Featured Window

Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

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MSGC : Collections : Window

Window

Building Name: Historic Trinity Lutheran Church

Studio Name: Willet Hauser Architectural Glass

City: Detroit

Window Shape: 3 (arched)

Date of Window: 1931

Subject/Title of Window: Ruth

Brief Description of Subject: The story of Ruth and Naomi is found in the Old Testament book "Ruth."

Because of a famine in Bethlehem, Naomi, her husband and two sons were forced to leave. The family settled in the foreign land of Moab where the sons married the Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth. Tragedy struck as Naomi's husband and sons died. With the famine over in her native land, Naomi decided to return to Bethlehem and told her daughter-in-laws that it would be best for them to remain in Moab as they would be treated as foreigners in Bethlehem with little chance of finding a husband. Orpah took her advice but Ruth said:

"Whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou goest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God." (Ruth 1:16 KJV)

They arrived in Bethlehem during the barley harvest and Ruth was forced to glean to survive. A man named Boaz gave her permission to glean and he became impressed with her kind heart and loyalty to Naomi. He made arrangements to marry her despite the fact she was a foreigner.

Boaz and Ruth are important in the story of the Messiah as their son Obed had a son named Jessie and his son was "David." Thus the Messiah is a descendant of Ruth.

In the left panel, Ruth is pictured as a gleaner with a sickle in her right hand and a barley sheaf on one side of her and stalks of barley on the other. A smaller picture depicts Naomi and Ruth holding hands. In the right lancet, beneath the Lord, is the inscription of Ruth's statement of loyalty to Naomi and conversion to Judaism. Next to the picture of this Church is the coat-of -arms of Luther --- the "Luther Rose." With the exception of a dog, the border mainly consists of flora and birds.

In thankfulness to God for the recovery of his daughter, Marion, from polio, Charles Gauss, a wealthy businessman, provided the money for the construction of this Church. In this window, the faces of Ruth and Naomi are those of his daughter Marion and wife Margaret. A portrait of him hangs on the wall just opposite this window.

Inscriptions: Thy people shall be my people and thy God my God.
Ruth I XVI


Condition of Window: Fair

Height: ~54"

Width: 36"

Type of Glass and Technique: Antique or Cathedral Glass, Lead Came

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