And Having Done All, To Stand

Photo by Kelly Drury
The ribbons that have weaved through all the previous windows find themselves wrapped in on each other in this last window in the sequence, curling around the pulpit on the right of the window and challenging scientific imagery on the left. When these windows were designed in the 1950s, the world was reeling from the astounding technological advancements made through the power of science: atomic power and the atomic bomb, rockets and missiles, and the earliest satellites. It is a particular moment, preserved in glass, reminding the seminarian that he must attend to every facet of his education diligently in order to be able to preach in the complicated, conflicted world outside of the seminary, facets that are depicted in the other windows as almost being woven into the DNA of a pastor.

Of course, the world today looks a little different. It is not expected that the seminarian be a he, nor is it expected that they be destined to be a pastor in a parish. Wesley has many students who feel called to be chaplains or deacons, to serve in lay ministry or to do something else entirely, even if they're not sure what. And while an older generation might have struggle with the challenge of science to our religion, we have embraced it, integrating its insights and technology into our ministries. Perhaps as the window intended to remind us, we have brought all the gifts at our disposal, each of our unique selves, to this spiritual battle Paul warns us about, and having done this, we stand.

Still, the challenge of the world outside the seminary has not lessened. Though we might need to update the symbols of it, the world struggles with war and rumors of war, fears of chaos and human progress lost, and the damage done to individual lives caught up in the violent eddies caused by the  tensions around us. But this window is not a cautionary tale, nor is it meant to overwhelm. It is a goal we hope to achieve, one we have been empowered to achieve.

When you come to a time of doubt or exhaustion or fear, as all of us do on this journey, go and stand in the chancel of the chapel in front of this window. Look to the cross on your right and then look to your left. Out there are all those traveling with you, seeking to help you just as you help them. Tilt your head, gaze upward, and take comfort. Everyone else here had to learn how to put on the armor of God too.


Jo Schonewolf is a seminarian at Wesley and editor of the Wesley Journal.

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