Matthew Sermon Art

On September 8th, 2019 the Terra Nova family of churches will begin a journey through the Book of Matthew and I had the privilege to create a piece of art inspired by this book. The process of conceptualizing, drawing, and re-drawing regularly moved me to worship and I am humbled to share the ideas that informed the art.

The Name

Matthew writes his gospel with primarily Jewish readers in mind. And so I began there. I was inspired by the artist, Art of Homage, and decided to treat the name “Matthew” in a manner similar to how Jews would treat the name of God, Yahweh. The vowels are removed out of reverence and respect.

The Lines & Crown

Because Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience, he also presumes the reader is familiar with the Old Testament; its promises of a Messiah, its prophesies of a King, and all of its major themes. These things may seem scattered to us, random, and at times for us difficult to make sense of and believe. These are the woven & tangled lines on the left.

Yet, Matthew’s message is that Jesus is the long awaited for King & Messiah. The crown is central because all the promises of God find their “yes and amen” in Jesus (2 Corinthians 1:20).

In Christ life makes sense, He brings order to chaos, clarity to our doubts and fulfillment to our lives. These are the straight and clear lines on the right.

Presenting these ideas in this manner was inspired by the graphic artist, Micah Lanier.

The Colors

The colors for the artwork (royal blue, light blue, gold and white) are common on a Jewish Tallit (prayer shawl). These colors speak to the idea that we believe Jesus is the answer to our deepest prayers.