Up & Coming Weekly

May 18, 2021

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MAY 19-25, 2021 UCW 17 DAN DEBRULER, General Manager, WCLN. Comments? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200. "The Chosen" is the f irst-ever multi-season series about the life of Christ. (Photo courtesy Angel Studios) FAITH Positivity with a ponytail. e mu- sic, the message and the motorcycle. ese are just a couple of the taglines someone recently suggested for the daily radio show I have the pleasure of hosting on WCLN. Ultimately, I'll probably not use either of them, but it's nice to know people take time to notice. at's something our sorely disconnected world needs a little more of: People noticing one another. Over the past several months my wife and I have begun watching the independent video series, "e Chosen" from director Dallas Jenkins. None of us can comment with surety on how accurately the personalities of any of the Biblical figures is de- picted, but the series has gone a long way to making them all more under- standable. "e Chosen" walks viewers through the early days of Jesus' time in ministry, offering backstories of the people we often reduce to supporting actors as we read the accounts of Mat- thew, Mark, Luke and John in the New Testament. e more we learn about the envi- ronment in which these people and their stories were birthed, the better we understand the counter cultural message of the Gospel. I think too often we conjure the im- age of Jesus wandering from lame to leper in a white robe with His hands held just so, speaking in language too haughty for most to comprehend. at's probably far removed from the truth. Jesus was born into a gritty world, and a land which was domi- nated and occupied by Rome — an invading nation bent on ruling the world. As Jesus' ministry unfolds in the first four books of the New Testament, what I see is someone who noticed. He noticed pain. He noticed suffering. He identified with those who were poor and hungry, weary from the weight of the oppressive occupation, and anxiously hoping for a heroic figure to swoop in and save them all. Ultimately that's what they got, but they simply missed it. e Jewish people of that day had crafted a military hero from hundreds of years of stories. A hero who would defeat all the enemies of Israel, based on their current situation. e hero who showed up, however, was a kind, understanding man who worked with common people to help them better relate to God and the people around them. He taught them to love one another, and to treat even their greatest enemy with compassion. Jesus taught us to do what we need to do more of to move this world and any situation toward a more peaceful resolution in every way: He taught us to notice. When we truly notice those around us we begin to understand. We iden- tify with their pain, we identify we their suffering, and when we notice those around us who are hungry and poor in any number of ways, we find the same hope that Jesus offered. at hope promises there is more in this world than our situation, and many ways to live a full life regardless of it. Taking time to notice others can bring awareness and hope by DAN DEBRULER For effective advertising contact us today! 910•484•6200

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