Windows into heaven #1 let the light shine: Eternity Window January 5 and 6 2020

Windows into heaven #1

let the light shine: Eternity Window

January 5 and 6 2020

Close your eyes for just a moment if you will. Is it dark in there? It should be.

Let’s take a tour of the darkness.

Let’s start by looking way off in the distance to the dark clouds that hang over places like China, North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Somalia the list could go on and on. Dictators and regimes suck up all the light for themselves. For the people in those countries, this is a dark day.

Way off in the other direction lies a dark rumbling of the worlds hungry. They say there is enough food for everyone. Why do we still see starving children, malnourished mothers, and a woman in Haiti gathering kernels of corn to feed her family out of the gutter that serves both storm and sanitary sewer. This is a dark day.

Look a little closer to home, and we see the dark hopelessness of people illegally trying to gain access to our country and our struggle of how to handle the flow of people across our border in a way that is both just and loving. This is a dark day.

Not too far the other direction the dark cloud is stained blood-red by violence; school shootings, church and synagogue shootings, violence against police officers and violence by police officers, gangs are shooting each other and innocent bystanders, a girl is intentionally run over by a car because she looked Hispanic. This is a dark day.

Even closer to home, see the darkness in the homes tiptoeing around an alcoholic. The darkness of abuse of all kinds. Bullies on the playground and at work. People stop taking medicine because they can’t afford it. The mentally ill are housed in jails instead of hospitals. And those we have elected to dark day.

 Isaiah writes, “DARKNESS SHALL COVER THE EARTH, AND THICK DARKNESS THE PEOPLE.” BUT. (YOU CAN OPEN YOUR EYES NOW). BUT that is one of the best words of hope “but.” BUT, Isaiah continues, “THE LORD WILL ARISE UPON YOU, AND HIS GLORY WILL APPEAR OVER YOU.” THE GLORY OF THE LORD IS ABOUT TO SHINE ON US

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  When I walk into the sanctuary my eye is immediately drawn up to the beautiful rose window above the Jesus window and that’s what 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.

We are not the first of God’s people to see the darkness and hope and light.

Before creation, “DARKNESS WAS ON THE FACE OF THE DEEP.” But God who dwells in glorious light and is light itself proclaimed to the darkness of the chaos, “LET THERE BE LIGHT.”

When darkness once again was on the face of the deep during the flood of Noah. God sent light to create a rainbow as a sign of God’s covenant with all the generations of Noah. “LET THERE BE LIGHT.”

When darkness spread across the people of Israel conscripted as slaves in Egypt, God sent light to a bush for a man named Moses. Moses followed the command to “LEAD MY PEOPLE OUT OF EGYPT. “LET THERE BE LIGHT.”

While the plague of darkness still covered Egypt, God broke through the darkness with the pillar of fire by night, to light the way for the Israelites to escape across the Red Sea.

 The back and forth battle between light and darkness continued year after year and king after king. The prophets by and large promised nothing but darkness.

Until we come to this beautiful and illuminating passage from Isaiah, 60:1-2 “ARISE, SHINE; FOR YOUR LIGHT HAS COME, AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD HAS RISEN UPON YOU. FOR DARKNESS SHALL COVER THE EARTH, AND THICK DARKNESS THE PEOPLES; BUT THE LORD WILL ARISE UPON YOU, AND HIS GLORY WILL APPEAR OVER YOU.”

Can we read that and not think of the angel chorus we talked about last week?

Can we read it without thinking of the wise men following the bright light in the sky we call star of Bethlehem? They were not sure where they were going, they were not even Jewish, but they were sure that they were following God’s light.

That is the story we celebrate today, on Epiphany Sunday. God chose some foreign, non-Jewish astrologers, whom we call magi because their religion included magic (which was strictly forbidden in the Jewish religion.) God chose these foreigners to see a light and believe that it would lead them to the King of the Jews. They followed that light probably for a long time. Maybe 2 years. Whatever the outcome these magi followed a star, God’s light in the sky to find Jesus.

 Do you see the star in the window? A star for us to follow. A star to lead us to the king of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is a 6-pointed star which is a star of David. Jesus was “of the house and lineage of David.” No matter what kind of darkness may surround us, we have this bright star before us. No matter how dark your life may be and no matter how lost we get, if we follow the star the light of Christ, which the darkness cannot conquer, the light of the world, the light that comes to all people, God will be with us because Psalm 139 says “EVEN THE DARKNESS WILL NOT BE DARK TO YOU (O LORD); THE NIGHT WILL SHINE LIKE THE DAY, FOR DARKNESS IS AS LIGHT TO YOU.

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 The star is surrounded by blue jewels. It seems to be reaching out to the Jewels inviting them in. See the blue Jewels? How many are there in each section (6) Why 6? 6 days you shall work and on the 7th you shall rest. These could represent the 6 days of creation. Alternatively, in Hebrew numerology, 7 is the number of perfection or completion and 6 is the number for an imperfect humanity. We might say that these represent a very imperfect humanity toiling in their day to day darkness. The star has gathered from across the earth (even magicians from far away) Gathering to see the star that proclaimed the birth of the one who was in the beginning and will be in the end. The Alpha and Omega.

 Now notice the arms of the star, or some people call it the flower, are created by overlapping circles. How many of them? Six. The same number as points on the star and the same as the blue jewels. However, there is one more circle the same size.   Right there around the points of the star. Seven circles then. I said that 7 is the number of perfection or completion. Do you know that the circle is also the perfect shape? It is the shape of eternity, no beginning and no end.   The sign for infinity is a circle folded back on itself… a figure 8 on its side, The 6 circles make 3 signs for infinity

(ONE).  

(TWO) 

 (THREE)   If we are being drawn or invited in by the star, we are invited into all

 the circles of eternity …into all the circles of eternal life …

Into the infinite circle of the eternal kingdom of God. We are drawn into participation in the only one who is truly the eternal Alpha and Omega.

 Finally, the circle of red jewels in the middle. They are in 6 groups of three. Whenever we see three, we think of the trinity and when we see red, we think of the blood of Christ.   In the center of red jewels … in the center of the trinity ring (in the center of the whole window… the cross and crown symbolizing Christ is king. 

(I enhanced that picture because zooming in any closer was getting ugly, but you get the point) Jesus is in the center of the trinity Father, SON, and Holy Spirit. In fact, Jesus is in the center of eternity, in fact, Jesus is at the center of the center of the star that we follow, in fact, Jesus is at the center of all the blue Jewels representing, of course, you and me. In fact, Jesus is in the center even when we walk in darkness.

 So, the light of heaven shining through this window could be the light of a star calling to us. If we follow, the star as the magi did, we will cross all the circles of infinity which is only possible by the incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. Into the trinity circle, becoming one with God by the blood of Christ, to make Christ the center of our lives. The Risen, Reigning, King of our lives and all eternity.

 He is “image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him

  He himself is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.   For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him, God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.”

 Will you follow the star?

We started by closing your eyes. Let’s end by opening them wide. Open your eyes wide and see the light of heaven streaming through the rose window. Feel the different temperatures of the color from the blue to the amber and on to the Red. Look at the symmetry.

It is calling to you? … calling you into the light of Christ.

Is it calling to you?... calling you into the kingdom of God.

Is it calling to you? … Calling you to be a light that shines in the darkness of this world?

Remember I said Epiphany Sunday celebrates the wise men? The word Epiphany actually comes from a Greek word meaning “to appear.”

In Christmas, God appeared right in the middle of the darkness of human existence.

As you look into the window, is it possible that God is appearing to you right now asking you to shine light into the darkness of violence, or bullying, or abuse, or mental health treatment, or some other darkness in our world?

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.