Virtues & Vices

Join us for a bumper new series that will be tackling some of the most challenging issues we face in our Christian spirituality. As embodied beings, we face all sorts of delights and temptations in life – and often our physical desires, or what we feel like doing, do battle with our spiritual compass and what we know we should be doing! Can this cause us problems? You know it can – and does!
 
Taking us from the beginning of 2024 and all the way through Lent, this series promises to be thought-provoking, controversial and potentially life-changing. We will be exploring the idea that we are what we do, and taking a close look at the “vices” (sometimes called the “seven deadly sins”) that can lead us to disaster and even death, alongside the virtues that we can cultivate to shape and form our character in a healthier, more Christ-like way.
 
“Virtues & Vices” comes with a warning – much like our annual “Hot Topics” series, there are some difficult and sensitive areas here that will affect us all in different ways. We will, as always, do our best to handle each topic sensitively, but some may feel much more personal than others to each of us. Our alternative is not to talk about these things at all – and most churches don’t. However, at EBC we think the Bible speaks into everything in human life, and we should address the problems of life honestly and graciously rather than avoid them. Here's what’s coming up in January…
 
January 7th: “Virtues & Vices”, 9.30am (live-streamed) and 11.00am.
We all face moral dilemmas and challenges. Some one-off, incidental, and others that we face time and again. We want to make the right choices when faced with an unusual ethical dilemma or an everyday moral choice. Is there some method through which we can always identify the right answer or is it more about forming ourselves as right people? And if the latter, how do we go about that? In this introductory service, Simon sets the ground for the series ahead, as we name the virtues and vices (or sins) that shape and form us and which we’ll be exploring together in the weeks to come…

January 14th: “Temples & Taboos”. 9.30am (live-streamed) and 11.00am.
The apostle Paul wrote that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and that we should honour God with our bodies, presenting them as living sacrifices to Him. In these days of political correctness, it is taboo to talk about the ‘deadly sins’ of sloth and gluttony and we rightly value people of all shapes and sizes. And yet… our society faces a very real health crisis closely linked to our collective failure to maintain our bodily ‘temples’ properly. Granted that we all have different genetics, circumstances and the rest, how can we best honour God with our bodies and set a good example to others? Too few churches talk about this sensitive but important topic – join us as Simon gets the conversation started!

January 21st: “A Healthy Appetite”. 9.30am (live-streamed) and 11.00am.
What do you think of when you hear the word temperance? Is it all about refraining from alcohol – and didn’t Jesus turn water into wine? In this service Rob unpacks what it really means to live a temperate lifestyle as we continue to explore how we might become a people of virtuous character.

January 28th: “Anger Management”. 10.00am Allsorts service (no live-stream).
What makes you angry, but really, really angry? Anger is sometimes understandable and can even be a ‘righteous’ anger but we need to be really careful in how we express our anger or deal with it well so that it doesn’t tip over into wrath – the extreme form of anger that sees us wanting to lash out or punish someone wrongly. Phil and Kat team up to talk things through with us – which is usually a better option than lashing out!

February 4th: “The Mother of All Virtues”. 9.30am (live-streamed) and 11.00am.
Are you the kind of person who takes the time to sense-check, think things through and look before you leap? Or do you like to go with your gut-feeling and live in the moment, for better or worse? What are your personal ‘vices’ and are there particular people or conditions that seem to lead you down the wrong path? Join us as Simon looks at our second virtue – prudence – and what we can do to stay on the right path!

February 11th: “Ever So Moreish”. 9.30am (live-streamed) and 11.00am.
Lots of people, maybe guys especially, can be laser-focused on achieving things, and for all the right reasons, but all too often this can have devastating effects on us and on our families. We’re not helped by incessant advertising – Buy this, get that! Get more! Get better! Get best!
But the happiness of acquiring ‘stuff’ doesn’t last. You just end up wanting the next one, the upgrade, the model up. More, more and more still! And to pay for it all, you find yourself on the hamster wheel… stress rises, you double down and work even more! Time at home is now irritable, a distraction, imperfect, but you’re wanted (and feel appreciated) at work, and since that’s also where the money comes from… Join us as we explore the issue of greed and how we might re-frame what success looks like.

February 18th: “Fair’s fair!”. 9.30am (live-streamed) and 11.00am.
We all hate injustice… but especially when we’re on the receiving end! We say we want justice, and we often see people protesting against injustice, but is it always sincere? What injustices makes you angry? Are you then virtuous in your response – are you living a life shaped by God’s justice… or merely ‘virtue signaling’? We can protest and say someone else should do something, and maybe they should, but what will we actually do ourselves?

February 25th: “Going Green” 10am Allsorts (No live-stream)
When we talk about what we want, do we think deeply about the real driver behind it, the real need? Often it’s not the thing itself, but how we think whatever it is will make us feel. It is an emotional itch that wants scratching, not the need for ‘it’ itself (whatever ‘it’ might be). So, what are the things you really want? If you envy someone, why is that? What is it they have (or you think they have) that you really want… but really want? Come along for our Allsorts service as we look at the issue of envy, and what we might do about it.

March 3rd: “All Truth, Forged Lies” - 9.30am (live-streamed) and 11.00am.
Shakespeare, Lancelot of Camelot, Glenn Close and a very unfortunate rabbit… What are the differences between love and lust, and where might we find them both? What can go wrong when love and lust become entangled and, since both are powerful, how might we stack the odds in favour of love? Join us as Simon helps us explore our next virtue alongside its shadier sibling!

March 10th: “Humbled or Exalted?” - 9.30am (live-streamed) and 11.00am.
Our society seems to have a culture of blame and shame, of ‘cancelling’ people if they say or do something that is counter-cultural. Against this backdrop, there seems these days to be a reluctance to admit when we’ve got something wrong, as if apologizing and saying sorry were signs of weakness! This week we look at the real weakness that is pride, and the real strength that not only takes responsibility for things but is willing to endure hardship when the going gets tough.

March 17th: “In God We Trust” - 9.30am (live-streamed) and 11.00am.
What are the things you struggle with in life? Minor ups and downs? A major catastrophe? What sustains you through the tough times and how might we take a different perspective on the really, really hard stuff? Join us as Rob leads us on an exploration of the life-changing power of hope, born of our faith.