Welcome to the Prayer Walk:
FPCP Windows to the Word!
 
First Presbyterian Church
405 S Main, Pataskala, OH 43062
 
What: At least 20 times, the Bible instructs us to meditate on the Word of God. Meditating on the Word of God brings us closer to understanding the truth in the scripture. But prayer & meditation, while closely related, aren’t the same. So, what is meditative prayer? In personal prayer we speak to God, but in meditative prayer we allow God to speak to us through His word & His Spirit. In meditative prayer an attempt is made to become aware of & reflect upon the revelations of God to receive greater insight into the meaning of the scripture & how it applies to our lives.
 
Why: God calls His children to meditate on His Word
always day & night.
Joshua 1:8 NIV: Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Psalm 145:5 ESV: On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
Psalm 19:14 ESV: Let the words of my mouth & the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock & my redeemer.
Who: All believers who seek a closer relationship with God.
 
When: For a closer relationship with God
meditate on the Word of God daily.
Move to each of the 14 windows in numerical order, since they are in the chronological order of Biblical accounts. After reading the description, meditate on the corresponding scripture and the window picture & other details.
 
 
 
PHOTO NEEDED
 
 
 
 
1. The window of the star with rays of light in the front on the bottom of the bell tower (only visible outside the church) is a reminder of the Biblical account of creation from Genesis 1:1-3:  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light, and there was light.’”
 
 
2. (Please join us for worship on Sunday for 11am, since…) only visible from inside the church, immediately to the right of the pulpit the window of a dove with an olive leaf in its mouth refers to the Biblical account of the flood from Genesis, and symbolizes the deluge, victory, and expectation of new life.
7:6-10 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth… 7:24 The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days. 8:1-19 But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth, and the waters receded. Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens had been closed, and the rain had stopped falling from the sky. The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days the water had gone down, and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible. After forty days Noah opened a window, he had made in the ark  and sent out a raven, and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth. Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. But the dove could find nowhere to perch because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so, it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. 1He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him.
By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year, the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was completely dry.
Then God said to Noah, “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives. Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.” So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives. All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on land—came out of the ark, one kind after another.
 
3. The window on the bottom side of the left corner of the church along the center sidewalk to the handicapped accessible entrance is of the three angels. The window corresponds to their visit in Genesis, a reminder given in person of the promise God made when Abraham was called to be a nation to bless all peoples on earth.
18:1-11 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.” “Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.” So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.” Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. “Where is your wife, Sarah?” they asked him. “There, in the tent,” he said. Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing..
The next year, Abraham and Sarah gave birth to Isaac. Isaac then had a son named Jacob, later renamed by God: Israel.
 
4. The window above the three angels has The Two Tablets of the Law. During a famine the people of Israel went to Egypt for food, but in time Israel’s descendants were made slaves. Until an Israelite prophet named Moses received word from God and led the people out of Egypt to worship in the desert at Mount Sinai, where Moses received “the Two Tablets of the Law.” The Ten Commandments on the two tablets found in Exodus, the 2nd book in Scripture, are still to be followed by Jewish and Christian people today. The first 4 commandments direct our relationship with God. The last, guide our relationships with each other.
20:1-17 And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before a me. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.  “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
5. The window of the 5 pointed star is on the top of the back right of the church along Atkinson street. This star illustrates God coming in the flesh to the earth in the birth of the Christ child from the 1st New Testament of Jesus in Matthew. 12:1-12 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
6. The window with the beehive is on the bottom front of the right corner of the church along Atkinson street. The beehive is a reminder of Jesus about whom the prophet Isaiah spoke. 7:14-15 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right…
The beehive also reminds us of Jesus’ cousin, John, the prophet who prepared the way for the Messiah. John is described in Matthew. 3:1-6 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan  Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
7. The window with the dove with the nimbus or halo on the bottom side of the right corner of the church along Atkinson street portrays Jesus’ baptism from Matthew. 3:11-17 “I baptize you with b water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
8. The window with the Sower is in the front of the church immediately to the left of the beehive. The Sower portrays the parable told by Jesus about the kingdom of heaven. The parable of the Sower is from Matthew 13:1-13. That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.  Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”
9. The window with the shock of wheat is along Atkinson street 2nd from the left corner of the church at the top. Wheat suggests the bounty of the earth and the human nature of Jesus Christ, who is “the Bread of the Life” (John 6:35) “that came down from heaven” (6:51). During the sacrament (or sacred action) of communion, when believers in Jesus Christ remember his words at his last Passover supper before he died: “Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me’” (Luke 22:19). Most of all, the window depicts Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the Sower in Matthew. 13:18-23 “Listen then to what the parable of the Sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
10. The window with the crown and palms are two symbols of faith along the center sidewalk 2nd from the right corner of the church at the top. The Crown represents Jesus as Lord and King. Among Romans, the Palm Branch was traditionally the symbol of victory. Together, they mean the triumph of Christ the King, and the reward of a faithful Christian life — “an unfading crown of glory.”
The window may remind us of Jesus’ entry as king into Jerusalem, on the day that we as Christians refer to as “Palm Sunday,” described in Matthew. 21:1-11 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.” “Say to Daughter Zion, ‘See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
11. The window with the chalice is on the top front right corner of the church along Atkinson street. Along with wheat, the Chalice is an important symbol for the sacrament of Holy Communion, conveyed in Matthew. 26:17-29 In the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?” Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?” Jesus answered, “You have said so.” While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
12. Jesus carrying a shepherd’s crook represents the scepter of his kind of kingship, as a servant leader. The window of Christ bearing a lamb on his shoulders in the front near the top of the bell tower conveys the parable of the Good Shepherd, who came to seek and to save the lost is found in John. 10:1-18 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So, when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
13. Windows picturing the rose and the lily are in middle of both sides of the church. These two flowers together in the same window tell of the entire meaning of the life of Christ: the rose telling of the Messianic hope, the birth, and the martyrdom of Jesus; and the lily reminding us of His triumphant resurrection and His victory over death. Above them is the star of the Nativity, symbolizing the coming to earth of Christ for this purpose of redemption. The Rose, among the ancient Romans, was the symbol of victory, pride and triumphant love. In Christian symbolism, the red rose is the symbol of martyrdom. In general, it is the symbol of Messianic hope. There is a conventionalized Christmas Rose on all of the pew ends, reminding us of the Nativity of our Lord. The Lily is a symbol of Easter because it blooms at that time. It has always represented purity. The rose and the lily may also remind us of God’s provision for us and Jesus’ word at the sermon on the mount, where he instructs us not to worry, in Matthew. 6:25-33 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
14. The window with the lamb with the banner is on the top side of the right corner of the church along Atkinson street. Out of the Hebrew sacrificial system, the Christian Church took the Lamb as the symbol of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” The lamb in this window is carrying a resurrection banner — a white pennant with two tails, representing the two natures of Christ. On the banner is a cross, and it is attached to a staff which is topped by a cross. The banner on the cruciform staff represents the Lamb of God dying on the cross to save the world. This window also reminds us of Jesus as the lamb on the throne in Revelation. 5:6-14 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits a of God sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
 
For other prayer opportunities, look on our church sign outside or on our website https://www.fpcpataskala.com/, such 7pm every 3rd Wednesday.
If desired, contact us through our website to be included on our prayer list. Please leave contact information, so we can check with you to see how prayers are being answered and if there are any updates. Prayer appointments with a prayer minister for more in depth prayer needs can also be made.
You are also welcome to 9:30 Sunday school and 11am worship which include opportunities for corporate prayer.
 
We are praying for your continued faith walk and hope to see you soon.