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Meeting God in Prayer
Luther Productions 2004
www.lutherproductions.com
Bonus Features: Prayer Devotional, music by John Ylvisaker, PDF Leader’s Guide DVD: $34.95 30 minutes

Here is a DVD in which twelve heads are better than one.

Meeting God in Prayer features twelve teachers from Luther Seminary who contribute their thoughts and experiences in prayer in response to basic questions about prayer:

• What is prayer?
• Why do we pray?
• How do we pray?
• When do we pray?
• Does God answer prayers?

The responses to each question feature concise comments from many of the twelve faculty members. These are deftly edited to create a sense of real conversation among the individual participants concerning that question. Rather than one expert talking at length, viewers have the feeling of sitting in on a lively discussion among twelve varied points of view.

Nor is it a dry, purely academic discussion. Whether it is Richard Wallace talking about his difficulties in praying alone or Lois Malcolm describing the challenges for her family as they pray for her mother who suffers from Alzheimer’s, these are heartfelt and often passionate words about what happens when we meet God in prayer.

The DVD does a good job of exploring both the individual and the communal dimensions of prayer and its practice. It provides many excellent ways to initiate discussion within viewing groups. Each segment on prayer is short enough to allow great flexibility. There is ample time for conversation within a 45- to 60-minute Sunday morning time slot. But the content is rich enough to support extended discussion.

The bonus prayer devotional is a music video consisting of a John Ylvisaker song set to lovely time-lapse videography of the land, sky, sea, and seasons. It is an excellent preparation or background for prayer. A leader’s guide is provided in a PDF file.

Introducing the New Testament Mosaic Spring 2005 edition
ELCA Dept. for Communications
www.elca.org/mosaic
(800) 638-3522 ext. 6009
DVD: color, Adults, 24 minutes (incl. bonus material), $19.95

This Mosaic Television production offers a fine, concise overview of the New Testament that is suitable for a wide range of viewers from and for congregational applications including confirmation, new-member classes, and adult forums or “Bible basics” classes.

The disc places the New Testament in the broader biblical context of Scripture as God’s self-revelation and, more specifically, as the witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The disc looks at when and where the books were written as well as the authors of the New Testament.\

Subsequent segments are organized around the gospels, the letters, and the book of Revelation. Some might question what appears to be an overemphasis on Revelation, but the narration speaks to the popular interest in this book generated by the Left Behind books and the media in general. The disc provides a sound historical and biblical perspective in contrast to the more sensational interpretations.

Overall, Introducing the New Testament keeps the simple truth of the good news that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead at the center of its presentation.

Bonus material, including additional interviews with the Lutheran scholars in the DVD, provides helpful background information. A brief User’s Guide by Mark Reshan is provided as a PDF file for use as a leader’s guide or for individual study.

The Dividing Wall / Walking the Path Jesus Walked
Mennonite Central Committee and MCC U.S., 2004 21 South 12th Street, P.O. Box 500 Akron, PA 17501-0500
www.thenovgroup.com/MCC/catalog
DVD/Video, $20 23 minutes

These two productions of the Mennonite Central Committee focus on current issues in the Middle East.

The Dividing Wall looks at Israel’s ongoing construction of the concrete wall from a primarily Palestinian point of view. It presents the wall as an act of Israeli oppression and a bid for control of land and resources long claimed by Palestinian residents in the occupied territories and elsewhere.
Many of the interviewees question Israel’s motives of national security against terrorists. They say that the wall will not bring peace or make good neighbors. In the end, it will not even bring Israel the security it says it wants.

There is little material presented from the Israeli side beyond a quote from Ariel Sharon that “The terror builds the fence.” This means that users will need to find additional material from the Israeli perspective to provide full debate in an adult forum or similar venue. The second production, Walking the Path Jesus Walked, provides a fascinating glimpse of three of the many faces of the Christian Church in the Middle East .A Palestinian Christian, a Syrian Orthodox deacon, and a member of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Cairo, Egypt, show and tell stories of living their faith in the midst of largely Muslim or Jewish societies. This production is a good look at the diversity within the Christian faith.

Both The Dividing Wall and Walking the Path Jesus Walked come with useful study guides.

Geoffrey L. Scott, Lutheran Partners’ video review editor, is pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, Menomonie, Wisconsin.