Windows of Faith

I've admired the windows in my church for years and decided to share them with my readers on Sunday. Each Sunday I will feature two stained-glass windows along with an explanation of each window. Previous windows can be viewed by typing "Windows of Faith" in the search box in the top left corner.

Lily and Butterfly

In Christian art, the lily signifies purity, innocence, heavenly bliss. The Madonna Lily is the one most commonly employed in presenting this symbol, especially in connection with the Annunciation.

Perhaps, the most common understanding of the lily as a Christian symbol is its use as a symbol of Easter. The bulb decaying in the soil produces a new bulb, stem, leaves, and flowers, all rising in glory above the dark soil in which the process of death and the release of new life are inseparable; thus, signifying the attainment of immortal life through the body perish. The rainbow also has a deep meaning. After the flood, the Lord God made a Covenant, an agreement with His people that He would never again destroy the earth with water; thus, the rainbow has become a symbol of the faithfulness of God and His Word.

The Butterfly symbolizes the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and it also symbolizes our resurrection. From the larval stage, significant of the mortal life of mankind, it becomes a chrysalis, to all appearances without life, then suddenly it bursts the cocoon in which it was sealed and comes forth to soar into the sky with a new body and beautiful wings. So the human body, after death, is committed to the earth, but the spirit which once dwelt within it will return to God from whence it came and on the last day "all that are in the graves shall hear His voice and shall come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." (John 5:28-29) Then will come to pass as Paul says in Philippians 3:21, "Christ shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body." The Butterfly window reminds us of the deep meaning of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead - "Because He lives, we shall live also." (John 14:19)

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This concludes the Windows of Faith posts. Preparing these posts has created a renewed appreciation for the windows and the lessons they present; I hope the posts have been beneficial for you, too.

Comments

  1. Enjoyed everyone of them. They are just as pretty on your post as they are in person. Have a great day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've enjoyed seeing all of the windows.

    ReplyDelete

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