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Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: Third Reformed Church

City: Holland

Window Shape: 2 (rectangle)

Subject/Title of Window: Flight Into Egypt

Brief Description of Subject: The story which the fourth art window represents can be told in a very few sentences. After the birth of our Lord Jesus, the Wise Men came to born among the Jews. The suspicious old despot craftily tried to use the legs that he, too wishes to worship the new King. After the Wise Men in a dream about Herod’s real intentions and they departed into their surroundings and countryside. Meanwhile the Lord had warned Joseph in a dream of the danger obeyed and making the long trip through the desert, they stayed in that foreign land until Herod’s death.

There are one or two interesting surmises which help to give meaning to this story. One is that the gifts of the Wise Men were used to finance this stay in Egypt. This is a most natural supposition because we read the scheme of God’s providence that when such necessity is met holds that the Child Jesus was sixteen months old when He was taken to Egypt. To us, who so frequently link the visit of the Wise Men with in Matthews story which lend it support. No long is Jesus called a babe, but a young child.  Also, Herod, after careful inquiry orders that years would seem to indicate that some time had elapsed since the birth. We may add, how much easier and safer to make that perilous trip with a child who was more than an new born infant!
Let us look at the various symbols shown here. Cradled in the depths of this picture as well as in the arms of Mary is tingly surround Jesus. This is a time of danger when the children of other members are being snatched out of protecting arms. Mary’s face in the providence that has so far guided them and kept them from harm. Joseph seems to be explaining something to Mary. Perhaps it is a solicitous inquiry as to her comfort to word of encouragement. I like to thin, however, that in all the rush of the preceding hours there has been no time for Joseph to give all the details of the angel’s message, and now at last in the quite of the desert. AS they walk along discussing one would almost sat that as Christ Child is cradled and protected in the arms of the mother, so the whole family seems to abide in the protecting arms of the Almighty. Even in the desert and having just escaped a great danger they are living as it a though sand shall fall at thy side and ten thousand at thy right hand; but t shall not come nigh thee (ps 91:7)

There are several representations here, each of which has a symbolic significance as well as a literal one. The palm tree can in various settings have several meanings. Essentially it is the sign of victory, not as men see victory but as God sees it the kind of victory which was manifest on Palm Sunday. Oto s a spiritual victory mangled with rejection which in the eyes of the Christina is in itself victory everlasting with God in heaven. All of this lies in this story, for it was a victory in that they escaped from Herod. IT was a victory of faith and trust and of God’s guiding and protecting hand.

The ass speaks to us in a symbolic story of patience and service and burden bearing. These were the qualities which carried along this family in this sudden flight. This is repeated in the color of the robes, for has the gold of the royal house, both are wearing also the violet of humility. Without this humility God can do nothing with us, nor are we ready to follow where he leads.
Under foot is sand in which can grow only a few dwarfed grasses, signifying desolation and loneliness and exposure to all the elements of nature. At the time of Jesu’s birth, the sinful men and women of the world could find at least a stable for the lord but now even that is denied. There is now no protection but the Lord God himself. Notice three picture there were such reminder of what was to follow, but here there is none. IS that an omission? I think now. The reason is that the whole scene is a reminder of the cross, for as we stated earlier the flight itself was a prelude and prologue to the rejection which would culminate in the Cross.

The MSGC is a constantly evolving database. Not all the data that has been collected by volunteers has been sorted and entered. Not every building has been completely documented.

All images in the Index are either born-digital photographs of windows or buildings or are scans of slides, prints, or other published sources. These images have been provided by volunteers and the quality of the material varies widely.

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