This winter, I traveled to Paris with my mom for a trip we had been dreaming of and planning for several years. We had a wonderful time exploring the history, art, and food of the city, and of course, the trip included a number of visits to historic churches! A highlight for me was my visit to Sainte-Chappelle, a thirteenth century gothic cathedral built by Louis IX to house a holy relic. Sainte-Chappelle is captivating from the outside — a remarkable feat of medieval architecture and construction — but it was the stained glass that most captivated me. The upper chapel is filled with floor-to-ceiling stained glass, each piece telling a story. The stories are grouped according to parts of the biblical narrative, and together, the entire chapel tells the story of the Bible from start (a Genesis window) to finish (the amazing Revelation rose window). I could have spent a whole day inside the chapel and not absorbed all the details.
In our current age, it is easy to forget that historically, stained glass has served a theological and ecclesial function aside from providing beauty and adornment to worship spaces. During a time when literacy was reserved for the few with means to receive schooling, visual arts offered a crucial mode of faith formation. Stained glass windows like the ones in Sainte-Chappelle tell the story of the Bible without words, widening our access to that grand story.
Sing For Joy listeners know that music does a similar thing, allowing us to enter into biblical stories and hear theological truths in new ways. Through music this Lent, we are journeying through Jesus’s wilderness temptation and his cleansing of the temple; in hymns and anthems, we are hearing his teachings to take up our crosses and follow, and his words that foreshadow what is to come in Holy Week. We will hear “All Glory, Laud, and Honor,” remembering his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and then listen in as the crowds turn to jeers at the crucifixion, with musical commentary from Bach’s St. John Passion.
Music provides special windows into the biblical stories — stained glass windows, perhaps, each with different shapes and colors to invite us into the story anew. This Lent and Holy Week, I hope that you find your own windows into the story. Blessings to you as you move through this season.
Peace be with you,
