Glass was used some 5000 yeas ago by the civilizations of Asia, eastern Europe and Egypt, but it was not until the third or fourth centuries after Christ that glass began to be used in windows in the early Christian basilicas in Europe. Hence it becomes apparent that stained glass is the only art in the service of Christian worship wholly developed during the Christian era. Christian architecture became creative in western Europe in and environment distant from the heaviness of Romanesque design which had been adapted tot he intense sunlight of the south. Architects, artists and craftsmen at this time were imbued with the ardor of the religious revival resulting from the Crusades. Because of the climate and latitude of northern Europe, the window became the chief element of its architecture. Here, the early mosaic like use of pieces of colored glass in church windows blossomed into the great rose windows and soaring lancets of Chartres and other cathedrals of the 12th and 13th centuries to be adapted almost immediately tot he more northerly climate of England. This time has been designated the "Golden Ate of Stained Glass".

Today our artists carry on the glory of these jeweled windows, adapted to our own times and our own needs. No longer copyists of the traditional, they are creating masterpieces of stained glass design unsurpassed in brilliance, in subtle color harmony and in the excellence of execution.

While a window's purpose is to admit light and protect the interior of the structure and its occupants from the elements, a stained glass window has a higher purpose when placed in a house of worship. Pure color - in light - has the power of lifting the observer out of himself. A window should be inspiring, creating its own aesthetic atmosphere, quickening the emotions in the warmth and beauty of the light and design.

Dieterich Spahn, the designer and maker of the windows in Trinity First Lutheran Church has stated that he was striving for a golden light which would bathe the worshipper in an atmosphere meant to enhance the worship experience. With the strong architectural lines defined by pillars and brick walls he has used his fluid and free contemporary style to create golden banners between the pillars.

Al Palmer, of Palmer Stained Glass, Inc., delicately restored the Trinity windows when they were damaged in the late 1980s. Mr. Palmer also replaced the covering of all our stained glass windows for our 150th Anniversary in 2006.

Symbols are used in stained glass windows to remind us of Church doctrines, the mission of the Church and to guide us in Christian life. Used as marks of identification they should be simple, quickly understood, and artistic. They have been used to express abstract ideas as well as events in the lives of saints depicted and thus become Magnificent Reminders.

The water color versions of these windows by Mr. Spahn are in the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

All pictures by Dan Solie