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 mosaic@ELCA.org or by phone 1-800-638-3522, ext. 6009.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog