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Jan Neal
"If anyone
is in Christ he is a new creation; the
old has passed away, behold the new has
come. All this is from God, who through
Christ reconciled us to himself and gave
us the ministry of reconciliation." 2
Corinthians 5:17-18 (BCP, page 106)
This art work was produced for the
Easter bulletin at my church and is a
collage of crosses that exist at
Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Opelika,
Alabama, grouped around our processional
cross. During the Sundays of Lent I
cropped and used parts of the image,
often in black and white, saving the
full color image for Easter with the
Introit, Resurrexi, meaning "I arose."
How dear and familiar are these crosses
to me; how each one has its own story.
But does familiarity diminish the stark
reality of the fact that God himself
died on a cross to reconcile me to
himself and to make me a new creation?
Familiarity need not diminish the
astounding reality of resurrection if
our symbols of faith are portrayed as
living messages. The mission of the
Episcopal Church is to restore all
people to God. The cross as a symbol of
faith should constantly remind us that
nothing could be more important than the
ministry of reconciliation given to us
by Christ.
I am an attorney practicing in Opelika,
Alabama. My undergraduate degree was in
Journalism from Auburn University,
Auburn, Alabama, so I enjoy the mix of
written and visual art. I studied at the
Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale.
Jan Neal
Email:
jboydneal@mindspring.com
Parish: Emmanuel Episcopal Church -
Opelika, Alabama |
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