Tell me about...Windows
The Windows at Clarkson Road Presbyterian Church were
all designed by Robert
McCausland Ltd., displaying various facets about
our faith. The largest of these is the Burning Bush Window,
installed and dedicated during Easter celebrations 2006.
The graphic on the right of each page of this website
is the original artwork of that design, created by Marlene
Herbst.
Marlene wrote a description of her work, and we are pleased to include it here.
The Burning Bush Window
Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Herob. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will not turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And He said, Draw not nigh hither; put off they shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God (Exodus 3:1-6)
Fire is a fearful sight and the vision of a bush burning, but “not consumed” suggests more than just an episode out of the life of Moses. There is a mystery here for our deepest consideration, and for some as much a confrontation as it was for Moses.
For those courageous inquiries who are willing to “turn aside to see” and to contemplate the God who dwelled and called “out of the midst of the bush,” there is requirement to be met by the God of the burning bush. That the bush is a lowly and common shrub that grows in the desert attests to the humility of God who waits there. It speaks also of its human undesirability by men who would think to find him in more appropriate and convenient places.
Why does Moses, overcome by fear, continue to peer into that which continues to burn? Anyone willing to do this has no assurance that turning back to past and comfortable categories of what is known or understood, will be possible. It is a supreme risk, but also a supreme portent. But Moses continued to look, answered God’s call and initiated Israel’s deliverance out of Egypt.
The covenant made between God and the great patriarchs of the Old Testament – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses – carries forward into the New Testament and the ministry of Jesus. It speaks of the unanswered issues of his age, of historic sufferings and of deliverance. For almost two thousand years Jesus has been the Light of the World and the Saviour of Mankind. During this time men have talked of him, have written of him and have held this and that view concerning him. Through all these ages of time, differing in all else, men have always agreed, everywhere, that the life of Jesus was the noblest, most modest and most courageous life that men can dream of.
He is the example of what life at its best can be. He showed us not only what man ought to be but what God actually is. Like the burning bush that is never consumed, he is God’s revelation of the love which is ever at the heart of God. The burning bush window with its swirling vortex of flames rising out of the midst of green leafy branches, symbolizes God’s covenant and his challenge for those who are willing to “turn aside to see.” As the flames twist and curl upward, each follows a different, individual path, just as each one of us will be called to serve and will answer the challenge in our own unique way.
August 29, 2005, Marelene Herbst, Designer, Robert
McCausland Limited |
