Stain Glass Windows
My Family in Christ,
Recently while showing some folks our sanctuary, they remarked at the beauty of our stained glass windows. That is not the first time I have heard such appraisals, and it reminded me of a story I think some of you may have heard before: A little girl was once asked by her mother what a saint is. Remembering the people she had seen portrayed in her church’s stained glass windows, she replied, “They are those through whom the light is shining through.”
That is not a bad description at all – in fact, it is downright accurate! The saints of God are those whom God’s light is shining through – those children of God whom God is shining His Love and Holiness through to the people around them. Those people happen to be you! Yes, you! Each of you believers in Jesus Christ are the saints of God – those people whom God is shining through!
Now some might start looking around at their fellow believers and wonder at the truth of that statement, or for that matter, may be looking at themselves and again wonder at the truth of that statement. But it is true! People often think of folks like Peter, Paul, John etc. But themselves? Yes – you! When God looks upon those who have been baptized into His Son, those who have had the Blood of Christ wash over them and cleanse them from their guilt – all He sees is the beauty and holiness of His Son. Jesus’ righteousness and holiness and life covers us! Galatians 3:27 states: “for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” When mankind fell into sin, he lost the image of God that he had been clothed in and suddenly found himself naked and exposed in their sin and shame. But in Christ, we’ve had that image partially restored (to be fully restored on the Last Day), and are again clothed in God’s/Christ’s image! His Holy life and righteousness now covers us and the Father sees nothing but His holiness covering us, and in fact shining through us.
And make no mistake about this – it is Christ’s righteousness that is shining off of us, not our own righteousness. We have no righteousness of our own by nature to shine whatsoever. We who are conceived and born sinful and dead, have no “light” or righteousness of our own to shine (though some are convinced otherwise! -- those who hold up “their righteousness” to those around them, expecting acknowledgment and praise). We are like the moon. The moon itself, bright as it is in the night sky, has no light of its own to shine. It merely is reflecting the light of the sun off of it. So too do we have no light of our own to shine. Rather, the Light of the Son is reflected off of us to shine on those around us still trapped in the darkness of sin and guilt.
Granted, we can dull the shine so to speak whenever we turn away from Christ and try to “shine” on our own/rely on ourselves. Whenever we begin to avoid our Lord, stay away from His presence or try to “cover Him up”, that is, hide our faith in Him from others, we are blocking His reflection in our lives. The answer, is for us to make sure that we remain as close as possible to our Lord that we may reflect more and more of His image to those around us, as He desires. It means that we are to make sure that we continue spending time in His real presence, here at His sanctuary, feeding upon His Word and Sacraments – the very Means by which He truly comes to us and strengthens us. The more time we spend near Him, the more He is able to reflect His image through us to those still in the darkness around us. God grant you the desire to continue to faithfully come to the Divine Service so that the SON continues to shine through you to each other and those around you.
Pastor Reiser
