For Epiphany Sunday, January 5th, Mariann Reardon talks about the variety of Epiphany scriptural traditions of addressing Christ’s introduction to the world, accompanied by cultural traditions. PMC has a tradition, begun by the Sanctuary ministy, which sponsored an Epiphany service, giving the opportunity to reflect on Christ’s coming into the world and guiding us through darkness and into the light of God — a theme that resonates in meaningful ways with the LGBTQ Christian community. The legacy of this ministry illuminated the path for our congregation to adopt our posture and policy of inclusion, affirmation and welcome affirmed in 2017.

Though far from a perfect church, we cling to our assurance that reminds us that it is not we who have chosen God, but God who has chosen us. We are affirmed as we hear the voice of God say, “I will make of the outcast a strong nation.” We are willing laborers in God’s field of justice. We cultivate peace by turning things right, step by step and year by year. Our actions bear witness to the radical love of Jesus and the overflowing compassion of our God, who can make all things new. We recommit to being a people of healing and welcome, honoring all people for who God created them to be. This morning, we carry forward our tradition of the co-creation of the sacred epiphany space in which we acknowledge, honor and celebrate our LGBTQ family and friends — those here with us now, those throughout the world, and those throughout time. These are people through whom Christ has shown his light onto our own understandings of God, and mysteries of our faith. We’ll reflect this morning on some LGBTQ people who have ministered to us by illuminating our paths of faith in some way — both from our shared Christian faith and from other paths, this morning from the perspective of the arts.

Jason Smith brought us images of the Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci, and the same image produced by Andy Warhol, in his Post Modern, Pop Art process, which surprisingly found it’s roots in the Eastern Rite Catholic icons of Jesus and the Apostles that saw as a boy covering the church walls as he attended mass with his Slovakian immigrant mother. An inventory of his estate would reveal that his Last Supper was just one of hundreds of depictions of Christ that he had composed in his last year. This was in addition to his lifelong custom of daily mass attendance and regular volunteering at soup kitchens.

Jason chose both Andy and Leonardo’s approach to this one image because it represents who we allow to come to the table of the Lord. We cause some Christians to privatize their sexuality and we cause some Gay people to privatize their Christianity.

The church is called to bear the Image of God… and if that god is Jesus, then Jason believes we are called to a third way…

Next, Stephanie Sabo introduced us to several LGBTQ artists that have influenced her path as a visual artist, and inspired her: Rudi Gernreich, an Austrian immigrant, shown this past year at the Skirball Center; Félix González-Torres, born in Cuba; and Haruko Tanaka, born here but who had also lived in England and Japan. Each of these artists’ work reflected or responded to social issues.

Hear Stephanie’s words as well regarding the work of these artist’s below.

Link to the video, I Love You: https://vimeo.com/6507668?ref=em-v-share

Hear Mariann Reardon, Jason Smith, and Stephanie Sabo as they talk about Epiphany Sunday and the works of the artists depicted here through the link below.

download here