Welcome back to Windows Wednesday! Today, we are focusing on the lower portion of Sanctuary Window 5—The Physician. The entire window is centered around the theme of Christ as a healer, and in this bottom portion we see the Holy Spirit guiding our actions today.
The image is of a doctor and nurse assisting a patient in a wheelchair. United Methodists have strong convictions in the desire to care for the sick and in need, beginning with John Wesley’s efforts to offer healthcare at no cost to the poor of London. In parts of the country, United Methodist systems of hospitals and doctors are the most accessible healthcare available. And it is the theological position of United Methodism that healthcare is a right of all individuals of all levels of income, and should be prioritized as such. (The position is well-stated on the website: http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/health-care-for-all-in-the-united-states.) Many words of Jesus form the foundation of this message, including the parables of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:24–35) and the Goats and Sheep (see below). This image is a beautiful reminder of God’s call to care for those with the greatest needs and to trust that God will care for us in the same way. Click or scroll over the image below to see the artist’s design for this window.
[virtual_slide_box id=”25″] [full_width] ←Previous Home Next→ [/full_width]“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’” Matthew 25:31–40
