Dedicated on February 11, 1968, the window was a gift of Mr. and Mrs.
J. Norman Tilley in memory of his parents, Fred W. and Marie. It was
inspired by the canticle Benedict Omnia Opera Domini: ("0 all
ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord") found in the prayer book on
pages 47 to 49. Taken from "The Song of the Three Children" in the
Apocrypha, it purports to be the song sung by Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego, the three young men cast into the burning furnace by the
King of Babylon for failing to bow down and worship the golden image.
As a symbol of a man's ability to perceive and praise God from the
midst of the most terrible adversity, and. furthermore, of the power
of such faith to preserve man. the canticle is unexcelled. It is an
invitation to all to see the one truth underlying all creation and all
history, the truth we call God. In the center is Christ the King and
the words "Praise and magnify Him forever." At his head are the words
"Let us bless the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost." Adam and Eve
are on either side, and the Greek letters for Alpha and Omega are
above Christ. At the very top is the open Hand of God. Flying birds,
fish of the sea, planets, royal headdresses, winter, summer, animals,
mountains, and people from many walks of life are illustrated. In a
letter written in preparation for this window by Roddey Reid, then
rector, to J. Norman Tilley, Reid states: "The central message of both
the Old and New Testament is that something does 'stand' in the midst
of chaos and indeed overcomes chaos. I would very much like to see
this theme of creation, light, order, etc. to be the theme of our new
window. It would represent the continuing conflict between light and
darkness, and the agony of what it means to be the 'Light of the
World'. I would hope that anyone who would look at a such a window
would feel caught up to such a message and might ask himself "Where do
I stand? Am I in the light or am I in the darkness?"
