United Church of God

Letter From Ben Light - January 21, 2022

Letter From Ben Light

January 21, 2022

Pastor's Corner - January 21st, 2021

Where do you go to find quiet and solace in this increasingly hectic and fast-paced world?

As we live an increasingly connected world - with our work moving more and more online, social media ebbing and flowing with society, and the pace of change in society becoming more frenetic - our connectedness can become a liability to some degree as the firehouse of input comes in at the speed of broadband. 

Scripturally - we see examples where Jesus Christ even had to take time to go and spend some time on his own. Where He went off the beaten path to get some time away from the multitudes who followed Him, to get away even from His own disciples to pray in isolation. 

Luke 5 records that Christ, did this frequently. It was customary for him to 'unplug' so to speak, and to find quiet and solace. We see that in the aftermath of His cousin John's death, He tried to withdraw from the crowds to be alone with His grief, but the multitude followed Him. His instinct was to seek out someplace quiet, to be alone with His thoughts, and His God. 

Do we do this enough today?

We're surrounded by dings, and buzzes, and beeps. Emails and phone calls, online connectedness through so many different channels these days. 

I saw an article this week about a online workspace program that is used by a number of larger companies to manage their online workforce, and typically the sound of the notification, a 'squiiiiidink-a-dink", means someone from management is urgently contacting you to fix something, and it needs to be fixed right this minute. 

There was an ad for this particular company on the National Championship football game, and the ad opened with their notification sound. It had people running for their phones and computers to see what had gone wrong at work... mind you, at 8-9PM in the evening. 

Perhaps we're too connected.

In 1st Kings 19, Elijah witnessed some powerful events. A powerful wind, fire, an earthquake, yet God's voice was a still small voice in the midst of it.

Where do you go to hear that still small voice? To find quiet and solace? Where do you have just time to be alone with your thoughts, and your God? If it's been a while, I hope you can find the necessary quiet and solace. 

Happy Sabbath!
Ben