It’s Windows Wednesday once again! Today we are beginning to look at Sanctuary Window 4—The Comforter. At the top, as before, is a scene from the Old Testament. Here we see the prophet Isaiah on his knees. From the Biblical story, we know that Isaiah was called by God to be a prophet but was hesitant. He knew himself to be a sinner and felt unworthy; until he has a vision of God.
As described in Isaiah 6, Isaiah sees God in the temple, surrounded by seraphim. He cries out that he is a man of unclean lips, as we see here (Isaiah is the figure at the bottom of the panel). Isaiah feels that he is unworthy to speak for God. A seraph descends and picks up the tongs from the altar, and grabs a live coal (the tongs and coal can be seen on the lower left) and touches the coal to Isaiah’s mouth. This act symbolically cleanses Isaiah’s lips, redeems his sinful ways, and makes him one of the most significant of the Old Testament prophets.
Isaiah’s prophecies are wide-ranging, but he has a message of encouragement and hope for the people of Israel. Many of his prophecies speak to the coming of the Messiah, as we see in the passage below. This passage also speaks directly to the coming of John the Baptist, pictured above Isaiah on the window. Click or scroll over the image below to see the artist’s design for the window.

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 40:1-5

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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.