stained glass
by Felicity Hansen
In the beginning, God created
the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was a formless void, there was
darkness over the deep, and God's spirit hovered over the water. God said,
"Let there be light" and there was light. God saw that light was good,
and God divided light from darkness. God called light "day" and darkness
he called "night". Evening came and morning came: the first day.
The
First
Day is based on the Northern Lights
which are frequently visible from Mull. I based this panel on a picture
in which the shape of a dove could be discerned. I exaggerated this
to represent the Spirit of God. The horizon of the earth beneath, made
of streaky-blue baroque glass, is reminiscent of the first photos of the
earth from space. Within the wings of the dove, the whole spectrum of visible
light, from red to violet, can be seen. This spectrum is also intended
to make viewers think of a rainbow, the sign of God's covenant with the
whole of creation (Genesis 9:12).
God said, "Let there be a
vault in the waters to divide the waters in two." And so it was. God made
the vault and it divided the waters above the vault from the waters under
the vault. God called the vault "heaven". Evening came and morning came;
the second day.
The
Second
Day shows the creation of the vault
of heaven as an aperture (similar to a camera lens opening) with a circular
space being formed, and the dark mass of waters being separated into "sky"
colours and clouds above, and "sea" colours and waves below. The vault
itself is made of iridised water glass, reflecting the fragility and delicacy
of the ecosystems that will lie within it.
God said, "Let the waters
under heaven come together into a single mass, and let dry land appear."
And so it was. God called the dry land "earth" and the mass of waters "seas",
and God saw that it was good. God said, "Let the earth produce vegetation:
seed-bearing plants, and fruit trees bearing fruit with their seed inside,
on the earth." And so it was. The earth produced vegetation; plants bearing
seed in their several kinds, and trees bearing fruit with their seed inside
in their several kinds. God saw that it was good. Evening came and morning
came: the third day.
The
Third
Day shows the separation of dry land
from the sea, followed by the creation of trees and vegetation. The dry
land is shown as an island, (Mull), and the trees are drawn from an area
of mixed woodland just north of the main ferry terminal in Craignure -
the first thing people see as they arrive from the mainland. In the foreground,
a crystal "Tree of Life" shows that life, in fact, has its origin elsewhere,
and that all creation subsists beneath its extended and protective branches.
A gentle breeze appears to be wafting yellow pollen across to the right
as life is given the ability to reproduce itself.
God said, "Let there be lights
in the vault of heaven to divide day from night, and let them indicate
festivals, days and years. Let them be lights in the vault of heaven to
shine on the earth." And so it was. God made the two great lights, the
greater light to govern the day, the smaller light to govern the night,
and the stars. God set them in the vault of heaven to shine on the earth,
to govern the day and the night and to divide light from darkness. God
saw that it was good. Evening came and morning came: the fourth day.
On the Fourth
Day the sun, moon and stars are created.
Since the sun and moon appear to us to be the same size in the sky, two
identical roundels of glass were used to represent them, one amber, one
clear. According to the Book of Job (38:8) "All the stars of the morning
sing for joy", so I incorporated joyful movement into the stars. The stars
represent stages in the current theory of star formation: first dark objects
(plain glass in dark colours), which then heat up as they condense (iridised
glass to represent the glow of heat) and finally ignite and become self-sustaining
"light-givers" (the white star in the centre). Today we know that our sun
is also a star, and so I have shown it in a similar form to the stars.
The moon, by contract, is peaceful and still.
God said, "Let the waters
teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth within the
vault of heaven." And so it was. God created great sea-serpents and every
kind of living creature with which the waters teem, and every kind of winged
creature. God saw that it was good. God blessed them saying, "Be fruitful,
multiply and fill the waters of the seas; and let the birds multiply upon
the earth." Evening came and morning came: the fifth day.
For the Fifth
Day there seemed to be no more appropriate
way to link the sea and the sky than the mountain Ben More, instantly recognisable
as the skyline of Mull and the only Munro that can be climbed from sea
level. To represent all the birds of heaven I chose a golden eagle since
Mull has a greater density of golden eagles per square mile than anywhere
else in Europe. To make the waters "teem", I deliberately confused fish
shapes and wave shapes.
God said, "Let the earth
produce every kind of living creature; cattle, reptiles and every kind
of wild beast." And so it was. God made every kind of wild beast, every
kind of cattle and every kind land reptile. God saw that it was good. God
said, "Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves,
and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the
cattle and all the wild beasts and all the reptiles that crawl upon the
earth." God created man in the image of himself, in the image of God he
created him, male and female he created them. God blessed them, saying
to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it. Be masters
of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, and all living animals on
the earth." God said, "See, I give you all the seed-bearing plants that
are upon the whole earth, and all the trees with seed-bearing fruit; this
shall be your food. To all the wild beasts, all birds of heaven and all
living reptiles on the earth I give all the foliage of plants for food."
And so it was. God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good. Evening
came and morning came: the sixth day.
The
Sixth
Day shows the creation of all land
animals, and finally man: "male and female he created them." I had been
specifically asked to include a Highland cow, but chose instead to make
it a Highland calf, along with a young red deer, to give the feeling of
all creation being very young. Adam and Eve also are shown as child-like,
with almost unformed features, since here they are part of the state of
"original innocence". A black rabbit (a local mutation of wild rabbits)
nestles in Adam's arms. The Eas For waterfall on the north of Mull again
illustrates that the River of Life has its origin elsewhere, and the Tree
of Life appears for a second time.
Thus heaven and earth were
completed with all their array. On the seventh day God completed the work
he had been doing. He rested on the seventh day after all the work he had
been doing. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that
day he rested after all his work of creating.
The
design for the Seventh Day
is based on the following reflection by Julian of Norwich:
Thus heaven and earth were
completed with all their array. On the seventh day God completed the work
he had been doing. He rested on the seventh day after all the work he had
been doing. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that
day he rested after all his work of creating.
The design for the Seventh
Day is based on the following reflection by Julian of Norwich:
"He showed me a little thing,
the size of a hazelnut, on the palm of my hand, round like a ball. I looked
at it thoughtfully and wondered, ‘What is this?’ And the answer came, ‘It
is all that is made.’ I marvelled that it continued to exist and did not
suddenly disintegrate; it was so small. And again my mind supplied the
answer, ‘It exists both now and for ever because God loves it.’ In short,
everything owes its existence to the love of God.
In this little thing, I saw
three truths. The first is that God made it; the second is that God loves
it; and the third is that God sustains it. (…) We have got to realise the
littleness of creation and see it for the nothing that it is before we
can love and possess God who is uncreated. (…) He is true rest. It is his
will that we should know him, and his pleasure that we should rest in him.
Nothing less will satisfy us." (Julian of Norwich: Revelations of Divine
Love, chapter 5)
The design is called "Desert
Sunrise" and includes a dramatic sky, golden clouds, sand dunes and a desert
pool, drawn from pictures and photographs of the Algerian desert. The colours
and horizontal lines convey an experience of peace, and show the "fullness
of light" now that creation is complete.
The gold clouds may be seen
as a divine hand, no longer working but resting, supporting the "littleness
of creation". Look closely at the clear, faceted circle that represents
the whole of creation as Julian saw it, and you will notice that its surface
consists of triangular facets. These triangles represent the Trinity and
indicate that the whole of creation is made in the image of God the Creator.
The previous seven panels
have laid the foundation for this final panel which depicts the "Eighth
Day of Creation", a concept more common in the Early Church than it is
today. The Eighth Day is the Eternal, Unending Day on which the whole of
creation is made new, and the Kingdom of God is definitively established
forever. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the event in
which this transformation occurs.
The text chosen to illustrate
the Eighth Day is
taken from the Book of Revelation (Chapter 21):
"Then I saw a new heaven
and a new earth; the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared now,
and there was no longer any sea. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven, as beautiful as a bride all dressed
for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice call from the throne, "You see
this city? Here God lives among human beings. He will make his home among
them; they shall be his people and he will be their God; his name is Emmanuel,
which means "God with them". He will wipe away all tears from their eyes;
there will be no more death, and no more mourning or sadness. The world
of the past has gone." Then the one sitting on the throne spoke, "Now I
am making the whole of creation new."
In front of the city stands
the Tree of Life (Rev. 22:2): "And the leaves of the Tree are for the healing
of the nations"
Elsewhere in Revelation,
the walls of the City of God are described as "crystal-clear diamond".
To reflect this, the walls have been made out of glass bevels. The sizes
of the bevels are in units of 1, 3, 6 and 9. These are numbers that reflect
God, who is One God in Three Persons. The blocks of three (e.g three triangles,
which each measure 3" by 3" by 3", and blocks of three bevels side by side)
emphasise that God is the "Thrice Holy" God (cf Isaiah 6). These numbers
also indicate the 12 apostles who are the foundation and gates of the City.
From the dome downwards,
bevels form the shape of a cross. But outside the city, the living tree
indicates that the Cross has now been revealed as the Tree of Life. It
stands outside the city walls as the Cross of Jesus did on Good Friday,
but now it is the source of eternal life.
This window was commissioned
by the Catholic Christian Community as a memorial to Roger Felter, who
first brought the community together, to mark the 10th anniversary of his
death in 1993.
The theme of the Algerian
desert relates to Roger’s origins as a Frenchman born and raised in Algeria.
Unfortunately, this window
is very difficult to photograph because of its south-facing position and
the fact that it includes sections of coloured mirror, such as the Golden
Dome. This is the best photo so far, though far from adequate.
The glass used as a surround
for the image of the Holy City is an amber ring-mottle, because the effect
of this glass is reminiscent of bridal lace, and highlights the concept
of the City being "as beautiful as a bride". The city is recognisably Jerusalem,
the historical site of the death and resurrection of Christ; the Golden
Dome is one of the most easily identifiable elements of present-day Jerusalem,
and marks the site where the Temple of God once stood.
Parts of the City are done
in coloured mirror. Thus anyone who stands in front of the picture should
see themselves reflected in the City of God; the panels on the wall opposite,
showing the Six Days of Creation may also be reflected, especially the
Third Day, on which the first living things (trees) are created with the
capacity to transmit life and thus perpetuate their existence. The blue
circle embedded in the city wall is the pool of the waters of baptism,
the "river of life" which is our entry into the City.
Link
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