Blessed

Ever heard of the “beatitudes”? Ever wondered what the word means? This spring at EBC, we sit with the disciples and the crowds following Jesus and listen to His teaching about the people God counts as blessed: Blessed are the poor in spirit, the meek, those who mourn? Really?!? What’s that all about then? Through this eight-week series, taking us right through April and May, we’ll learn together what the difference is between a notional kind of faith, and real, heartfelt discipleship. Join us as we discover what it is to be truly blessed.

Sunday 7th April 9.30am (livestream) and 11.00am: “The Poor in Spirit”
Do you ever have days when things just seem to go brilliantly, without your needing to try very hard? Do you have other days when everything goes horribly wrong and life seems incredibly tough? When Jesus talked abut various people being ‘blessed’ he didn’t just mean they were happy because things were going well! As we begin our series, we ask why Jesus singles out the ‘poor in spirit’ as those who would receive the Kingdom of heaven. What did he mean and why would that be?
 
Sunday 14th April 9.30am (livestream) and 11.00am: “Those Who Mourn”
Aww… come on Jesus – blessed are those who mourn? Seriously? This is one of those very hard teachings that might seem totally bonkers to anyone who has ever been in a state of mourning. Has Jesus lost the plot with this one, or might there be more to it than seems obvious? Join us as we explore what it is to mourn, the things we might mourn over, and how God can comfort us.
 
Sunday 21st April 9.30am (livestream) and 11.00am: “The Meek”
When you hear the word ‘meek’ what other words do you associate with it? Might they include timid, shy, weak even? In our modern society, we often equate success with outgoing, dynamic and self-confident types – the kind of person you might see on ‘The Apprentice’ or ‘Dragon’s Den’ while meek people can be portrayed as losers! Why, then, did Jesus say that the meek are blessed and that they would inherit the earth?
 
Sunday 28th April, Social Action Sunday 9.30am (no livestream):
“Those Who Hunger”
This is one of our ‘SAS’ specials, where we gather briefly at our church building for prayer and sung worship before tackling a number of social action projects to benefit the local community and people in need overseas. This is a real, tangible outworking of our hunger and thirst for righteousness – a living out of the Gospel today!