Art Objects at
Christ Church Unity

The three stained glass windows at the rear of the
sanctuary are antiques which were originally
created for a church in Rockford, Illinois in 1884.
"The Boy Jesus", "The Good Shepherd", and the
center cathedral window are examples of the finest
stained art glass church windows of the 19th century.

The "Cross and Crown" stained glass window in the
prayer Chapel is antique with such spelendid
simplicity that one has difficulty in taking in the
rare beauty and signifcance without tarrying
long enough to study its quiet charm.

"Except ye become as a child" is the theme of the rose
window above the alter, depicting Jesus with the children.

"Come unto me" is the message given in the
rose window above the front doors in the Narthex.

The six stained glass windows along the east and
west walls of the sanctuary were made by Meierhoff's
Stained Glass Company of Kansas City and were
installed and dedicated in April 2000. The prototype
used to create these windows was a three-by-four
foot antique window that had been acquired by the
Meierhoffs. Five of the six windows were given by
families and the sixth window was a combined gift from the
entire 1999-2000 congregation of Christ Church Unity.

Christ Church Unity has been blessed by the generous gifts of its many members
over the years. The beautiful stained glass and the wall hangings at the front of
the chancel were all given in memory of loved ones as inscribed on the plaques
on the walls below them.

The beautiful tapestries that grace the front of the chancel
are originals created especially for Christ Church Unity by a Kansas City artist. These textile pieces were made by a technique of machine and hand-sewn quilted applique from wool, silk and nylon. They symbolize the New Testament Gospels of "Matthew," "Mark," "Luke" and "John" as described below.

The Book of Matthew is represented by the lion. Matthew wrote
to the Jews to prove to them that Jesus was the King of the
Jews and the Messiah of Jewish Prophecy. This theme of
Kingship, which characterizes all that Matthew wrote of Jesus,
led the early Christians to adopt the lion as the symbol to represent Matthew in the art of the early Church.

Mark is represented by the ox. Mark wrote in Rome for
Romans. To the Romans, the great things of life were action, service and efficiency; and Mark seizes this as his opportunity
to picture Jesus Christ to them appealingly as the might
wonder working servant of God. It is easy to understand
that the early Christians used the ox to symbolize Mark's
Gospel in the art of the early Church.

Luke is represented by the face of a man. Luke wrote the
story of Jesus to his Greek friend Theophilus as he
had learned it in his companionship with St. Paul, the great
apostle and missionary of the Gentiles. The great "hobby" of
the Greeks was perfect manhood, and Luke, finding the
perfection of manhood in Jesus, wrote to the Greeks to
command Him to them as the ideal man, the Son of man,
the Savior and perfecter of all men. The early Church
caught this spirit and purpose of Luke's Gospel and made
the face of a man the symbol to represent Luke in the
art of the Church.

The Gospel of John is represented by the eagle. This is
the Gospel of Christ's deity. John tells of the mystery of the incarnation of deity in humanity in the simple words, "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory,
glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace
and truth." Because of the heights of heavenly mysteries into
which John takes us, the early Church selected the eagle
to represent him in art.
back to First Time Home