The Sower
The Sower window was created for the Hillsburgh Baptist Church in memory of Wm Harry Moore, a former pastor and active member of the Canadian Bible Society. The Sower is the society's logo. It is also a powerful symbol. In its more literal meaning, the sower alludes to our connection to an agrarian life. Living in a rural Ontario community, it is something I can easily relate to. Sowing seeds and nurturing a garden is something I have done every year of my adult life and I derive great pleasure from that. The agrarian meaning of the sower is represented in the window by the plants painted in 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 like. 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.
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 like. 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.
