Be Opened!

Trinity Church has many beautiful stained glass windows, the majority of which are visible to all of us.  But there’s one window that most of us never see.  It is in the sacristy, the little room off the Clarendon vestibule, originally used for the vesting of the clergy and as the place where items for worship are stored and prepared by the Altar Guild.  The latter function remains, along with space for Facilities staff who help prepare the building for worship. 

 

The primary subject of this window is the story from Mark, Chapter 7, that we will hear this coming Sunday.  It depicts the healing of a man who is deaf and has a speech impediment.  Jesus is reaching towards him, gently placing his finger on the lips of the man, whose downcast face and hands clasped in prayer show his receptiveness to Jesus’ healing touch.  To make sure that we know which story is being depicted, the inscription below the figures displays Jesus’ words (using the Greek alphabet): “Ephphatha,” which means “Be opened!”

 

Phillips Brooks’ placing this window in the room where the clergy prepare for worship was surely intentional.  As preachers, I believe we all pray that God will open our ears and loose our tongues, so that we may, like the healed deaf man, be able to “speak plainly.”  In fact, all of us who follow Jesus seek this gift from him, regardless of the state of our physical hearing.

 

That window speaks to me and helps me pray that I will be open to God’s messages to me.  You might peek into that room some Sunday morning, as the Altar Guild goes about their holy work, and see it for yourself.  If you find it particularly calling to you, perhaps you might want to join the Altar Guild for their regular work in that space.  They are always looking for faithful volunteers. 

 

As you look around the church, do you have a favorite window among all the splendid stained glass at Trinity?  We have many beautiful works from a veritable “Who’s Who” of nineteenth-century stained glass artists.  Which Biblical story comes alive for you as you worship here?  How are you “opened” to God’s light and healing in this place?  I’d love to know what speaks to you.

 

Faithfully,

 

Rainey