Pastor’s Corner

Home » Pastor's Corner

Immanuel Church Windows Worship Service

September 15 & 16, 2018

Today our service is based around the 12 stained glass windows in our sanctuary.  These windows tell the story of God’s love and salvation.  When the old 1881 church was built, it did not have stained glass.  But in 1940, these windows were dedicated in the old church, and in 2007 they were placed in our new church building.  We pray that God will speak to us through them today to encourage and strengthen our Christian faith.

1. We begin with the  Trinity Window  in the back left corner.  This window, written in Latin, explains that each of the 3 persons of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is God.  Yet each person of the Trinity is also distinct from the other 2 persons of the Holy Trinity.

We read in  Isaiah 6:1-3:  In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on His throne; and the train of His robe filled the temple.  Above Him were seraphim, each with 6 wings:  With 2 wings they covered their faces, with 2 they covered their feet, and with 2 they were flying.  And they were calling to one another:  “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.”

We worship the Triune God as we sing:    #507, vv. 1, 4

Holy, Holy, Holy!  Lord God Almighty!  Early in the morning our songs shall rise to Thee;  Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!                                     God in three persons, blessed Trinity!    

Holy, holy, holy!  Lord God Almighty!  All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea.  Holy,  holy, holy, merciful and mighty!                 God I three persons, blessed Trinity!

2. Next we see the Triumphant Lamb.  We are so grateful that Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  We also rejoice that He is the triumphant Lamb who has triumphed over the devil and the forces of evil, sin, and death.

Let us take a moment of silence to ponder and confess our sins to our God.

We read in  John 1:29:  The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” We further read Revelation 5:11-14:  Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand.  They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.  In a loud voice they were saying:  “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

Let us sing Hymn #550.

Your only Son, no sin to hide, But You have sent Him from Your side        To walk upon this guilty sod, and to become the Lamb of God.                               O Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God,  I love the holy Lamb of God!            O wash me in His precious blood, My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

Your gift of love they crucified, They laughed and scorned Him as He died:  The humble King they named a fraud,  And sacrificed the Lamb of God.   O Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God, I love the holy Lamb of God!                  O wash me in His precious blood, My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

I was so lost, I should have died,  But You have brought me to Your side  To be led by Your staff and rod,  And to be called a lamb of God.                       O Lamb of God, sweet Lamb of God, I love the holy Lamb of God!                       O wash me in His precious blood,  My Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

3. Our next window is the Cross & Crown. It reminds us that Jesus suffered for our salvation, but then was highly exalted as Lord of all.  This triumphant Lord encourages us also to be faithful till death, that we may receive the crown of eternal life.

We read  Philippians 2:5-11:  In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!  Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven  and on death, and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

Also, we read Revelation 2:10 where Jesus urges us:  “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.””

Let us now sing verse 1 of #664.

Fight the good fight with all your might;  Christ is your strength and Christ your right.  Lay hold on life, and it shall be  Your joy and crown eternally.

4. Our last left side window is a Pelikan. A Pelican normally feed its young with food from its crop in its mouth.  Notice how this bird is feeding its young with blood plucked from its own     Thus, this window symbolizes how Jesus feeds us with His own blood and makes us righteous before God in that precious blood.

Reading from I John 1:7-9:  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.  If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

We sing of this truth in #563, vv. 1, 3

Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness  My beauty are, my glorious dress;  Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,   With joy shall I lift up my head.

Lord, I believe Thy precious blood,  Which at the mercy seat of God  Pleads for the captives’ liberty,  Was also shed in love for me.                                                           

5. Our first window on the left in front of the sanctuary in the chancel is The Lord’s Supper or the Communion window.  You will note both grapes and stalks of wheat from which come wine and bread, the earthly elements with which Jesus gives us His body and blood.

In Matthew 26:26-28, Jesus instituted the Lord’s Super, which we also observe this day.

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.”  Then He took a cup, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink  from it, all of you.  This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”    

In Holy Communion, Jesus nurtures our faith and strengthen our souls with His true body and His true and precious blood.  In anticipation of our communing at the Lord’s altar today, we sing hymn 637, vv. 1,3.

Draw near and take the Body of the Lord, and drink the holy blood        for you outpoured;  Offered was He for greatest and for least,            Himself the victim and Himself the priest.                                                                Come forward then with faithful hearts sincere,  And take the pledges of salvation here.  O Lord, our hearts with grateful thanks endow                           As in this feast of love You bless us now.

6. My favorite stained glass window, right behind the pulpit, is the Good Shepherd    I love the image of Jesus among His flock and holding a lamb in His arms of love.  That truly is a solace for the lamb!  How our Savior/Shepherd leads, feeds, and cares for us!   We read in  John 10:11, 27-28:  Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd.  The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”  “My sheep listen to My voice;      I know them and they follow Me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

We join in  singing  #709, vv. 1,5

The King of love my shepherd is, whose goodness faileth never;                  I nothing lack if I am His  And He is mine forever.

Thou spreadst a table in my sight;  Thine unction grace bestoweth;               And oh, what transport of delight  From Thy pure chalice floweth! 

7. Our next large window in front is the Gethsemane This window reminds us that God’s house is a house of prayer.  He commands us to pray often in His name, and promises to hear us.  And Jesus always lives to make intercession for us as well.

The Gethsemane story is told in  Matthew 26:36-46

Then Jesus went with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and He said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”  He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with Him, and He began to be sorrowful and troubled.  Then He said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.  Stay here and keep watch with Me.”  Going a little farther, He fell with His face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from Me.  Yet not as I will, but as You will.”   Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping.  “Couldn’t you men keep watch with Me for one hour?”  He asked Peter.  “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.  The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”   He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may Your will be done.”  When He came back, He again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy.  So He left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.   Then He returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still resting and sleeping?  Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners.  Rise!  Let us go!  Here comes My betrayer!”

We sing the first verse of #436.

Go to dark Gethsemane,  All who feel the tempter’s power; Your Redeemer’s conflict see,  Watch with Him one bitter hour;  Turn not from His griefs away;   Learn from Jesus Christ to pray.

8. Let’s look now at the Baptism window to the right. You will note a baptism font with the Holy Spirit descending upon it.  On Pentecost Day, the Spirit came with power on the Church, and 3,000 people were

baptized into the Christian faith that day.  We read in  Acts 2:37-39:

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

We should remember our baptism every day and also recall how it affects our daily life.  Paul writes in  Romans 6:3-4:

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Hymn #590, vv. 1-2 speaks of the blessings of Baptism.

Baptized into Your name most holy, O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,  I claim a place, though weak and lowly,  Among Your saints, Your chosen host.  Buried with Christ and dead to sin,  Your Spirit now shall live within. 

My loving Father, here You take me To be henceforth Your child and heir.  My faithful Savior, here You make me  The fruit of all Your sorrows share.  O Holy Spirit, comfort me  When threatening clouds around I see.

9. The front window on our right side is the Pomegranate window. Are you familiar with pomegranates?   Pomegranates are maroon in color, about the size of an orange, and are filled with many little seeds.  Pomegranate designs were used to decorate Solomon’s temple as well as the hem of the high priest’s robe.

A bursting pomegranate, like this one, is a symbol of Easter, where   Christ burst forth from the tomb with the promise that because He lives,   we shall live also.

Scripture speaks of this triumph also in Romans 4:25-5:2.  He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.  Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 

One of our favorite Easter hymns is #461, I Know That My Redeemer Lives.  Let’s sing verses 1, 2, and 7.

I know that my Redeemer lives;  What comfort this sweet sentence gives!  He lives, He lives, who once was dead;  He lives, my ever-living head.  

 He lives triumphant from the grave;  He lives eternally to save;  He lives all-glorious in the sky;  He lives exalted there on high.   

He lives and grants me daily breath;  He lives, and I shall conquer death;  He lives my mansion to prepare;  He lives to bring me safely there.

10. Next we have the Cross & Orb, signifying that Jesus has triumphed over the evil forces of this world. Jesus said in  John 16:33, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”                                        In Jesus, we, too, are victors on the winning team!    (John 3:16)

Let us continue with hymn #571, vv. 1, 3.

God loved the world so that He gave  His only Son the lost to save,        That all who would in Him believe  Should everlasting life receive.                                God would not have the sinner die;  His Son with saving grace is nigh;         His Spirit in the Word declares, How we in Christ are heaven’s heirs.

11. Next comes the Wheat & Weeds window.  Living in the midst of a farming community, we can understand and appreciate this one!                               It is based on the parable Jesus told in  Matthew 13:24-30.    “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.  But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.  When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.  The owner’s servants came to Him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field.  Where then did the weeds come from?’  ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.  The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’  ‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.  Let both grow together until the harvest.  At that time I will tell the harvesters:  First, collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.”

So Jesus tells us in this story that there will always be hypocrites (weeds or tares) among the true believers (wheat) in Christ’s church. Our job is not to weed out the weeds, but rather to nurture the wheat for an abundant harvest for our Lord.

We now sing  # 892, vv. 1-2

Come, ye thankful people, come;  Raise the song of harvest home.       All be safely gathered in  Ere the winter storms begin;          God our Maker, doth provide   For our wants to be supplied.  Come to God’s own temple, come;   Raise the song of harvest home.   

 All the world is God’s own field,  Fruit unto His praise to yield;        Wheat and tares together sown,  Unto joy or sorrow grown.   First the blade and then the ear,  Then the full corn shall appear.          Lord of harvest grant that we  Wholesome grain and pure may be.

12. Our final window is the Luther Seal.  The black cross in the center reminds us that Jesus died to take our sins away.  The red heart reminds us of God’s great and amazing love for us.  The white rose reminds us of the work of the Holy Spirit in calling us to faith and making us pure and holy.  The blue background reminds us of the joy and peace of our salvation.  And the gold ring is a symbol of heaven, our eternal home.                                                                          Luther is famous for restoring the Gospel to the Church:  The gospel tells us that the righteousness that our God demands of us is also a righteousness that He gives to us and that we receive by faith.  This is our Christian and Lutheran heritage, as expressed in Romans 1:16-17, where St. Paul writes:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes:  first for the Jew, then to the Gentile.  For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written, : “The righteous will live by faith.”

Let us celebrate that great salvation by singing Luther’s famous hymn:                          A Mighty Fortress #656, vv. 1, 3

A mighty Fortress is our God,   A trusty shield and weapon;        He helps us free from every need  That hath us now o’ertaken.        The old evil foe   Now means deadly woe;  Deep guile and great might    Are his dread arms in fight;    On earth is not his equal.

Though devils all the world should fill,  All eager to devour us,    We tremble not,  we fear no ill;  They shall not overpower us.           This world’s prince may still     Scowl fierce as he will,  He can harm us none,   He’s judged;  the deed is done;  One little word can fell him.