ELCA NEWS SERVICE
March 2, 2006
ELCA's Mosaic Television is 'Introducing Jesus of Nazareth'
06-032-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The sights and sounds of Jesus' life are
the subject of a video presentation released March 1 by the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). "Introducing
Jesus of Nazareth" -- the spring 2006 release of Mosaic
Television -- was recorded in Israel and the West Bank, and
features interviews with ELCA pastors in Northern California and
Southern Wisconsin.
"The topic 'Jesus of Nazareth' has been widely covered by
broadcast television outlets from PBS to the Discovery Channel.
What sets the ELCA's new production, 'Introducing Jesus of
Nazareth,' apart is a straightforward approach to the story,"
said Tim Frakes, Mosaic Television producer, ELCA Communication
Services.
"While others explore the historical Jesus, Jesus in the
context of the Roman Empire, or Jesus and his relationship to
Mary Magdalene, our program sticks to the four Gospels as source
material. By doing so, we hope to create an approachable
introduction to more in-depth adult Bible study," Frakes said.
Mosaic Television is the quarterly video program produced by
ELCA Communication Services. It is intended for educational use
in a variety of congregational settings including Sunday school
classes, adult forums, youth groups, women's and men's groups,
new member classes, congregational councils, committee and other
organizational meetings.
The Rev. Peter W. Marty, host of "Grace Matters," the radio
ministry of the ELCA, and senior pastor, St. Paul Lutheran
Church, Davenport, Iowa, hosted "Introducing Jesus of Nazareth."
In an online letter he wrote, "One of the joys of traveling to
the Holy Land comes through the connection between the topography
beneath one's feet and the biblical text inside one's head."
"What were once just words on a page in the Bible suddenly
come alive. Galilee, Jericho, Capernaum, Tiberias are not just
places; they are real places, full of everyday sights, smells and
sounds. They are real places that can transport one's head and
heart right back to the time of Jesus," he wrote.
The program explores the places of Jesus' life and the
meanings behind them. "The nativity scene to me gives the
message that Jesus was born in a humble estate. He wasn't born
in a palace. But he was born among the poor. And he walked
among the poor and the needy. And that is our Jesus," said the
Rev. C. Kay Doyle, Gethsemane Lutheran Church, Carmichael, Calif.
"God can do wonderful things with anyone's life. God is
here every day, working in lives, as Mary said, lowly people --
everyday, common people. God doesn't call just the people who
are on top. God calls everyone," added the Rev. Kristie Ann
Jaramillo, St. Paul Lutheran, Kenosha, Wis.
"Jesus had to understand us. He had to understand our joys,
our sorrows, our pains, all those things," said the Rev. Chuck
Carlson, Gloria Dei Lutheran, Sacramento, Calif. "We see a God
who truly was one hundred percent human while being one hundred
percent God," he said.
"The story of Christ is one where divinity finds a way to be
expressed in the exchanges that mark human community: the
exchange of grieving, the exchange of hungry people being fed,
the exchange that comes when we encounter an overwhelming dilemma
which we might call illness -- which we might call brokenness,"
said the Rev. Harvard Stephens, dean of the chapel, Carthage
College, Kenosha, Wis.
Other ELCA pastors interviewed for the program included:
+ The Rev. Mark W. Holmerud, Lutheran Church of the Incarnation,
Davis, Calif.
+ The Rev. Mark E. Jaramillo, St. Paul Lutheran, Kenosha
+ The Rev. James W. Munson, St. Paul's Lutheran, Sacramento
+ The Rev. David A. Peters, Atonement Lutheran Church, Sacramento
+ The Rev. Scot E. Sorensen, St. John's Lutheran, Sacramento
+ The Rev. Bohdan A. Vadis, The Lutheran Church of the Good
Shepherd, Sacramento
"Introducing Jesus of Nazareth" can be viewed for free on
the Web. It is also available in VHS and DVD formats. Some ELCA
colleges and universities carry Mosaic Television on local cable
channels.
Each issue of Mosaic Television includes a user's guide with
a synopsis of each segment and discussion questions. Annual
subscriptions are available through ELCA Communication Services.
-- -- --
Specific information about Mosaic Television subscriptions
and the content of each issue is available on the Web at
http://www.ELCA.org/mosaic or by contacting ELCA Communication
Services by phone at 1-800-638-3522, ext. 6009.
EDITORS: Digital photographs that accompany "Introducing Jesus of
Nazareth" can be requested by e-mail at [log in to unmask] or by
phone 1-800-638-3522, ext. 6009.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
