Week beginning: Sunday 23rd August 2020

 

                                     NEWSLETTER

 

 

Hello again everyone,

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Today we hope you enjoyed another clip during the sermon from the 8 part drama series called ‘The Chosen’.  This week ‘The woman at the well’, previously we watched as the disciples were invited to lay down their nets and follow Jesus.

 

This is undoubtedly a beautifully made programme which looks to give the back story of the lives of those close to and called by Jesus before He came into their lives and how He impacted on them so powerfully with His love, kindness, humility and strength.

 

You may be aware this series is available to view for free on YouTube and, as we watch we are invited to “pay it on”.  This invitation to make a small financial contribution (not compulsory) allows others to watch it for free and, the generosity of the viewers, has allowed Series 2 to be filmed.

 

Obviously the Covid crisis has made filming difficult and so, at the moment there is no release date yet but, on the upside, with people being at home more, viewing more television during the Covid crisis, The Chosen has been viewed in excess of 20 million times.

 

Although some of the stories are maybe condensed and time lines are not 100 per cent accurate, this series has given people who maybe know very little about Jesus an opportunity to see Him as someone with a gentle sense of humour and the disciples with all their very human flaws.

 

Our prayer would be that as people watch, whether they have been Christians for decades or whether they have never been in a church or looked at a Bible, they see Jesus as fully God and fully man, sinless and with a deep love for them, no matter their past, and it helps them to explore the Bible and draw close to their Heavenly Father who has a plan and a purpose for their lives. 

 

It is clearly established that this programme appeals to both Christians and non Christians as the company ‘Rotten Tomatoes’, who take a poll from a cross section of film critics, gave it an approval rating of 100 per cent which is highly unusual.  Using this information is a handy way to introduce the series to friends or family members with whom sharing our faith is not always that easy.

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As with any big productions, there is merchandise available in the way of t-shirts and skip hats but with The Chosen there is a daily devotional available from their website or Amazon.  The devotional, entitled ‘40 days with Jesus’ was written by Amanda Jenkins who is married to the writer/director and has gained excellent reviews.  In November of this year she is realising book 2 with the same title...a nice Christmas gift perhaps?