August 26, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Window Stories: South Nave – Front

The south wall of the nave (on the left as you enter the church) has three windows. Like last week's window, the front window is unusual in that it doesn't depict a biblical image or story. Instead it has a bible verse and dedication.

The bible verse is Proverbs 31:28 – Her Children Arise Up And Call Her Blessed. The window itself is in memory of W. G. Robinson, Born May 31, 1859, Died March 31, 1889.

According to 100 Years of Worship: 1884 – 1984, this window was given by Mr. & Mrs. W. J. Clarke in memory of her brother William “Billy” Robinson who drowned in a boat accident on Lake Desmet.

The window's image is of several ears of corn on stalks and has the autumn coloring of greens, yellows, and browns of the corn harvest. I don't know why this image was chosen because corn isn't really prevalent in Christian art or symbolism, and Billy was both born and died in the spring. Corn can be a symbol of growth, fertility, abundance, and prosperity, but none of those seem to fit the reason for this window.

You may not have noticed or paid attention to this window since it receives no outside light and is therefore dark most of the time. This is because that particular area behind the window became the parish office when Onderdonk Hall was built.

But for all of the unknowns of this window, it still tells a story. It tells a story of a life lived and ended too soon. It tells the story of a mother loved by her children. It tells the story of a sister who wanted to keep the memory of her brother alive. And it reminds us that, even though not as bright or colorful as the other windows, it is still part of the story of our parish.

We all have faith stories to share. What's yours?

Blessings,

Todd+

August 19, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Window Stories: South Nave – Middle

The south wall of the nave (on the left as you enter the church) has three windows. The middle window is unusual in that it doesn't depict a biblical image or story. Instead it has a dedication and donor information which reads: Dedicated to Rev. and Mrs. George McKay by the Skoonataps.

I had to do some digging, but here's what I uncovered:

On page 33 of 100 Years of Worship: 1884-1984 (the centennial history of our parish), there is a sketch of this window. Although the window isn't titled, the book refers to it as the “Red Cross Window.” The priest to whom this window was dedicated, Fr. George McKay, had been a chaplain in the Canadian Mounted Police and supposedly served as the model for the hero of Ralph Connor's novel, The Sky Pilot, although that may not be true as there are other claims to who the character was modeled after.

Fr. McKay and his wife (who unfortunately is only ever referred to as “Mrs. McKay”) came to Saint Luke's in 1918 and served until 1926 – although his picture in Onderdonk Hall says 1918 – 1929.

Fr. McKay was the easy part, but who were the Skoonataps? As it turns out, they're not a who but a what. During his time as priest, Fr. McKay “organized a fine group of young matrons of the Church known as 'The Schoonataps' . . . The meaning known only to the members.” This social group of women were active in the life of the church and extremely fond of Fr. and Mrs. McKay, who was also an excellent musician and she helped with the choir and other church music. The group was so fond of both of them, in fact, that they gave this window in their honor.

The image itself is of an unknown item and derives the Red Cross name from the small, red, St Andrew's cross in its center. The item, at first glance, seems to be an old-fashioned key, but upon closer inspection is not. A purple brocade surrounds the image on all sides.

The story of this window is like the stories of countless Christians through the centuries. It remembers a man who faithfully served the Church. It remembers a woman whose only name is attached to her husband, but who also faithfully served the Church. And it remembers a group of anonymous Christians who served the Church in their own way. The story of this window is that knowing the specific names of people and what they did isn't important; what's important is that those people served faithfully. What's important is that our story is a story of faithfulness.

We all have faith stories to share. What's yours?

Blessings,

Todd+

August 12, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Window Stories: South Nave – Rear

The south wall of the nave (on the left as you enter the church) has three windows, and the rearmost window on the south side is titled “Christ the Consoler.”

In this window a seated Jesus is dressed more as a Roman than as Judean. He's wearing (what I'm guessing) an orange and red pallium over a type of white tunic called a chiton (and, yes, I went down a rabbit hold figuring this all out), and is adorned with his typical halo.

Kneeling in front of him appears to be a young woman who is wearing a green-ish colored dress, and she is being embraced by Jesus.

The left margin of the window contains a fleur-de-lis, literally flower lily in French. Among other things, it symbolizes royalty and religious purity. The right margin of the window contains an image of an anchor. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews used an anchor as a metaphor for the hope and stability given to Christians in the storms of life (Heb. 6:19).

The idea of Christ as a comforter or consoler comes, not from Jesus, but probably first from 1 Peter 5:7 – Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Paul also sees Jesus as a comforter when he writes in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 about Christ consoling us so that we may console others who are suffering. And Psalm 55:22 advises us to “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you.”

On August 2 we heard the gospel story of the feeding of the 5000. At the end of that story we are told that the disciples collected and filled 12-baskets full of the broken pieces of bread that were left over. I'm reminded that, at its best, the Church is a place where broken people are gathered up and cared for. We are the Body of Christ on earth right now. Our story should be that we are the place where burdens are cast and people are cared for and sustained.

We all have faith stories to share. What's yours?

Blessings,

Todd+

August 5, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Window Stories: Rear Nave – SE Corner

As you stand at the front of the church and look back to the east entrance, there are two windows on either side of the double doors. Today we look at the one on the right, titled “Christ Among the Doctors.”**

This window depicts delinquent Jesus in the temple sitting among the teachers and asking questions. I say “delinquent” because he and his parents had gone up to Jerusalem for the festival and, rather than heading home with everyone, he stayed behind (Luke 2:41-51).

In the window a 12-year old Jesus is with two older men, one of them obviously Jewish by his clothing, and the other one not so obvious. It could be that the artist wanted to depict a Pharisee and a Sadducee, since those were the two groups that Jesus most often encountered. He is standing, a prominent halo about his head, and his right hand raised in the traditional priestly blessing style.

The man on the left has a white beard, indicating he is older (and maybe wiser?), and wears a purple and plum robe with a head covering (see Ex. 28:4-5 for the priestly dress code). He is also seated at what might be a prayer desk with a book (the Torah?) in front of him. He's not looking at Jesus and appears to be a little annoyed.

The man on the right is younger (brown hair and beard), and dressed only in blue robes. This man is looking up at the young Jesus and appears to be not annoyed, but pondering what Jesus has to say.

In the window's left margin there is a book with stylized Hebrew writing and a quill and ink bottle. This could be symbolic of Jesus, the Word, being present in scripture, but that's just conjecture. And the right margin contains another image of that broach thing from last week's window.

The story behind this window, and this incident in Luke, should remind us that we are never too old to learn something new – especially when it comes to our faith; because it is in learning that we grow and it is in being willing to be open to new interpretations that can give scriptures new life within us.

We all have faith stories to share. What's yours?

Blessings,

Todd+

**A “Doctor” doesn't mean what we normally think of when we hear that term. In the Christian tradition, the title “Doctor” was bestowed upon certain theologians of outstanding merit and acknowledged saintliness. The original Doctors of the Church were Pope Gregory the Great, Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome, but that list later grew over time. By titling this window “Christ Among the Doctors,” the artist is recognizing that the Judaism also had theologians of outstanding merit.

July 29, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Window Stories: Rear Nave – NE Corner

As you stand at the front of the church and look back to the east entrance, there are two windows on either side of the double doors. Today we look at the one on the left, titled “Nativity.”

This is a typical Nativity scene with Joseph, Mary, and Jesus (thankfully omitting the wise men). Joseph, standing, and Mary, kneeling, are gazing down at the infant Jesus who is lying in a manger. Unlike last week's window where only Jesus had a halo, all three are depicted with a halo.

Joseph is garbed in brown robes and holds a shepherd's staff or crook. Although he is identified as a carpenter (Matthew and Mark record people calling Jesus “the carpenter's son”), the shepherd's staff in art is used to symbolize being a descendant of King David (a shepherd in his youth and the great shepherd of Israel) and for his care and protection of Mary and Jesus.

Mary, looking rather put together for just having given birth, is dressed in her traditional blue.

Infant Jesus is lying in a manger covered by a pink blanket and gazing lovingly up at his parents. In one article I read, pink was once seen as a “boys” color because, as a shade of red, it was a strong, decisive, and active color. Blue, on the other hand, was seen as more delicate, adding one more reason why Mary is given blue clothing (although there was nothing delicate about Mary).

A single star is shining down on Jesus (borrowing from Matthew), and, if you pay attention, you can see the head of an ox or donkey on the right side of the window.

In the left margin of the window is a 5-pointed flower, most likely a five petal rose, symbolizing the five wounds of Christ. The right margin has something that looks like a woman's broach, but I can't identify what it actually is (if anyone has any ideas, let me know).

The story of the Incarnation is, perhaps, the greatest story of our faith. In that story the omnipotent, omniscient, eternal creator of everything that ever was, both seen and unseen, chose to become human. God didn't appear as a warrior king, fully formed, to defeat enemies through battle, but as an infant child, reliant on parents for food, protection, shelter, and nurturing. And, being born in a manger, a feeding trough for animals, he became food for the world.

We all have faith stories to share. What's yours?

Blessings,

Todd+

July 22, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Window Stories: North Nave – Rear

The north wall of the nave (on the right as you enter the church) has three windows, and the rearmost window on the north side depicts Christ blessing children.

Jesus, centered in the frame, has three children gathered around him, while holding an infant in his left arm. The oldest is a girl I would put at about 12-years old and she is holding two bouquets of flowers, one white and one orange (although the white flowers could be a headpiece or crown to contrast the crown of thorns Jesus will wear later). If you didn't know this child was a girl, the artist makes it explicit by putting her in a pink dress or tunic.

A second child appears to be a young boy of about 8-years old who is wearing a white tunic. The third child could be either male or female, about 4-years old and is wearing a green tunic. Jesus is reaching down with his right hand to touch him or her on the head. A woman stands to Jesus' right, and is most likely the Blessed Virgin Mary as she is garbed in the traditional blue.

Out of the six figures in the window, only Jesus is shown with a halo. This is a departure from other windows that depict Mary with a halo and often show children with halos to convey their innocence.

The left margin has a butterfly, which is a symbol of resurrection and/or new life and could have been chosen as a nod to children who grow and change into adults over time. The right margin has an image of what I'm guessing is a beehive. This has several meanings in Christian art such as a good work ethic, the purity of the Church (because worker bees don't mate), and the community of the Church (many individuals working for one goal), among other things.

All three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) have stories about Jesus blessing children over the objections of the disciples, and in each Jesus says something along the lines of, “It is to these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” There are many interpretations of this, but my favorite is for us to view the kingdom of heaven with the same awe, wonder, and fascination that children often view life. In sharing stories of our faith, can we do it with the same excitement and fascination that children have when showing a new bug to their parent?

We all have faith stories to share. What's yours?

Blessings,

Todd+

July 15, 2026

Wednesday Word . . . Window Stories: North Nave – Center

The north wall of the nave (on the right as you enter the church) has three windows. The center window bears an image of three women meeting an angel. The window is titled, “Resurrection,” and while it doesn't give a scriptural citation, this scene comes from Mark 16:1, as that is the only resurrection story with three women and one angel. The women are identified as Salome, Mary the mother of James, and Mary Magdalene. In the left margin is a peacock. The peacock has been part of Christian art symbolizing immortality, resurrection (new, vibrant feathers replacing older feathers when it molts), and possibly the many-eyed creature of Revelation 4. The right margin contains a pomegranate – a symbol of Christ's suffering, the blood he shed, and the many seeds representing the unity of believers in the one Church.

The women in the window aren't named, but I'm guessing that Salome is in gold, Mary the mother of James is in blue, and Mary Magdalene is in a purple-ish red. Unfortunately we really don't know who exactly Salome was, but there are several conjectures as to who she might be without having a clear identity. The Blessed Virgin Mary is always depicted in blue, and I wonder if “Mary the mother of James” refers to James, the brother of Jesus, thereby making this woman Mary the mother of Jesus. Mary Magdalene is often depicted in red from a story where she proclaimed the resurrection to Emperor Tiberius who said, “If Christ is risen, this egg is red,” and the white egg became red.

In Matthew, Luke, and John, the women (woman in John) leave the empty tomb and proclaim the resurrection to the eleven disciples. In Mark, however, the women leave the tomb and “say nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” I love this ending because it's an open-ended story. It tells us the resurrection happened, but then leaves it up to us to proclaim the good news of the resurrection. This gospel reminds us that we can either say nothing to anyone because we are afraid, or we can be the ones to proclaim the good news. If we do not tell this most important story of our faith, it ends with us. But if we tell the story of the resurrection, and how that story of new life relates to us, the story will continue.

We all have faith stories to share. What's yours?

Blessings,

Todd+