The
sanctuary windows of St. Paul Lutheran Church were installed
in August 1996. They were designed by Connie Johnson,
Designer Glassworks, Roy, Utah and constructed by Robert
Kelley, Connie Johnson and Jim Johnson of Designer Glassworks.
Installation was done by PC Glass
of Roy, Utah. We give special thanks for these people's
special labor of love. The windows tell a story of our
salvation which is found only in our Triune God, Father,
Son and Holy Spirit.
The predominant color at
the top of both windows is black with some blues and
greens running through the black. Scripture tells us
that because of sin, we live in the darkness of our
evil lives. It is only by the power of our Almighty
God that we have salvation. The hand of God the Father
gives us the "light of our salvation."
The natal
star points to the gift of the baby Jesus. This baby cried
like you and me. He needed to be fed in the same way we
are. He slept, walked, played, did all the things you
and I do with one exception. This baby, this God-man,
is the sinless Gift of the Father. A gift so precious
that our entire life depends upon Him. The darkness of
sin has been totally removed because of this Jesus.
The dove has long been the symbol of the third person
of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Notice when the
Spirit enters our hearts there is a pure light of salvation
that spreads over us. The Holy Spirit walked with Jesus
the entire time that our Savior was on the earth.
The reality of the suffering of Jesus is apparent by the
Crown of thorns that weaves its cruel circle in the window.
The suffering caused by our sins was placed solely on
Jesus. He was placed on a crude cross similar to the one
that shoots through the crown of thorns. The three nails
represent the nails driven into Jesus' hands and feet.
The scars of these nails remain with Jesus f0f an eternity
to remind us always of His sacrifice for us.
But the
Cross, Nails and Thorns did not hold Him! On the third
day after His death, Jesus burst open the grave that tried
to hold Him. The curse of Satan and hell was broken, once
for all times. He went to the prison of lost souls to
proclaim His victory for all times.
The Agnus Dei (The Lamb of God) stands in the middle of
the south window to proclaim that victory. His legs support
the victory banner of the resurrection. Because He rose
from the dead, we too will bodily rise on the last day
and be with Him forever. The red cross on the victory
banner reminds us that He shed His blood for us. The white
background tells us that we are surrounded by the sinlessness
of God. This comes to us in the death and resurrection
of Jesus.
The XP (Chi Rho) is the symbol
for the first two letters of Christ's name in Greek. We have
put into the glass a continual reminder that it is the Christ
- the anointed one of God - who came into the world so that
we could once again be the children of God. That relationship
was broken with the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve.
The palm branches at the bottom remind us of the words of Revelation
7. The saints of God stand before the throne wearing their white
robes and waving their palm branches given to them by God and
proclaiming, "Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and
to the Lamb!" We too will be standing before the throne of God
waving our palm branches in praise to Him.
The words of Psalm 121 cry out in the south window as we see
the outline of the mountains in the background. "1 will life
up my eyes to the mountains. From whence shall my help come?
My help come from the LORD who made heaven and earth. He will
not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither. slumber nor sleep!"
Windows that tell a story. We come into the house of our Lord
again and again to be told that wonderful story of salvation
in our Triune God. May the story of the windows be in your heart
now and forever.
The entry doors to
our church are another beautiful representation of the
visible Gospel. Pouring forth from the shell is the flowing
water which represents Baptism and its life-long effect
on a Christian. The wheat and grapes on both sides of
the doors illustrate the gift of the Lord's Supper. God
uses everyday gifts for the extraordinary gift of Christ's
body and blood.
The seal of Dr. Martin Luther is on the upper rightside.
This seal was designed by Luther and expresses his theology
and faith. In the center is a black cross indicative of
Christ's dreadful sacrifice on the cross for every sinner
who ever lived.
The cross is in the center of a red heart, to show that
faith causes love, joy and peace to grow in.the human
heart. The red heart is on a white rose (Luther's favorite
flower) because white is the color of angels and blessed
spirits. The white rose is against a blue-sky background
to symbolize the Christian's hope for the coming joys
of heaven. The seal is enclosed in a gold ring, showing
that the bliss of heaven is unending.
St. Paul Lutheran Church and School
3329 Harrison Blvd. Ogden, Utah 84403
church: 801.392.6368 | school: 801.392.2912 | daycare: 801.392.3512
| fax: 801.392.7562
