Chapel Sanctuary and Windows
The Chapel of the Cross Sanctuary is one of the most peaceful places to just sit and find your center. The tall wooden ceiling provides a very open, clear environment- drawing your attention away from the world and into God's presence. The open skylights near the altar bring your attention fully to the foot of the cross, where we meet our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Each of the Sanctuary's Side windows tell a beautiful story, through symbolism, color, shape, mystery and form. Together, they tell the story of our faith... both as a church and as individuals. The glass from each of these widows is not the typical smooth, polished glass. Just like us... the glass is rough... jagged... busted... and even sharp in some places. Just like us... the glass seems common and unremarkable. But... just like us... there is a beauty in the brokenness. A beauty that God can see.
When the light shines through, the glass comes alive to reveal the story of our faith. Within the symbols and the shapes resides the story of our walk with the Christ. It is through Him that we discover our own meaning, and through His love that we find our Purpose. As you reflect on each of the windows, and their story, look for the Heart of Christ and the Cross of Christ that is hidden in each window. Like our own story, it is often to hard to find the Love, but if you look hard enough you will FIND THE HEART IN EACH PICTURE. Also like our own life stories, the CROSS of Jesus is within us, waiting to be discovered. If you have trouble finding these images, you might not be able to see this love from so far away... so come to the Chapel and find God's love face-to-face! Blessings to you, and may you too- find the Heart and Cross of Christ. |
What story do the windows tell?Window 1: CREATION
The Hand of God fashions the stars, planets, and all of the universe. The center of the image is the creation of humankind, who stands as the crown of all creation (Gen. 1:28-30). Humanity stands within the triangle, a symbol of perfection. All of creation is balanced and within the order of God's miraculous plan. Window 2: SIN
Sin is a word that has been used in SO many different ways. We see sin as 'breaking' God's perfect creation by choosing to live against God's plan. The grey figure in the center is in despair, because of 'brokenness', like the bent and kneeling figures around the center... they are broken. This figure is EACH one of us, in our brokenness- as SIN (the serpent) wraps its grip around ALL of creation from our choices. All the while, Christ stands above, in the promise of our salvation from this SIN. |
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Window 3: LAW
The Hand of God works again to create, but now to repair a broken relationship and a broken creation. Law is created (Ten Commandments) to restore the relationship, and God chooses to reach out to restore this relationship (burning bush). This window tells the story of Exodus- as God reaches out through Moses. The mountain, a broken triangle of struggling perfection, marks the place where God tries to help us regain our place in glory. Window 6: CRUCIFIXION
The importance of the death of Christ for Christians is that Jesus (as the Son of God) paid the price for our brokenness, so that we could be restored (through Him) into a whole creation again. Jesus does, what we are UNABLE to do, and puts our broken heart back together again. Like the kneeling figure, we bow before the cross and remember the words of Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me..." (Gal. 2:20) Window 9: SACRAMENTS
God gifts us with the miracle of the Sacraments. Through the rituals of Baptism and Communion, we can regularly receive and renew our Covenant promises with God. Every day is a new day! Window 12: CITIZENSHIP
We believe that our Creator stands behind the founding principals of Liberty, Justice and Freedom. We believe that by working together, we can build a strong nation and overcome the obstacles of life's struggles. |
Window 4: INCARNATION
In time, humanity learned that we were not perfect, and we could not follow God's perfect Law. The point of the giving us the Law, was so we could learn that we are NOT perfect. Through this, we learned that we need something more than ourselves to restore our relationship with God. In response, God sends us Jesus, the Christ. Through the Manger and the Cross, Christ gives Himself as the greatest gift to humanity... God's own sacrifice to defeat sin and rescue our Hearts. Window 7: RESURRECTION
Jesus story does not end at the cross, and neither does the believer's faith. The body of Christ is broken and descends into death, but is transformed into new life. The symbols here: the butterfly, the lily and the pomegranate are all things that seem to die, but are transformed into new life. So too, the believer in the center, through Christ, finds a New Birth and is transformed out of death into a new life! Window 10: FAMILY
We believe that God blesses the unity of family. Life has a way of pulling us apart, breaking down relationships and destroying the bonds of family. Through Christ, we know the strength that can come from including God as a PART of our family, as our Brother, Jesus Christ, welcomes us to be a part of the Family of God. Window 13: CHURCH
We believe that God blesses us with the miracle of a Family of Faith. Through community in prayer, support, accountability, worship and service, a church family can strengthen and empower a life to withstand the troubles and temptations of life. We stand together, because of the love we share for each other and for Jesus. That's what family is all about! |
Window 5: Jesus' Life and Ministry
The central symbol is called the 'Chi Rho', which are greek letters that are the beginning of the word for "Christ", or "Messiah". Jesus spent his life teaching, preaching, performing amazing miracles and helping people understand that He had come to save us from ourselves. Jesus' ministry was all about our own need to change our lives, so that we could accept Him- and restore our broken relationship with God. Window 8: THE HOLY SPIRIT
God's Grace isn't completed, and the journey is only half finished. While our sins are forgiven, we remain flawed. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit... God's own spirit... we are given a way to move toward perfection (the Triangle). The 'tongues of fire', as recorded in Acts 2:3, is the work of God's Holy Spirit on our lives, to refine and reform our hearts. Window 11: VOCATION
We believe that God knows the purpose of our creation better than we do. Our Creator knew what our abilities and talents were before we were even born! When we can surrender those gifts and abilities to God, for His purpose, the world can be transformed through our work. Window 14: SANCTIFICATION
We believe that God continues to work around us and within us (through the Holy Spirit) leading us toward perfection in Love. Through the community of the Church, Faith in the Power of Jesus Christ, reliance on the Holy Spirit and the choice to live our lives for God Almighty, we know that real happiness can be found in this life AND the next. |