April 19, 2026
The Seven Deadly Sins & The Seven Life-Giving Virtues

"PRIDE & HUMILITY"
Pastor Joe Abbey- Colborne
 We begin a new preaching series on “The Seven Deadly Sins & The Seven Life-Giving Virtues”. (Pride, Envy, Greed, Gluttony, Lust, Sloth, Wrath)

Most of us are usually pretty comfortable speaking honestly about the physical things that are wrong with us; like our health, or our struggles with weight.  Or at least more comfortable than talking about the deep rooted spiritual battles we have. I’ll easily acknowledge the inconsistency of my diet, - I like sweets and fast food, I’m not a fan of salads, I have a membership at the gym, but I skip going when life gets busy… and life gets busy a lot.  When I tell my doctor those things she nods and tries to think of a positive way to say, “well, Joe, you lack discipline.”

I think many of us feel a similar way.  When we reflect on our emotional and spiritual health, the state of our relationships to family and friends, neighbours and colleagues, or… people in traffic, or online, we may need to acknowledge that there’s something “off”; some thing in us that consistently trip us up and affect how we are in the world.

For almost the entire history of the church, Christians have used the Seven Deadly Sins / Seven Life-Giving Virtues, as a tool to examine and work the spiritual soil of their lives, and grow healthier in their faith and relationships; with themselves and others, with the created world, and with God.

We begin by looking at the biggest and most deadly sin of all; Pride. And we’ll look for the antidote that can restore life.

For this Sunday… read Genesis 3:4-10 & Philippians 2:3-11

Going Deeper… reflect on the passages of scripture.  How does the Genesis passage relate to ‘Pride’?  What other emotions do the humans experience in the story?  What’s the opposite of ‘Pride”?  What is the difference between pride and shame? What does the Philippians passage say about how we should be?