Existing comment:
Salvation Foretold: John the Baptist:
As the story unfolds in the windows from west to east, this window depicts John the Baptist preaching the need for repentance. He is the prophet who told of the coming of Jesus of Nazareth, whom Christians call the Christ. Installed in 1987.
(1) The river Jordan, where Jesus was baptized, as a beautiful blue ribbon, which continues to thread through the other lancets.
(2) The towering, gaunt figure of John the Baptist as he calls for repentance, a "voice crying in the wilderness."
(3) At the top, a group of John's followers, to whom he is preaching. At the bottom of this lancet is the kneeling figure of Jesus, who is awaiting the baptism of John, seen in the rightmost lancet. Thus, by John's baptism of Jesus, we are brought visually through the stories of the Hebrew Bible to the beginning of Jesus' mission and into the stories of the Christian Bible.
(4) John, standing with a scallop shell of baptism in hand, waiting to baptize Jesus. The river continues toward the top of the lancet.
(5) The dove, symbol of the Holy Spirit which descended on Jesus at the time of his baptism when the voice of God said, "Thou art my beloved Son, with thee I am well pleased." |