San Diego Reader

• Place of Worship

First Presbyterian Church

• 320 Date Street, San Diego, CA 92101 | Directions
• 619-232-7513
• http://www.fpcsd.org/

In my line of work, I see a lot of stained-glass windows depicting either scenes from the life of Christ or various Christian symbols. But until I ventured into the gothic wooden grandeur of First Presbyterian Church of San Diego and beheld the huge east transept window, I had never before seen a window showing Christ and the rich young man — the one who went away sad because Christ said to him, “Go, sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” In that window, the young man stands with one hand on his hip, his eyes following Christ’s gesture toward the ragged poor in the background. The symbol overhead is a cross and crown — signifying, suggested a friendly congregant, the need for the “rich young ruler” to be joined to Christ. The image is lovely, almost sumptuous, even as it points toward the plight of the destitute. [+more]