Art Glass Windows

The three crowns symbolize the three kings. Below, the jewel box represents the gifts of the Maji.

Matthew 2:11 "They went into the house, and when they saw the child with his mother Mary, they knelt down and worshiped him. They brought out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and presented them to him."

At the top, the star and the ray flow downward over the crib. The Chi-Roo represents the Christ Child and the halo symbolizes the Song of God in the manger. To the right, the staffs symbolize the shepherds.

Luke 2:7, 12, 16 "She gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger - there was no room for them to stay in the inn....And this is what will prove it to you; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger....So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the manger."

The pyramids, palm trees, and letters 'M.J.' (representing Mary & Joseph), symbolize the flight into Egypt.

Matthew 2:13-15 "After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph and said, 'Herod will be looking for the child in order to kill him. So get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave.' Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left during the night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod died. This was done to make come true what the Lord had said through the prophet. 'I called my Son out of Egypt.'"

The dove descending from heaven toward the center window represents Matthew 3:16-17.

Matthew 3:16-17 "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water. Then heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and lighting on him. Then a voice said from heaven, 'This is my own dear Son, with whom I am pleased.'"

The Chi-Roo over the water symbolizes Christ being baptized by John while standing in the river Jordan. Water is flowing from the shell over Christ. The lower window depicts a fish. Early Christians used a simple drawing of a fish to identify themselves to each other. Note that the letters of the Greek word for fish are the first letters of five Greek words that spell out the confession, "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior."

Matthew 3:13-15 "At that time Jesus arrived from Galilee and came to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. But John tried to make him change his mind, 'I ought to be baptized by you,' John said, 'and yet you have come to me!' But Jesus answered him, 'Let it be so for now. For in this way we shall do all that God requires.' So John agreed."

Note the banner with the words, 'Ecce Agnus Dei.' In Latin this means 'Behold, the Lamb of God.'

John 1:29-31 "The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, ' There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I was talking about when I said, 'A man is coming after me, but he is greater than I am, because he existed before I was born.' I did not know who he would be, but I came baptizing with water in order to make him known to the people of Israel."

The Chi-Roo symbolizes Christ. The fishnet draped over the Chi-Roo represents the disciples, also symbolized in the 12 crosses.

Matthew 4:18-22 "As Jesus walked along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two brothers who were fisherman, Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew, catching fish in the lake with a net. Jesus said to them, 'Come with me, and I will teach you to catch people.' At once they left their nets and went with him. He went on and saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in their boat with their father Zebedee, getting their nets ready. Jesus called them, and at once they left the boat and their father, and went with him."

This is Christ's first miracle. The Chi-Roo represents Christ at the wedding. The flow from the Chi-Roo symbolizes the water He changed into wine in the water pots. The rings indicate the wedding. The two flames represent God's love for those being joined in matrimony.

John 2:1-11 "Two days later there was a wedding in the town of Cana in Galilee. Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine had given out, Jesus' mother said to him, 'They are out of wine.' 'You must not tell me what to do,' Jesus replied. 'My time has not yet come.' Jesus' mother then told the servants, 'Do whatever he tells you.' The Jews have rules about ritual washing, and for this purpose six stone water jars were there, each one large enough to hold between twenty and thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, 'Fill these jars with water.' They filled them to the brim, and then he told them, 'Now draw some water out and take it to the man in charge of the feast.' They took him the water, which now had turned into wine, and he tasted it. He did not know where this wine had come from (but, of course, the servants who had drawn out the water knew); so he called the bridegroom and said to him, 'Everyone else serves the best wine first, and after the guests have drunk a lot, he serves the ordinary wine. But you have kept the best wine until now!' Jesus performed this first miracle in Cana in Galilee; there he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him."

The cross Chi-Roo represents Christ. The feast is symbolized by the basket and the fish.

John 6:1-13 "After this, Jesus went across Lake Galilee (or Lake Tiberias, as it is also called). A large crowd followed him, because they had seen his miracles of healing the sick. Jesus went up a hill and sat down with his disciples. The time for the Passover Festival was near. Jesus looked around and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, so he asked Philip, 'Where can we buy enough food to feed all these people?' (He said this to test Philip; actually he already knew what he would do.) Philip answered, 'For everyone to have even a little, it would take more than two hundred silver coins to buy enough bread.' Another one of his disciples, Andrew, who was Simon Peter's brother, said 'There is a boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two fish. But they will certainly not be enough for all these people.' 'Make the people sit down,' Jesus told them (there was a lot of grass there.) So all the people sat down; there were about five thousand men. Jesus took the bread, gave thanks to God, and distributed it to the people who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, and they all had as much as they wanted. When they were all full, he said to his disciples, 'Gather the pieces left over; let us not waste a bit.' So they gathered them all and filled twelve baskets with the pieces left over from the five barley loaves which the people had eater."

At the top of this window is a book representing the teachings of Christ during His ministry. Below, the Chi-Roo, encircled by a halo, symbolizes His sermon to the multitudes. Note that the Chi-Roo sets on the Mount. Directly below, the variations of half circles represent the people.

Matthew 5:1-16 "Jesus saw the crowds and went up a hill, where he sat down. His disciples gathered around him, and he began to teach them: 'Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them! Happy are those who mourn; God will comfort them! Happy are those who are humble; they will receive what God had promised! Happy are those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires; God wills satisfy them fully! Happy are those who are merciful to others; God will be merciful to them! Happy are the pure in heart; they will see God! Happy are those who work for peace; God will call them his children! Happy are those who are persecuted because they do what God requires; the Kingdom of heaven belongs to them! Happy are you when people insult you and persecute you and tell all kinds of evil lies against you because you are my followers.' Be happy and glad, for a great reward is kept for you in heaven. This is how the prophets who lived before you were persecuted. 'You are like salt for the whole human race. But if salt loses its saltiness, there is no way to make it salty again. It has become worthless, so it is thrown out and people trample on it. You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead it is put on the lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven."

The Chi-Roo represents Christ as He stands on the mountain between Moses (who is symbolized by the tablets of law) and Elias (symbolized by the scroll which represents his prophecies.) The verse on the scroll, John 3:16, speaks of Jesus' impending death.

Matthew 17:1-13 "Six days later Jesus took with him Peter and the brothers James and John and led them up a high mountain where they were alone. As they looked on, a change came over Jesus; his face was shining like the sun, and his clothes were dazzling white. Then the three disciples saw Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. So Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, 'Lord, how good it is that we are here! If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' While he was talking, a shining cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my own dear Son, with whom I am pleased - listen to him!' When the disciples heard the voice, they were so terrified that they threw themselves face downward on the ground. Jesus came to them and touched them. 'Get up,' he said, 'Don't be afraid!' So they looked up and saw no one there but Jesus. As they came down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, 'Don't tell anyone about this vision you have seen until the Son of Man has been raised from death.' Then the disciples asked Jesus, 'Why do the teachers of the Law say that Elijah has to come first?' 'Elijah is indeed coming first,' answered Jesus, 'and he will get everything ready. But I tell you that Elijah has already come and people did not recognize him, but treated him just as they pleased. In the same way they will also mistreat the Son of Man.' Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about John the Baptist."

John 3:16-17 "For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior."

The cross and orb symbolize the Gospel that Christ preached. The palm branches represent His entry into Jerusalem.

Matthew 21:8-9 "A large crowd of people spread their cloaks on the road while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds walking in front of Jesus and those walking behind began to shout, 'Praise to David's Son! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise be to God!'"

The scale or balance indicates that justice implies the weighing of right and wrong, good and evil. The sword symbolizes the enforcement of justice.

Deuteronomy 16:18-20 "Appoint judges and other officials in every town that the Lord your God gives you. These men are to judge the people impartially. They are not to be unjust or show partiality in their judgements; and they are not to accept bribes, for gifts blind the eyes even of wise and honest men, and cause them to give wrong decisions. Always be fair and just, so that you will occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you and so that you will continue to live there."

Isaiah 11:2-5 "The spirit of the Lord will give him wisdom and the knowledge and skill to rules his people. He will know the Lord's will and honor him, and find pleasure in obeying him. He will not judge by appearance or hearsay; he will judge the poor fairly and defend the rights of the helpless. At his command the people will be punished, and evil persons will die. He will rule his people with justice and integrity."

At the top of the window is the Chi-Roo, a symbol which unmistakably represents the presence of Christ. Below the Chi-Roo, an angel's wing attached to a crutch represents Christ's healing power. The candle and flame symbolize the everlasting light and power of Christ.

Malachi 4:2 "But for you who obey me, my saving power will rise on you like the sun and bring healing like the sun's rays. You will be as free and happy as calves let out of a stall"

This symbol for the virtue of prudence refers to our Lord's parable of the wise virgins in Matthew 25. Note the lamps burning. The window may also refer to Matthew 10:16.

Matthew 25:1-13 "At that time the Kingdom of heaven will be like this. Once there were ten young women who took their oil lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and the other five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any extra oil with them, while the wise ones took containers full of oil for their lamps. The bridegroom was late in coming, so they began to nod and fall asleep. It was already midnight when the cry rang out, 'Here is the bridegroom! Come and meet him!' The ten young women woke up and trimmed their lamps. Then the foolish ones said to the wise ones, 'Let us have some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.' 'No, indeed,' the wise ones answered, 'there is not enough for you and for us. Go to the store and buy some for yourselves.' So the foolish ones went off to buy some oil; and while they were gone, the bridegroom arrived. The five who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door closed. Later the others arrived. 'Sir, sir! Let us in!' they cried out. 'Certainly not! I don't know you,' the bridegroom answered. And Jesus concluded, 'Watch out, then, because you do not know the day or the hour.'"

Matthew 10:16 "Listen! I am sending you out just like sheep to a pack of wolves. You must be as cautious as snakes and as gentle as doves."

The Lord's Supper is symbolized by the Chi-Roo, the chalice, and the bread. The rays flowing upward represent Matthew 26:26-28, where Christ speaks the words of institution.

Matthew 26:26-28 "While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, 'Take and eat it,' he said; 'this is my body.' Then he took a cup, gave thanks to God, and gave it to them. 'Drink it, all of you,' he said; 'this is my blood, which seals God's covenant, my blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'"

The large cross and the five wounds represent Christ's suffering. At the top of the window, the darkened sun and lightening symbolize what took place while Jesus was on the cross (Matthew 27:51.) The small crosses under the larger cross represent the two thieves. The one cross is light, the other dark. The light cross represents the thief who asked Christ to remember him (Luke 23:42.) The reed, sponge, and vinegar jar symbolize Matthew 27:48.

Matthew 27:50-53 "Jesus again gave a loud cry and breathed his last. Then the curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split apart, the graves broke open, and many of God's people who had died were raised to life. They left the graves, and after Jesus rose from death, they went into the Holy City, where many people saw them."

Luke 23:42-43 "And he said to Jesus, 'Remember me, Jesus, when you come as King!' Jesus said to him, 'I promise you that today you will be in Paradise with me.'"

Matthew 27:48 "One of them ran up at once, took a sponge, soaked it in cheap wine, put it on the end of a stick, and tried to make him drink it."

This is symbolized by the pillar and two whips. Christ was chained to the pillar and whipped with scourges (shown crossed.)

Mark 10:33-34 "'Listen,' he told them, 'we are going up to Jerusalem where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. They will condemn him to death and then hand him over to the Gentiles, who will make fun of him, spit on him, whip him, and kill him; but three days later he will rise to life.;'"

This is symbolized by the pillar and two whips. Christ was chained to the pillar and whipped with scourges (shown crossed.)

Mark 10:33-34 "'Listen,' he told them, 'we are going up to Jerusalem where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law. They will condemn him to death and then hand him over to the Gentiles, who will make fun of him, spit on him, whip him, and kill him; but three days later he will rise to life.;'"