Stained Glass Windows of St. Matthew's

One of the most ancient and effective forms of visual aid to religious education and worship is stained glass. It has survived for centuries to the present. It has contributed to the holy and beautiful atmosphere in our church. The interior is enhanced and sanctified through the "Glory of Stained Glass."

Combined with the ceremonies of the liturgy, the arts and crafts have created within sacred walls an atmosphere of mystery and devotion. This is inducive to prayer and to drawing the minds and souls of men closer to God. It assists sensitive spirits to catch a vision of "the glory of His Kingdom."

It has been said that creative work in stained glass is "a lost art." This could be debated when one sees with his own eyes the beauty of the stained glass within St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church.

In harmony with the architectural magnificence of the church which represents one of the fine examples of Christian art and architecture, one might visualize again, "the golden age of stained glass."

Craftsmanship with stained glass is the only art in the service of Christian worship which was developed in its entirety during the Christian era.

From its beginnings in the third and fourth centuries, stained glass rose to the height of its glory in the cathedrals of Europe. At no other time in history was the color of stained glass more vibrant and jewel-like. Craftsmen of that period planned their work in terms of intricate leading in ornamental patterns consisting of small pieces of colored glass of varied thickness and textures. The result was comparable to the brilliance of heavenly bodies paying tribute to God in nature.

Realizing that the glory of stained glass came from light being transmitted through the colored glass, thus creating a transition from a white light to a colored light, glass was never painted. It was used in its simplest form through pieces of rich glowing colors comparable to "a glorious sermon in color and light" from whence the words "sparkling jewels in glass" came into being.

In the true spirit of ageless art, the tradition and heritage of mosaic-like bits of color — ever glowing, brilliant, pure, separated by sparkling whites, held together with strips of lead, set within the stone construction — has again been recreated in the stained glass windows of St. Matthew's Church, Wauwatosa, by dedicated and highly skilled craftsmen throughout months of painstaking and exacting work.

Thousands of individual pieces of glass especially blown and hand-crafted in England, Germany and Italy for the windows of St. Matthew’s create an ever changing atmosphere of holiness throughout the nave and chancel. This mood is enhanced by the changing light from the sky which penetrates the interior with a spectrum of color, comparable to a rainbow, as a symbol of everlasting beauty and peace in God.

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To create beauty through color and light as a reflection of the artistic imagination and ideals of the Reverend William Niebling, D.D., has been both an invitation and a challenge to the artist and the craftsmen.

A committee appointed by the Church Council of St. Matthew's devoted much time in the development of stained glass windows to harmonize with the architecture of the church. The committee members were: the Rev. William Niebling, Miles Henninger, Robert Potter, Walter O. Helwig and Arthur L. Grede, chairman.

The designer, Leo Cartwright; the master craftsman, Erhardt Stoettner; and the artisans of the T. C. Esser Stained Glass Studios of Milwaukee have developed, through their skills, the artistic integrity of the Reverend Mr. Niebling whose conviction is that "the beauty of one must not detract from the beauty of the other, but rather they must blend harmoniously to create a symphony of grace and enchantment."

The windows have been presented to the Glory of God, and in blessed memory of loved ones, by members of St. Matthew's Congregation. The description of the Christian symbolism in the windows is by the Rev. William Niebling, D.D., pastor of St. Matthew's congregation, 1921–1967.

"Two high school girls had spent most of their Sunday afternoon in a leisurely stroll through the downtown section of the city. Suddenly they found themselves directly in front of a huge cathedral. Looking at the lofty stained glass window which their art teacher had told them to be sure to see, one of the girls stopped short and remarked disparagingly, 'Nothing beautiful in that! Just a lot of dirty glass.'

"A little old lady, overhearing the remark, walked up to the girls and said. ‘You can't judge the beauty of an art glass window from the outside. Why don't you step inside!'

"The girls went in and stood motionless and enthralled their faces bathed in a symphony of color which was pouring from the stained glass window. The little old lady was right -- you just cannot judge a stained glass window from the outside."

The same is true of the Bible, of the Church, and also of a Christian. The best advice to the honest inquirer about the Bible, the Church or a Christian is to go inside. Christianity must be seen not only through "the Book," "the building" or "the believer," but it must be seen and understood through the Christ who is The Way, The Truth and The Life.

For this reason, the descriptive account of the stained glass windows in St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, is offered.

May these silent messengers lead all who see to be enlightened by God's Holy Spirit and to be led to a fuller appreciation of Him who is the Light of the world.

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*Quotations from "The Beauty Is Inside," by H.W. Gockel, from "This Day," are used with permission of the publishers, The Northwestern Publishing Company, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

FOR MEDJTATION
"People are like stained glass windows. They glow and sparkle when it is sunny and bright; but when the sun goes down their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."