On this Windows Wednesday, we will be looking at Chapel Window 7, The Teachings. At the top of the window, we see the wind and weather of God’s creation, exemplified by fire, hail, snow, and vapors. Below that, we see the parable of the Good Shepherd. We see the good shepherd reaching out to the lost sheep to bring him back to the flock below, “so there will be one flock, one shepherd.” [John 10:16] In the book of John, Jesus gives the crowd this metaphor of the shepherd to help them understand the nature of Jesus’ role in the world and His relationship to God. For this reason, this image was chosen to represent all the teachings of Jesus: the words of Jesus that help people then and now to come to a closer understanding of God. The lowest part of the window is blocked by pews, so the background motif continues to the ground. This can be seen in the artist’s design, if you scroll over or click the image of the window.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” John 10:11–16

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About the Author

Adam Alderson is the business manager and director of Resurrection at the United Methodist Church of Kent. He has a B.A. in Classics with a minor in Art History from Kent State University, and enjoys reading, graphic and web design, and singing and acting locally. Adam lives in Stow with his wife, Patti, and son, Alexander.