Having just come from one church where lovely stained glass windows added to the worship experience in a myriad of ways, I was delighted on seeing the new church windows. Lovely stained glass all around! I was struck by both the similarities and the differences. I was reminded of a quote attributed to Michelangelo, "I live and love in God's peculiar light.” For me, that phrase seemed to speak of how God responds to needs in various ways according to specific needs and the character of the people and that place.
In the one church were towering spires, wooden arches and jewel toned deeply rich colors that muted and glowed in the light. The mind was turned to the quiet, shadowed moments of meditation, of prayer and reverence.
As I looked around at the church in which I currently sat, I was aware of a golden amber glow that suffused the sanctuary. It kissed the area with warmth. The sunny hue brought smiles to faces and fit the joyful music that danced on the air.
Neither windows, or church, were better or more lovely than the other one. Just as the stained glass windows take shards of colors and unite them in a specific purpose, God also takes human shards - of every shape, size, color and form - and crafts something unique and special from them. They are perfectly crafted to fit their place. They are set carefully to function in their role to reflect God's love. They, like those windows, have a purpose to uniquely and brilliant shine out into, and onto, human lives.
We are - in the end - pieces all living and loving in God's peculiar light.
Marilyn A. Hudson, 2015
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