January 19, 2021
Last week we started our series though “The Chosen,” a series that takes viewers through the ministry of Jesus, focusing primarily on His calling of the disciples. This last week, the first episode gave us a glimpse into the backstories of Nicodemus, Peter, Andrew, Matthew, and Mary Magdalene. The focus was primarily on setting up the characters, and helping us to understand what it was like for Jews under Roman rule at the time of Christ. It sparked good conversation in our small groups, and I think the students are excited to see where the series goes from here.
Tomorrow night, we’ll watch episode two which focuses on Jesus before His calling of the disciples. It’s primarily based around Matthew 19:14 when Jesus states to His disciples, “Let the children come to me.” It’s a touching episode that helps us to really see and get to know the character of Jesus. Of course, the filmmakers take creative liberties, so we shouldn’t view any of this as scripture. BUT, the goal is that it’ll help us to see Jesus afresh, in a new light, through a new medium. My hope is that as we read the gospel stories, having watched these episodes, Jesus will become real to our students in such a way that He jumps off the pages of the scriptures.
IF YOU’D LIKE TO FOLLOW ALONG – You can download THE CHOSEN APP to your smartphone where you can watch the series as well. Perhaps it could be a way that you spend the time that your student is at youth group, and it would provide you with a good talking point to reference with them. The app is completely free, and while it suggests donations for watching the films, their goal is to get the films out to as many people as possible. You can view a little preview of the series here.
Looking forward to tomorrow evening.
With you and for you in Christ,
Ryan Aufenkamp
Categories: Youth - The Chosen Video Series, Youth Night Updates