The southwest window of the Grace Lutheran Church sanctuary is one of the more dramatic scenes portrayed on the stained-glass windows of our church. The scene depicts a rugged rocky cliff. The scragly shrub, clinging to the side of the precipice, gives the feeling of steep mountainsides and deep narrow passes. Caught on the side of the sheer fall, halfway down the mountain, is the crumpled and caught body of the lost sheep.
Isaiah 40: 29 He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.
Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him and who have been called according to his purpose.
Philippians 4:11-13 Not that I speak from want,
“Tried to walk on my own but I wound up lost. Now I’m making my way to the foot of the cross. It’s not a trophy for the winners. It’s a shelter for the sinners. And it’s right where I belong. Take me back to the place that feels like home, to the people I can depend on, to the faith that’s in my bones. Take me back to a preacher and a verse,
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. Hebrews 12: 1,2a (NIV)
More than at almost any other time in history, THIS IS YOUR LIFE! Your life now is not the same as your parent’s or your grandparent’s life when they were your age.
The northwest window in the sanctuary in Grace Lutheran Church is a picture of Jesus standing in the midst of clouds. It takes several seconds to figure out what the picture is, and then one begins to figure out what it means.
Why is Jesus, standing in the midst of clouds, erect and bold as a king, arms upraised in blessing? Perhaps the answer is found in Luke 24:50-53, where the Bible tells us how Jesus ascended (returned) to heaven in the very action of blessing His disciples.