CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Dec. 1, 2006, issue of Mosaic
Television, the video magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA), is "Holy Communion," focusing on the biblical
foundations for Holy Communion, and the Reformation history that
defines modern Christian understandings of the sacrament.
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 program is hosted by the Rev. Barbara Berry-Bailey,
associate producer for "Grace Matters," ELCA Communication
Services. "Grace Matters" is the radio ministry of the ELCA.
In his Small Catechism, Martin Luther, a German monk and
church reformer, said, "The Sacrament of Holy Communion is the
body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ given with bread and
wine."
"Holy Communion is instituted by Christ himself for us to
eat and drink. It's for this reason (that) Lutherans consider
Holy Communion to be a sacrament. Luther drew his ideas about
Holy Communion from the Bible. All four Gospels -- Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John -- give an account of the meal Jesus and his
disciples ate the night before he was crucified," Berry-Bailey
said in the program.
The Rev. Craig A. Satterlee and the Rev. Kurt K. Hendel,
scholars from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC),
are featured in "Holy Communion." LSTC is one of eight ELCA
seminaries.
"Communion is kind of like God nourishing us to have
strength for the journey -- the journey of life and the journey
of faith -- the journey of discipleship," said Satterlee, who is
Axel Jacob and Gerda Maria (Swanson) Carlson Chair of Homiletics
at LSTC. "So I think if we expand our understanding of communion
and lift up all of the things that communion is, then communion
becomes bigger and more important," he added.
"Christ comes to us in very tangible, material things, the
stuff of creation," said Hendel, who is Bernard, Fischer, who is
Westberg Distinguished Professor of Reformation History at LSTC.
"The simple things that we often take for granted, like wine and
bread or water for that matter, become literally the instruments,
the means, the vehicle through which God is present in our lives
in very tangible ways," he said.
"Holy Communion" also includes comments from leaders and
members of St. Peter Lutheran Church, Goliad (Ander), Texas, and
St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Milwaukee.
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.
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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 "Holy Communion"
can be requested by e-mail at mosaic@ELCA.org or by phone at
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
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
