For more resources on this topic:

Much of the information in today's message comes from this new book from the Swedenborg Foundation.  This is a beautiful edition, and is a good resource for meditating on the windows.











For a really special meditative experience with the angel windows, purchase this C.D.  It is composed by Rev. Ken Turley, and provides meditative music for each of the seven windows.



 

Visit the website for In Company With Angels.

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Precious Lord
sung by Whitney Houston





 

Readings

 

Apocalypse Revealed (Rogers) n. 73
73. "To the angel of the church of Ephesus write." (2:1) This symbolically means, to people and concerning people who regard doctrinal truths primarily, and not goods of life.
In no. 66 above we showed that the seven churches do not mean seven churches, but the church in its entirety, which in itself is one, but varied in accordance with people's reception. We said as well that these variations may be compared to the various members and organs in an intact body, which nevertheless form a single unit; indeed that they may be compared to the various jewels in a royal crown; and that that is why the seven churches describe the entire New Church in its varieties in what now follows.
That the church of Ephesus means people in the church who regard doctrinal truths primarily, and not goods of life, is apparent from the particulars written to it, understood in their spiritual sense.
The letter was written to the angel of that church, because the angel means the angelic society corresponding to a church consisting of such people, as indicated in no. 65 above.

 

Message

The Angel in the Window

 

 

"Stained glass" refers to glass that has been given a tint from a process that bakes color into the glass. Examples of stained glass have been discovered from the first century B.C. They came into common use with the rise of Christianity.
Stained glass windows usually depict stories from the Bible.


Louis Comfort Tiffany is best known for his lamps, but his stained glass business brought profound changes in the art in late-19th and early-20th centuries.

Louis Comfort Tiffany was the eldest son of Charles Comfort Tiffany, a jewelry and silver merchant who headed Tiffany & Co., the New York City shop.

His first teacher was Swedenborgian painter George Inness. We don’t know whether they talked about Swedenborg, but Inness’ theology was embedded in his paintings, and Tiffany certainly took some artistic perspectives from Inness.

During their heyday, Tiffany windows were prestigious symbols. An average three-by-five-foot piece cost $700 when Tiffany's own artisans were paid $3 a day. The large "St. Paul Preaching to the Athenians" memorial window in the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, NY cost a colossal $5,000 in 1893.

Between 1900 and 1910 window production peaked, followed by the public's gradual loss of interest as the novelty diminished. At the same time, Tiffany's control of his companies diminished, effecting quality. Furthermore, the Tiffany style fell into disfavor in the 1910s when tastes grew more academic. Between 1920 and 1930, his work was rejected, eventually leading Tiffany Studios to fall into bankruptcy in 1931 along with the other studios which specialized in similar window styles.
 

In 1902, the Swedenborgian Church of Glendale, OH, commissioned Tiffany to do 7 windows based on the 7 churches in Revelation. They presented the gift to the Cincinnati Swedenborgian Church, which built a new church building in 1903. It was a Gothic Revival style with the 8 foot high Tiffany windows. They also brought from their old church the 1860s carved altar furniture made by Henry L. Fry, British-born Cincinnati wood carver who had been a member of the congregation until his death.

The angel windows lived happily in the church building until 1964, when the church was taken over through eminent domain, for a highway. The parishioners were able to purchase the seven windows back from the government. They were scattered and stored in dusty basements and garages.

In 1986, the Swedenborgian Church purchased land in West Chester, PA, for a retreat center to be named “Temenos.” Rev. Ernie Martin, the founder and director, suggested purchasing the windows from the Cincinnati Church.

In 1990, Eric Lloyd Wright, grandson of Frank Lloyd Wright, came to Temenos to design a conference center building that would include the 7 windows. They windows were stored in a barn at Temenos and authenticated as Tiffany windows.

In 1999, Rev. Martin retired from ministry and told the story of the windows to the new minister Rev. Susannah Currie. When she opened the boxes, she was absolutely overwhelmed by their beauty. A church committee decided to form a non-profit foundation In Company with Angels to share the angels with the world. With an anonymous donation they were able to have the windows restored.

They have been displayed at museums around the country.

What did the 7 angels mean to Swedenborg?

“The 7 churches of Asia represent every person who is receptive to the light of truth that comes from it, in other words, all people who allow God to come into their hearts and who strive to make a daily practice of following this wisdom. The 7 angels represent different kinds of human beings who are working their way to an eternal destiny, living their lives as best they can. Each type has a particular strength and a particular flaw. But these angels also represent the essence of a particular stage of a person’s spiritual development; no matter what angel resonates most with an individual’s personality, they all speak to a part of us at certain times in our spiritual lives. Each window tells a story of the challenges and joys of a particular stage along the path, and describes the actions needed for bringing about a joyful existence during that stage.” P. 20

 

Ephesus is the first angel in the window.  As you gaze at the window, here are some things for your meditation:

Would you like music as you meditate?
Bach:  Andante






The primary colors here are white and amber.  To Swedenborg, these stand for truth and the "external Divine sphere of the Word."


The golden stone on her forehead represents spiritual goodness.



This window is about seeking after spiritual truth and goodness.




The angel is holding a branch of the "tree of life."  Swedenborg says this is the "Lord, as love."  When you eat from this tree, you "receive love from the highest source."  [Revelation Unveiled, 89].



Ephesus directs us to always return to our first love in order "to express our new wisdom as fully alive and spiritually conscious beings."

Let us pray.
 

 

Closing song

Angels in the Room
Delta Goodrem