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Paul (Saul) Window The Jewish Christians who fled Jerusalem told the Story of Jesus wherever they went, and soon not only Jews, but Gentiles too, were hearing and receiving the gospel as the Church continued to grow. Meanwhile, Saul’s persecution of Christians continued. As a Pharisee (and a Jew living under Roman occupation), Saul longed for the promised day of God’s redemption, and zealously did his part to prepare Israel for that day—by eliminating those who worshipped Jesus as God. But on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians, Saul was suddenly blinded and knocked to the ground by a brilliant light, and heard a voice saying, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” In that moment Saul met the resurrected Christ, and received his call to evangelize the Gentiles. Soon his sight was restored, and he was baptized. After several years, he went to Jerusalem to meet the other apostles, then began traveling (now known as Paul ), preaching and planting churches. He stayed in touch with this growing network of Christians by writing letters, which the churches immediately began to collect and exchange, and which now comprise much of the New Testament. Within his writings, the gospel message that Paul clearly and consistently reaffirmed as the root of all else was the proclamation that “Jesus is Lord”—Christianity’s earliest creed. The early Church (Jewish and Gentile), understood this not merely as a statement of personal faith, but as the acknowledgement of a cosmic reality: Jesus, the divine Son of God, who died to bring us forgiveness, and rose to bring us life, has been given authority over all things, and so uniquely deserves the worship and allegiance of us all. As Paul so eloquently expressed it: “every knee [shall] bend, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.” Paul dedicated the rest of his life to spreading this message as zealously as he had once tried to stamp it out, enduring severe hardship and eventual martyrdom for the sake of the gospel of Christ. Paul is shown amidst the rigging of a ship, on one of his many missionary voyages as “the apostle to the Gentiles.” The satchel of epistles and the letter in his hand represent the Word of God—Paul’s writings, inspired by the Holy Spirit and canonized by the Church; as well as the presence of the Word made flesh, Jesus himself.
Like Stars Appearing: The Story of the Stained Glass
Windows of St. George's Episcopal Church, Dayton, Ohio | |||
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