Will Preach For Food Podcast

My name is Doug (he/him/his), I'm a precious child of God, and so are you. I'm serving as lead pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington. In this podcast I talk about the Bible. I talk about Jesus. And I talk about 20 minutes.

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Will Preach For Food Podcast

Windows of Faith (Matthew 5)

February 04, 2023 • Doug • Season 4 • Episode 5

Introduction

Hello, welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I’m Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. This Sunday, February 5, marks the 45th Anniversary of the first worship service held in our current sanctuary back in 1978. So dust off your disco albums, bell bottom jeans, and polyester leisure suits, and we going to worship like it’s 1978! Today’s podcast is titled “Windows of Faith,” and I want to tell you about the stained glass windows that adorn this sanctuary. For you out of staters, I’m working on getting the windows on a page on our website.

Stained glass is a rare and treasured art form that lets the light of the sun shine through it to reveal God’s beauty and goodness. My prayer for the people of Faith is that each one of us be living stained glass, so that God’s Son might shine through our lives to bless the world and glorify God.

Matthew 5:14-16

The holy Gospel according to St Matthew, the fifth chapter, beginning with the 14th verse:

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Here ends the reading. Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, grace, peace, and mercy be with you. Amen.

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Windows of Faith (Matthew 5)

Introduction

Matthew 5:14-16

The holy Gospel according to St Matthew, the fifth chapter, beginning with the 14th verse:

Here ends the reading. Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, grace, peace, and mercy be with you. Amen.

February 5, 1978

Where were you on February 5, 1978? Some of you were not yet born. Jimmy Carter was president. The Seahawks were still new. Mt St Helens hadn’t blown its top for another two years. I was a ten year old 5th grader at Wooden Elementary School in Woodinville. Dad was still serving as pastor at Holy Spirit Lutheran in Kirkland.

Here at Faith, Pastor Jerry Robinson had been pastor since 1970—he would be here nineteen years. Since 1952, Faith was housed in a brick building down on 7th Avenue, what is now the Consejo Center. The congregation had purchased the land in about 1972, and broke ground in 1976, and construction was completed in early 1978. It was time to move.

Connie and Jay Himlie were here—they remember meeting for worship downtown at the original building, then processing by car to the new campus. The flame from the altar had to be very carefully transported, staying lit the whole journey, carrying the light of Christ from the old sanctuary to the new one.

The stone walls were in place, along with the red carpet, and the circular chancel and altar. The choir sat behind Pastor Robinson, under where we now have the screens. This was years before the screens. The organ wasn’t installed until later that spring—a 1907 pipe organ shipped in from Louisville Kentucky.

The Confession of Faith

The first stained glass window was crafted by Hal Linker and installed in December 1978. It is the one depicting Pentecost: a dove and fire. Hal envisioned the flame as the burning bush witnessed by Moses in the wilderness. The plan was for 18 windows in all, with the theme: “the Confession of Faith” Over the next decade, all 18 windows were crafted and installed, and the set was dedicated in 1990. The three artists are still part of the Faith family: Hal Linker, Herb Cargill, and Pam Boad. Betty Linker, Helen Knudsen, and Connie Smith rounded out the Stained Glass Committee.

Faith’s historian, Diane Avery, wrote this about the windows in 1999, as part of a 50th anniversary memory book:

The windows of Faith may be viewed as single panes of glass, or as three distinct sets representing our belief in the Triune God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Windows of Faith tell the message of the Triune God’s love and gifts to humanity. The symbols and colors of the windows are the artists’ expressions of Christianity that touch both heart and mind.

God the Creator (south windows)

The first six windows, on the south wall, represent God as Creator:

1. The Alpha and the Omega. Behind the Greek alpha symbol, the sun rises over the Cascade foothills. (Bill Sleep tells me that tomorrow, February 6, is an apex sunrise. From Shelton, the sun will rise directly behind Mt. Rainier. Even if the clouds obscure our view.)

2. YHWH God. The star of David denotes our connection to Judaism and the Hebrew Scriptures. God’s name is YHWH.

3. The Creator. The hand of God issuing forth light, in the beginning and on the cross. (Hal recalls using his own hand as a model.)

4. Of the Heavens—the sun, moon, and stars… (Pam made this one—it involves a round piece of glass. All three artists noted its uniqueness and how it had been created.)

5. And the Earth—land, trees, and all living things.

6. The sixth window is one Hal made, representing God’s Covenant with humanity. The rainbow recalls God’s promise to Noah after the Flood. Rainbows have long been a symbol of God’s mercy. The tablets hearken to the Ten Commandments, the old covenant, the old “testament.” When I look at the window, I see the bottom half of the tablets as gleaming brighter than the top half, revealing that God’s hesed love and mercy transfigures the old covenant of the Law into a new covenant, a new testament: salvation through grace, by faith, apart from works of the law, centered on God’s Son and our Savior, Jesus.

God the Son (west windows)

The next set of windows, to the west, depicts the life of Jesus.

7. The Birth of Jesus. The Greek letters chi and rho together form the sound “kr,” short for “christos,” the messiah, the anointed one. Chi/rho was an early symbol for Jesus the Christ. Here the letters form a stable and manger, representing the birth of Christ in Bethlehem.

8. The Baptism of Jesus. The scallop shell is an early Christian symbol for baptism. Looks like rain, too, which is fitting for these parts.

9. The Good Shepherd. In his life, Jesus acts as a Good Shepherd, rescuing humanity from our sins. In his death, Jesus is the Passover Lamb, whose blood marks us and sets us free. In his resurrection, Jesus is the Lamb who was Slain, who defeats sin and death once and for all.

10. The Crucifixion. A close up view of the wooden cross, the crown of thorns, and the nails which pierced Jesus on Good Friday. The windows notice the rough grain of the timber.

11. The Resurrection. The Butterfly, emerging from its chrysalis represents the new life, the resurrection of Christ from the dead. The old chrysalis is marked with a cross.

12. The Judgment. “He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” God’s love and mercy, demonstrated by Jesus’ death on the cross, “outweighs” human sin. By his wounds, we are healed. If you look closely, you can see the image of Jesus on the cross, redeeming a woman and a man in the other scale. The cross is for the salvation of all people.

God the Spirit (north windows)

The third set of window, on the north, represent God the Holy Spirit

13. Pentecost. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus as a dove, and later upon the Apostles as “tongues of fire.” I like that Hal also connects this window to the burning bush witnessed by Moses. And it was a dove that returned to Noah with the first olive branch after the Flood. God’s Spirit has been around since before creation.

14. The Church. Pentecost gave birth to the church. The ship represents the earliest missionary journeys that first spread the Good News throughout the world. It also represents the image of the church as a ship on a stormy sea, propelled by the Spirit, with the cross of Christ as its mast. Hal says this one is his favorite. Another image so apt for our life in the Pacific Northwest.

15. The next two are symbols and elements of Holy Communion. The Bread from heaven, the body of Christ. Pam made this one.

16. And The Cup of the covenant, the blood of Christ, the wine of the Passover feast. Herb recalls crafting three layers of glass to form the darkest grapes.

17. The Cross and the Crown. Vindicated, risen from the dead, Christ the King now sits at the right hand of the Father. His kingdom shall have no end.

18. The Alpha and the Omega. Behind the Greek omega symbol, the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean.

Let Your Light Shine

“You are the light of the world,” Jesus says. “A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone… In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Today, on this 45th anniversary of the first worship service held in this sacred space, we celebrate the faithfulness of God in the past, in the present, and in the future. The old hymn claims this promise: “O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home.” (Just like that window with the boat over there…) I leave you with three takeaways.

First, the windows are a visual confession of Faith. That is, they tell the story of God and God’s faithfulness. We are named for God’s faith, not ours. The windows tell the story and remind of us of the God who created us, who loves us, and has a purpose for our lives.

Second, when you enter this sanctuary, you are surrounded by the gifts and artistry of the people of Faith. The windows. The stone walls. The cross. The altar. The podium. The baptismal font. The candlestands. The paraments. The songs Jana and Pete write. The anthems sung and rung by your voices and hands. The bread. The cookies.

What gifts do you have that you want to share? God’s work is never done. God’s gifts are always new. You are both God’s handiwork and God’s instruments of creation and beauty and art. Let’s keep it going, Amen? Let’s continue to let our light shine, to place our gifts out in public to bless one another and our neighbors and all creation.

And lastly, stained glass is a rare and treasured art form that lets the light of the sun shine through it to reveal God’s beauty and goodness. My prayer for the people of Faith is that each one of us be living stained glass, so that God’s Son might shine through our lives to bless the world and glorify God.

All glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.

Conclusion and Doxology

Thanks for listening, everyone. To learn more about Faith, go to our website, www.faithshelton.org. Like I say, I’ll have those pics up online within the next week or so. While you are there, check out some of our Bible studies, prayer groups, and ministries. And then like us, subscribe, donate, or sign-up for our newsletter. You can subscribe to this podcast on most podcast platforms, including Spotify, Apple, and Google. Chas and Nadia—you’re the best. Thanks for your production work on this podcast every week.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow. Praise God, all creatures here below. Praise God, above, ye heavenly host! Praise [to the] Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.