Jesus in stained glass

If you have ever seared for Jesus in stained glass, you will find a number of picture of Jesus.Jesus on a cross. Jesus carrying a cross. Jesus with lambs. Jesus with kids. Jesus ascending. Jesus looking like he will karate chop you. Jesus looking like he will own you in a staring contest.

Loads of Jesuses (Jesi?).

We pick out images of Jesus that speak to us and then use those images to make stained glass. And have you noticed that so many of the images are of a peaceful Jesus?

I asked a group of people today that if they had one shot to commission a stained glass image of Jesus what would they choose?

The image you choose is more than what image you like. The image you choose reflects the image of God you have. The image of God you have directs the way you think about God. The way you think about God has a direct impact on how you live and function in the world.

Picking out an image of Jesus for a stained glass is a spiritual exercise. I would pick an image of Jesus turning over the tables or a picture of Jesus out of Mark 5.


You may recall a provocative set of pictures created around Jesus by LaChapelle. What is the artist saying with these images? What are you saying with yours? 

"Christianity is not a religion of virtue"

Just a reminder of what Desmond Tutu said, "Christianity is not a religion of virtue; it is a religion of grace."

The Word of God

Christian spirituality is built on the Word. From creation to incarnation, the Word is the bedrock of our experience with the Divine throughout time. As such it should be no surprise that the Christian life is interested in language. Ironically, the faith tradition that places so much emphasis on the power of the Word, is the same faith tradition that is the victim of Western values and slowly is becoming a tradition of words. 

The Word of God is often misunderstood as the words on a page or the words out of the mouth of a teacher. The Word of God is not confined to the physical or the spiritual realms, but rather embraces and also transcends them. The Word of God is that which creates the world and life and love. It is the very breath we take and the very wisdom of the mouths of babes. It is that which binds existence together. And no book can contain the fullness of the Word of God.