YEF HQ continues to hold Lent Watch Parties for members and bible students to reflect on the path of Christ to the cross and His journey with His disciples. Through this time, the cross and the path they walked become closer and more real to those participating, reminding them that the walk of the disciples and the interactions they have with Jesus aren’t so far away from their own experiences.
This week, they looked at episode five of The Chosen which featured the wedding at Cana. However, before getting into the episode, they first looked at Romans 12:1-2.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Through this verse, Minister Danielle shared a short devotional for those participating to reflect on as they watched the show.
“We live in a culture obsessed with self-improvement,” she shares “People want to change our jobs, bodies, houses, habits, and hobbies. When it comes to opportunity and options for change, our day is unparalleled in history. The problem is that we also live in an age of unparalleled convenience.”
The Bible offers an entirely different norm for change, which is more profound and deliberate. It promises holistic change, but not all at once, and not without sacrifice. Paul’s charge in Romans 12 is to pursue change through sacrifice. For context, Romans 1-11 establishes the sacrifice of Jesus. One of Jesus’ first public miracles is displayed at the wedding at Cana, but it is a quiet event.
“Notice the everyday-ness of this miracle and how it was performed.”
In order for it to happen, the servants had to do a mundane task given to them by Jesus and in the end, they experienced a miracle no one else did. Through this and the episode itself, the group was able to see clearly that in order to change, they must do as the servants did. Do something as mundane as filling up the jars and seeing a great quality change; sacrifice time, thoughts, and etc. and live again through Christ Jesus.