Featured Window

Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: St. John's Episcopal Church

Studio Name: Willet Hauser Architectural Glass

City: Royal Oak

Window Shape: 2 (rectangle)

Date of Window: 1943

Subject/Title of Window: Workers in the Vineyard/Unforgiving Servant/Good Steward

Brief Description of Subject: This window was designed for this parish's Gothic styled Church which opened in 1926. Subsequently the congregation needed a larger church and replaced it with a modern styled church which opened in 1957, moving the stained glass to the new Church.

This is the sixth in a series of ten windows, consisting of three scenes each, covering the life of Christ, and were placed in chronological order in the narthex. All of the borders on the scenes feature geometrical patterns alternating with small scenes that is some cases relate to the larger scene they border.

Top Scene: Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. Story found in Matthew 20:1 - 16. Using this parable, Jesus explains that heaven is like the landlord who hires day workers and promises those he hired later in day the same wage as those hired earlier. The scene shows the landlord paying off a worker who was hired later in the day, and a worker hired earlier, disgruntled because he had to work the whole day for the same wage as one who worked only part of the day.

Middle Scene: Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. Story found in Matthew 18:21 - 35. Using this parable, Jesus explains that heaven is like a king that wants to settle accounts with a servant who owed him money. The king forgives the debt of the servant when he pleads for mercy. That servant then goes out to settle a debt owed to him by another man, "He grabbed him and began choking him, 'Pay back what you owe me,' he demanded," Verse 28 NIV. When that man couldn't pay his debt, he pleaded for mercy but received none. When the king heard about this he was angry and had the unforgiving servant tortured and thrown into prison until he paid his debt in full.

Bottom Scene: Parable of the Good Servant. Story found in Luke 12:41 - 48. Jesus uses this parable to illustrate you will not know when judgement time will come, so be prepared. The picture is based on Verses 42 - 43 --- "Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions," NIV.

According to Church records, this window was given in memory of James Albert Watson, M.D., Alma Cherry Watson and their son, Lionel Cherry Watson by their son and daughter-in-law, Dr. and Mrs J. Watson and dedicated June 20, 1943.

Inscriptions: To the glory of God and in loving memory of James Albert Watson, M.D., Alma Cherry Watson, Lionel Cherry Watson


Condition of Window: Good

Height: 78"

Width: 16.25"

Type of Glass and Technique: Lead Came

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