Growing the Faith of the People
Now more than any other time, it is important to feel connected. Now it’s easier to connect with St. Paul’s broadcasts. You can watch online or listen over an ordinary telephone.
ONLINE:
live.spumccolumbus.com
TELEPHONE:
(205) 825-9484
We want to bring together as many people as possible for prayer while at the same time practicing social distancing. This is why we are using technology. Join us at 12:15pm each weekday for Scripture reading and prayer. Archives will be posted at http://spumccolumbus.com/midday/.
Submit Prayer Requests
Join us each weekday for mid-day prayer starting Wednesday, March 18 at 12:15PM. Our goal is to congregate as many people as possible of all ages for prayer while activities at St. Paul have been suspended. Point your browser to live.spumccolumbus.com this Wednesday at 12:15pm.
Each broadcast will be archived at http://spumccolumbus.com/midday and at http://facebook.spumccolumbus.com.
I recently read the results of a study distributed by the University of Virginia which showed that when given the choice, many people preferred to undergo electric shock than to sit alone with their thoughts. In this study, the participants were exposed to a mild shock, which they all reported they didn’t like and were willing to pay money for them to stop. But when left alone in an empty room, with a shocker for up to fifteen minutes, removed by all distractions and unable to check their phones, listen to music, watch TV, two-thirds of the men and one-fourth of the women chose to voluntarily shock themselves rather than sit in silence.
After reading the results, my first thought was, “Yeah, that is about right.” My second thought was, “How sad.” Actually, the more I think about this (it has been seven days since I read the results), the more grief I have. As a whole, I’m convinced, our society has lost its ability to simply be. We over-function, crave stimulus, and fill our day with any and all things so that every minute is occupied, only to discover that it is not fulfilling. Unfortunately, we do this inside the church. Yet, the early Christians were very comfortable with reflective silence, periods of meditation, and solitude.
The goal of following Jesus is a maturation of faith. It is not “believing more in Jesus.” If one believes in Jesus, he or she believes in Jesus. It is a yes or no venture. The finish line, for the Christian, is for the nature of Christ to be formed inside of the believer. This is a heart to hand process. It is an inside out transformation governed by the Holy Spirit’s work. This cannot happen to its fullest extent until one is willing to take a hard look in the mirror. I’m convinced one cannot do this without learning to sit alone and reflect on who they are. So, here is my crazy, off-the-wall thought: Perhaps what is just as important as believing in Jesus is a willingness to resist the temptation to cram your day with stimuli and learn to simply sit quietly with whom you believe. Give it a try.
This week’s readings:
Please Pray for:
Out of the abundance of caution, we are suspending all activities at St. Paul from March 13-April 4. We will be offering opportunities to connect and grow our faith together using technology which will be announcement in a few days. In the meantime, make plans to join us for worship online this Sunday, March 15, at 11am. We broadcast at live.spumccolumbus.com, Facebook Live, and our mobile app.