A quick review before we begin. Symbols are a shared visual language in a culture. As we have seen in the previous stained glass windows, Christians also have a unique set of symbols which serve us as a common language. For Christians, the beauty of Christian Symbolism is that it is universal. It cuts across time, culture, denominations, etc.
Having an understanding of Christian symbolism allows me to understand a statement that was so important to the people at a particular church that they embedded it permanently into their architecture. It doesn’t matter that the window was made 150 years ago in a different country. It doesn’t matter that the congregation is Lutheran, Anglican, Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopal, Methodist, etc.
We all point to Christ. This is good.
We move to a very special window in All Saints Episcopal Church Portland, Oregon. This is a modern window with a different theme than we have seen before. More than any window we have reviewed to date, this Christian Mandala causes me to reflect on Christ and what He has done for me.
In part 2, I will begin to unpack the meaning of this window. Because of its importance, we will spend some time on this study.