Holy Trinity Rose Window
2024
·
Columbus, Ohio
+ Project Details
Abstract
A six-foot stained glass rose window for Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Columbus, Ohio. Drawing on the church's stone exterior and Gothic tracery, the design shows the Holy Trinity as a trefoil swirl of thin rays of light. The imagery arose from the arrows of light in Habakkuk and the light filling the dark depths of the sea in Job. The congregation embraced it as both cosmic and embryonic: God, the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all things, whose acts of grace continue to unfold in our lives.
Narrative
This six-foot diameter rose window is set within the stone façade of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Columbus, Ohio. The window crowns the apse end of the nave and faces the main boulevard. The design conveys a luminous image of the Trinity visible from outside the church by night. Inside, the stained glass enlivens the worship space as morning light enters from the east.
Drawing upon the church's Gothic tracery, the window is a trefoil-shaped swirl of radiating light, forming an image of the Three-in-One. The inspiration comes from Genesis and ruah, the breath of God.
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” - James 1:17
“Sun and moon stood in their places; they went away at the light of Your arrows, at the radiance of Your gleaming spear.” - Habakkuk 3:11
Arrows of light
The phrase arrows of light in Habakkuk and Job is also the title of a song by Bruce Cockburn, who remains an inspirational singer, songwriter and guitarist for me:
“Arrows of light, come / Pierce my soul / Pierce my soul / Breath of the bright wind / Make us one.”
When I first presented the early abstract design to the congregation, something unexpected happened. Their interpretive response was beautiful. The congregants saw, in the swirling forms, a child in the womb and the movement of galaxies. Embryonic and cosmic at the same time: the creation of the world and the beginning of a life, held within a single image.
The window is made of traditional mouth-blown glass, flashed and etched, silver-stained, and fired multiple times with vitreous enamels, then laminated to a plate glass carrier. No lead came is used.
We worship a creator God whose work of grace in our lives is revealed to us sometimes in surprising ways. We need art that pulls us deeply into the mystery of our faith. We need to make room for the work of the Spirit in our lives.
Holy Trinity Lutheran is first about the people. This window was funded as a memorial gift by members of this congregation.
