From St. Timothy's

Full disclosure, this is my favorite episode of Season 1, if not the whole series of The Chosen.  After watching this episode, I was totally on-board with Jonathan Roumie’s portrayal of Jesus. Out of all the incredible episodes in The Chosen, Jesus Loves the Little Children is my absolute favorite. In it, we get our first extended glimpse of Jesus, not just as a teacher or miracle worker, but as a warm, patient, and deeply compassionate presence. While the entire series is full of Jesus being all those things, this episode stands out to me because of the way it introduces Jesus through the eyes of children. This is the first depiction of Jesus that satisfies my thoughts on fully human, fully God.  So many biblical films and series depict Jesus as a teacher who is always “above” his students.  Sure, He is . . . granted.  The Chosen does something pretty awesome . . . it lets us meet Him in a quiet, intimate setting before His public ministry takes off. Instead of crow...

Growing up in the [Baptist] church, I was raised to believe that “keeping the Sabbath” simply meant going to church on Sunday—that was it. I heard and even read verses about “rest,” but they didn’t really register because, to me, it was all about fulfilling the obligation of church attendance. For a night owl like me, getting up early for Sunday School and the main service felt like anything but rest. However, when I finally read the Bible cover to cover, I realized there was so much more to the Sabbath—or Shabbat, as I came to understand it. I also saw how the law surrounding it was often misused and manipulated. Episode 2 gives us a deeper look into the daily rhythms of life in 1st-century Capernaum, with much of the focus on Shabbat—its traditions, laws, and how different people observed it. For the Jewish people, Shabbat begins at sundown on Friday and ends Saturday night. This episode beautifully illustrates its significance by showing the preparations and celebrations from multip...

 I know there are those who have watched more than just the first couple of episodes and still didn't appreciate The Chosen . I’ve read reviews from those who analyze its biblical accuracy down to the gnat’s behind. That said, I fall into the other camp—the ones who have watched, loved, and been deeply moved by it. That being said, I’ll be honest: I didn’t love the first episode the first time I watched it. I knew it was setting up backstory, and I found it slow. Have you ever read a book where the beginning feels like a hard slog, but by the time you reach the end, you realize how crucial that groundwork was? Then, on a second read, it’s enjoyable because, now, the slow parts have context? That was my experience with The Chosen’s opening episode. Episode 1 introduces us to the lives of several key figures before they encounter Jesus, weaving together backstories for: Mary Magdalene (known as Lilith in her broken state) – tormented by demons and struggling with trauma. Simon Peter...

Dear St. Timothy's Family We're excited to have you engage with our church blog as we start it for Lent in order to watch The Chosen together and share our thoughts on the episodes! This blog will be a great way for us to connect and reflect on this powerful series. Here's a simple guide on how to log in to Blogger and reply to posts: Visit the Blogger website (www.blogger.com). Click the "Sign In" button in the top right corner. Use your Google account credentials to log in. If you don't have a Google account, you'll need to create one. Once logged in, navigate to this site and then find the blog post that you want to comment on. Scroll down to the bottom of the post where you'll see the comment section. Type your comment in the text box provided. Click the "Publish" button to post your comment. Important Tips: If you don't have a Google account and don't want one, we apologize.  Please let us know and we may try to allow anonymous p...