Window 4b: Raising Jairus' Daughter

The second panel of the fourth window along the north aisle depicts Jesus raising Jairus' daughter from the dead:

And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet, and besought him greatly, saying My little daughter lieth at the point of death:  I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live....and he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her...Damsel, I say unto thee, arise.  And straightway the damsel arose, and walked (Mark 5 22-23, 41-42a).

North Aisle Window 4b:  Damsel, I say unto thee,
arise (Mark 5:41b)

This event in Jesus' ministry seems to fit especially well with the event depicted in Window 4a, for it shows that Jesus not only commanded natural phenomena (the tempest in Window 4a) but also life itself, by bringing Jairus' daughter back to life. 

 In the foreground of the image medallion, we see Jesus healing Jairus' daughter.  In the background, however, we see another scene illustrating an event inset in the narrative of Jesus walking with Jairus to his home, Mark 5:24-34:  Jesus healing the woman with an issue of blood.  Her faith was such that she believed, 

 If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.  And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up and she felt in her body that she was healed (Mark 5:28-29). 

Inset, Window 4b:  Woman with 
an issue of blood

In this way, the image imitates the narrative, embedding one story (of the woman) in the larger story of Jesus raising Jairus" daughter.

The image in the symbol medallion is the Cross Potent.  This cross is made up of four tau crosses (crosses shaped like the capital letter "T" or Tau in Greek).  The tau cross reminds us of the passage in  Numbers when Moses raised up a cross upon which he placed a bronze snake; all who looked up at this cross were healed (Numbers 21:5-9).  Some have noted that the cross also looks like a crutch!  The Cross Potent is therefore a symbol of Christ's healing ministry.

Prayer:

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your healing power in our lives.  Help us to have the faith of Jairus and the woman with the issue of blood, so you can bring peace and healing when we are in distress.  Amen.

 

North Aisle, Window 4:  Stilling the Tempest;
Raising Jairus' Daughter

Window Dedication:

In memory of Ivan and Herbert and Mr. and Mrs. H.C. Hansen

Window 4a: Stilling the Tempest

The first panel of the fourth window along the north aisle depicts Jesus calming a storm:

And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.  And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves:  but he was asleep.  And his disciples came to him, and awake him, saying, Lord, save us:  we perish.  And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?  Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.  But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!  (Matt 8:23-27).

North Aisle, Window 4a:  Why are ye fearful,
O ye of little Faith?  Matt. 8:26

The depiction of the event in the image medallion is once again quite straight-forward.  We see four men seated in a boat, with Christ standing (and larger), signifying his importance in the scene.  The men are looking up to him, while he appears calm; perhaps his outstretched arms, palms open and up, depicts the question of the text, "Why are ye fearful?"    

The impact of the tempest can be seen in the waves in the foreground, as well as in the tattered sail hanging from the mast to the left of Jesus' head.

In the symbol medallion, we see the "Globus Cruciger," or orb and cross.  The orb represents the world, while the cross represents Christ.  In placing the cross above the globe, the symbol indicates Christ's supremacy over the world, directly confirming what the disciples say:  "Even the winds and the sea obey him!"

Prayer:

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your mastery over the world which often seems so out of control to us.  Help us remember that You are in charge, and that all things will work out according to Your purposes.  Amen.

North Aisle, Window 4:  Stilling the Tempest;
Raising Jairus' Daughter

 Window Dedication:

In memory of Ivan and Herbert and Mr. and Mrs. H.C. Hansen

Window 3b: Calling the Disciples

In the second panel of Window 3, we see Jesus calling the disciples, telling them "I will make you fishers of men" (Mark 1:17):

 Now as he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.  And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.  And straightway they forsook their nets and followed him.  And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.  And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants and went after him. (Mark 1:16-20).

Window 3b:  "I will make you 
fishers of men" (Mark 1:17)

The event depicted in the image medallion is quite straight-forward:  Jesus stands in the forefront, hand upraised, speaking to two men (presumably Peter and Andrew).  These men are smaller than Jesus and looking up to him, representing the response to Jesus' authority.  In the background is their boat, left behind as they follow Jesus.

The symbol medallion contains the Chi-Rho, an X superimposed on a P, which are the first two letters of "Christ" in Greek.  This symbol is also called a "christogram," or monogram of Christ, and was first used in a Christian context by Emperor Constantine in the 4th century as part of his military standard:  according to Eustabus (an early church father who wrote a biography of Constantine), 

The emperor constantly made use of this sign of salvation as a safeguard against every adverse and hostile power, and commanded that others similar to it should be carried at the head of all his armies (chapter 31).

This military use of the christogram resulted in widespread use across the empire to signify Christ and His presence in our lives.  

Additional interpretations of this symbol include a comparison of the Chi with the X-shaped cross, while Rho looks something like a shepherd's staff.  These possibilities remind us of Christ as both our Savior and our Shepherd.

Prayer:

Lord, help us to leave behind the many things tying us to this world, to follow you just as your disciples chose to do long ago in Galilee.  Like them, may we sense the security of your presence and the grace of your salvation.  Amen.

North Aisle, Window 3:  Jesus' Baptism and Calling the Disciples

 Window Dedication:

In Loving Memory of Anton H. Nelson 
by Mrs. Nelson and Children

Window 3a: Jesus' Baptism

 In the third window along the North aisle, we move to the start of Jesus' ministry; at this point, Jesus is about 30 years old (Luke 3:23).  In the first panel, we see Jesus' baptism by his cousin, John the Baptist:

Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased (Luke 3:21-22).

Window 3a:  "The Holy Ghost descended
 like a dove upon him" Luke 3:22a

In the image medallion, John the Baptist stands on the bank of the river, holding a cruciform staff (a staff with a cross-shaped end).  This staff contrasts with the lily-topped staffs depicted in Windows 1 and 2; we have moved from the purity and innocence of childhood to the sacrificial mission of adulthood.  

Jesus stands in the Jordan River, praying, as a dove descends above his head.  We see him humbling himself by receiving a baptism of water at the start of his ministry, and immediately also receiving a baptism of the Holy Ghost, signifying God's presence in his upcoming work.

The image in the symbol medallion is the scallop shell, a common symbol for baptism in Christian churches today, perhaps because baptism in medieval art often shows a scallop shell being used to pour water over the head of the person being baptized. 

 It is also a symbol of pilgrimage or spiritual journey; during medieval times, the scallop shell was a pilgrim's badge, particularly for those who traveled to Santiago de Compostelo, Spain (to the shrine of St. James the Greater).  

The shell therefore represents the idea of spiritual transformation, through both baptism and pilgrimage which provides an interpretation of Jesus' baptism not only as an event but also a transformative spiritual moment in His life journey, the moment when He sets His path toward the cross.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, as we remember our baptism and the saving grace of your sacrifice, help us remain humbly in your will along our life journey, trusting in the transformative power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  Amen.

North Aisle, Window 3:  Jesus' Baptism and Calling the Disciples

Window Dedication:

In Loving Memory of Anton H. Nelson
by Mrs. Nelson and Children

Window 2b: Jesus in the Temple

Window 2b:  Jesus in the Temple

And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem....[and] they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and asking them questions.  And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers (Luke 2:42a, 46b-47)

The second panel in Window 2 shows us the young Jesus speaking to three listeners.  He appears to be the one teaching rather than "hearing them and asking them questions," since his hand is raised as if making a point and he is standing while his listeners are seated.  The three listeners appear attentive, with hands on their hearts to signify their amazement.  

In the back right, Mary and Joseph stand in the doorway -- they have been searching for three days for their son, only to find him back at the temple.

In the symbol medallion, we see the Lamb of God with the cruciform banner of victory (as described in the Sept. 1948 dedication bulletin).  This image is called the Agnus Dei, used as a symbol of Christ.

A banner was often used by the military as a means of promoting unity, focus, and morale.  In Exodus 17:15, after the Israelites won their first battle after leaving Egypt, Moses built an alter and called it "The Lord is my Banner," reminding the Israelites that God was with them and made them victorious.  

In medieval art the banner is often shown with the wording "Agnus Dei," which means Lamb of God, reminding us that Christ, through his sacrifice, is with us and gives us victory over sin and death.

To fly the banner from a cruciform (cross-shaped) pole simply intensifies this understanding of Christ's victory over sin and death.

The lamb has a halo, signifying its representation of Christ, the Lamb as depicted in Revelation, who "shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters" (Rev. 7:17).

The Agnus Dei

Taken together, then, the symbol shows us Christ preparing for the upcoming battle, a powerful Lamb who  carries the banner of victory on a cross, illustrating the paradox of victory through suffering and sacrifice.  And this understanding certainly matches symbolically with the central event of the panel:  at twelve, Jesus is already preparing to "be about [his] Father's business" (Luke 2:49b).

Prayer (using the word of the liturgical "Agnus Dei"):

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.  Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace. Amen.

 

Window 2:  The Flight into Egypt; Jesus in the Temple

Window Dedication:

Window 2 is a gift from James Olsen

Window 2a: The Flight into Egypt

Window 2a:  “Take the child and his mother
and flee to Egypt” (Matthew 2:13).

The first panel of the second window along the north aisle shows us the holy family once more, this time as they journey to Egypt.  Mary holds Jesus and is riding a donkey; Joseph walks beside, still holding his lily-topped staff.  

The text centers the image in Matthew 2:13, immediately after the wise men have departed.  Matthew writes, "And when they [the wise men] were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, and take the young child and his mother and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word:  for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him."

As the image shows, Joseph immediately "took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt" (Matt 2:14).  This prompt and unquestioning obedience saved Jesus' life, since Herod sent orders to kill all the children in Bethlehem who were two years old and under. 

 The parallel of these events to the story of baby Moses, who was saved when Pharaoh ordered the death of all male Hebrew infants (Exodus 2) provides clear foreshadowing of Jesus' life and mission.  Like Moses, Jesus brings his followers a new "law" and "salvation," although these look quite different from the Exodus and the Ten Commandments of Moses' time.  Images in Window 5a (Sermon on the Mount) will return to this parallel.

Of this parallel to Moses, the writer of Hebrews notes, "...consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus: who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.  For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hat more honor than the house" (Hebrews 3:1b-3).  Jesus, therefore, is like Moses but greater in that Jesus is the builder of all things.  

The image in the symbol medallion is a dove, identified as "the dove of purity and divine inspiration" in the dedication bulletin (Sept. 1948).  In Window 1a (The Annunciation), the dove illustrated the presence of the Holy Spirit; in Window 3a (Baptism), the dove is also used to represent the Holy Spirit descending on Jesus.  

But its connection to the event depicted in Window 2a is a little more difficult.  Certainly we might say that Joseph was divinely inspired to take his family to Egypt.  But, since the scripture says that an angel appeared to him in a dream, the dove of divine inspiration doesn't seem like quite the right image.

One possibility might be the view of the dove as a symbol of new life, first in the rebirth of the world after the flood (when Noah sent out a dove, which returned with an olive branch), and now in the salvation that Christ will bring.  

Another possibility is viewing the dove as an image of sacrifice (which it was during Jesus' time, in fact being used for that purpose when Jesus was presented in the temple (Luke 2:22-24).  This once more provides foreshadowing of Jesus' mission -- his sacrifice will replace the need for doves (and other animals) in sacrificial rituals.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of salvation made possible by your sacrifice and resurrection.  Help us to live faithfully in the new life you offer us; we pray that you would help us discern your will and, like Joseph, respond fully and promptly to your direction.  Amen.

North Aisle, Window 2:  
The Flight into Egypt; Young Jesus in the Temple

Window Dedication:

Window 2 is a gift from James Olsen

Window 1b: The Nativity

Window 1b:  Unto you is born this day
a savior which is Christ, the Lord" (Luke 2:11)

 The second panel in Window 1 illustrates the nativity.  In the center medallion we see the holy family. Mary is kneeling and now has a gold halo, perhaps representing her royalty as the mother of Christ.

 Joseph is likewise wearing gold-shaded clothing, and he holds a staff with a lily at its top--possibly a link to the companion window panel, or perhaps a reminder of the purity of this miraculous birth.

At the apex of the medallion, we see some straw, reminding us of the stable and Christ’s humble birth, while a star shines down on the Christ child, who lies at the center of the medallion in a manger.  

Note that Christ's halo is different from the others -- it has three rays or bars in it.  This type of halo is called the "tri-radiant halo," which signifies the Trinity and is used only for Christ.

While there are no shepherds or wise men in this representation, the star reminds of their presence.  
The shepherds saw "the glory of the Lord" when the angel appeared to them and spoke the good tidings which are the text for this panel, "For unto you is born this day...a Savior, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:11).

The star likewise evokes the wise men, who told Herod, "...we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him" (Matt. 2:2b); when they leave Jerusalem, "the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was" (Matt. 2:9b).

The image chosen for the symbol medallion is the rose, the symbol of messianic promise, as noted in Isaiah 35:1b, "The desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose." 

The rose also reminds us of Luther's Rose or Seal, especially since it is shown here with five petals and is white, which Luther insisted was the correct color (not red) because white is the color of spirits and angels (see Luther's description of his seal as a summary of the gospel).  Just as Luther directed, the white roses are on a field of blue, "symbolizing that joyful spirit and faith is the beginning of heavenly, future joy, which begins now but is grasped in hope, not fully revealed" (The Luther Seal).

Prayer:

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for these reminders of your wondrous birth and the joyful hope of our salvation as heralded by the angels to shepherds.  May we also have light to see you more clearly and daily strengthen our hope for heavenly joy.  Amen.

Window 1:  The Annunciation and Nativity

Window Dedication:

Window 1 is Donated in Memory of Mrs. and Mrs. Theodore Berg 

by Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Severson and daughter Constance