The South Transept continued.

The Great South Window

The Fall

In the left-hand light we are given insight into the wrongful acts that brought about Mankind’s separation from God. Starting bottom left we see in the first medallion the temptation of Eve. The serpent misleads her into believing it is right to disobey God, and eat from “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”. 2 Corinthians 11 verse 3 states: “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” The second medallion shows adam and Eve hiding from God in the Garden of Eden. They have eaten from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and now they are self-conscious. They are scared, naked and ashamed. What will God say when he sees them? Psalm 89 verse 7 states: “In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him.” The third medallion depicts the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden. They look back at the garden for the last time. No more will they talk with God as a friend. Job 18 verse 18 states: “He is driven from light into darkness and is banished from the world.” The fourth medallion from the bottom shows Adam hard at work for the first time in his life. He can be seen tilling the soil, struggling against nature, as he grows the food he needs to survive. Genesis 3 verses 17 - 19 states: “To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, `You must not eat of it,' Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."” The fifth medallion depicts the story of Cain and Abel. Cain can be seen killing Abel. He despises the fact that Abel’s offering of a firstborn lamb is more acceptable to God than his own first fruits of the land. His jealousy takes over, and he kills his own brother. James 1 verse 15 states: “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”. The sixth and final medallion on the left side of the window depicts the Flood. This is the moment when God finally shows his disapproval of Mankind’s actions. His wrath is vented upon the Earth, and Mankind’s disobedience is punished. Genesis 6 verse 7 states: “So the LORD said, ‘I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the Earth - men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air - for I am grieved that I have made them’.” At the very top of the left hand light of this window we can see Noah’s Ark as it floats on the water. The only righteous family living upon the Earth at that time is saved by God, and allowed to go on.

The Promises of God.

In the right-hand light of the window we see the promises of God depicted. The first medallion, bottom right, shows the sacrifice of Noah. When the flood receded, God made a promise to Noah that he would never again flood the world in this way. He would never again send a flood to destroy the Earth, and all that lives on it. Genesis 9 verses 12 & 13 state: “And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the Earth.” The second medallion depicts the call of Abram. God promised Abram that he would make him and his descendants into a great nation. Abram, who was later called Abraham, trusted in God and had faith to believe that what God promised would one day come true. Genesis 12 verse 3 states: “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on Earth will be blessed through you.” The third medallion depicts Abraham entertaining the three angels. They have been sent by God to tell Abraham, who is now one hundred years old, that his wife Sarah, who is well advanced in years and past the age of child bearing, will conceive and bear him a son. Genesis 18 verse 14 states: “Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.” The fourth medallion depicting the promises of God shows Moses standing beside the burning bush. This was Moses’ first encounter with the very presence of God. God calls Moses to become his mouthpiece to the Israelites. God tells him that he will lead the Israelites out of slavery, out of the hands of the Egyptians. Exodus 6 verse 7 states: “I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.” The fifth medallion depicts the passage of the River Jordan. The Israelites have travelled for forty years in the wilderness, and before them lies the river Jordan. God has promised that they would live in the rich countryside on the opposite bank. The picture shows them crossing the river, with the Ark of the Covenant placed in what would be midstream. The waters are held back and the Israelites cross. Isaiah 43 verse 2 states: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” The sixth and final medallion depicting the promises of God shows the peaceful kingdom that is to come. The picture shows all kinds of animals laying together, wild and domestic, living in peace. In the centre, a young child playing happily, as if this was how it was meant to be from the beginning. Isaiah 11 verse 9 states: “They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the Earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” At the very top of this light we can see the Ark of the Covenant, the box that contained the very items that spoke of God’s Covenant with his people, Israel.

The Redemption.

The centre light of this great window tells the story of God’s redeeming love for Mankind in the form of his son Jesus. The first medallion at the bottom depicts the annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Angel Gabriel visits Mary, a virgin, and tells her that she will conceive a child, by means of the Holy Spirit, and that he will be called “the Son of the most High God.” Isaiah’s prophecy speaks of this event. In Isaiah 7 verse 14 we read: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” The second medallion depicts the Nativity scene. Mary and Joseph can be seen in the foreground, with the baby Jesus laying in the manger. Jeremiah also prophesied this event. In Jeremiah 23 verse 5 we read: “‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land’.” The third medallion shows the Magi worshipping Jesus. They have travelled for many months, and are now in the presence of the one they seek. They give their gifts of adoration to the newborn king. Isaiah 60 verse 3 states: “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” The fourth medallion from the bottom depicts the presentation of Jesus in the Temple. According to the Law of the Lord, Jesus had to be presented to the Lord, and a sacrifice offered for him. Simeon is there to greet them. He thanks God for fulfilling his promise to redeem mankind by sending his Son. Isaiah 42 verse 6 states: “‘I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles’.” The fifth medallion depicts the boy Jesus at the temple talking with the teachers, the experts in Judaism. The Bible tells us that everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding, and his answers. The boy Jesus was coming of age. He understood the Scriptures, he understood his father’s will. Isaiah 11 verse 2 states: “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.” The sixth medallion in the centre light depicts the holy family at Nazareth. The bible tells us that after Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the temple, they returned to their home in Nazareth, and Jesus “was obedient to them”. Jesus knew the importance of his family in God’s plan. They had trusted God with their lives, and Jesus repaid their trust by being obedient to them. Philippians 2 verses 6-8 states: “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!” The final medallion in this window depicts Jesus being baptised in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. The fulfilment of God’s promise to redeem Mankind begins in earnest. Jesus begins his ministry at this moment, and God is pleased with the result. At that moment the Spirit of God rests on him in the form of a dove. Isaiah 11 verse 2: “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him.” It is appropriate then that the final detail in this window is found at the very top. It comes in the form of a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit.

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