Central
Avenue Christian Reformed Church
Stained Glass Windows
The Story of
Central Avenue’s Windows
From the early days of Christianity,
symbolism has been used to present the great truths of our religion. For example, the persecuted Christians in
As time rolled on, this symbolism grew
and developed. Sad to say, in the course
of time ecclesiastical art became the handmaiden of unbiblical teachings and
practices of the Roman Church. No doubt
this was one of the reasons why in the first years after the Reformation there
was a strong aversion for adornment of the churches. Images were destroyed and beautiful paintings
were covered over with plaster. But it
should be the expression of Biblical truth and it may never become the object
of veneration.
As we
approach the front entrance of our church and look up, we see a beautiful
stained glass window. The main theme is
that of the Christian Pilgrim on his journey to glory. We see him down in the valley, but he is
going on the upward way. It is the way
of the cross, but, thank God, at the end of the road the crown beckons and
glory is waiting. A wonderful reminder,
indeed, for the pilgrim as he enters the church for worship. It impresses upon him the fact that he has
here no abiding city, but must seek that which is to come. The service of worship deepens this
pilgrim-consciousness and also provides good, direction, warning and
encouragement for the traveler on the pilgrim road to glory. Looking to the right lower corner of this
window we see Moses. Representing the
Old Testament, he holds the tables of the Law and also the pole with the brazen
serpent. On the opposite side we see
Paul, the representative of the New Testament.
He is stepping out of a boat and is about to plant the banner of the
cross on the new continent. Between
these representatives of Old and New Testaments, we see the two hemispheres
which represent the world. Accordingly, between
these two hemispheres you see a cross, which represents the message which we
are to bring to the world. The lower
part of the window, then, proclaims the duty of the church to witness in all the world, but it also tells the world that the church has
the message that meets its deepest need, the message of reconciliation through
the cross of Jesus Christ.
Passing through the doors of the
church we come into the narthex. In
other buildings this is commonly called vestibule, but in church buildings it
is called narthex. Crossing the narthex
we come into the nave of the church, often referred to as auditorium. As we go a few steps down the aisle and look
to our left (north) we see the series of windows which represent the Parable of the Sower. Below each symbol and picture is a quotation
from Scripture which tells us that the seed
is the Word of God. The next window
brings out the fact that this Word must
be applied by the Holy Spirit, who is represented by the symbol of a
descending dove. The third window shows
the Sower. Take a good look and you will see the birds
of which Jesus spoke in the parable. The
fourth window sums up the great message of the Word, namely, the cross. This particular cross stands on a rock in the
midst of turbulent waters to convey the blessed truth that in Christ crucified
there is refuge indeed. The cross,
however, is not the last word concerning Christ, nor
concerning the Christian. After the
cross comes the crown. Hence, the fifth window presents the crown, a
crown of righteousness.
We are now ready to turn to the right to
see the windows on the south side of the nave.
Here too a unified group of windows greets our eyes. A hasty glance shows us that this series
presents the great “I am”
claims of Christ. They tell us what
Jesus proclaimed concerning Himself. The first window with the torch presents Jesus as the Light of
the World. The Savior also declared that
He was the Bread of Life. This has
always been presented in Christian art by a sheaf of wheat such as we see in the second window. The most tender “I am” of our Redeemer is
found in John 10 where Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd.” Thus in the third window we see a shepherd with his flock. The shepherd carried a lamb on his arm. In the same chapter Jesus says, “I am the
Door”. Only through Him can the sheep
enter in. This door is pictured in the fourth window. In His farewell addresses to His disciples
the Lord brought out the vital and intimate relationship between Himself and
His own through the figure of a vine and
its branches. This blessed truth is
conveyed by the last of these five windows.
In conclusion, we would call attention
to the fine balance between the two sides, north and south. On the north we have an agricultural picture,
the Sower, and on the south a pastoral scene, the
Shepherd.
We
are fortunate to have windows rich in usage of symbols previous generations
have used as reminders of their religious heritage. Some of this accumulation is incorporated
into the designs along with the use of special colors associated with the
symbols.
GREEN: Eternal, Everlasting, Hope – the color of
Life.
BLUE: Heaven, Jehovah, interpreted as symbolizing
the everlasting Love of God.
PURPLE: The royal or regal color of royal origin,
Majesty of God.
VIOLET: Lighter shade of purple, still denotes
royalty but to symbolize humility and penitence. Usage most often at the Lenten and Advent
seasons of the church year.
RED: Depicts the sacrificial shedding of the blood
of Jesus Christ. Combined with Yellow/Orange
to reference the Divine Zeal of the Holy Spirit – e.g. tongues of fire on
Pentecost Day.
YELLOW/ORANGE: Light, zeal, relates to the Word of God –
Light and Lamp to Christian’s path.
WHITE: Symbol of the Creator, Lamb of God, purity,
perfection, innocence, joy.
BROWN: Representative of mankind, struggle – formed
from dust of the earth. Refers also to the human nature of Christ the Son.
Following
is a portion of symbolism used, with in-depth information on the Circle Window above the pulpit
area:
First, the “Rose Window” which basic construction form
in the circle. It carries out the symbolic reminder of God –
eternal, without beginning or ending, continuous conveys completeness and the
eternal nature of each Person in the Godhead.
Central to the design is the Greek Cross with
influence of the Cross Patee. Very prominent is the red center which gives
emphasis to the sacrificial blood of Christ as the nucleus of the plan of
Salvation. The cross is yellow/orange to
identify the role of the Holy Spirit giving power and influence to sending of
the Gospel. Four arms of the cross
symbolize that this salvation is to be spread to the four corners of the
world. Within the circle frame, the 12
sections are incorporated signifying the 12 Apostles whose task was to spread
the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The
design in each section is a variation of the Fleur-de-lis which Medieval
scholars refer to as representative of the Trinity – e. g. 3 parts to the
design, 3 persons yet all connected.
Noticeable
are two more references to the Trinity.
Locate the point of color at the apex of the circle and follow down
around the circumference on the left and right to note again the same
color. Drawing an imaginary line to
these three points, you have a triangle.
A triangle is part of the symbol used by the CRC to identify itself as a
Trinitarian believing denomination. Upon
further notice, the circle is divided into 3 equal parts by alignment of the
same points of each like color on the three positions, intersecting at the
Cross center. This puts the design into
three equiangular sections calling to mind the unity of the 3 Persons of the
Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Not by accident this window is positioned in front of the people along
with the Word of God as they engage in joyful corporate worship – a reminder of
the focus of their praise to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Designed by Daverman Architects of Grand Rapids, Central Avenue
Christian Reformed Church was constructed in 1953. Its twelve stained glass
windows were created by John VanderBurgh, who was
associated during the 1950s with the Grand Rapids Art Glass Company, which
operated from 1912 to 1994. Born in the