“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
The Predigerkirche or “Preachers’ Church” in German, is a Lutheran church located in Erfurt in central Germany. After being damaged in World War II, its windows were replaced in 1949 with shards of glass specifically collected from the remnants of destruction. The Window of Fractures is what it’s known and it’s titled by.
It was created by artist Helga Vorma. It incorporates these fragments, preserving pieces of the church’s past while honoring its wartime history. The collection process involved carefully selecting glass from damaged areas, transforming destruction into a meaningful work of art that symbolizes renewal and resilience.
Standing before these windows as the light shines through all these pieces calls to mind the Lord’s artisanship and restorative work in our lives. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says: “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” In fact, it is only through the Lord’s work that such beauty can be created out of broken pieces.
Henry van Dyke, a former ambassador of the United States to the Netherlands and clergyman said, “There is only one way in which we can do this; and that is by being taken up into the great plan of God. Then the fragments of broken glass glow with an immortal meaning in the design of His grand mosaic. Our work is then established because it becomes a part of His work.”
As you look upon the broken pieces of your life, I encourage you to consider the craftsmanship of your Savior. He’s at work collecting each of those broken pieces and redeeming them into His master plan—and He will be faithful to complete it.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we do thank You for the power of Your restorative work. We see this so clearly in the resurrection that we see Your body completely restored and yet brand new. And You have promised the same to us, not only in the end of all things, but even today as we go through life, You promise that those broken shards and pieces in our life, You will work together for good. You will work them together to proclaim and to show Your goodness.
And so Lord, we celebrate You, we trust You, and we pray that You would help us to not find shame in the brokenness, but instead to find Your redemption there. And that in that place we would find joy, even in those places that were once full of sorrow. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.