• Artist Ernst Schwidder sculptured symbols of the four mountains representing events in the life and ministry of Jesus mentioned in scripture:

  • Mount Horeb on which God was revealed to Moses in the Burning Bush.  The burning bush is depicted as Christ, the true vine, who declares God's Name, "I AM."  (John 9:58).  
  • Mount Hermon on which Jesus was transfigured, where His face shone like the sun, is represented by IHS, the first letters of His Name. (Matthew 17:2).
  • Mount Calvary where Jesus was crucified.  (John 19:31-42).
  • Mount Olivet from which Christ ascended into heaven.  He was lifted up and a cloud took Him out of their sight.  (Acts 1:9). 

  
  These four carvings, form the legs of the altar at Hilltop Lutheran, and are illustrated below:
   

  Mt Horeb	Mt Hermon	Mt Calvary	Mt Olivet

  
  
  Schwidder also understood the crucifix, which he sculpted, to be a contradiction to popular values.  It's a reminder to all who see it that this is the place where heaven and earth are joined together, where grace flows into life.
  
  Artist Ernst Schwidder loved wood. especilly Philippine mahogany, which he carved with great energy.  In self-depreciating humor, he once called himself a "chiseler."  His work is installed in over 300 churches throughout the United States.
  
  He studied art history at the University of Washington and wrote his master's thesis on contemporary trends in art.  Yet, Schwidder valued a medieval, gothic sense of the sacred.  Schwidder marveled at Antonio Gaudi who lived out his faith quite literally by sleeping in the construction shack and working alongside the masons in the building of the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona.
  
  In 1989, artist Hank Mascotte was commissioned to design and install a sculpture in the narthex of Hilltop Church.  The piece which is titled, "Image of the Ascension," based on the scriptural account in Luke and Acts, measures 30"x50."  The casting which is shown is constructed of white cement and sand, reinforced with stainless steel.
  
  
  
  
  
  In 2002, artist Hank Mascotte was commissioned to design and install a sculpture for the Memorial Garden, shown below.
  
  The sculpture represents the words in the funeral liturgy, "May the angels lead you to paradise."