Looking for something to watch, read, and listen to this weekend? Here’s one of each that I recommend:
1. We just started watching The Chosen, an imaginative rendering of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. We have only watched two episodes so far, but I am really grateful for the chance to consider what motivated the disciples to follow Jesus, what it felt like to live as Jews under Roman rule, and get a glimpse at the social dynamics of rich and poor, powerful and vulnerable, in Jesus’ day.
2. Jessica Mesman’s reflection on Jesus’ resurrection for the Christian Century brought the reality of disconcerting new life alive for me in a whole new way. She reflects on her own mother’s death and the disciples’ grief and joy:
“Still half-crazed from the trauma of loss, they seem to accept that they’re living in a new order where the dead can not only rise, walk, and talk theology with friends—the dead can live. The dead can eat . . . The resurrected body of Christ is at once a new reality and a restoration of what life was like before it was so brutally undone . . . His presence answers their questions about who he is, but it also gives back, for a time, the friend they knew and mourned. When they arrive at Bethany, they see him carried into heaven, a second departure from their company, and yet Luke writes of their joy.”….
3. I have appreciated Cole Riley’s prayers on the Instagram account Black Liturgies, and I loved hearing her talk with Tyler Burns on Pass the Mic this week. I only wish their conversation had lasted longer as they cover what animates a spirituality of rest and restoration, how Black Liturgies came to be, and the experience of Black Christians within white spaces.
To read more with Amy Julia:
- More AJB Recommends
- AJB Recommends: Podcasts for Understanding the Black Experience
- AJB Recommends: All the Fascinating Ideas
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