…is from St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in New Hamburg, Ontario. Things that are particularly interesting to me include:

• -The dual stained glass windows up front depicting the crucified and the resurrected Christ
• -The altarpiece, in a very typically Lutheran “subtly ornate” idiom. Love the statue! Also a very common image of Christ to see in altar statuary in Lutheran churches, with palms outstretched.
• -All the trefoils and quatrefoils carved into the wood. Carved wood in general; check out the altar rail, the paneling, the font, the pews…
• -If you look behind the pulpit, you can see a wooden plaque of St. Peter, including the keys and the inverted cross (presumably a reference to the name of the church). I have to say, the pulpit is a very fitting spot for such an image.
• That’s a cool pulpit too; I’ve never seen one before that has that kind of open metalwork.
• Here’s a detailed photo of the Holy Spirit window.

Read Pastor Peters’ recent blog post about Christian art, especially as it’s used in the home. A quote:

“The point is this — don’t go the way of Christian music which is eminently forgettable and even shallow. Art is meant for the long haul so it should speak well over time and not just for the moment.”

Pr. McCain posted about a book he’s ordered from Germany that features paintings of the Lutheran Divine Service. Sounds fascinating! He posts some images as well.