WINDOWS OF ASBURY

LEFT SIDE (Courtyard)
CHRIST'S BIRTH through THE SECOND COMING

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15 Courtyard Windows

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Window 16

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Window 30

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WINDOW 16
BIRTH OF CHRIST

MATTHEW 1:18

This is how the birth of Christ came about . . .

Jesus was born in a manger under the star of Bethlehem. Between the star’s rays and the manger is Chi Rho, the sacred monogram for Jesus. To the left are three shepherds’ staffs, to the right are the three wise men's crowns. Below is the fleur de lis which refers to the purity of the virgin birth.

WINDOW 17
RESURRECTION

MATTHEW 28:5 - 6

The angel said . . . "He is not here: He has risen, just as he said."

The empty cross is emphasized by the Easter sunrise. The butterfly is the symbol of the resurrection of all men. The larva is like life on earth, the cocoon is like the grave. The butterfly emerges on glorious wings, like the Christian rises to meet God.

WINDOW 18
GOD'S POWER

ACTS 1:8

. . . you will receive power . . . and you will be my witness . . .

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came like tongues of fire, (top left) that separated and came to rest on each Christian there. Stephen was the first Christian martyr. The stones (top right) represent those that killed him. Paul is represented by the open book, and the "sword of the Spirit.

WINDOW 19
GUIDANCE

JOHN 16:13

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. .

The ship is the Church, carrying Chi Rho, the cross and Alpha and Omega, which represents Jesus, as the center focus. The ship is kept afloat through the stormy seas of division and argument by the guidance and support of Remora, a legendary fish which attaches to the hull of a ship to keep it afloat and to guide it. Remora is symbolic of the Holy Spirit

WINDOW 20
PERSECUTION

ACTS 22:4

I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison,

For safety, the altar of the early church was often in the catacombs, shown at the top by the altar with two lit candles. In the lower left, the torture rack and two spears recall the Age Of Persecution.

WINDOW 21
SACRAMENTS

MATTHEW 26:26 - 28

Jesus . . . took bread . . . broke it . . . said "Take and eat; this is my body." Then took the cup saying "drink . . . this is my blood . . . poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins".

Through their suffering, they held fast to the sacraments, the wine for Christ’s blood, shown by the chalice, and bread for Christ’s body, shown by the three loaves beside the chalice. The grapes (left) and the wheat (right) are the God-provided crops to make the wine and bread.

WINDOW 22
CHRISTIANITY BY LAW

Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. He replaced the eagle at the top of the Roman standard with the cross. The persecution of Christians by Rome stopped.

WINDOW 23
THE ROMAN CHURCH

The keys symbolize Peter as the base of the Roman Church. The Papal Tiara, or crown located above the keys, symbolizes the growth and power of the Roman Church.

The small gray stone church, located to the right, is Iona, a small mission church founded by the missionary, Columba. This is an example of the spread of Christianity.

WINDOW 24
CHRISTIAN EVENTS

At the top left, is a variant of the shield of Canterbury. This shield symbolizes the spread of Christianity by the establishment of the first archbishop in England by Augustine.

The birds, combined with the winged cross, are symbolic of the age of monasticism, life in a monastery. The winged cross with birds is symbolic of the periods’ greatest saint, Francis of Assisi.

WINDOW 25
THE CRUSADES

A silhouette of the Chartres Cathedral (France) symbolizes the medieval church. Below it (to the left), a fish entwines a cross. The fish and the cross were both symbols that stood for Jesus and at that time were often used in many different forms. To the right, is the shield of a crusader. This shield stands for the thousands of people who fought to recover the Holy Land from the Moslems.

WINDOW 26
NEW WORLD

The "new world" is discovered, as seen by North and South America located in the upper left. Just below, ships that brought people to the new world seeking a freedom to worship God. These people are shown planting the cross in the new world.

At the upper right, is the movable printing press. Its invention made possible the mass dissemination of information. The Bible became more available. All this helped to bring on the Reformation.

WINDOW 27 & WINDOW 28
PEOPLE THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE
LUTHER, WYCLIFFE, KNOX & WESLEY

At the top (left) is Luther's symbol of the heraldic rose. Below it is Calvin's seal, a heart on an outstretched hand. The open Bible and pen is for Wycliffe, who translated of the Bible into English.

The thistles of the Church of Scotland, beside the heraldic rose, recalls Knox. The clock with its hands pointing to quarter of nine gives John Wesley's hour of decision.

John Wesley (1703 - 1791) is considered the father of Methodism. He became the Chaplain of Oglethorpe’s Colony in Savannah in 1735, then returned to England. He traveled over 250,000 miles on horseback and preached more than 40,000 sermons.

In the background of these two windows can be seen Hus, the goose, drinking from a chalice. This is the symbol for opening communion to the common person - perhaps, this is the greatest part of the Reformation movement.

WINDOW 29 & WINDOW 30

METHODISM

TIME TO COME

The log cabin at the top represents the scattered homes of the population that needed to be reached for Christ. The growth of Methodism in America is due to circuit riders like Francis Asbury, the namesake of our church. The circuit rider is represented here by the hat, the saddlebag containing books, and the horse.

The Ecumenical Age, which we, by faith, believe we are entering is symbolized by the Cross surmounting two hemispheres. Flowering branches based in the triangle of the Trinity represent the growth and beauty of the Church of Christ through ages to come. The rays of light at the top of the cross are symbolic of His return to earth.

FRANCIS ASBURY (1745 - 1816)

Our Church is named for this man who is sometimes referred to as the "Wesley of America". Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke became joint superintendents in the American Methodist Church. Coke returned to England, and Asbury then shaped the Methodist Church. He rode over 5,000 miles a year on horseback as he preached from Maine to Georgia, and west to Ohio. He set up the "circuit riding" ministry which was carried on long after he was gone.

For more information on the Asbury Windows, please contact Asbury United Methodist Church at aumc@asburyumc.com.

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Revised: February 16, 2008