Windows to the Word:
Dear Friends in Christ,
Three quarters of a century ago the members of
The year was 1929. That period of American history known as the Great Depression was just around the corner. But just before it hit the scene, the Lord moved His people to honor Him in a striking way with a striking building.
In designing and erecting this building, it quickly becomes
evident that the members of
When people come into this building for the first time I can almost guarantee what their initial comment will be. In fact I’m surprised if I don’t hear it. Many of you have had the same experience with the guests and visitors you have brought here. They will look around and say, “You really have a beautiful church.” As a follow up remark (and if it is day when the sun is shining through them) they will then often comment on the beauty of the stained glass windows. And they are beautiful. But even more beautiful than what they look like is what they say. Because each one tells us a story…
And that has always been the function of stained glass windows in the life of the church. Church windows were generally designed with a much higher purpose in mind than simply letting in light or adding a colorful artistic flourish to a building. Going back centuries and centuries to a time when many of the common people couldn’t read, church windows became a sort of visual Bible for those who came to worship. In other words, they communicated important spiritual truths in a way that everyone at every level of age or education or intellect could understand.
Which brings us to the sermon series we begin this morning. The truth of the matter is that we have a beautiful set of Biblical texts and an almost complete survey of basic Christian doctrine surrounding us each time we gather for worship. During this summer of our church building’s diamond jubilee it would seem to be both historically fitting and spiritually beneficial to consider the rich Biblical truths which each window proclaims. So that is what we intend to do under the general theme:
WINDOWS TO THE WORD
We’ll begin with the window that depicts the disciple and evangelist after whom this church is named. Let us turn our attention to the
1. The eagle
2. The scroll
3. The serpent and the sword
We’ll proceed by considering the symbolism and imagery of each panel separately. We’ll also talk about how the truth conveyed through these images applies to our lives as modern day disciples of Christ.
1. The eagle
Each of the four Gospel writers – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – have their own symbol. Matthew is symbolized as a man, Mark as a lion, Luke as an ox, and John as an eagle. These symbols were not someone’s random ideas, but are derived from passages found in the Old Testament Book of Ezekiel and the New Testament Book of Revelation. Matthew, Mark and Luke’s image will be developed when we get to them, but today we want to concentrate on John. And John’s image is an eagle…
Why an eagle? If you have ever seen an eagle in flight (especially over some great chasm or canyon), you’ll understand. It has been said that just as an eagle soars high and is lofty in the sky, so the Gospel of John is high and lofty in its prose and the information it provides us about our Savior, Jesus Christ. And who can dispute that? The opening words of the Gospel of John give evidence of this. Listen to verses 1-5, 14, 16-18.
Here – and only here, in the Gospel of John – Jesus is referred to as “the Word.” This is an interesting description. What do words do? Words communicate. Words tell us about something. Jesus is “the Word.” Through Him God communicates to us His love and his desire for all people…
And what is that? That is answered for us indisputably in John 3:16. For many of us this passage is instantly familiar. We hear the first two words and the rest of the verse automatically spills out of our minds. But try to imagine hearing it for the first time and the only conclusion we can draw is this: There is no loftier or more sublime statement in all of Scripture. Because this is pure gospel.
We could easily go on for another half hour pouring through the pages of John. There we’ll find many of the deeper teachings of Christ – some so deep we may not fully understand them, while others so clear they take our breath away with the comfort and strength they provide. In the Gospel of John we soar like eagles.
Which is a good – and practical – thing to know. Because mortals that we are, we sometimes get down and discouraged. Then its time to head to the Gospel of John.
For instance, when we feel like we have no direction in life, listen to our Savior tell us He is the Good Shepherd who is always in the lead.
When the concerns of life seem suffocating, listen to our Savior tell us He is the way, the truth and the life and that He at this very moment is preparing a place for us in heaven. When we feel alone or abandoned, listen to our Savior tell us that He will never leave us as orphans but that He will send His Spirit to comfort and console us through His Word.
When we feel the sting of rejection or persecution or it becomes very clear that our allegiance to Christ doesn’t always fit in with other people’s ideas of having a good time, listen to our Savior tell us that this is par for the course, that no servant is above his or her Master, and that it happened to Him too. In this world, says Jesus, we will have trouble. But then He says, “Take heart, because I have overcome the world.” And with Him at our side, we find strength for the journey…
When we listen to Jesus in the Gospel of John our flagging spirits will soar – and we will understand why an eagle is a pretty accurate description for this Gospel writer.
2. The scroll
In the Bible a scroll can represent a number of different
ideas. Connected with a Gospel writer
like John, a scroll calls to mind the written word of God. We might think of that instance recorded in
the Gospels where Jesus goes to the synagogue in His hometown of
The scroll represents the Word of God. The Word of God is truth. And the truth is this: though we are sinners, Jesus lived, died and rose again to take away our sin so we might have eternal life in heaven in the future and a fulfilled life in Him in the present. As Jesus tells us in John 10: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” – now and forever.
Application: God has given us His Word and by His grace we are people of the Word; people of the Scroll. Do we always understand how terribly liberating this is? We don’t have to go searching deep within for some inner light or climb some mountain to find a guru or holy man to show us the way of transcendence or sift through a truckload of competing philosophies, each claiming to be the truth. Because we have the truth.
In His High Priestly prayer (found in John) Jesus asked this of our Heavenly Father for us: “Sanctify them by the truth” and then He went to tell us where it could be found by saying “Your Word is truth.” The Bible is all we need to know the truth. And the truth shall set us free, says Jesus. Free from worry about our salvation. Free from fear of the future. Free from having to navigate this life on our own.
3. Sword
and Serpent
This is an interesting symbol. It’s actually a compound picture. The serpent takes us back to the Garden of Eden and is always a symbol of the devil. The sword is another symbol for the Word of God…
A couple of Bible references come to mind. In the Book of Hebrews we are told the Word
of God is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword. And in the
letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul encourages us to take up the “sword
of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”
So what is this symbol telling us? It tells us that Satan and all his temptations and all his wiles cannot win against God and His Word. When Satan wraps himself around the Word and tries to squeeze, the result is always his own destruction. He cannot survive contact with the Word.
Which again is good for us to know. When we are armed with the Word in our life, temptations and trials may come, but they cannot harm the Christian who wields the Sword of truth. As we hone our souls on daily contact with the Word we stay spiritually sharp, and the things which try to bring us down squeeze us to their own destruction. All of which is a poetic way of encouraging us to stay close to Word and Sacrament, for a strong spiritual life is the best way to ward off the attacks of sin and Satan…
Let’s bring our thoughts to a close. The general overall theme for the
Here is the best news yet. The Incarnate Word is ours. We know Christ. The written Word is ours. God has given us the Bible. We are equipped for the here and the hereafter. Truly we are blessed.
And for seventy five years now members of St. John’s have the additional
blessing of having all these great spiritual truths visually surrounding us
every time we gather together for worship.
Amen.