In our summer sermon series, we invited different artists from our community to take time and be co-creators with God through art.
Each artist picked a spiritual practice to interact with. Through opening intentional windows with God in these practices, they have used their skills and talents to make beautiful things. Read about our artist reflections, and see the art here.
Art & Practice
For the spiritual practice of service, Creative Director and Illustrator, Brennan Hidde, created two printed digital art pieces.
“Last month, my family and I went on a two-week road trip, and one of the main stops along the way was the Redwood National Forest. For anyone who has stood next to a mature redwood tree, it is truly awe-inspiring just how big and majestic these trees are. Amazingly, many of the redwood trees live to be between 600 and 2,000 years old. But what struck me most poignantly were the ‘fallen giants’ of the redwood forest. As the name implies, these are giant redwood trees that have fallen and died.
Incredibly, when a giant redwood falls, it makes room for new trees to grow and flourish, and its fallen log can support thousands of species of organisms over hundreds of years! I was struck by the idea that both in life and in death, these majestic pillars of the forest serve the natural community around them. The act of service displayed through creation. It was the spark of inspiration that I needed.”
Fallen Giant
Faithful Servant
Fallen Giant
This first piece is the most directly inspired by the fallen giants of the redwood forest. With this piece, I’m attempting to convey the abundance of new growth and life that results from the death of a giant redwood tree. The fallen giant represents the servant (and the idea of service as “dying to the self”), with the new growth representing the community that is being served (and the life that comes from the faithful sacrifice of the one who serves). The red half-circle at the bottom represents a fallen giant, viewed as a cross-section as if it were tapering straight back toward the background (hence, leaving us only to see the half-circle sunset of the cross-section). The pink circle and line represent the gifts and resources of the fallen giant being poured out around it. The green lines in the background represent the new abundance of life that springs forth into the community as they are served.
“…serve one another humbly in love” – Galatians 5:13b
Faithful Servant
With this piece, I took a different tactic and style. I tend to have more maximalist tendencies when it comes to my personal artwork (I like lots of layers and texture and color), but for this piece I wanted to skew more minimalistic and subtle. The goal of which is to convey the quiet impact of a faithful servant—a sort of calm joy, if you will.
This piece honors those who have faithfully, diligently, and quietly served their community for many years, often without pomp or acclaim or recognition. It’s easy to take for granted those who put into action Jesus’ call to be his hands and feet. I imagine if one were able to step back and see the cumulative impact of their service, it would be a beautiful tapestry of color; a remarkable yet quiet display.
“just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” – Matthew 20:28
We are made by a creative, creator God. We too carry this spark of creation. Learn more about what we’re doing through Art & Practice.
