching of His Law, in order to raise them with His Gospel, to live before Him in the righteousness of His resurrection (Hos. 6:1–2, 5). It is in this way that God “gives life to the dead,” that is, through faith in Jesus, “who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Rom. 4:17, 24–25). Thus, sinners from all nations are called to share the same faith as Abraham, the father of all who trust in Jesus (Rom. 4:16–18). And as our Lord in mercy thus welcomes us poor sinners to recline at the table in His house, so does He “desire steadfast love and not sacrifice” (Matt. 9:10, 13; Hos. 6:6), that we should have mercy on our neighbors and forgive their sins against us for Jesus’ sake.
Coffee Service: Refreshments served after Worship

Bible Study - Mondays
2023-06-12 10:00 - 11:00, 2023-06-19 10:00 - 11:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Bible Study continues with a study on the Book of Acts. Listen and learn about the early church and the sharing of the Gospel message by the disciples and Paul, as the spread God’s Word throughout the Roman Empire.

Bible study is held at three different times throughout the week. These are three separate groups studying the book of Acts, so there are different times available to study to fit your schedule
Bible study is held at the following times:

Sunday at 9am before church

Monday at 10am at the church

Wednesday at 7pm – this is an online study held via Zoom.

Contact Pastor Fraser at stpaulslutheran.nanaimo@gmail.com for information.

Bible Study will run till the end of June, before it breaks off for the summer months.

Divine Worship
2023-06-18 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Worship Service at 10:30am

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Proper 6
(18 June 2023)

Exodus 19:2–8
Romans 5:6–15
Matthew 9:35—10:8 (9–20)

The Lord Our God Saves Us in Love and Cares for Us by the Ministry of His Gospel

The holy Triune God “shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners,” ungodly and at enmity with Him, “Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). The incarnate Son has justified us by His blood and reconciled us to His God and Father (Rom. 5:9–10). Whereas sin and death originated with Adam, forgiveness and life abound for all his children through “that one man Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:12–17). As the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, so does He bring us to Himself by the Gospel and make of us “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6) by our Baptism into Christ. For “all that the LORD has spoken” (Ex. 19:8), Christ has done for us. As He has gone up to God by His cross and resurrection, so does He bring us to the Father in Himself (Ex. 19:3–4). Nor does He leave us “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matt. 9:36), but He sends men with authority “to heal every disease and every affliction” by His forgiveness of sins (Matt. 10:1). In their proclamation, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 10:7).
Coffee Service: Refreshments served after Worship

Divine Worship
2023-06-25 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Worship Service at 10:30am

FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Proper 7
(25 June 2023)

Jeremiah 20:7–13
Romans 6:12–23
Matthew 10:5a, 21–33

Delivered from Sin and Death, You Now Live before God in the Righteousness of Christ

The outcome of sin is death, “but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). He has set you free from the slavery of sin and has brought you “from death to life” (Rom. 6:13). No longer are you under the condemnation of the Law, but you live “under grace” (Rom. 6:14). Such is your courage in the face of “those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Matt. 10:28). For though “you will be hated by all” and maligned by the world for the name of Christ (Matt. 10:22, 25), you abide in the care of your Father in heaven, who numbers “even the hairs of your head” and values you more “than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:30–31). By the Word of Christ, you have become like Him, your Teacher and Master in whom you endure to the end, and “will be saved” (Matt. 10:22, 25). For He is with you “as a dread warrior,” who has overcome your enemies (Jer. 20:11). By the righteousness of faith, He delivers your heart, mind, body and life “from the hand of evildoers,” and He brings you into the land of the living (Jer. 20:12–13).
Coffee Service: Refreshments served after Worship

Divine Worship
2023-07-02 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Worship Service at 10:30am

FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Proper 8
(2 July 2023)

Jeremiah 28:5–9
Romans 7:1–13
Matthew 10:34–42

The Lord Jesus Brings Division on Earth for the Sake of Peace with God in Heaven

False prophets preach what their hearers want to hear, promising peace even when the Lord has spoken “war, famine, and pestilence” (Jer. 28:8). But if “the LORD has truly sent the prophet,” he speaks what the Lord has spoken, and “the word of that prophet comes to pass” (Jer. 28:9). The preaching of God’s Law is hard, because it confronts sin, brings it to light and makes it worse, “sinful beyond measure,” thereby “producing death” in the sinner (Rom. 7:13). But through our Baptism into Christ, “we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive” (Rom. 7:6). Now we belong “to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God” (Rom. 7:4). Belonging to Him puts us at odds with the world and divides us from all earthly ties, not only from our human family, but each person from his own life. For Christ does not come “to bring peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10:34). Yet, whoever takes up his cross to follow Christ, and “loses his life” for Christ’s sake, finds new life in Him (Matt. 10:38–39).
Coffee Service: Refreshments served after Worship

Divine Worship
2023-07-09 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Worship Service at 10:30am

SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Proper 9
(9 July 2023)

Zechariah 9:9–12
Romans 7:14–25a
Matthew 11:25–30

Jesus Christ, Our Savior, Is Our True Peace and Sabbath Rest

Though we have died with Christ in Holy Baptism, and we are raised to new life in Him, we find “another law waging war” in our body and life, that is, between our old Adam and the new man (Rom. 7:23). By the Spirit of Christ, we “desire to do what is right,” but we are not able to do so because “nothing good” dwells in our sinful flesh (Rom. 7:18). “Thanks be to God,” therefore, “through Jesus Christ our Lord,” who delivers us from “this body of death” (Rom. 7:24–25). We rejoice in Him, our gentle King, who comes “righteous and having salvation” (Zech. 9:9). He speaks peace to our embattled hearts, and by His blood of the New Testament He sets us “free from the waterless pit,” and He returns us to the stronghold of our Baptism (Zech. 9:10–12). Though we “labor and are heavy laden,” He calls us to Himself and gives rest to our souls through His free and full forgiveness (Matt. 11:28), not because we are “wise and understanding,” but by the “gracious will” of God the Father, whom “the Son chooses to reveal” in love (Matt. 11:25–27).
Coffee Service: Refreshments served after Worship

Divine Worship
2023-07-16 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Worship Service at 10:30am

SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Proper 10
(16 July 2023)

Isaiah 55:10–13
Romans 8:12–17
Matthew 13:1–9, 18–23

The Preaching of the Word of Christ Bears the Good Fruits of Faith and Love

As “the rain and the snow come down from heaven” and “water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout” (Is. 55:10), so the Word of God accomplishes the purpose for which He speaks it, granting joy and peace through the forgiveness of sins and producing the fruits of faith and love in those who are called by His name. Christ Jesus, the incarnate Word, has established the name of the Lord as “an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off” (Is. 55:13). He opens our ears to hear, our minds to understand and our hearts to believe His Word, lest the evil one come and snatch it away. He thus transforms our rocky hearts into good soil, which clings to the Gospel and “indeed bears fruit” (Matt. 13:23). He is Himself the firstfruits of all who “have received the Spirit of adoption as sons” (Rom. 8:15). Thus being “led by the Spirit of God,” we are not afraid, but we cry out in faith to our Father in heaven (Rom. 8:14–15). For as we suffer with Christ, the beloved Son, so shall we “also be glorified with him” (Rom. 8:17).
Coffee Service: Refreshments served after Worship

Divine Worship
2023-07-23 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Worship Service at 10:30am

EIGHTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Proper 11
(23 July 2023)

Isaiah 44:6–8
Romans 8:18–27
Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43

The Word of the Gospel Bestows the Righteousness of Christ and Brings Forth Faith

The good Seed, which is “the Son of Man,” Jesus Himself (Matt. 13:37), brings forth a harvest of faith and bears good fruits in “the sons of the kingdom” (Matt. 13:38). Whatever is sown apart from His Word is of the devil, who plants the weeds of unbelief and sin, even among the people of God. Thankfully, the Lord is patient and He does not uproot the weeds, lest the plants also be destroyed. He lets “both grow together until the harvest” (Matt. 13:30), while He continues to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins. Thus, He preserves His Church in righteousness, because He alone is “the King of Israel and his Redeemer” (Is. 44:6). Since all things are in His gracious care and keeping, “fear not, nor be afraid” (Is. 44:8). For “the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God” (Rom. 8:19), and in this hope we also wait with patience. Though we do not yet see it, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness” (Rom. 8:26) and, in truth, “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom. 8:18).
Coffee Service: Refreshments served after Worship

Divine Worship
2023-07-30 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Worship Service at 10:30am

NINTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Proper 12
(30 July 2023)

Deuteronomy 7:6–9
Romans 8:28–39
Matthew 13:44–52

The Son of God Has Redeemed Us for Himself with His Holy and Precious Blood

The Lord our God has chosen us to be “his treasured possession,” not because of any strength in us, but solely “because the LORD loves” us (Deut. 7:6–8). He is faithful, and He “keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments” (Deut. 7:9). He has searched for us and found us in love, and He has bestowed on us “great value” by the great price that He has paid on the cross (Matt. 13:45–46). In His joy, He has redeemed us by His cross and gathered us into His kingdom by the Gospel. Now we are “hidden in a field,” covered by the cross and subject to the persecution of the world (Matt. 13:44), not for destruction, but “to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29). Since we “are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28), and because Christ Jesus died, rose again and lives to intercede for us “at the right hand of God” (Rom. 8:34), there is nothing in all creation that can separate us from “the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39).
Coffee Service: Refreshments served after Worship

Divine Worship
2023-08-06 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Worship Service at 10:30am

TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Proper 13
(6 August 2023)

Isaiah 55:1–5
Romans 9:1–5 (6–13)
Matthew 14:13–21

Christ Jesus, the Living Bread from Heaven, Feeds the Children of God

By the Gospel of “the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever” (Rom. 9:5), we are “the children of God” (Rom. 9:8), “not because of works but because of him who calls” (Rom. 9:11). Therefore, “listen diligently” and “hear, that your soul may live.” By His sacrificial death in His flesh and blood, He has made “an everlasting covenant” for us. Since He now calls us to Himself, we come to Him “and eat what is good, and delight … in rich food” (Is. 55:2–3). He has come with divine compassion to save us from sin and death and to feed us with Himself. As our Lord Jesus once took bread, “said a blessing,” broke the loaves, “and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds” (Matt. 14:18–19), He also now takes bread, blesses it by His Word to be His very body, and distributes it to His Church by the hand of His called and ordained servants. Just as “they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces,” there is more than enough for His whole Church to eat and to be satisfied (Matt. 14:20).
Coffee Service: Refreshments served after Worship

Divine Worship
2023-08-13 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Worship Service at 10:30am

ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Proper 14
(13 August 2023)

Job 38:4–18
Romans 10:5–17
Matthew 14:22–33

Christ the Crucified Comes to Save Us by the Word of Faith

The Lord who “laid the foundation of the earth” (Job 38:4) is the Author and Giver of life who governs all things by His Word. His wisdom and power are beyond our understanding, except as He reveals Himself in the incarnate Word, Christ Jesus. He has “entered into the springs of the sea” and “walked in the recesses of the deep” (Job 38:16), and He draws near to us in mercy. We have been “a long way from the land, beaten by the waves” and tossed about by hostile winds (Matt. 14:24). In our mortality and sinful unbelief, we do not always recognize the Lord Jesus. But as we cry out in fear, He speaks tenderly to us, “Do not be afraid,” and He reaches out His hand to save us (Matt. 14:27, 31). “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rom. 10:13), and now we call upon Him in faith, because we have heard “through the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17). “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (Rom. 10:8).
Coffee Service: Refreshments served after Worship

Divine Worship
2023-08-20 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Worship Service at 10:30am

TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Proper 15
(20 August 2023)

Isaiah 56:1, 6–8
Romans 11:1–2a, 13–15, 28–32
Matthew 15:21–28

The Church Lives Under the Cross of Christ and Prays in the Hope of His Mercy

By her persistent prayer that Jesus would have mercy and help her (Matt. 15:22, 24), and even in the face of His initial silence and apparent rejection (Matt. 15:23–26), the Canaanite woman boldly confessed her faith in Him (Matt. 15:27–28). Her beautiful example encourages us to cling to the words and promises of the Gospel, even in the face of the Law that accuses and condemns us. “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Rom. 11:29), and His Law “has consigned all to disobedience” for the very purpose “that he may have mercy on all” (Rom. 11:32). Hence, the woman’s faith and hope were not disappointed, but her prayers were answered in the mercy of Christ. Not only does He grant us the crumbs from His table, but He also feeds us with “the children’s bread” in the house of His Father (Matt. 15:26–27). He has brought us to His “holy mountain,” and He makes us joyful in His house, where He hears our prayers and accepts our sacrifice of praise upon the altar of His cross (Is. 56:7).
Coffee Service: Refreshments served after Worship

Divine Worship
2023-08-27 10:30 - 12:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Worship Service at 10:30am

THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Proper 16
(27 August 2023)

Isaiah 51:1–6
Romans 11:33—12:8
Matthew 16:13–20

The Lord Jesus Christ Is the Son of the Living God

Jesus asked His disciples: “But who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15). The question is also put to us: Who do you say that He is? Flesh and blood do not reveal this to us, but by the ministry of the Gospel, the Father in heaven reveals His Son to us on earth, who has become flesh and suffered death for our salvation. Thus, we believe and confess that He is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16). As He died for our transgressions and was raised for our justification, He looses us from all our sins and preserves our life within His Church, against which even “the gates of hell shall not prevail” (Matt. 16:18–19). His salvation is forever, and His righteousness “will never be dismayed” (Is. 51:6). He comforts us with the Gospel in His Church, so that “joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song” (Is. 51:3). Therefore, “according to the measure of faith that God has assigned” (Rom. 12:3), we also offer ourselves “as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God” (Rom. 12:1) through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Coffee Service: Refreshments served after Worship

Elder's Meeting
2023-09-05 14:00 - 15:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
The elders of St, Paul’s Lutheran Church gather together with the Pastor to discuss the spiritual needs of the congregation.

Bible Study - Sundays
2023-09-10 09:00 - 10:00 | St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 394 Shepherd Avenue, Nanaimo, British Columbia, V9R 3X1, Canada
Bible Study continues with a study on the Book of Hebrews. Listen and learn about the early church and the sharing of the Gospel message by the disciples and Paul, as the spread God’s Word throughout the Roman Empire.

Bible study is held at three different times throughout the week. These are three separate groups studying the book of Acts, so there are different times available to study to fit your schedule
Bible study is held at the following times:

Sunday at 9am before church

Monday at 10am at the church

Wednesday at 7pm – this is an online study held via Zoom.

Contact Pastor Fraser at stpaulslutheran.nanaimo@gmail.com for information.

Bible Study will run till the end of June, before it breaks off for the summer months.
