Stained Glass banner image

Featured Window

Window of the Month
Our Lady of Grace, Dearborn Heights, Michigan

Click any image to enlarge.




Window

Building Name: East Congregational Church UCC

Studio Name: Chartres Glassmaker’s Guild

City: Grand Rapids

Window Shape: 5 (gothic arched, 2 vertical sections)

Date of Window: 1931

Subject/Title of Window: Abraham and Joseph

Brief Description of Subject: Abraham
The first panel of the window on the east side of the sanctuary portrays the spiritual pioneer, Abraham with the inscription, "He went out not knowing whither he went." This bold and adventurous man who left his own town of Ur of the Chaldees to become a trail blazer for God.

The scene below is The Sacrifice of Isaac. God tested the faith of Abraham to determine whether he was faithful by asking him if he would be willing to give up the life of his son, Issac. The angel restrained Abraham and substituted the lamb. Abraham stands with is sword raised. This suggests the words of Jesus: "Put up thy sword, for he that taketh the sword shal perish with the sword."

Joseph
In the second panel is Joseph, the boy, sold into slavery, who became the Viceroy of Egypt. In his hand is the orb, and above, the crown, the symbol of his authority  as Viceroy of Egypt. The inscription is one of the truly great texts of the Bible, "They meant if for evil, God meant it for good." Above the crown are three candles, suggesting the Trinity, and aslo a verse from the Book of Proverbs, "The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord."

In the medallion below, Joseph is seen dressed in his coat of many colors. He was cast into apit, and sold by his jealous brothers into slavery.

Inscriptions: He went out not knowing whither he went.
They meant if for evil, God meant it for good.


Condition of Window: Good

Height: 11.5'

Width: 4.5'

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

Abraham and Joseph
Abraham and Joseph

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.

If you have any questions, additions or corrections, or think you can provide better images and are willing to share them, please contact donald20@msu.edu