Advent Calendar 2021

This stained-glass panel with the Presentation in the Temple was made by Lawrence Saint around 1919. Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, PA, 03.SG.353. To view a zoomable version on Google Arts & Culture, **click on the image**.

17. Presentation in the Temple

This panel from a Christmas window features the Presentation in the Temple. According to the Gospel of Luke, after Jesus was born Joseph and Mary traveled to Jerusalem to present the Christ Child at the Temple. The architectural context of the story is here emphasized in stained glass by the inclusion of a wall with turrets located just above the main scene. While the family was there, the Holy Spirit visited a man named Simeon and revealed to him that Jesus was the Messiah. The scene illustrates the part of the story where Simeon takes Jesus into his arms and proclaims Him to be “a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (2:32).

This panel, together with three others from a Christmas window, was originally located in Bryn Athyn Cathedral. It was later placed in storage, where it remained until it was rediscovered in the late 1980s.

Visit us at Follow the Star: A 2021 Advent Calendar.