The Whole Armor of God

During a recent Sunday morning Bible study on the book of Ephesians, the conversation turned to the sustenance the people drew from the church's stained glass windows. Below is an expanded version of Don Cochran's thoughtful contribution to the conversation.

Don Cochran writes: When I first started worshipping at Second, I was puzzled by the military figure in the circular window in the west transept. Who was he? Why was he put in the window?  What meaning did he have for those who contracted Tiffany to create the window? And what meaning does he have for us today?

I soon leaned that this is a memorial window to remember the life of a young man from our congregation whose life was tragically taken from him in London during the 1918 pandemic. He died not on a battlefield in France during the war but in a London hospital unsuspectedly. As I view the figure now, I cannot help but wonder what goals he had for his life, who he would have become had not it been for the pandemic of 1918.

As we have discovered, a pandemic does not honor the plans we may have made. Our lives have been turned upside down by our unsuspected pandemic in our lives. Life has been stressful. New plans have had to be made to carry on our lives, especially for young families. We are worried about our futures and what changes will have to be made. Can our normal lives be restored? Will they be?

 

I also learned the military figure is  based on the apostle Paul’s Christian Soldier which he writes about  in his letter to the Ephesians in 6:11-17. Since these words are an important part of the meaning of the window, I opened Ephesians to reflect upon them and what they may be saying to us today in our pandemic. As I gleaned through the words these are the ones which spoke to me for today.  “Put on the whole armor of God….”  We need to protect ourselves! dring this time.  This is God’s Will and desire for us. “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand…and having done everything, to stand firm! “Fasten the belt of truth around your waist  and put on the breast plate of righteousness.”

Science is a part of God’s all-encompassing truth. We need to learn all we can about this terrible evil and be faithful to what that truth calls us to do.  This is also God’s Will.  The breastplate of righteousness. One commentary has interpreted righteousness to mean “appropriate Christian behavior.” Is there anything more appropriate during this time than to be faithful in wearing a mask to protect ourselves and our neighbor? This also is putting on the whole armor of God! 

Paul closes with his benediction, “Peace be to the whole community and love with faith  from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christs. Amen.   We remember our larger community in our prayers during this time.

Which of our windows do you envision in your mind’s eye during this time when we cannot see them with our eyes?  What are they saying to you in faith?

A call for future blog entries!

If you have thoughts and feelings about 2PC's stained glass windows or any other parts of the building that inspire you, please drop me a line at timwoodcock6015@gmail.com.