Imbalance
Week 1 Summary
Lay down: all unnecessary screens
Pick up: watch and discuss the film Just Mercy
The average American spends an inordinate amount of time looking at screens each week, and often this prevents us from truly seeing the world and the people around us. This week, beginning on Monday, don’t use screens unless you need them for work, school, or family life. Use the free time created to read the Word of God, pray, and spend time in community. In your only screen time this week, watch the movie Just Mercy (which is available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and other platforms). After you have watched the film, discuss it community (with your family, your friends, your house church).
Lent 2021 Fast – Week 1 – Unnecessary Screens
This week, beginning on Monday, don’t use screens unless you need them for work, school, or family life. Use the free time created to read the Word of God, pray, and spend time in community. In your only screen time this week, watch the movie Just Mercy (which is available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, and other platforms). As you watch the movie, ask yourself these questions:
What Concepts are New or Unfamiliar to Me?
Were there any elements of the story that spoke to me, that were especially
powerful?
Were there any aspects of the movie that I found myself wrestling with or even
disagreeing with, anything that was especially uncomfortable?
Apply the lens of our justice series to the conversation. How does this story illustrate a biblical definition of justice: a radically sacrificial preference for the poor, the vulnerable, and the oppressed?
Discuss your answers to these questions and any other thoughts you might have in community
If you want to explore this theme of racial justice further, here are some other films to
watch (after the unnecessary screen fast is over):
13th, TV-MA for language. (Available on Netflix)
The Hate U Give, PG-13
Just Mercy, PG-13
I Am Not Your Negro, PG-13. (Available on Netflix)
Selma, PG-13
Hidden Figures, PG
For Families with kids
Set some time aside this week to discuss the difference between “necessary” and “unnecessary” screen time. Allow your children to make the comparison and then discuss what can be eliminated this week. Then, create space for a family night and watch the movie Harriet together (please note: this movie is still PG-13 and may not be suitable for smaller children. Parents, use your discretion.)
After watching the movie, encourage your children to share their thoughts. Ask them where they think Harriet’s courage came from. Share with them that some people called her the “Moses of her people”—why might people would make that comparison? Finally, share the fact that Harriet was only 5 ft. tall yet, she was strengthened by her faith in God and risked her own life to lead her family and countless others to freedom. Ask them what God might be calling them to do?