In 1993 Thomas Denny created three windows in a beautiful small chapel in Gloucester Cathedral, inspired by the psalmist’s image of the whole creation praising its creator and the story of his namesake Thomas meeting the risen Christ.
As I gaze at this mysterious swirl of blue, yellow, white and green, I find myself asking questions and the questions get deeper and deeper. Is that the sun in the blue sky or the moon at night? Are those stars or foam from the windswept sea? Are those people coming down the hill? Is that a cypress tree or a cross? Is that Christ I can see against the light? Is that Thomas fallen on his knees in wonder? Is this a dream? Is it true that he is risen? Can I really believe my eyes? Or can I only begin to approach this mystery with the eye of faith?
Can I meet the God who created the heaven and the earth, the sky and the sea?
Thus this profoundly contemporary image brings me to my knees in this space where thousands down the centuries have knelt before. I close my eyes and like R S Thomas try to grasp the fact that ‘Life … is turning aside like Moses to the lit bush, to a brightness that seemed as transitory as your youth once, but is the eternity that awaits you.’
Nicholas Bury
Dean of Gloucester
