Vibrant Stained Glass

In Paris, among the many historical sights and sounds, sits a little chapel, Saint Chapelle. Like most European chapels, the bottom

floor you enter into is beautiful, but not entirely memorable. But a hike up a spiral staircase, and if you're anything like me, it's not just the climb that takes away your breath.

In the upper chapel of Saint Chapelle, the staircase opens to a room absolutely awash in colorful light. The air almost seems to dance in shades of pinks and blue where the sunlight catches. It is stunning. The whole room is almost rose colored with the sheer volume of stained glass. I've never been in a room quite like it. The upper chapel is surrounded by stained glass windows on every side, making it a unique and beautiful example of gothic architecture built by King Louis IX.

Saint Chapelle no longer is an acting chapel or place of worship. But I think it is a powerful image for what the Church of God, not a building but the people, are called to be.

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul calls us to the ministry of reconciliation, to God and among each other. That reconciliation we are called to requires us each to bring our unique selves and to allow ourselves to be molded into being a part of something much larger than ourselves.

You see, the upper chapel of Saint Chapelle would be entirely forgettable if it didn't have such ornate stained glass. It would be entirely forgettable, too, if they were just normal windows, or all glass of one color. The ministry of reconciliation is not about making us homogenous drones. It is about being transformed together. Our colors are more vibrant, more powerful when placed together. The people of God are at our best, most memorable, most healthy and vibrant when we are like the stained glass of Saint Chapelle. When we each bring our own pop of color, our own unique selves and giftings to be a part of the larger Church of God, we make up the beautiful and vibrant body of Christ. Let us be reconciled to God, together!

2 Corinthians 5:17-20

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.