Murray Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

(This week, I'm blogging down memory lane since I visited my home church in Nebraska over the holidays. When you worship at another church, I'd love to have a picture to post in a weblog.)

On 02 January 2005--Epiphany Sunday--I visited my childhood church of Murray Presbyterian Church in Murray, Nebraska. The church has existed since 1860 and six generations of my family have worshiped there, so the building you see to the left is naturally dear to my heart. As many of you know, no building is more comfortable to walk into than the place where you were baptized, hissed at during the sermons to be quiet, taught about parables in Sunday School, progressed from a squirming angel to the Virgin Mary through years of Christmas pageants, joined the church, taught Bible School, and were married. I guess its because the people there who still know you have no illusions about you but love you anyway, which isn't a bad way to think about our life in the church in general.

My mother, Virginia Spangler, has been organist at the church for over 40 years. During that time, she's gotten smaller but her electric organ has gotten bigger (with bigger speakers) so she still celebrates worship with music each Sunday. She told me she always likes to play French carols as the prelude on Epiphany Sundays and that's what she's doing in the picture at right.

The sanctuary of the church features a stained glass window of Christ as the good shepherd. For anyone who grew up in our church, this is what Jesus will always look like. I remember identifying powerfully with the little lamb on Christ's arm and linked it in my child's mind to the parable of the lost sheep. My Great-aunt Margaret Todd told me that during World War II, she organized a small group of volunteers to take a night picture of the illuminated window. She arranged folks with lanterns outside on ladders and perched on an inside ladder to snap the picture. Then she had multiple copies made and sent them to our church's boys who were fighting overseas. She's gone now, as are most of those "boys," but the window remains a dear landmark in our hearts.
Each of the other stained glass windows in the church features a gothic arch and a decorative medallion, which children ponder during the sermon. On this Sunday--Epiphany Sunday--Rev. Martin C. McDaniel linked the star the Magi followed to the hopeful light of Epiphany. The magi worshiped Christ because they recognized his divinity as the light and hope of the world. So the window with the medallion that says "The Lord is my light" seems most appropriate for pondering. Faith in Jesus, Mr. McDaniel said, gives us the strength to persevere in the face of current problems, whatever they may be.