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"The Great
Commission Window"
Willet Hauser Architectural Glass
This window is executed
in a Renaissance-style treatment to accord with the building
architecture, and a desire to retain interior light. Each pane
is a sheet of antique, mouth-blown glass. Subject matter is
rendered in a combination of kiln-fired iron oxide paint, silver
stain (for yellow tones) and enamels (for other colors), all of
which form a permanent bond with the glass.
The subject is The
Great Commission as portrayed in the Gospel according to Saint
Matthew, Chapter 28, verse 19, and written in the arc at the top
of the window: “Go ye therefore and make disciples of all
nations.” Christ’s charge is here interpreted across all nations
and eras:
Jesus, the central
figure, holds the Word and stands upon the globe to indicate the
scope of his mission and influence.
Early apostles surround Jesus.
On the right:
Among the apostles is Lydia, purveyor of purple dyes, who was
baptized by Paul at Philippi (Acts
16:14).
Below Lydia is Martin Luther, holding the Bible he translated
into German in 1536 and the mallet with which he nailed the
95 Theses to the door of Wittenberg Castle in 1517.
Next to Luther is Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, founder of the
Lutheran Church in America.,
Below Muhlenberg is William Tyndale, martyred in 1536 for
publishing the Bible in English.
Next to Tyndale is Trinity Lutheran Church, Camp Hill,
Pennsylvania.
On the left:
Below the apostle is a Puritan immigrant to America and his
ship.
Below left is a Chinese youth in modern peasant dress.
Bottom center is a Guatemalan girl dressed in a locally woven
textile
and carrying lilies.
Bottom right is an African woman in traditional dress with
infant.
Above is the dove of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter left behind
after the Resurrection.
To the right is the triquetra, a symbol of the Trinity, and
iteration of Trinity Lutheran Church’s dedication. |
