In memory of Tom Kobler

This window was commissioned in loving memory of Tom Kobler. Tom was an active member of Immanuel from 2000 until 2010, participating in choir and on the church council as chair of the Worship, Music and Arts committee. After the beautiful window with the Angels was installed, Tom said, 'now we need one over the other doors'. Before he passed away in November 2010, one of his requests was to put in a stained glass window above the second set of doors into Immanuel's sanctuary. Music was always important to Tom and to our family, so when we started working on an idea for this piece, the words “Comfort Ye” from Handel’s Messiah kept going through my head. Tom sang this solo at Immanuel as well as at several other churches we belonged to over the years. The musical staff is a suggestion of how music weaves throughout our lives. There is a tenor clef for Tom, since he was a tenor in the choir. The notes are from the opening phrase of “Comfort Ye”. Tom loved to sing and sang with his whole heart. Our family loved the water and the mountains in the Pacific Northwest, where we lived for a time and still have family and friends. A suggestion of these beautiful elements of our earth was incorporated into the window while picking up on the flow of the ribbon that runs through the “Dancing with Angels” window. This could be thought of as waters of our baptism or, the constant movement and presence of the Spirit throughout all life. The brilliant colors and thematic elements suggest the glory of God that is heard and felt in the music of the world around us. Tom was always partial to the color blue, and the royal blue in particular makes us think of him. Tom’s sister-in-law, Joellyn Kobler, wife of his brother Eric, is the artist who designed the piece and who put it together. She has a studio in her home in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin called White Iris Restoration and Glass Co. She would often play music from “Messiah” when she was working on Tom’s window. She felt that the shapes and the colors represent the earth, water, wind and fire as well as the dance between them in heaven and on earth. Constant movement, constant change represent the cycle of life. It is God’s orchestration. ~submitted by Dory Kobler January 16, 2013