This Little Light Of Mine

    The drive over to the church today was less stressful than yesterday in some ways, and worse in others. Today is the day we have to lift each panel up vertically, fix it in place, shim it perfectly, and shoot in the exterior stops. My mind creates one catastrophe after another. What if a panel bends in half?  What if it doesn't fit?  What if the nailgun misses and shatters a panel?

     Ed has been so patient during this whole process. I should have known he knew what he was doing.  After I watched him move the first panel into place, I felt a huge pressure lift off me. He made it look so easy.

    We began with the Lion and Lamb window. I have heard the phrase "And the lion shall lay down with the lamb" so many times, I didn't realize that the phrase doesn't actually exist in scripture. "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them."  Isaiah 11:6.  Still, the symbolism and imagery remain.

 
 The next window is my favorite, He Is Risen. "When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body.  Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, 'Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?' but when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away."  Mark 16:1-4 Perennial lilies remind us of rebirth and renewal.  The open tomb glows with heavenly light. The rising sun lightens the sky.








     The Alpha And Omega window, the third one, has multiple symbols. The Greek letters are in royal purple.  "He said to me: 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.  To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.'" Revelations 21:6.
  The wheat and grapes symbolize the Eucharistic bread and wine.  "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. "  John 6:48 

   The final window is the Holy Spirit Descending As A Dove.  She is surrounded by olive branches, symbols of peace and reconciliation.  The dove is often used throughout the Bible as a symbol of hope, and as God's grace. "And the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.' "  Luke 3:22.  The Holy Spirit is also represented in the flames above the dove's head. 

   I can't begin to describe how it feels to have these windows safely in place.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to do this work.  I am so grateful for Ed and the support he has given me throughout this project.  My hope is that it will enhance the peace and worship in this church.