One Touch
Ray Harvey
Purchase Prize 2010 Christ in Art Festival
From the artist:
”—I recently visited Sarasota, Florida and found myself at the Ringling Art Museum. Yes, this is the same John Ringling that is famous for his circus, but in Sarasota, his art collection is known for being the largest display of Baroque style painting in the world. There weren’t many visitors there that day and fortunately for me I had many of the galleries to myself. I must at this time confess a terrible, despicable, and shameful act. While in the Tapestry Gallery standing in front of what must have been a twenty foot square weaving by one of my favorite artists, Peter Paul Rubens, I had a thought, a dreadful thought. Seeing beautiful, famous and world renowned works of art is truly an experience but at this time, in this place it didn’t seem like enough. What would it be like to hold the palette of Van Gogh I wondered, or the brush of Da Vinci? Or more realistically, what would it be like to touch the original work of a Rubens? This was my chance. To touch a work of this master was going to be as close as I could ever get to being with him. I looked around . . . No one. Do I dare? I did. Ever so slowly and carefully I reached out my finger and brushed the edge of the art. It was at about this time the alarm sounded. I backed away with arms behind my back as if to ask what all the noise was about. And as fast as the alarm started it stopped. A guard came around the corner, saw my innocent enough pose and walked away with nothing more than a shoulder shrug. I had gotten away with the crime. To this day I can still remember the feel of the Rubens masterpiece.
This reminded me of the Galilean woman who had suffered for twelve years with a bleeding disease. She had tried it all, seen the doctors and tried all the advice. Nothing worked. All hope certainly was lost? Then she heard about this Jesus. She had heard all about the miracles and signs. Water to wine, great fishing, but how is he with my problem? Maybe if I could get through the crowd. And maybe if I can put my arms around him. Or maybe, just maybe if I could only reach out ever so slowly and carefully and lightly touch him. Maybe. I know he could heal me. I know he can make me well. He is my only hope. But do I dare?
You know the ending. She did get through the crowd of holy men. She found a way to reach through despair, empty promises and pain. And she touched him. The power went out of Jesus with such strength it even got his attention. She was healed. Jesus wanted to know, “Who touched me?” When she fell before him and declared how she had been instantly cured he said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.”
Where is hope? For many it’s money, power or position.For others it’s as simple as one touch of the master.”
Hope Encircled by Love and Faith
Don Pavelka
2009
From the artist: This sculpture was designed specifically for a Christ in Art festival theme, “Where is Hope?”. Although the piece is comprised of three separate forms, the artist sees them as intertwined and dependent on each other. Each piece has a central color of glaze which is used in the adjoining forms to complete the encirclement.
The 150 Anniversary of the church’s founding inspired Jim Daues to create this stained glass window. Some glass from the original “stone church” was used in the creation of this window.
In this unusual portrait, Elder Gwang Hyuk Rhee of Young Nak Church, Seoul, Korea uses the 75,000 letters of the Gospel according to Saint John to show Christ the Son interceding continually with the Father For Us.
A gift to Kirkwood United Methodist Church from the Korean United Methodist Church, Sunday, March 28, 1982. Presented by The Reverend In Soo Lin and Congregation.
Dorothy Edscorn
Lean On Me
Ron Krieger
From the artist:
When visiting the Big Island of Hawaii several years ago, Pat and I were booked on a tour to Kilauea Volcanoes National Park. One of our first stops before beginning up the mountain was at an old military camp, which at that time was pretty well deserted. I came across this scene in looking at one of the cobwebbed windows of one of the old buildings. You can see the cross represented by the window pane partitions, along with the “good luck” open end up, old rusted horseshoe leaning against the pane. Thus my title “Lean on Me”. If you lean on someone, you depend on them for support and help. Songwriter Bill Withers wrote a song with that title back in 1972. And it has become an inspirational anthem to those rising up after tragedy. You too can lean on Jesus-God when times are difficult.
This is a piece of art remaining from the stone church building which stood on the corner of Clay and Washington from 1925 until 1962, when it was torn down to make way for a new education building. It features a cross, crown, and laurel leaf of victory.
Dominating the sanctuary is the Pentecost window, a wall of clear glass decorated in painted detail. The window portrays the Holy Trinity in abstracted forms, with overlapping webs representing fishing nets, which extends to the twelve panels below. We are all bound up in God’s web of life.
Symbols include: God the Father - hands of the Creator; Jesus Christ the Son - the blood red monogram, Chi Rho. Chi and rho (XP) are the first two letters of the Greek word for Christos. The vertical stroke of the rho intersects the center of the chi; Holy Spirit - dove; Tongues of fire - Day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit’s descent on the disciples in Jerusalem brought the Christian Church into being with a divine commission to evangelize the world; Fishing nets - symbol of Jesus ministry. The Church joins with the Triune God as “fishers of men”.
God’s guiding presence in many common pursuits of humanity are represented in the twelve panels beneath the Pentecost window. Each panel represents an aspect of human life. We are all bound up in God's web of life and the Church joins with the Triune God as “fishers of men,” women and children in every sector of our common life. The common pursuits of humanity represented are Science, Law & Government, Religion, Education, Building & Labor, Agriculture, Home & Family, Arts & Entertainment, Aviation & Space, Sports, Communication, and Medicine.
