Lutheran church windows

Before the invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century, the great majority of people were illiterate. Together with preaching, the wonderful story of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus was told through the medium of stained glass. Christian churches had colored glass windows as early as the fifth century, but the art of stained glass reached its height in the Middle Ages, particularly Not only does the glass provide visual beauty to the church, it also helps convey the meaning of God's Word.

The stained glass windows at Augustana Lutheran Church are made of Austrian glass and were purchased in Chicago. The church saved leftover glass from this repair job and when a window was removed to make a doorway to the Northwest parking lot. This glass was utilized in the renovation of the church undercroft. Norman Bennet made the large windows for the Wittenberg Library and the small windows in the offices. The beauty and message of the ten large windows on the north and south sides of the nave have been part of the ministry of the congregation since the present church was built in The images in the windows depict a variety of theological statements from sacraments to symbols of faith to statements of how we understand God.

The windows are described in order beginning with the window in the northwest corner and ending with the window in the southwest corner. The windows were designed for Angelica to symbolize the Seasons of the Church Year. The use of symbols in the arts of the church are to stimulate further study for all Christians. The Chancel has been designed to draw the attention of the worshiper to the focal point of all our worship.

This is the altar and the cross. In Lutheran teaching, salvation is offered by the Lord to sinful people, and the greatest need is the cross of Jesus Christ. It was on the cross He died to make complete and perfect payment for all sinners for all time.

Each symbol is placed on a shield with red background. The worshiper sees Christ as the Good Shepherd. As it represents our own victory through Christ we find added significance in the symbol. The larva suggests the lowly condition of our human existence, the chrysalis, the body in the grave, and the butterfly, the glorified body destined for everlasting life. Donated by Frieda Hayes in memory of Anna K.

Hayes, William J. Hayes, and Walter F. The central panel recalls the day Jesus came to John the Baptist at the Jordan River and asked to be baptized by John. We, thus, recall the Father's voice at His baptism, "This is my beloved Son" and the gift of the Spirit which "descended like a dove.

It not only reminds us of God's faithful covenant with Noah, but more importantly of his promise connected with the water of baptism that "he who believes and is baptized shall be saved. Three drops of water falling from the shell indicate baptism as being "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The ship is a symbol for the Church reminding us that in the midst of a troubled and stormy life, Jesus is with us to calm the storm, even as he calmed the Sea of Galilee.

The ship's mast is like the cross. Without this central mast, the ship cannot sail, just as there would be no church without the cross. The "Chi Ro" emblazoned on the sail also represents Christ. The first two letters of the name Christ in Greek are X and P. We are made children of God in Baptism and express this new life with Christ in the Church.

Donated by Howard and Lois Isaksen in memory of their parents. The Lord's Supper Window. In the upper room of Jerusalem, Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper with bread, wine, and the simple command, "This do in remembrance of me. The devotion of John contrasts to Peter's unwillingness to accept the inevitable as Jesus prefigures his body broken on the cross in the breaking of the bread.

The left panel with its shock of wheat and the communion wafer together with the chalice reminds us that through his presence in the simple elements of bread and wine Christ chooses to bestow the spiritual blessings of the forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation upon his faithful followers. In the right panel we are reminded of the wine of the communion table and also of Jesus' teachings regarding the vine.

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