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Prologue The First United Methodist Church of Carroll was
founded in 1868. After outgrowing their first building on
the corner of 6th and Court they moved to a second
location at 7th and Main in 1901.
It was in that location that the first three stained-glass
windows were installed. The “Jesus Window” at the front
of the current Sanctuary and 2 rose windows located on
the Adams street side of the building.
In 1957 they moved to the current location where 3
additional stained-glass windows were installed. Years
later the “Jesus blesses the children” window and the
Sunrise window on the east side of the building were
added.
In 2020 I took on the task of preaching the windows
spurred on by a conversation I had with Nina Akin on
Maundy Thursday 2019.
In the summer months of 2019, we discovered the Jesus
Window had a bulge. The cost for servicing the window
would be almost $20,000. Fundraising for the restoration
of the Jesus Window coincided with the “Light of
Heaven” sermon series. We reached the fundraising goal
the last Sunday of the sermon series. The Jesus window
will receive a total restoration and facelift for its 120th
birthday in 2021.
These windows have spoken to us in these weeks of
worship as we reflected on the symbols and colors that
surround us in worship. It is my prayer that generations
to come will enjoy them as much as we do. And I
challenge future pastors to take on the task of interpreting
these windows through their unique eyes and in light of
the circumstances in which they might find themselves.
The process was very meaningful to many of us.
This book is a brief guide to the windows of the church
as I see them. Enjoy it. The text is primarily excerpts
from the sermons. You can learn more by reading the
actual history of the Jesus Window compiled, by Cindy
Krauel, or reading the sermons I preached which I will
file with the church historian.
Gods Bless and open your eyes to the Light of Heaven.
Pastor Terry Plocher April 2020
Fig
ure
1 T
he
Jesu
s W
ind
ow
Fig
ure
2 “
The
Do
or
of
the
fold
” b
y Sy
bil
Pa
rker
on
left
. Th
e w
ind
ow
as
it a
pp
ears
in t
he
fro
nt
of
the
san
ctu
ary
on
rig
ht
Figure 3 Given by the Epworth League (18-35 years old) and
Junior Epworth League (Highschool age)
Figure 4 The motto of the Epworth League
The Jesus Window (Front of the sanctuary)
Things to look for: 1. Compare and contrast the original piece or art
(1895, Sybil C. Parker) with the window (figure
2). Do you see…
a. The change in color of Jesus’ robe. (Maybe
to make the lamb more visible?)
b. Missing doves above Jesus’ left shoulder
and a missing sheep by his left foot?
c. The change in the color of the robe on the
rock with the shepherd’s crook and Titulus
Crucis (Sign that hung on the cross above
Jesus.)
2. The cross behind Jesus.
3. The “halo” around his head.
4. The very faint crown of thorns on his head.
5. The wheat and grapes above him.
6. The key on the outside of the door by Jesus’ hand.
7. The very faint nail hole in Jesus left foot. (More
visible in the original painting).
8. The Epworth LEAGUE AND Junior Epworth
League logos and motto (figure 4)
Reflection This remarkable window almost speaks for itself.
I am immediately drawn to Jesus: The perfectly
proportioned, gracefully dressed savior with the glow
around his head stands in the door. He holds the door
open for the sheep.
Sybil Parker’s title, “Door of the Sheep,” points to
John 10:9 that says, “I AM THE GATE; WHOEVER
ENTERS THROUGH ME WILL BE SAVED. THEY
WILL COME IN AND GO OUT AND FIND
PASTURE.” “The door of the fold” in Jesus day would
have been the shepherd himself. The shepherd slept in
the only opening in the stones that made up the
sheepfold.
Make note of the care and love with which Jesus
carries the lamb and cares for the sheep. I don’t think it is
just my imagination that Jesus is cradling that little lamb
with special tenderness. Jesus says, “MY SHEEP HEAR
MY VOICE. I KNOW THEM, AND THEY FOLLOW
ME. I GIVE THEM ETERNAL LIFE, AND THEY
WILL NEVER PERISH. NO ONE WILL SNATCH
THEM OUT OF MY HAND.” Maybe this is the lamb
that was lost, and he left the 99 to go back to find me…
or is it you? Jesus tells the parable “WHICH ONE OF
YOU, HAVING A HUNDRED SHEEP AND LOSING
ONE OF THEM, DOES NOT LEAVE THE NINETY-
NINE IN THE WILDERNESS AND GO AFTER THE
ONE THAT IS LOST UNTIL HE FINDS IT?” (Luke
15:4) It could be any of us.
Finally, notice all the symbols of sacrifice: the
cross, the crown of thorns, the blood red robe, the hole in
his foot, the rock representing Golgotha, the sign that
says king of the Jews. This reminds me of verse 11, “I
AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD. THE GOOD
SHEPHERD LAYS DOWN HIS LIFE FOR THE
SHEEP.”
Jesus is the protector and savior of the flock. He is
perfectly willing to sacrifice his life for the life of even
one little lamb.
Fig
ure
4 T
he
eter
nit
y w
ind
ow
Figure 5 – 6 circles + the large circle
Figure 6 The center of the eternity window
The Eternity Window (Front of the
sanctuary)
Things to look for: 1. Notice how the eye is drawn to this window by the
shape and slope of the roof.
2. The 6 circles that define the 6 points in the
window.
3. They are the same size as the circle around the
points. That makes 7 (the perfect number) circles
(The perfect shape)
4. Do you see the three figure eights that make up the
6 circles?
5. Blue “gems” stand for eternity or heaven.
6. Red gems remind us of the blood of Christ. They
are in 6 groups of 3 (we always think trinity when
we see 3)
7. The cross and crown in the center.
Reflection
When I walk into the sanctuary my eye is
immediately drawn up to the beautiful rose window
above the Jesus window. It makes me feel like the glory
of the Lord is shining upon me. The Jesus window is
very cool, but it seems that the slope of the roof, the
shape of the window itself, the narrowing of the chancel
area first carries my eyes to that beautiful rose window
above the Jesus Window.
This window is the one that says to me “darkness
may cover the earth, and thick darkness may blind the
people. BUT THE LORD WILL RISE UPON US AND
HIS GLORY WILL SHINE ALL OVER YOU.” It
reminds me of Matthew 4:16 “THE PEOPLE LIVING
IN DARKNESS HAVE SEEN A GREAT LIGHT; ON
THOSE LIVING IN THE LAND OF THE SHADOW
OF DEATH A LIGHT HAS DAWNED."
No matter how dark the day, whenever I come
into the sanctuary, the light streaming through that
window with its sunrise colored amber glass is like dawn
to me.
As you look into the window, is it possible that
God is appearing to you right now asking you to be a
light that will disperse someone else’s darkness?
As you look into the window, is it possible that
God is appearing to you right now by piercing whatever
darkness may be in your heart or life?
As you look into the window, is it possible that
God is appearing to you right now asking you to take a
step toward Jesus? Take your first step or take your next
step toward Jesus who is himself the light that shines in
the darkness.
Jesus is the light that no one can put out.
Fig
ure
7 T
he
win
do
w o
f p
rom
ise
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure10
The Promise Window (Front of the east
wall sanctuary)
Things to look for: 1. Notice the shape of the windows… What is it? I
see 3 angels, shoulder to shoulder.
2. Notice the 10 commandments have a vine behind
them. When we see a vine, we think “I AM THE
VINE YOU ARE THE BRANCHES.” Living the
law brings life.
3. Notice even while the ark is still under dark sky
and rough seas, Noah’s hope is represented by the
dove. God’s promise is represented by the
glimmer of sunrise in the background.
4. The flowers in the baptism window are lotus
flowers (lily pad blossoms) that grow from the
darkness of the lake bottom to the light and
blossom on top of the water.
5. The resemblance to our baptismal font.
6. The dove and the “voice” represented by rays of
light.
Reflection At first, it seemed like a stretch to include the 10
commandments with the other windows. The vine is the
key. The promise that we will find life in the following
of the law. Then there is the promise of the rainbow at
the end of the flood. And finally, the promise of baptism
lifting us from the muck to the light to hear the words,
“THIS IS MY BELOVED CHILD.”
God used an ark to save Noah from the mud and
muck of the flood.
God carved the commandments on the hearts of his
people when he still had the mud of Egyptian slavery and
the muck of the red sea on their feet.
God Saved us once and for all from the muck of
our sin by drawing us to the mystery and miracle of
baptism.
We need to be cleansed… we need the miracle and
mystery that is baptism.
The miracle is that God has created a way to raise
us from the muck and mire of sin and make us clean.
The mystery of baptism is that in this mighty act of
redemption God speaks to you. God speaks to me. God
speaks to anyone who will submit to the mysterious
miraculous waters. Just as God spoke at Jesus’ baptism.
In that mystery, God speaks again to claim us and
name us as God’s own. God places his brand on our
foreheads and says to all creation, “This one is mine…
this is my child… this one loves me back.
This one is special.”
Fig
ure
11
th
e b
an
qu
et w
ind
ow
Figure12
Figure13
The Banquet Window (Middle of the
east wall sanctuary)
Things to look for: 1. Notice wheat has ten heads, 6= humanity (which
comes from two groups of 3-trinity) + 4= creation.
The wheat reminds us that Jesus was indeed a real
live human being who came to participate in
creation with the creatures.
2. The vine is a grape vine which bears the fruit of
the vine which in communion is the blood of
Christ.
3. The vine is empty. The fruit of the kingdom is not
yet ripe.
4. Notice that the grapes in the cup in the middle
window are NOT disconnected from the vine.
They are still connected to the vine which is life
itself.
Reflection Picture it. You are invited to a great banquet. The
invitation comes engraved on that really high-quality
paper
Finally, the night comes, and you walk into the
room and the beauty of the room and table takes your
breath away. The beautiful decorations say, “Someone
went through a lot of work for me.” You are ushered to
your place at the table. You’re surprised to see that you
are surrounded by people you know and love, or maybe
people you always wanted to meet.
While everyone is laughing and celebrating, the
food starts coming out. And it keeps coming out... and it
keeps coming out. Baskets of food, plates of food, bowls
of food, gravy boats of food, Oh, and then my favorite…
the desserts start coming out. There is more food than an
army could eat in a year.
Although there are thousands of people at the
table, the host talks to each one… and even knows your
name. If you need something, he gets up to get it
himself… because he told the servers to sit down at the
table and enjoy the feast.
It is the best night of your life. And best of all, the
host says, “The table is always set, come back any time!”
This is the table of community. The table of unity
in Christ Jesus. A table of unity with Christ Jesus. It is a
table of grace.
Philipps Craig and Dean wrote a song “table of
grace.” Notice the first words of the song.
Hear the good news, you've been invited
No matter what others may say
Your darkest sins will be forgiven
You will always have a place
At the table of grace, the cup's never empty
The plate's always full and it's never too late
To come and be filled with love never ending
You're always welcome at the table of grace1
1 Table Of Grace - Phillips Craig & Dean
Fig
ure
14
th
e cr
oss
win
do
w
Figure 15
Figure 16
Figure 17 the anchor window
Figure 18 the anchor window
The Cross Window (West wall sanctuary)
Things to look for: 1. Notice the anchor in the rose window on the
landing leading to 3rd floor.
2. The vine with the Bible and cross. Perhaps the life
that comes from Jesus through Scripture.
3. The palm branch in the middle window. The palm
branch was a symbol of victory.
4. The glimmer of a sunrise at the horizon behind the
cross on the rock.
Reflection Right to left…
Most prominently we see the Holy Bible. The
Bible reminds us that Jesus is the Word of God. “IN THE
BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, AND THE WORD
WAS WITH GOD, AND THE WORD WAS GOD. THE
WORD TOOK ON FLESH AND DWELT AMONG
US.”
Then we see the vine. “I AM THE VINE; YOU
ARE THE BRANCHES.” Jesus came that we might
“HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT ABUNDANTLY.” He is
the vine; we are the branches. If we abide in him (the
Word) we have life, and apart from him, we can do
nothing (we have death).
The crown in the middle window of course
reminds us of a king. We need to live as though Christ
really is king in our lives. We need to live like we really
mean it when we say, “Jesus is Lord.” We need to take
our comfort, our desires, our ego, our prosperity out of
the driver’s seat of our lives and subject them to our lord
and master Jesus Christ.
If we do that the palm branch of victory makes
more sense. I think this palm branch reminds us that
Jesus has already won victory over all the sin, evil, and
oppression in our lives. Because of Jesus, we are no
longer victims of sin. We are saved people.
Imagine a great storm and your boat is swamped
and sunk. You bob around in your life jacket for a few
days, but that is getting old and the odds of being saved
are dwindling by the hour. And then you see this. This
tiny safe spot in a whole ocean that is trying to kill you.
You might have to share it with 300 or 400 seagulls, but
it is land, it is safety. It is hope.
We float around in our lives, sometimes bobbing
fiercely with the stormy waves that come. Waves of poor
health, grief, the loss of a job, the loss of a relationship.
Maybe you share the churning wave of mental illness
with me, I know several of you face fierce wave of
addiction one day at a time. Whatever your storm might
be, we bob around going nowhere, having no hope of
being rescued, no hope of finding land, just waiting to be
swallowed up by the sea, or even worse by a shark.
Is that the way Christ wants us to be? No, we are
disciples of the Lord of hope. We are followers of the
one who brought hope to a hopeless world. In Christ
there is hope. For all of us who bob around aimlessly
Christ is our hope for tomorrow an all the tomorrows to
come.
Fig
ure
19
Th
e Su
nri
se W
ind
ow
(re
surr
ecti
on
win
do
w)
The Sunrise Window –
Resurrection window (Over the Main
Street
Things to look for: 1. 3 crosses made by the window frames.
2. The window shows up better in the dark of
night.
Reflection This window reminds me that in spite of all the
ugliness in the world… in spite of all the meanness
around us… in spite of all the hatred and crime and
sickness and prejudice and war… in spite of the darkness
of sin in our world… the empty cross and the light of
Easter morning still brings hope… our only hope.
Furthermore, the darker the world gets… the more
frightening it gets…the more horrible the circumstance,
the more awful the story… the brighter grows the Easter
light. The Light and power of God raises each and every
day from darkness to the light of the Easter sunrise. The
light and power of God transfigures each and every one
into kingdom people. As the darkness moves in on the
parking lot, or the world, or our lives, the light of God
shining through this window takes over as a beautiful
glass reminder of God’s transfiguring power.
Former American Poet Laureate, Robert Pinsky,
said, “we never know which point in our lives marks our
zenith, and it’s probably a good thing we don’t.” I don’t
know what the future holds for us. We are all a little
scared, but we need to stand together in the light of the
transfiguration and the light of this window. I see in this
window a promise for the transfiguration of each new
day into a kingdom day. I see in this window the hope
that God will transform each of us daily so we’ll never be
afraid that the darkness will put us out. I don’t think our
best days are behind us. I don’t know if today is the best
day in the history of this church, or tomorrow or 5 years
from now. But as long as we shine as bright as we can,
love as much as we can, work as hard as we can, give as
generously as we can, pray as much as we can each and
every day… the stained glass sunrise over our doors will
be a God-rise. Whether we realize it or not God will rise
up and make us into the church God wants us to be. God
will rise up and make us into the people God wants us to
be. Remember, when the world gets darker out there, or
in here, the God-rise only shines brighter.
We don’t need a bunch of glow in the dark
Jesuses. We have people who glow with God’s love as
they are the hands and feet of Jesus. Go transfigured by
God’s presence and power and bring a Godrise to
someone each day.
Jesus and the Children Window
(back of the sanctuary)
Things to look for: 1. The postures of the Jesus in this window and the
“Jesus Window” are very similar.
2. The little boy on the left dressed a lot like Jesus
3. Different kinds of flowers in the window. The girls
are holding a daisy (a symbol of the innocence of
Christ at his birth.) The other is holding a poppy (a
traditional symbol of the crucifixion.).
Reflection “Kids, you have to love them.” And we do. They
bring joy to our families and life to the church. That’s
why it is so neat to have a window dedicated to children
in the back of the sanctuary. Part of the story is that
someone in the choir asked for a stained-glass window
they could see on the way out. It was decided that since
the youth gave the church the “Door of the Fold”
window, the older generation would give the church the
“Jesus and the Children” window. It is intended to
compliment the “Door of the Fold” window. For
instance, both show Jesus tending “the flock.”
The first panel was installed in 2004 and the last in
2007. Carol north, who headed the project, said, “the
three windows are celebrating our children, their
importance in our church family, the need for Christian
education, and the acknowledgement they are the future
of our church. “
Children are like mirrors into their parent’s
behavior. (sometimes embarrassingly so) do you
remember the old commercial where the father and son
walked hand in hand, sat down under a tree and the father
took out a pack cigarettes and lit up? The boy watches
very carefully. Then he looks down at the pack a
cigarette and, if I remember right, he reaches toward it.
The voiceover was “like father like son?”
For good or for ill our children will do as we do,
say as we say, and generally imitate adults.
If we want to enter the Kingdom of God, we need
to imitate Jesus. Shouldn’t we be following in Jesus
footsteps? Doing as he does, loving others the way hwe
treats them? That is how kids are… loving a he loves,
accepting others as he accepted them.? Of course, we
should.
As we become young adults, we gain enough self-
esteem and self-differentiation, however, that we value
our individuality and think doing things our way is better.
If we were a little more like the two boys in the picture,
doing as Jesus does, walking as Jesus walks, loving as
Jesus loves, forgiving as Jesus forgives, we would be
better disciples. If we spent our lives trying to imitate
Jesus, we would be better children of the kingdom.
Some people say children are the future of the
church…I would say they are the “today” of the church.
But whether there is a future for the church depends on
how well we learn from our children today because it is
to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs.