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 The Stained Glass Windows
A Self-Guided
Virtual Tour
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North Windows of Sanctuary
Old Testament
Abraham
Window
West Window on the North Side
God summoned Abraham and his tribe to leave the city of Haran in
Mesopotamia to journey to the Holy Land. (Genesis 12) By faith, along
with his wife, Sarah, and nephew, Lot, “he
set out, not knowing where he was going ...for he looked forward to
the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God"
(Hebrews 11:8,10) Top medallion:
The knife symbolizes
the story of the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice even his son
Isaac, if it
were the will of God. (Genesis 22) Bottom
medallion: The brazier of fire and shield of  stars
symbolize the promise of God
(Genesis 15:5) who said Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as
the stars in heaven. The
large
center star is a messianic reference to “A star shall come out of
Jacob.”
(Numbers 24:17.)
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Four surrounding windows
depict prophets:
Hosea, Joel, Amos, and Obadiah.
Hosea 
Hosea
is
the only prophet of the Northern Kingdom of Israel just before it fell
to the
Assyrians in 732 B.C. His style is
metaphorical and figurative. Hosea is the
prophet who married, symbolic of
God’s love for Israel like a husband taking a wife. Israel is Yahweh’s
adulterous wife,
repudiated, but ultimately purified and his restored. Therefore, God
commanded that Hosea’s child,
named “Lo-ammi”=”not my people” be
renamed “Ammi”=”my people”. This
passage from death to birth is
symbolized by the skull in one hand and the head of a
beloved
woman in the other.
Joel
Joel, a prophet of Judah, sees a plague of
locusts as a chastening token of
the impending “Day of the Lord.” The symbol of Joel is the trumpet
calling the City of Zion (Jerusalem) to
a solemn assembly of repentance before the judgement Day of Yahweh
comes with cosmic portents.
Amos
Amos, a shepherd and dresser of sycamore trees, was sent in 750 B.C
from Tekoa in the southern Kingdom of Judah, to the 10
tribes of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The vision of Amos is however
wider than the idolatry of the northern kings. He pronounces judgement
on surrounding
nations, and on both the northern and southern kingdoms. His call is to
let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an
ever-flowing
stream.” (Amos 5:24) His symbol is a shepherd’s
crook.
 Obadiah
His book is the shortest in the Old Testament and the first to use the
formula “Day of the Lord.” He traces Israel’s animosity with the
Edomite people to the struggle between Isaac’s two
sons, Jacob and Esau (Edom). He calls judgment upon Edom for helping
sack Jerusalem in 587 BC. Ultimately, wrestling with God’s justice will
lead to a redeemed remnant of the covenant people. "Obadiah" means “servant of Yahweh=Jehovah=Lord. The symbol of the
earlier Obadiah in Elijah’s
time (855 BC) is the pitcher and two loaves of bread (1st
Kings 18) He concealed and fed 100 prophets at a time of great danger.
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| Last Update
04/08/2008, First United Methodist Church of Oak Park in Illinois. |
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