St Edmund's Episcopal Church San Marino

STEDY, March 7, 2018

Matthew 16:13-16

When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,
“What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah,
some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
He pressed them, “And how about you? Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

What are people saying about me?” “What are they thinking about me?” We have all wondered this at times and apparently Jesus did as well as we see him asking his disciples. Today, when we want to find the answer to that question, we don’t ask our friends, we go online. There we can see who liked our stuff, who watched our videos and added to our comments. Many people use social media to boast their moods by connecting with others and yet studies are finding the opposite to be true.
One recent study has found a correlation between social media use, moment-to-moment happiness and life satisfaction. The more people logged on to Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat in a day, the more these two variables dropped. This may have to do with the fact that social media conjures up a perception of social isolation in a way that other solitary activities don’t. “On the surface,” the authors write, “it provides an invaluable resource for fulfilling such needs by allowing people to instantly connect. Rather than enhancing well-being, as frequent interactions with supportive ‘offline’ social networks powerfully do, the current findings demonstrate that it may predict the opposite result for young adults-it may undermine it.” The more time people spent on social media sites, the more socially isolated they perceived themselves to be which is dangerously detrimental both mentally and physically and can lead to depression.
A second contributor to the sadness triggered by social media is the comparison factor. When we scroll through feeds we naturally begin comparing ourselves to others and making judgements about how we measure up. Another study looked specifically at jealousy and other negative feelings while using Facebook, its authors wrote that “…this magnitude of envy incidents taking place on FB alone is astounding, providing evidence that FB offers a breeding ground for invidious feelings.” They add that it can become a vicious cycle: feeling jealous can make a person want to make his or her own life look better, and post jealousy-inducing posts of their own, in an endless circle of one-upping and feeling jealous.
So who are these friends making us jealous and who we want to make jealous? Further findings suggest they might not be true friends after all. Researchers have learned there is a limit to the number of friends a person’s brain can handle, and it takes actual social interaction (not virtual) to keep up these friendships. Since loneliness is linked to myriad health and mental health problems getting real social support is important. Virtual friend time doesn’t have the therapeutic effect as time with real friends.
“He pressed them, ‘And how about you? Who do you say I am?'” The opinions of the crowds were powerful but also mercurial. Jesus knew that would love him one day and call for his crucifixion the next. It was the opinion of the people closest to him that mattered most. He knew nothing replaces conversations where you are looking at the person speaking, he knew there is power in shaking people’s hands and patting them on the back. It’s those connections, with the people who really know us, love us and want to spend genuine time with us whose opinions should matter most.

~ Youth Group ~

We have been finding that the first Sunday of the month isn’t the best day for Youth Group and therefore we are going to try the 2nd Sunday of the month.
Please mark your calendars for Sunday, April 8th.
If anyone would like to host, please contact me, otherwise we will meet at the church.

~ Upcoming Events ~

Sunday, March 11
Olympus Choir
Daylight Savings
Team 2 Acolyting

Children’s Liturgy
10 am | Chapel

Sunday School
10:30 am | Sunday School Classrooms

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Sunday, March 18
Team 3 Acolyting

Children’s Liturgy
10 am | Chapel

Sunday School
10:30 am | Sunday School Classrooms

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Sunday, March 25
Palm Sunday
Team 4 Acolyting

Children’s Liturgy
10 am | Chapel

Sunday School
10:30 am | Sunday School Classrooms
Teaching: Darcy, Jaden, Antonio & Heather

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Spring Break Activities
Don’t be bored this spring, join us for fun!

Monday, March 26
Natural History Museum

Critter Club
10-10:45
Critter Club is a family friendly program that introduces 3- to 5-year-olds and a participating adult to the Museum’s live animals.
Junior Scientists
10:30 am to 12:00 pm
Junior Scientist is specially designed for 6- to 9-year-olds and their families. Packed with activities, demonstrations, and an up-close look at some cool (and sometimes creepy crawly) highlights from our collection, each month is a crash course in one of the many fields of science explored at the Museum.

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Tuesday, March 27
California Science Center
King Tut Exhibit and Imax

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Wednesday, March 28
Kidspace Museum for Caterpillar Adoption Days

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Thursday, March 29
Passover Seder
Parish Hall | 6 pm

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Friday, March 30
Ice Skating
1 pm | Pasadena Skate Center
$15 per person

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Sunday, April 1
Easter Sunday
Please join us for a massive Easter Egg hunt on the Close,
following the 10 am service.

Please feel free to contact Heather if you have questions.