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The Chosen, Season 1, Episode 2 Fall 2020 Connect to Christ Discipling Community Focus

Episode 2: I don’t understand it myself. I was one way and now I’m completely different. And the thing that happened in between – was Him. So yes, I will know him for the rest of my life! (Mary Magdalene)

Thanks for being part of the Fall 2020 Discipling Community focus. We’re focusing on Connect to Christ via the life of Christ by viewing and discussing Season 1 of The Chosen. Beyond the facts, we hope that Discipling Communities rediscover (or discover for the first time) the life, culture, heart, and actions of the gospel stories and allow the spirit and truth of the life of Jesus to help us take next steps in being and growing as biblical, loving, Spirit-filled disciples of Jesus.

The Chosen is a multi-season journey through the life of Christ. It has been created from a synoptic perspective instead of focusing on one particular gospel account.

Accessing the Video Content

The best way to view The Chosen is to download the app for your particular smart device. Search The Chosen in your app store. Open up the app and all the episodes are available there. Then, stream the episode from your smartphone to your TV using your technology of choice. There are lots of options and instructions within the app to you going. Episodes are also available on YouTube (with ads). We aren’t providing definitive steps because of the many combinations of devices & TVs. If you need help, and no one in the Discipling Community is tech savvy, please let us know.

Discussion Questions

Here are 2 options to facilitate discussion related to Episode 2. These questions are intentionally generic. Feel free to adapt them based on the makeup of the Discipling Community (considering age, stage of life, spiritual maturity, etc.) and how the Spirit leads the discussion. Our hope is that the Spirit shapes/leads the discussion with the group discovering/learning/applying what is appropriate for the group without us specifying a specific outcome or application. • What surprises you about this episode? What do you find interesting? • What intrigues you? What questions do you have about the events portrayed in this episode? • What do we discover about God? Option 1: • What do we discover about Jesus? • What do we discover about people? • How are we challenged by the content of this episode? • What application can we take away and apply to life today? • Who can you share this story/truth with?

• What stood out to you in this episode? • Was there anything confusing or troubling? Why? Option 2: • Did anything make you think differently about God? • How might this change the way you view the story of Jesus/the Gospel and the way you live?

For more on asking good questions, check out the DC Skills – Asking Great Questions resource available at FACToccoa.com/dcresources.

Episode 2 Supplementals

At the beginning: • This episode is built around the practice of Shabbat. Ask the group if they have ever heard of Shabbat and what they know about it. (info from Wikipedia) or the ,( תבש :o Shabbat , Shabbos (['ʃa.bəs], and , is 's day of rest and seventh day of the . It is a central part of Jewish life. On this day, religious , Samaritans and certain (such as Seventh-day Adventists, the Church of God (Seventh-Day) and Seventh Day Baptists) remember the biblical story describing the creation of the heavens and the earth in six days and look forward to a future . o Shabbat observance entails refraining from work activities, often with great rigor, and engaging in restful activities to honor the day. Judaism's traditional position is that unbroken seventh-day Shabbat originated among the Jewish people, as their first and most institution, though some suggest other origins. Variations upon Shabbat are widespread in Judaism and, with adaptations, throughout the Abrahamic and many other . o According to (Jewish religious law), Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on evening until the appearance of three stars in the sky on night. Shabbat is ushered in by lighting candles and reciting a blessing. Traditionally, three festive meals are eaten: The first one is held on Friday evening, the second is traditionally a lunch meal on Saturday and the third being held later in the afternoon. The evening meal and the early afternoon meal typically begin with a blessing called and another blessing recited over two loaves of . The third meal does not have the Kiddush recited but all have the two loaves. Shabbat is closed Saturday evening with a blessing. o Shabbat is a festive day when Jews exercise their freedom from the regular labors of everyday life. It offers an opportunity to contemplate the spiritual aspects of life and to spend time with family.

Group Sharing: • This episode has a strong theme of honoring others (family, strangers, God). Invite someone to share their Jesus story and how they are seeking to honor God and others in love because of Christ. It’s ok to ask someone ahead of time.

Group Activity • Have a Shabbat meal together, including the 2 candles and the blessing. The meal itself can be thought of a dinner. One option is roast chicken (i.e. rotisserie chickens), roast potatoes and vegetables (i.e. green beans), salad, bread, and dessert (i.e. apple cake). Many versions of Shabbat exist as well as recipes. You can google and arrange for different community members to contribute different parts. You can eat the meal while watching the episode, or watch the episode and then eat while discussing. • Shabbat Blessing:

The sixth day. And the heavens and the earth and all that filled them were complete. And on the seventh day God completed the labor He had performed, and He refrained on the seventh day from all the labor which He had performed. And God blessed the seventh day and He sanctified it, for He then refrained from all his labor – from the act of creation that God had performed.

Permit me, distinguished ones, , guests and colleagues:

Blessed are You, the Lord our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine. (Amen)

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments, and hoped for us, and with love and intent invested us with His sacred Sabbath, as a memorial to the deed of Creation. It is the first among the holy festivals, commemorating from Egypt. For You chose us, and sanctified us, out of all nations, and with love and intent You invested us with Your Holy Sabbath.

Blessed are You, Adonai, Sanctifier of the Sabbath. (Amen)

Scriptures that are part of Episode 2: Mark 3:16-18 Mark 16:9, Luke 8:2 :10-31 Revelation 3:20 John 1:46 Genesis 2:1-2

Characters we See in Episode 2: Quintus Gaius Matthew Mary Magdalene Peter & Andrew James & John Thaddeus & James Jesus

Supplemental Questions: 1. Why was Nicodemus so shocked about the news about Mary Magdalene being seen in her right mind? What is most interesting about his reaction to her healing? How did you feel seeing Mary in her right mind, knowing it was her encounter with Jesus that delivered her? 2. Mary hosts her first Shabbat meal (Sabbath). What was significant about that? 3. Jesus invited Himself into Mary’s Shabbat observance (instead of any of the other ones). What do you think of that interaction? Why do you think that was significant? 4. Who is the last person you invited into your life for the purpose of telling them about what God has done in/for you? 5. What does it mean to “speak a blessing” over someone? When was the last time you have spoken a blessing over someone or had them speak one over you? 6. How can biblical rest help us connect to Christ? Why can this be difficult for us?