WHAT WE BELIEVE ST. PETERS CHURCH ST. PETERS SCHOOL ASK the PASTOR BIBLE QUIZ SERMON of the WEEK SPECIAL LINKS FUN & FELLOWSHIP HOME	"The Call", an Italian Mosaic Mural Arrives March 18, 2001 by Rev Larry Zessin St. Peters Evangelical Lutheran Church 108 W. Maple St, Sturgeon Bay
	STURGEON BAY, WI - Our church is named after the disciple St. Peter whom Jesus called to be His disciple. In the mosaic Peter has fished all night and his net is still empty. He has caught nothing but he will soon enter another profession. Jesus is calling him to fish for men.
	The Word "Peter" comes from the Greek word for "Stone" and so we see Peter s boat landed on the stone. The stone is Door County limestone, and it has a Dogwood plant growing out of it. The legend of the Dogwood says that at one time it grew as a mighty tree and that the cross on which Jesus died was made from it. Jesus, according to the legend, reduced the tree to a shrub so that it would never again have to be used for a cross. The flower of the dogwood has at its center a crown of thorns and on its petals are the four bloodstained marks of the wounds of Christ to remind us of how Jesus died for each of us.
	Behind Jesus stands St. Peter's Church and on the opposite side of the bay stands the city of Jerusalem. They are connected by the "old" bridge which now connects the East and West Side of Sturgeon Bay. St. Peter's Church and Jerusalem connected by the bridge remind us that St. Peters still teaches today what Jesus taught when He walked the streets of Jerusalem.
	You will notice a camel in the city of Jerusalem. As ships pass through our city carrying their cargoes so the camel has been known as the "ship of the desert." It has also been known in ancient art as a symbol for a journey. As such the camel is a symbol of our journey through the pain and suffering of this life to our eternal home in the New Jerusalem above. On the far right, by the side entrance of the church, you will notice a small puppy. It has been left there by its master and told to remain until the master returns. It faithfully waits for its master to return. And so each of us as Christians waits faithfully for the time when our Master will return as He has promised " In my Father s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14:2,3. The birch tree and the other vegetation by the church are losing their leaves because it is the fall of the year and winter will soon be here. They remind us that our lives will one day end. And so each of us must be prepared for the Fall of our lives. The palm trees in Jerusalem, however, are healthy and living. They remind us the victory over death which is ours in Christ now and which will be ours for all eternity in the New Jerusalem. A gold band surrounds the entire mosaic. It reminds us that our entire life is surrounded by God s precious love as revealed in His Holy Word. The Psalmist describes it as more precious than much gold. "The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold." Psalm 19:9,10 The final symbolism in the mosaic is seen in the loving eyes of Jesus. As you move from side to side you will notice that Jesus continues to watch over you. No matter how far we roam from our church home, the Lord will always be there to watch over each of us. His promise stands firm, Matthew 28:20, "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." We are very grateful to Paula Roberts, a member of St. Peters, who designed "The Call". The mosaic itself was made by master mosaic maker, Fabiano Fabret in Pietrasanta, Italy. It weighs around 375 pounds and is made of fired ceramic tile. "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:6