Reflections Glass Studio

The Sower

This window was built for Hillsburgh Baptist Church in Hillsburgh, Ontario for the Moore family and dedicated to Harry Moore, a former pastor and active member of the Canadian Bible Society. The theme for the window is that of the Sower in recognition of Harry Moore's work with the Bible Society, which has the image of the sower as its logo.
The Sower, is a powerful symbol. In its more literal meaning, the sower alludes to our connection to an agrarian life. The agrarian meaning of the sower is represented in the window by the plants painted into the border. The plants allude to the bounty of God's creation which is there to nurture us.
However, there is a deeper meaning to the idea of the sower. In the context of Christian faith, the seeds that the sower plants are a metaphor for the word of God. Like the seeds planted in our gardens, the word of God must be nurtured, the ground prepared and cultivated to bear fruit. Adverse conditions overcome. It is in this context that the image of the sower provides a fitting memorial for Wm Harry Moore, for it was his life's work to serve Christ through his involvement in the Church and through the Bible Society.
In the window the sower is placed against a background spiral. This design represents a double helix DNA strand. It is only in our modern era that we are beginning to understand these building blocks of life. DNA runs through everything that is alive on our planet and as such seemed to me to be an appropriate symbol for all of God's creation, not just vegetative life. The DNA spiral is entwined with the sower and so represents our inextricable connection to this creation. We are part of it and cannot be separated from it.
Dedicated September 9, 2001.