The following is a contemporary stained glass window depicting the prayer of praise and thanksgiving offered by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the Catholic Church of the Resurrection in Bryanston, New Zealand:

Photo by Catholic Church of the Resurrection in Bryanston

The Hymn of Creation: Bless the Lord all you creatures of Earth — Daniel 3:57 – 88 [or Prayer of Azar 1:29 – 1:67]. In this window all creation is gathered into a great hymn of praise to its Creator. Poet GM Hopkins once wrote ‘The world is charged with the Glory of God!’ Significantly, this window is positioned in the side chapel of the church where each day, Mass is celebrated — Christ’s all-embracing sacrifice, in which we share as priests of creation and which the Creator has entrusted to our care. (Source: Catholic Church of the Resurrection in Bryanston )

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum