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Message Advent DevotionalAdvent DevotionalArt, Poetry, Songs, & Reflections for the Season of Adventsanctifiedart.org@sanctifiedart | sanctifiedart.org | contact@sanctifiedart.orgA Sanctified Art LLC is a collective of artists in ministry who create resources for worshiping communities. The Sanctified Art team works collaboratively to bring scripture and theological themes to life through film, visual art, curriculum, coloring pages, liturgy, graphic designs, and more. Their mission is to empower churches with resources to inspire creativity in worship and beyond. Driven by the connective and prophetic power of art, they believe that art helps us connect our hearts with our hands, our faith with our lives, and our mess with our God.Learn more about their work at sanctifiedart.org.sanctifiedart.org.

Read Luke 21:25-36Commentary Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri “...Mi corazón se quedó frente al mar en mi Viejo San Juan…”The famous Puerto Rican song, “En mi Viejo San Juan”¹ has described the sentiments of many in the Puerto Rican diaspora. The song, written in 1943 by Noel Estrada for his brother stationed in Panamá, recounts memories of life in San Juan and the long-awaited return: “My heart remained at the seafront in Old San Juan.” Listening to this song sometimes makes me a little homesick, but, most of the time, it evokes warm, nostalgic feelings and brings forth memories of the cobblestone streets and blue seas of my hometown.When hurricane María hit Puerto Rico in 2017, the news footage of the massive category 4 storm contrasted with the lovely memories of the island. The words of the song resonated; my heart was, indeed, at the seafront in Old San Juan. The storm passed, and we anxiously awaited news from our families on the island. Homesickness crept in as we were far away from loved ones and wished to be close to them in the moment of need. Days later, el silencio de la espera2 was finally broken by the buzz of a text message: “Estamos bien” (“We’re OK”). Those two words were hope in the midst of chaos. Those words were home.Images of distress, confusion, and fear emerge in Luke 21. In many ways, the feelings that these words evoke mirror the past almost two years of pandemic crisis—a world in turmoil suffering from disasters, both natural and human-made—speaking to the realities and injustices of a chaotic world. Thankfully, Jesus enters this world offering words, not of foreboding, but of hope to a homesick people that felt far away from God and longed to be close to kin in the middle of the crisis. “Stand up and raise your heads,” Jesus said, “because your redemption is near . . . So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near” (v. 28-31). Even in el silencio de la espera, we are reassured that God’s kin-dom is near. Kin-dom, in Ada María Isasi-Díaz’s definition, is “interconnected community, seeing God’s movement emerge from la familia, the family God makes.”³ God is close. These are words of hope for a homesick world. These words are home. homesick | Luke 21:25-36How do you describe homesickness to a child? You don’t. They know. Children know the feeling of being away from home. It’s fear, dipped in loneliness, that “What if I’ve been forgotten?” sonnet,or the “What if I can’t go back?” refrain. Even a healthy, scrubbed-clean, showered-with-love child knows the longing of home. But if I had to. If I had to describe that aching feeling, I would say:“Homesickness is when longing and griefwrap themselves around you like a blanket. It’s the door to comfort thrown open. It’s an eye on the horizon for what could beand the only way out is to keep walking,to keep dreaming,to keep lookingfor signs that will point you back home.”And if you tell that to a child, you just may realizethat a part of your spirit has shoes on and has always been walking, always been dreaming, always been lookingfor the home that could be.The door to comfort has been blown open. Tell God I’m homesick. I’m on my way. Poem by Rev. Sarah (Are) Speedhomesick (hope) SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICK | 21 Listen to “En mi Viejo San Juan” sung by composer Noel Estrada here: youtube.com/watch?v=VFf7Oz80Xx4.2 “The silence of the wait.” 3 Ada María Isasi-Díaz quoted in “The Kin-dom of Christ” by Melissa Florer-Bixler. Sojourners. Nov. 20, 2018. sojo.net/articles/kin-dom-christ. 1 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICKMonday | homesick (hope) Sunday

Read Luke 21:25-36Commentary Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-Olivieri “...Mi corazón se quedó frente al mar en mi Viejo San Juan…”The famous Puerto Rican song, “En mi Viejo San Juan”¹ has described the sentiments of many in the Puerto Rican diaspora. The song, written in 1943 by Noel Estrada for his brother stationed in Panamá, recounts memories of life in San Juan and the long-awaited return: “My heart remained at the seafront in Old San Juan.” Listening to this song sometimes makes me a little homesick, but, most of the time, it evokes warm, nostalgic feelings and brings forth memories of the cobblestone streets and blue seas of my hometown.When hurricane María hit Puerto Rico in 2017, the news footage of the massive category 4 storm contrasted with the lovely memories of the island. The words of the song resonated; my heart was, indeed, at the seafront in Old San Juan. The storm passed, and we anxiously awaited news from our families on the island. Homesickness crept in as we were far away from loved ones and wished to be close to them in the moment of need. Days later, el silencio de la espera2 was finally broken by the buzz of a text message: “Estamos bien” (“We’re OK”). Those two words were hope in the midst of chaos. Those words were home.Images of distress, confusion, and fear emerge in Luke 21. In many ways, the feelings that these words evoke mirror the past almost two years of pandemic crisis—a world in turmoil suffering from disasters, both natural and human-made—speaking to the realities and injustices of a chaotic world. Thankfully, Jesus enters this world offering words, not of foreboding, but of hope to a homesick people that felt far away from God and longed to be close to kin in the middle of the crisis. “Stand up and raise your heads,” Jesus said, “because your redemption is near . . . So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near” (v. 28-31). Even in el silencio de la espera, we are reassured that God’s kin-dom is near. Kin-dom, in Ada María Isasi-Díaz’s definition, is “interconnected community, seeing God’s movement emerge from la familia, the family God makes.”³ God is close. These are words of hope for a homesick world. These words are home. homesick | Luke 21:25-36How do you describe homesickness to a child? You don’t. They know. Children know the feeling of being away from home. It’s fear, dipped in loneliness, that “What if I’ve been forgotten?” sonnet,or the “What if I can’t go back?” refrain. Even a healthy, scrubbed-clean, showered-with-love child knows the longing of home. But if I had to. If I had to describe that aching feeling, I would say:“Homesickness is when longing and griefwrap themselves around you like a blanket. It’s the door to comfort thrown open. It’s an eye on the horizon for what could beand the only way out is to keep walking,to keep dreaming,to keep lookingfor signs that will point you back home.”And if you tell that to a child, you just may realizethat a part of your spirit has shoes on and has always been walking, always been dreaming, always been lookingfor the home that could be.The door to comfort has been blown open. Tell God I’m homesick. I’m on my way. Poem by Rev. Sarah (Are) Speedhomesick (hope) SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICK | 21 Listen to “En mi Viejo San Juan” sung by composer Noel Estrada here: youtube.com/watch?v=VFf7Oz80Xx4.2 “The silence of the wait.” 3 Ada María Isasi-Díaz quoted in “The Kin-dom of Christ” by Melissa Florer-Bixler. Sojourners. Nov. 20, 2018. sojo.net/articles/kin-dom-christ. 1 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICKMonday | homesick (hope) Sunday

Tuesday | homesick (hope) Read Luke 21:25-36From the Artist Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity It is peculiar that we begin Advent with adult Jesus offering us a prophecy and parable filled with fear and mystery. This particular scripture is within a longer section of Jesus describing the coming destruction of the temple, a public statement that no doubt added to the conspiracies and plots stirring against him. The fate he speaks of is filled with terrifying details: the temple demolished, false prophets, wars and uprisings, food shortages, natural disasters, persecution, and epidemics (Luke 21:5-24). As we read these words now, this litany of fear and foreboding feels far too familiar—a bit too close to home.When I began this series of visuals, I printed an architectural blueprint on a large piece of cardstock. Using acrylic paint, I added fluid strokes of blue, obscuring the white lines in the blueprint so that the plans for building a home would appear present but also blurred and concealed. I added hints of gold leaf, trying to emulate the texture of paint peeling from the exterior of a building. I then shifted to digital media, photographing the painting from a number of angles and then drawing figures and details into my compositions with my stylus and iPad.As I began this particular image, I imagined a scene of chaos and apocalypse. However, as I drew a woman lifting her head and reaching for the fig tree, I began to see a vision of beauty and hope, a glimpse of one’s whole being awake to wonder.I think we all share a collective homesickness. It feels like nostalgia. It looks like the trauma hiding in our past. It can turn into foreboding fear that robs us of real joy. But in this image and in Jesus’ words, I see a call to resilience despite the difficult realities that confront us. I see a longing so deep that it keeps us reaching—for a home restored, for comfort renewed, for the fruit that is sure to come.PrayerBreathe deeply as you gaze upon the image on the left. Imagine placing yourself in this scene. What do you see? How do you feel? Get quiet and still, offering a silent or spoken prayer to God.3 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICKAwake to Wonder | Lisle Gwynn GarritySANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICK | 4

Tuesday | homesick (hope) Read Luke 21:25-36From the Artist Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity It is peculiar that we begin Advent with adult Jesus offering us a prophecy and parable filled with fear and mystery. This particular scripture is within a longer section of Jesus describing the coming destruction of the temple, a public statement that no doubt added to the conspiracies and plots stirring against him. The fate he speaks of is filled with terrifying details: the temple demolished, false prophets, wars and uprisings, food shortages, natural disasters, persecution, and epidemics (Luke 21:5-24). As we read these words now, this litany of fear and foreboding feels far too familiar—a bit too close to home.When I began this series of visuals, I printed an architectural blueprint on a large piece of cardstock. Using acrylic paint, I added fluid strokes of blue, obscuring the white lines in the blueprint so that the plans for building a home would appear present but also blurred and concealed. I added hints of gold leaf, trying to emulate the texture of paint peeling from the exterior of a building. I then shifted to digital media, photographing the painting from a number of angles and then drawing figures and details into my compositions with my stylus and iPad.As I began this particular image, I imagined a scene of chaos and apocalypse. However, as I drew a woman lifting her head and reaching for the fig tree, I began to see a vision of beauty and hope, a glimpse of one’s whole being awake to wonder.I think we all share a collective homesickness. It feels like nostalgia. It looks like the trauma hiding in our past. It can turn into foreboding fear that robs us of real joy. But in this image and in Jesus’ words, I see a call to resilience despite the difficult realities that confront us. I see a longing so deep that it keeps us reaching—for a home restored, for comfort renewed, for the fruit that is sure to come.PrayerBreathe deeply as you gaze upon the image on the left. Imagine placing yourself in this scene. What do you see? How do you feel? Get quiet and still, offering a silent or spoken prayer to God.3 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICKAwake to Wonder | Lisle Gwynn GarritySANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICK | 4

Wednesday | homesick (hope) Read 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13From the Artist Hannah Garrity Silhouette profiles of faces with diamond repetition. . . Inside the diamonds weave paper lace representations of love, restoration, and Christ’s forgiveness—God’s grace that alone provides the state of holiness among people. Hands, architecture, doves, food, clothing, and education—these portray some of the gifts we give to one another in faith when we meet face to face. In this 3rd chapter of Thessalonians, Paul spends time on the ideals of faith, of restoring each other’s faith over time. We circle back to one another to connect, share, and build faith in God. From all over the world, four faces smile into the middle of the frame. Our longing to meet face to face creates a ripple effect for community building. Inside the ripples are hands, architecture, doves, food, clothing, and education symbols to represent faith in action. The faces yearn for and inspire one another from afar, like Paul in this letter of love and faith to the people of Thessalonica. As Paul yearns for the people and the faith of the Thessalonians, he faces persecution in his own city. The news from Timothy gives Paul hope in the face of oppression and persecution. In our current global climate, whom do we yearn for? Whose good news do we rejoice in? Whose faith inspires the continued work of our own faith? For me, it is you.PrayerBreathe deeply as you gaze upon the image on the left. Imagine placing yourself in this scene. What do you see? How do you feel? Get quiet and still, offering a silent or spoken prayer to God.5 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICKYearning | Hannah GarritySANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICK | 6

Wednesday | homesick (hope) Read 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13From the Artist Hannah Garrity Silhouette profiles of faces with diamond repetition. . . Inside the diamonds weave paper lace representations of love, restoration, and Christ’s forgiveness—God’s grace that alone provides the state of holiness among people. Hands, architecture, doves, food, clothing, and education—these portray some of the gifts we give to one another in faith when we meet face to face. In this 3rd chapter of Thessalonians, Paul spends time on the ideals of faith, of restoring each other’s faith over time. We circle back to one another to connect, share, and build faith in God. From all over the world, four faces smile into the middle of the frame. Our longing to meet face to face creates a ripple effect for community building. Inside the ripples are hands, architecture, doves, food, clothing, and education symbols to represent faith in action. The faces yearn for and inspire one another from afar, like Paul in this letter of love and faith to the people of Thessalonica. As Paul yearns for the people and the faith of the Thessalonians, he faces persecution in his own city. The news from Timothy gives Paul hope in the face of oppression and persecution. In our current global climate, whom do we yearn for? Whose good news do we rejoice in? Whose faith inspires the continued work of our own faith? For me, it is you.PrayerBreathe deeply as you gaze upon the image on the left. Imagine placing yourself in this scene. What do you see? How do you feel? Get quiet and still, offering a silent or spoken prayer to God.5 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICKYearning | Hannah GarritySANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICK | 6

Close to Home Journaling HomesickHomesickDraw or journal a memory of feeling homesick. How did you feel? What did you yearn for? Close with a prayer for those who are displaced or far from home.7 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICKSANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICK | 8Thursday

Close to Home Journaling HomesickHomesickDraw or journal a memory of feeling homesick. How did you feel? What did you yearn for? Close with a prayer for those who are displaced or far from home.7 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICKSANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICK | 8Thursday

9 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICKSANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICK | 10 Take SabbathTake SabbathNourish and sustain yourself with rest. Commit to a Sabbath activity today, perhaps one of those listed below:- Go for a walk outside.- Sit quietly and meditate.- Plant something indoors or outside.- Spend time with a friend or loved one.- Explore a new area of your town or city.- Cook or bake something using a favorite or new recipe.- Do yoga or exercise in a way that feels good for your body.- Write and mail a letter to someone you haven’t talked to in a while.- Organize or redesign an area in your home.- Draw or create something.- Dance or play music.- Write a poem or a song.- Watch a movie.- Take a nap.- Read a book.Friday | homesick (hope) Saturday | homesick (hope) SeeSun,figmoon,treeandleavesstarsnowasproutbove-ingusSoonSpeak-sumofmerGod'scomespro- amisedgainday- CreToamaketionspace- --groansforinourlanewborhomeForThisGod'sworldreignmusttopass-beaginway--WeWhenwaitwewitharebafilledtedwithbreathdread-HomeThesickwordsforof- God'sChristtrueupkinhold-domus:Age"A--withriseoutandhateraise- oryourdeathhead"-See Fig Tree Leaves Now SproutingES IST EIN’ ROS’ 7.6.7.6.6.7.6Music: Geisliche Kirchengasäng (1599)Text: Anna Strickland (2021)See Fig Leaves Now SproutingLo, How a RoseScan to hear the tune!

9 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICKSANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | HOMESICK | 10 Take SabbathTake SabbathNourish and sustain yourself with rest. Commit to a Sabbath activity today, perhaps one of those listed below:- Go for a walk outside.- Sit quietly and meditate.- Plant something indoors or outside.- Spend time with a friend or loved one.- Explore a new area of your town or city.- Cook or bake something using a favorite or new recipe.- Do yoga or exercise in a way that feels good for your body.- Write and mail a letter to someone you haven’t talked to in a while.- Organize or redesign an area in your home.- Draw or create something.- Dance or play music.- Write a poem or a song.- Watch a movie.- Take a nap.- Read a book.Friday | homesick (hope) Saturday | homesick (hope) SeeSun,figmoon,treeandleavesstarsnowasproutbove-ingusSoonSpeak-sumofmerGod'scomespro- amisedgainday- CreToamaketionspace- --groansforinourlanewborhomeForThisGod'sworldreignmusttopass-beaginway--WeWhenwaitwewitharebafilledtedwithbreathdread-HomeThesickwordsforof- God'sChristtrueupkinhold-domus:Age"A--withriseoutandhateraise- oryourdeathhead"-See Fig Tree Leaves Now SproutingES IST EIN’ ROS’ 7.6.7.6.6.7.6Music: Geisliche Kirchengasäng (1599)Text: Anna Strickland (2021)See Fig Leaves Now SproutingLo, How a RoseScan to hear the tune!

Advent DevotionalAdvent DevotionalArt, Poetry, Songs, & Reflections for the Season of Adventsanctifiedart.org@sanctifiedart | sanctifiedart.org | contact@sanctifiedart.orgA Sanctified Art LLC is a collective of artists in ministry who create resources for worshiping communities. The Sanctified Art team works collaboratively to bring scripture and theological themes to life through film, visual art, curriculum, coloring pages, liturgy, graphic designs, and more. Their mission is to empower churches with resources to inspire creativity in worship and beyond. Driven by the connective and prophetic power of art, they believe that art helps us connect our hearts with our hands, our faith with our lives, and our mess with our God.Learn more about their work at sanctifiedart.org.sanctifiedart.org.