Binge Worthy: Ted Lasso
Streaming services - Netflix, Hulu, AppleTV, etc.- have provided customers the ability to “binge watch” a filmed series. Something that is binge worthy is a series worth taking the time to watch multiple episodes in one sitting. The AppleTV series, Ted Lasso is definitely binge worthy.
People are drawn to Ted Lasso by the feel good humor. Then all of sudden you realize, the show is teaching you something profound. The lessons resonate with real life and, often, with teachings of the Christian faith. In this series we will explore spiritual lessons in three episodes of Ted Lasso. Note: If you have not watched the series, it is an adult series full of adult content.
September 13: Be Curious, Not Judgmental
Matthew 7: 1-5
While playing darts, Ted Lasso reflects on a Walt Whitman quote, “Be curious, not judgmental.” The quote helped him put his childhood in perspective. A perspective he brought with him into coaching. Jesus didn’t play darts, nor were his words the same as a great American poet. But the lesson is definitely his — why are you concerned with the speck in your neighbor's eye and not the log in your own? Be curious, not judgmental.
September 20: Its the Hope that Kills You
Hebrews 10: 31-11:1
In English football, teams that finish in last place are demoted to a lower league. It is something every fan dreads. “It is the hope that kills you” is a popular saying among fans fearing demotion. After hearing the phrase, Ted Lasso tells his team, the lack of hope is far more damaging than hope itself. Hope is critical to faith. As David Carver observed, hope helps us visualize the future, then embark on a pattern of behavior that makes that future more likely. Or, as Hebrews says. "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
September 27: Never Gonna Give You Up
Jeremiah 31: 1-6
In episode 10 of season 2, we watch two adults struggle with the loss of their fathers. The show spends a great deal of time reviewing how the pain of childhood lives on within us as we age. Rebecca's mother deals with her pain differently than her daughter. She likes to sing the Rick Astley hit, "Never Gonna Give You Up", to cope. Because, as she tells her daughter, "Once I love something, I love it forever." Her feelings reflect the words of the Lord spoken to Jeremiah about Israel: "I loved you with an everlasting love."