Pilgrim Church

What Are You Wearing? with guest Darren Lof

Galatians 3:23-4:7

People often use clothing to communicate identity, status, occupation, or belonging. What you wear can often say who you are or what you are aligned with. In Galatians 3:23-4:7, Paul uses a clothing metaphor to challenge believers to consider what they are wearing "spiritually". Are we dressed in the old clothing of control, of fear, of immaturity? Or have we been clothed in Christ and welcomed into God's family? What are you wearing?

Darren and his wife Crista run a small church in Steveston called Church at the Hub. It has been described as a fresh expression of church that aims to help people to live a flourishing life with and through Jesus. In addition, they also run the Steveston Hub, which is an alternative community space in the heart of Steveston. Darren and Crista have a daughter, son-in-law, and grandsons living in South Africa, as well as another son who is known to play the drums at Pilgrim.

For reflection & discussion:

1. In what ways do people try to earn God's approval instead of receiving it by faith in Christ?

2. What does it practically mean to "clothe yourselves with Christ" in your daily life?

3. How does knowing that you are God's adopted child and heir change the way you face struggles, failures, and uncertainties?

Clothed With Christ with Josh Liem

Galatians 3

This Sunday in Galatians 3, Paul pulls us through the whole biblical story— from a garden, to Abraham, to Moses and the Law, to the cross and an empty tomb, and Pentecost— to answer one question: how does a fractured world become one family?

For reflection & discussion:

1. What's one thing growing up that made you feel like you "belonged" — a team, a family ritual, a friend group, a place? What signalled that you were in? 

2. Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong at a church gathering?  Describe the experience.

3. Have you ever looked at someone else like they didn’t belong in a church gathering?  Why?  If we use Paul’s letters as a framework, was it a legitimate reason?

4. Rephrase Galatians 3:28 for our context.  What would be the most challenging or controversial pairing for you, and why?

5. God told Abraham he was blessed to be a blessing — that through him "all the families of the earth" would be blessed. Who are the "families" — neighbours, coworkers, classmates, the regulars at your coffee shop — that you cross paths with every week and could see yourself praying for by name? Pick one and tell the group.

Galatians: Life in the Spirit, Hot and Cold with Guest Rev. Dr. Ross Lockhart

Galatians 2:11-21

We all know the swing between great days and not‑so‑great ones, whether at work, on the golf course, or in our relationships. This Sunday is Pentecost—the birth of the church and one of Peter’s greatest ministry moments—yet our series in Galatians 2:11–21 shows him on a far less shining day. As followers of Jesus, we’re invited to make sense of these highs and lows and what it means to be spiritually hot or cold as we grow in faith.

Rev. Dr. Ross Lockhart is Professor of Mission Studies at Vancouver School of Theology and Dean of St. Andrew’s Hall. Ross loves teaching, researching and writing in the area of practical theology, with a special emphasis upon missiology. Ross holds a PhD from Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, and is author of Lessons from Laodicea: Missional Leadership in a Culture of Affluence; Beyond Snakes and Shamrocks: St. Patrick’s Missional Leadership Lessons for Today; co-author of Better Than Brunch: Missional Churches in Cascadia as well as Christianity: An Asian Religion in Vancouver and editor of Christian Witness in Cascadian Soil.

For reflection & discussion:

1. What stood out to you most from the sermon, and why?

2. How does this message challenge or affirm your current understanding of God or faith?

3. Was there a specific story, scripture, or phrase that you found especially meaningful or difficult?

4. How can we live this out together in our daily lives or as a group?

5. What is one step you feel invited to take this week in response to the sermon?

Destructive Zeal and Redemption with Josh Liem

Galatians 1:11-2:10

This Sunday, we continue our Life in the Spirit series in Galatians 1:11–2:10, where the Apostle Paul tells us his own story — the embarrassing parts and all. We'll see how Paul's shameful chapter became the very credential of his ministry, and how your own story is where Jesus is being made visible.

For reflection & discussion:

1. When you were 18, what did you think your life was going to look like? How close did it get?

2. The sermon walked through Paul's autobiography in five movements: his former life, the great reversal, Arabia, his visit with Peter, and his ministry. Share your story.  Does it bear any resemblances to Paul’s?  

Were there any too-vulnerable details you left out? (you don’t need to share, just notice.)

1. Galatians 2:10 says the one thing the Jerusalem apostles asked of Paul was "remember the poor." Why was this the litmus test for the gospel? 

2. The sermon described Arabia as "a place of assimilation and reflection" — where Paul went to unpack his life before God. Eugene Peterson wrote, "Arabia can be a couple of hours in a quiet room, or in worship each Sunday, or seizing times of solitude." Where is your Arabia? When did you last go there? What kept you away?

3. The sermon asked the question: "What is the trap you can see, because you used to live in it?" Paul's persecution-past gave him eyes to recognize religious coercion when it crept into the Galatian church. What trap can you recognize because of your own story? Who in your life — or in our city — is currently caught in that trap, and what could you do this month to be present to them?

4. The Jerusalem apostles asked Paul to "remember the poor." The sermon said: "A freedom that ignores or forgets or despises the poor is a bogus freedom." In our specific neighbourhood — South Vancouver — who are the poor and forgotten that this group could begin to remember together? Brainstorm specifically. What's one small step?

Galatians: Life in the Spirit with Joshua Liem

The Gospel

Galatians 1:1-10

This Sunday we start Life in the Spirit, an eight-week journey through Paul's letter to the Galatians. Paul writes with shocking urgency to a young church drifting toward a counterfeit gospel — and his words still cut through the noise of our own day. Whether you're new, exploring, or have been around forever, come and rediscover the rescue at the heart of the Christian story.

For reflection & discussion:

1. What's something you bought, tried, or believed in this past year because it promised to make your life better?   How did it actually go?

2. How would you proclaim “the Gospel”?

3. Paul writes from a community: "all the brothers and sisters with me" (1:2). He doesn't fight this fight alone. Who in this room (or in your wider life) has helped you stay anchored in the real gospel? What did they do? Tell the group about them.

4. The sermon described sin not just as personal moral failure but as a power that enslaves, and Christ's death as breaking that power. Where in your life are you most aware of sin's grip? What would it look like to be free?

5. The opponents in Galatia preached a Jesus who fit comfortably inside the existing world — a Jesus who didn't disturb their political safety, their social standing, their religious identity. Where in our city, our workplaces, or our neighbourhoods do we preach a Jesus too small to disturb anything? What might the real Jesus be asking of us there?

Further Resources :

N.T. Wright, Galatians (2021)

Eugene H. Peterson, Traveling Light: Galatians and the Free Life in Christ (1982)

Q&R Brunch Potluck with Josh, our new Lead Pastor

Moderated by Paul Sue

This Sunday we're hosting a brunch potluck + Q&R. Bring your favourite brunch dish and a question — whatever's been sitting in the back of your mind. About a sermon, about Pilgrim, about theology, about the transition, about Josh himself. Nothing is off limits.

Centered-Set Church with Joshua Liem

Luke 15

What are we aiming for as a church?  This Sunday, we will set up our next sermon series in Galatians by re-reading the parable of the Prodigal Son and asking: what does this story reveal about the journey of repentance towards God at the center of life?

For reflection & discussion:

1. If you’ve heard of the parable of the Prodigal Son before, which character did you most identify with?  Has that changed over time?

2. The sermon pointed out that Jesus doesn’t actually use the word “repent” in the third parable, and we never get a clear look at the younger son’s heart.  Does the sincerity of his repentance matter to the story?  Why or why not?

3. The father in the parable is revealed to have real flaws — he overindulges one son, overlooks the other, and only realizes he's lost the older son when the older son explodes. What was your reaction to the idea that the father in this parable is not a perfect picture of God?

4. Think back on the churches or faith communities you've been part of. Which of the three models (bounded, fuzzy, or centered) best describes each one? What fruit did you see from that approach?

1. What does it look like, practically, to keep Jesus himself at the center of our life together? What helps us avoid drifting toward a lesser center?

5. The sermon suggested that the first two parables (sheep, coin) show reconciliation "in the abstract," while the third shows reconciliation as it actually happens: slow, messy, and unfinished. Where have you seen real reconciliation play out in your life or someone else's? Was it clean or complicated?

1. Is there a journey of reconciliation that God is calling you to?  If so, how can we support and pray for you?

The Generosity of the Good Shepherd with Guest Dr. Sean Wood

John 10:1-8

In a world where leaders often take, Jesus reveals a Shepherd who gives. In John 10, Jesus describes a radically different kind of leadership. It is marked not by power or control, but by sacrificial love. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, knows them by name, and leads them into life that overflows. What if Christian generosity does not begin with obligation, but with encounter? Join us this Sunday as we explore how Christian generosity flows from encountering the generous heart of the Good Shepherd.

Sean Wood is currently serving as a Church Advisor for World Vision Canada. Sean brings over 20 years of pastoral experience serving some of Canada’s most influential churches. He holds a Doctor of Ministry in Global Leadership from Bethel University, and a Master of Divinity from Tyndale University. He is passionate about life transformation and building a better world where every child can live life in all its fullness.

For reflection & discussion:

1. What stood out to you most from the sermon, and why?

2. How does this message challenge or affirm your current understanding of God or faith?

3. Was there a specific story, scripture, or phrase that you found especially meaningful or difficult?

4. How can we live this out together in our daily lives or as a group?

5. What is one step you feel invited to take this week in response to the sermon?

God’s Command to Party with Joshua Liem

Exodus 34

After the golden calf, Israel's greatest failure, God does something no one expects. He doesn't tighten the rules. He throws a feast. (Three of them, actually!) This week, as we close our Exodus series, we explore why God's answer to anxiety, idolatry, and a world in crisis isn't just more discipline but celebration, and what that celebration has to look like if it's going to be real. Join us as we gather at the table together.

For reflection & discussion:

1. "What's the best party or meal you've ever been to, and what made it so good?"

2. When you're stressed or anxious, what do you default to? What habit or coping mechanism do you reach for almost automatically? Is it helpful or harmful?

3. God's feasts explicitly name the foreigner, the orphan, the widow, and the servant as invited guests. Who in your life or neighbourhood might be invisible or excluded from your table? What would it take to invite them?  How about for our church potlucks/feasts?

4. Practically, what would budgeting for feasts described in this sermon look like on a personal/family level?  What about on a church budget level?  And how does that make you feel?

5. As we close this Exodus series: what image of God, what story, what moment from this journey through Exodus has stayed with you most? How has it shaped how you see God, yourself, or the world?

The Problem of the Heart with Joshua Liem

John 10:9-18

What if we could live forever?  Is a world without death paradise, or would that just be a world where the worst of humanity would have more time to do whatever they want?  This Easter Sunday, we explore what Jesus meant when he said he came to give “life to the full,” and the hope of resurrection.

For reflection & discussion:

1. The sermon started with the idea that technology might soon let us reverse aging. If that became available and affordable, would you do it? Why or why not? What would excite you about it and what would concern you?

2. Jesus said he came to give "life to the full." Without overthinking it, what does a "full life" look like to you? Has your picture of that changed over the years?

3. The sermon described Jesus' followers as a surprisingly diverse group — revolutionaries and Roman soldiers, fishermen and tax collectors, women and children.  Is there anything in you personally, or us as a community, that is a barrier to this diversity at our home church or Pilgrim?  

4. The sermon argued that the people who killed Jesus weren't evil villains but people with good intentions — Caiaphas protecting his nation, Pilate managing a crisis, soldiers following orders. Where else have you seen good intentions lead to terrible outcomes?

5. The first gift Jesus gave his disciples after the resurrection was the power to forgive. Why do you think forgiveness is so hard? What makes it feel risky or costly? And have you ever experienced — either giving or receiving — a moment of forgiveness that genuinely changed something?

6. Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a seed that must be buried in order to grow. The sermon invited us to live as people who are "free to give it all away as a seed." What would that look like concretely in your life this week — with your time, your money, your attention, or your relationships? What's one thing you're holding onto out of fear that you could release?