Meditation

Read Luke 1. Think about the relationship of John and Jesus and Mary and Elizabeth. Then think about the friends and relatives you have a special relationship with. Give thanks for them. Think about your friends In Christ. Are you involved in a group that has a common goal of furthering the work of the Kingdom of God as John and Jesus were? Would you like to be?

History

A memorial to William Green Flinn (April 28, 1911 -September 9, 1953), the window was dedicated in the spring of 1958. John was a solitary figure chosen before birth to proclaim Christ and baptize him. There is a descending dove at the very top of the window. To the left are the words Ecce Agnus Dei ("Behold the Lamb of God"). On the right are angels looking on. The central figure is John the Baptist clothed in camel's hair and with a girdle of skin about his loins. At his feet are the words Ego vox clamantis in Deserto ("I am a voice crying in the wilderness"). At his right is a shell, a symbol of baptism. (See window #4). The scene below shows him preaching and baptizing on the banks of the Jordan. This is the third from last of Schoonover's windows and it is more symbolic; for example, there is a cruciform figure above John's head and the staff evolves into a cross, resembling a bright dove in the center. Schoonover discussed his preference for the symbolic, and his dissatisfaction with the detailed and representational art of the earlier windows. He was very pleased with this window.