Screens & Souls - Week 1 - St. Peter - Pastor Tim Glende
Screens & Souls
Week 1 - St Peter
Pastor Tim Glende
Dot Matrix printers. Computer towers, 25 pound computer monitors.
Using a calling card at pay phones. For you and me, those resonate with some of you.
That's the technology that was my generation when I was at high school and college.
You look, if you want to print something that takes forever.
Very high quality. If you went away to school, you remember how difficult, and challenging it was to take out that calling card and type in the number.
And then after we reload it how many times in order just to talk to Mom and Dad and ask him for a little cash, Which they do by the way, when parents sent you cash, there wasn't a thing called Venmo or anything else that gets it to you in an instant and actually, to go in the mail. And this thing is what I call the stamp.
So much has changed since I was in high school and college, when it comes to technology, Do you think about just some of the screens and the access we have some technology? I think I got my first email address when I was a pastor myself here, but Less than 25 years ago. I didn't have a cell phone, I don't think until I was
And this thing called the internet that we can find on our phones and click on a button and upload a video in It's like dial-up. It took you longer to dial in than it does today to download.
And that's the reason why this series I think is so important.
I like technology the things that we have today can be amazing blessings.
He's like I had to get on a pay phone, to call my parents, just to hear their voice. But I probably saw their faces two or three times during the course of a semester.
I probably saw my grandparents once a year if I was lucky for a few days.
And I was a grandparent, I can see the face of my grandchild, our, and my daughter, and my son-in-law, and my son, who lives out in Utah, face-to-face. See how they're doing?
And that's really the reason why behind the blood of this.
We want to recognize you want to talk about. We can see that that in this world are there. Because it's such a technological advance when it comes. Two screens. And what we can access and how we can use that. Then and how much?
It might also hurt.
Which leads into Point number one. Thing I want to wrestle with the day and maybe set the stage for the entire series of your filling in your notes. If you brought a pen or you want to grab one in front of you there. Take notes of the attention for the worlds attention.
There's a ton of different directions. There's a loophole that currently has found one path or another. No, my definition technology simply might be described this way. The application of scientific knowledge. Age to the practical aims of the application of scientific knowledge, to the change in manipulation of the human environment, taking knowledge that we have. To try and improve or add to or manipulate the World, which kept me for good. Good. Or bad extension.
I just think of some of the technological advances of the last hundred plus years, I think of planes and Automobiles the way. That world. In hours. I think about we're going to talk about in the series. Technology and its power. When I had to do a report back in the day and yes, kids, they gave us homework. I have to go to this place called The Library. And I have to take off these books on, it's like TV. MIA. And I had to dig in there for now and I could just Google the word that I was.
Out of time. A lot of work and technology has made life a whole lot, better and easier. Easier for someone who wants to do research. Research on a topic.
The average person in the world that just America and the world Americans are right in the average. Will spend seven hours a day on screen.
He's if you're a gen Z here, If it's 9.
Now he is going to do the quick math, just think about that, intention of it, it's those hours in those totals don't involve work there. The use of screens you have outside of work your time at a desk. Maybe we're used to tutor for kids event on classroom, so just do the math, eight hours a day for your job. A date to sleep because that's what's required. Maybe a little bit more. Did you spend seven if you're my age?
Your stuff, almost all your time, or all of your time. I'm in your day.
Is that good? Is that bad as that lies? Does that help me? What dangers are there in attention?
Because, like I said before, there's a whole lot of good.
The ability to talk to anyone anywhere, see their face on a screen to send messages to do research. Unless you're going to talk about the bad but just what experts will tell you about screen time.
For the average kid who is in grade school. Elementary school age. Age if they watch 2 plus hours, if they have to Bugger Napier. Earth looks like video game.
Watching television shows on the screen are more likely to suffer from social, emotional and attentional issues.
Or in general screens. Can leave this sleep deprivation, interferes with the production of good things like melatonin that you need. And disrupts the body's circadian rhythm. It can lead to health issues.
The real numbers of the impact it has on people physically and emotionally. Or how about work? The number of times you pause during the day to go to your screen, they say, probably deprives your boss and your word about an hour and a half of time based on not just the time you spend there but how long it takes to get back into rhythm.
So, there's a tension.
Attention of the good, the bad and then try and figure out where the boundaries Emily, the bad for next week in the boundaries for the last week. Weak because they want to talk about the blessings, the good.
The good that can come from it, not just from a worldly perspective, I think we can see all that and acknowledge all of that from Work and form relationships. Soooo. But more importantly, for Our Roots. Because there are a lot of people in the Christian Community, who would say screens are Bad. Like avoid them at all costs that they can't bring much good. From a spiritual perspective, a relationship with God respected, they can leave you bad.
Because why would I take you back to a verse that is going to set the stage for the good. The blessings that I believe, we need to highlight, we need to celebrate and we need to Leverage This technology can give you a blessing. Even though there's a tension, Throughout time in history would be an example of that.
Take you back to Noah and the flood.
Like technology. The ability that to build tools, create tools to lay out a road map, to Build world was a blessing.
But just think of a few chapters later in the Book of Genesis people who work that much older than Noah. And his sons took that same technology, those same instruments. Those same tools to try and build a tower to the skies to become like God
And we think about Solomon and Nehemiah. Like they leveraged technology and the ability to build things and harvest things and bring things together to build the temple of God place of worship.
But you know people in Solomon's day and Emi is daily also leverage those. Same tools that same engineering and mind keep abilities to build. Temples and altars to.
We think about technology. And how people figured out how to. Leverage boats, and follow the Stars to go from Europe to America. Go for Religious Freedom.
And yet during that same here and same time, people leverage, those same boats with those same
Has to take people from the continent of Africa and enslave them for labor.
So this is new for Christians. We had to think of the good and understand. There could be bad.
And I want to think about the good with this verse in mine. Jesus said last words to his disciples before he left. Therefore go and make disciples of all Nations.
Jesus, some of his final words to his disciples and followers before he went back to heaven was To in, go and tell people.
He told them to make disciples by teaching them to obey everything, I have commanded, you share with them the almighty all-powerful message from God, the good news of Jesus Christ who he is, what he did, what it means for you now, and for eternity.
And the disciples did just that they went, the New Testament is littered with stories of the disciples and their journeys, in their going. From the Apostle Paul who could for mission. Erica recorded for us in the city. Has of the message.
As you the stories about people like Philip, The interaction with the worries about going.
Because they knew you love sharing and the Apostle Paul took that the harder, the Apostle Paul knew the great opportunity, the great responsibility that the mission of the church was the need for people to have all do just like you and I know that we can't go everywhere. Sometimes we can't get places, we want to go.
To get it all, Paul understood this reality, but it came to the city of Rome. He said this as he wrote this letter to Roman Christians and that he prayed that he would At Last by God's will have the way open for him to come to them. I want to see you so I mean part, but he has some spiritual gifts to make you strong. It is that you and I might be mutually encouraged by each other's faith. I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters that I plan many times to come. May have been prevented from doing so, until now, If you are Apostle Paul realize he said, he acknowledged he longs to make that trip. He longed to get to that City. He longed to share Jesus with them.
But he knew.
Not by the ordinary means of verbal communication in person. Starting point classes. 101, sit down, like, Pastor Michael has done with some of you and Sobel. He wasn't able to have a church service with them to kind of teach them law and gospel, sin and grace, the message of the Cross and the empty tomb.
You leverage technology.
You wrote. Like no, this is a novel concept for some of you to take out something that's a writing instrument and right, auntie.
Put it in an envelope and put it in a box and have someone deliver it.
Then, 20 years ago, it was commonplace. Even 50 years ago, was probably one of the main ways, in which we could communicate with other people.
It also requires a whole lot of money to do it in today's day and age but for the Apostle Paul to reach out into, right. In the share, the message of the Gospel would have been a time-consuming costly Adventure.
The Apostle Paul later on 2nd Timothy. Another Pastor said, when you come bring the cloak that I have with carpus at Troas and my Scrolls, especially the parchments.
Now when we might take for granted, I'm bringing an instrument and a piece of paper and an envelope that you can drop in the mail. Parchments, which would have been the things that Paul would have written on letter? To the Romans. It would have taken more than a month to produce.
Loose animal skins had to be dipped in lime ahead. That Pulled out of them to make them really clean. Special knives. Have to scrape it and clean it. So there's just write that Sit 4 plus weeks of time, a process that they came up with and figure it out by the Romans in that day and age in advance of Technology, allow the gospel to be communicated Beyond. Richmond. Role where people learned about Jesus Christ.
It's no small undertaking a costly endeavor.
To the Apostle Paul understood an important truth. He was willing to do this. He leveraged technology for roots.
We take it probably for granted, in today's world access we have to the Bible. Well, something that day and age that no one had access to. You like to have the written word of God, on a scroll would have been rare. That access to be able to read to be able to share. Able to publicly. We open it up for others to know the truth about God that God inspired to be.
Written for instrumental to the explosion of the lesson too. Paul perhaps was the first to leverage that he wrote thirteen books of the New Testament. You know what the Christian church is credited for more than just about anybody. This idea of taking parchments and putting them in a book like a codex, parchments became prevalently used more common, in the new, Christian New Testament era because it's the power of the Word. Word broadcast. Ask you because not everyone could go and you could get everywhere. They communicated that way.
And the world has been forever changed. My technology. Like the quill and the ink and the parchment in the first century and second century.
She wrote and recorded some scribes. Took the books and they read. They wrote them over and over again word for letter, so that others could hear God and the gospel message of Jesus Christ. If they follow Paul's clean and leverage technology for roots.
Because Paul does this, how can they as you wrote to the Romans, call on the one, they have not believed in, and how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard? And how can they hear, without someone preaching to them, and how can they even preach unless they are sent as it is written? How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. Sometimes it wasn't the feet of the person like Paul who gave a verbal message, Because of the person like Timothy or Silas or another that Paul sent out. With the scroll, words on parchment that got read the powerful word of God, that changed hearts and change lives. Because faith comes from hearing, the message, and the message is
And that's the amazing thing about the world in which we live today. A assistive. But I can go to my screen and, and I can find amazing Pastors in our circles from places, far away from here.
Here is why I love the partnership with that we have with a Ministry like Time of Grace.
They are 4.5 million quality engagements of love. Across the globe. Who’s devotions that are put online. Through and devotions that are delivered from YouTube page. Agent and Sunday morning weekend programming.
It's why I love the power that social media can have mean. Just this last month alone is Jon Ruddat are our expert to who helps us out with technology here at 922 and our Church online. John gave me these stats are October 492 to in and of itself. Our Facebook page, reached 15,000 people. That's the number of people who saw content, our Instagram, reach was 48,000 number of unique. That's all post, many of which are and messages that talk about God and truths of God's word. That was the highest ever. Our Facebook page, likes were in the thousands. Our private group online, where we help people get rid of issues is over a thousand. Look after work for the book of the Gospel. You know what? God has found us too.
To use the means of Grace. God can work any way he wants. It's what he's told us go and make disciples, preach the word, share the gospel. The gospel found in the word and sacraments. The Apostle Paul leveraged technology, how he could do that. Whether it was verbal, Be of get by writing it.
And I want to put on your heart, how important that is to consider. Screens in the blessings, they could efficiency.
Which is why this verse is, kind of like, ministries you've ever wondered. Why do we have that title for St. Peter & the CORE, our school, our early childhood. What is 922 all about? Its this verse from First Corinthians 9:20 come all things, the Apostle Paul said, all people so that by all possible means. I might save some
All things to all people. So that by all possible means. I'm eight. Sleep might save some, I do it for the sake of the Gospel.
The sake of the Gospel. Always willing to leverage technology who's willing to consider different styles and different places to to reach people. That can't work, being reached. Stand. Technology is one of those things that
That say, we want to leverage. So before we talk about screens being bad and you probably should have some boundaries with you.
Can I convince you to celebrate the blessing of? It could be.
To put into practice in your personal life, prioritizing your screen for the gospel.
Like, for every post you make about politics, is there a way you can leverage social media technology for Jesus?
For all the text that you said back and forth with family and friends could have convinced you to to use the screen as a tool to be a device of encouragement for your fellow Christian or someone, you know who's hurting. Every time you open an app play Candy Crush. That's mine.
Evil weakness. Yes, it's like level 9000 something or other truth and honesty.
Open it for your Devotion to feed your soul.
Or how about instead of sending messages of this. As Pastor Bill, Breezy. Vicky laugh.
You send a link to share with somebody.
I think we talked about screens and souls. Let's think about how technology is a tool for the church. Like if the souls are the number one priority of God, God wants all people to be saved. If in this world, we have manipulated and figured out ways that we can have things that are super computers in our hands. These screens, they were condemned and In hindsight messages about God in the Bible. If we think of technology in the tool that it is in the power that it is in the access that it's that we have in so many have We need to celebrate to consider. Personally, and also from Ministry perspective,
Which is why in our annual BTO are our plans. Our goals when it comes to the roots we have technology all over them. Because we want to help people plant, Jesus Roots, grow, deeper roots to experience the spirit's fruits, just like the Apostle Paul did.
We don't need to write it on parchment. We even don't have to send it through the mail. We can, we can leverage the technology that we have.
We can use it to get policy to us.
So, maybe that's what I want to put on your heart today before we get into the bad, huh? Boundary?
He's like what would an action plan for you? For your home. The Leverage technology is the tool that it is for. For you as a child of God.
Look how much time of day. How many times a week, what apps are resources? Will you implement and apply to bless? You bless your home with others.
You can use that little thing in your hand to send, text messages of encouragement, to that person opened up in your group that week with that struggle.
Think about how you might use it as a instruments to give to help support Ministries. And people that you can't reach two. Going places that you can't go.
Whether it's Gathering or grouping or forgiving, or going technology today can help people.
I produced the rich. And I want to keep that blessing in front of us.
I need to acknowledge its because technology detention. What a blessing would leverage for the gospel too. For you, and for me.
So keep that in mind, make sure you come back the next few weeks and we do need to talk about the other side of the fence.
Ian and we need to set some boundaries.
And I think as you wrestle with that tension you'll see the great why. Come on back the next few weeks? But until then, let's pray that God may bless our screens and other souls.
