Mt. Zion Lutheran Church Boiling Springs, PA

One of the best kept secrets of Mt. Zion is the sanctuary windows. Unfortunately, at the usual hours of our worship the sun is not in a position to illumine the panels and bring out their vibrancy. Hence, the "secret."
To see the different color patterns hidden in the glass, come to the sanctuary at a time when the solar rays are bright, but low in the sky.
For example, on a sunny January day at about eight o'clock in the morning the three panels at the rear of the nave are "at their best." Instead of seeing brown near the tops of the arches, the light from the outside produces a fiery orange. The usually light blue-green semicircular arch at the top becomes dazzling, almost "ice white." The general field occupying most of the panel space has turned from a greenish color to a luminous yellow.
Still other colorings of the glass are revealed when there is no sun at all. Look, for example, at the eight-scalloped fans near the tops of the panels. In the day time we see them as medium blue interspersed with rose. At night, the rose becomes white, as though mirroring the color of moon and constellations against a dark sky.
High in each window, above its distinctive emblem are various designs, including principally a fleur-de-lis. This iris-like decoration is comprised of three petals, symbolizing the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Viewing the windows from a distance, we note the same general coloration in all of them. At the top, blues predominate, as with the heavens. The entire center is greenish, as with the cultivated earth, producing the fruits of our labor. At the bottom, the prevailing color is brown, the color of the ground beneath. Thus, each panel in its entirety is a microcosm, a little universe, showing forth God's sanctifying power and love through the beauty of silent symbol.
The circular window at the front of the sanctuary is a later addition. Acquired in 1949, it portrays Christ in Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal. While He prays, his disciples sleep in a huddled, if not cowardly, posture to his right. This design is inspired by a famous painting of Johann Heinrich Hofman. This scene reminds us, of course, of the narrative found in Mark 14:32-42 and in the parallel passages of the other gospels.
On March 26, 1921, the two congregations of Mt. Zion, the Lutheran and Reformed, entered into an agreement with the C. Day Rudy Company of Harrisburg "for the sum of $1,390 to furnish stained and ornamental glass, to be made similar to design 2551 for eleven windows in auditorium and 2 in vestibule, each window to have a different emblem, and to have an inscription if desired. All to be made strictly first class in every respect.
Eight steel ventilator to be placed at the base of windows, the windows, and ventilators to be delivered and installed in Mt. Zion Church by said C. Day Rudy Co."
It appears that the windows were made according to pre-established patterns, rather than being specially designed. Further, they must have been available in short order, as the bill was paid approximately three months later on June 18, 1921.
There are no known documents from the 1920's to explain the themes of the emblems.
Note: In the 200th Anniversary Booklet included in the Windows of Mt. Zion an apparent pattern is discussed.