St Mary's Church, Community and Conference Centre, Sheffield

Psalm 84 (How amiable are thy tabernacles, O LORD of hosts!) provides the starting point for this exploration. The Psalmist grieves at being far from God’s house, the temple of Zion. Weak with longing to reach his destination, and in the company of fellow pilgrims, he is filled with awe because his entire life and being cries out for the Living God.

East window

Light, colour and dramatic geometric swirls represent the pathways of the pilgrims and reflect the rich symbolism in the psalm. The journey begins in the bottom left corner with a pathway that sweeps diagonally across the lower half of the window. This represents the dry valley in the psalm. Through this treacherous landscape two adults and a child can be seen making their way towards the House of God.

As the pilgrims pass through the valley a spring appears and droplets of rain fall, creating refreshing pools on the pathway, signifying that their minds are strengthened and illuminated by God, and that the valley will grow less hostile with the autumn rains.

The lush green area symbolises the sense of hope found at the meeting point between the earthly pathway and the spiritual pathway. This is where each pilgrim stands before God hoping to advance their temporal journey and continue it as a spiritual journey towards Zion.

In the upper half of the window the colours of bright orange, yellow and gold announce the heart of the composition. Here is the House of God, a place of security inhabited by the Dove of Peace. The sense of security is heightened by the cross-hatched paintwork which resembles a nest and reflects the words of the psalm: even the sparrow has found a home and the swallow a nest for herself where she may lay her young.