The Parable

From Matthew 13.4 (NRSV):

"Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen"

From Matthew 13.18 (NRSV):

"Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this the one who hears the word, but the cares for the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.

 

Louis Comfort Tiffany's
"The Sower"

The Mosaic

What is the story behind the 50,000-piece Tiffany mosaic, with its faint halo?

Despite the financial difficulties of the time, when the chancel was rebuilt in 1931 church member Thomas G. Mills found it possible to exchange a 30-year old collection of antique Oriental rugs for a Tiffany mosaic, in memory of his wife, Clara Jarvis Mills.

The "Sower" mosaic is over 13 feet high, 8 feet wide, and may include as many as 50,000 pieces of Tiffany glass. It is believed to be one of the largest and last of its kind to be undertaken by the Tiffany Company, due to the company’s bankruptcy in 1932 and the death of Louis Comfort Tiffany in January, 1933 at the age of 85.

(From the pamphlet, "The Treasure Which is Ours", by Alexander M. Watson, member of Immanuel)