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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 1:39-55Commentary Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-OlivieriWhen thinking about “sanctuary,” the lyrics of a Carrie Newcomer song hit close to home…“Will you be my refuge, my haven in the storm,Will you keep the embers warm when my fire's all but gone?Will you remember, and bring me sprigs of rosemary,Be my sanctuary 'til I can carry on, carry on, carry on. . .” 11In the song, Newcomer lists places, experiences, and metaphors to define sanctuary: “rest here in Brown Chapel… with a circle of friends… a quiet grove of trees… between two bookends.” We can imagine these as safe spaces, uplifting and welcoming. My own list would include grandma’s kitchen, watercolor paints, and the arms of a loved one. What would your list include? If you close your eyes, can you picture yourself there? Wherever it is, a place where God’s love dwells freely and abundantly is sanctuary.Hearing the news of her pregnancy, Mary sought such a place. As a pregnant teenager, poor and unwed, dangers and uncertainty—both physical and societal—surrounded her. With haste, she journeys to Elizabeth’s house. Elizabeth—and the child in her womb—welcome and affirm her. Mary then bursts into a song of praise: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (v. 46-7).For three months, that home and the arms that received Mary became her safe haven. Elizabeth’s welcome, blessing, and care were safe space, just what she needed as she prepared for the important call ahead. Mary would give birth to Jesus and would educate him in his formative years. The world saw the imprint of this young woman in the life and teachings of her son, Jesus. Mary herself was sanctuary and Jesus’ first home.Sanctuary is not only a place. It is also the people who say, “Here I am,” striving to create and to become a safe place for others. Will we be a refuge, someone’s haven in the storm, sanctuary? In the spirit of these two holy women, Mary and Elizabeth, may we offer ourselves as sanctuary for anyone in need of one—glorifying, with our actions, the One whose love, freely given, is our sanctuary, our home. Come on Home | Luke 1:39-55We all know the feeling— the shaky ground,sinking sand,water-is-rising,sun-is-fading feelingthat makes steady breathing an entire miracle, and holding back tearsa marvel in and of itself. And when those days come,I call my parents.And I call my church,and I call my friends,and they say in unisonwhat God has said from the very beginning,which is, “Come on home.”Is there anything more healingthan an open door? If you’re seeking sanctuary, if the waters are rising—listen. It may be hard to hear,but God is always saying,“Come on home.” Poem by Rev. Sarah (Are) SpeedSeekinG Sanctuary (Love)SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | SEEKING SANCTUARY | 3211 “Sanctuary.” Words & music by Carrie Newcomer. From the album, “The Beautiful Not Yet.” ©2016 Carrie Newcomer Music (BMI), Administered by BMG Chrysalis. youtube.com/watch?v=HjOioWTVAl431 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | SEEKING SANCTUARYMonday | SeekinG Sanctuary (Love)Sunday

Read Luke 1:39-55Commentary Elder Vilmarie Cintrón-OlivieriWhen thinking about “sanctuary,” the lyrics of a Carrie Newcomer song hit close to home…“Will you be my refuge, my haven in the storm,Will you keep the embers warm when my fire's all but gone?Will you remember, and bring me sprigs of rosemary,Be my sanctuary 'til I can carry on, carry on, carry on. . .” 11In the song, Newcomer lists places, experiences, and metaphors to define sanctuary: “rest here in Brown Chapel… with a circle of friends… a quiet grove of trees… between two bookends.” We can imagine these as safe spaces, uplifting and welcoming. My own list would include grandma’s kitchen, watercolor paints, and the arms of a loved one. What would your list include? If you close your eyes, can you picture yourself there? Wherever it is, a place where God’s love dwells freely and abundantly is sanctuary.Hearing the news of her pregnancy, Mary sought such a place. As a pregnant teenager, poor and unwed, dangers and uncertainty—both physical and societal—surrounded her. With haste, she journeys to Elizabeth’s house. Elizabeth—and the child in her womb—welcome and affirm her. Mary then bursts into a song of praise: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (v. 46-7).For three months, that home and the arms that received Mary became her safe haven. Elizabeth’s welcome, blessing, and care were safe space, just what she needed as she prepared for the important call ahead. Mary would give birth to Jesus and would educate him in his formative years. The world saw the imprint of this young woman in the life and teachings of her son, Jesus. Mary herself was sanctuary and Jesus’ first home.Sanctuary is not only a place. It is also the people who say, “Here I am,” striving to create and to become a safe place for others. Will we be a refuge, someone’s haven in the storm, sanctuary? In the spirit of these two holy women, Mary and Elizabeth, may we offer ourselves as sanctuary for anyone in need of one—glorifying, with our actions, the One whose love, freely given, is our sanctuary, our home. Come on Home | Luke 1:39-55We all know the feeling— the shaky ground,sinking sand,water-is-rising,sun-is-fading feelingthat makes steady breathing an entire miracle, and holding back tearsa marvel in and of itself. And when those days come,I call my parents.And I call my church,and I call my friends,and they say in unisonwhat God has said from the very beginning,which is, “Come on home.”Is there anything more healingthan an open door? If you’re seeking sanctuary, if the waters are rising—listen. It may be hard to hear,but God is always saying,“Come on home.” Poem by Rev. Sarah (Are) SpeedSeekinG Sanctuary (Love)SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | SEEKING SANCTUARY | 3211 “Sanctuary.” Words & music by Carrie Newcomer. From the album, “The Beautiful Not Yet.” ©2016 Carrie Newcomer Music (BMI), Administered by BMG Chrysalis. youtube.com/watch?v=HjOioWTVAl431 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | SEEKING SANCTUARYMonday | SeekinG Sanctuary (Love)Sunday

Tuesday | SeekinG Sanctuary (Love) Read Luke 1:39-45From the Artist Hannah Garrity As I worked through the creative process for this image, I was talking to my mother and showing her my inspiration board: images of babies in the womb, spinning or cuddling. She said that John dancing for joy in his mother’s womb is one of her favorite biblical images.I thought back to my study abroad in Glasgow, Scotland, at the Glasgow School of Art. I was interested in childbirth that year. As a woman in my early twenties, I had no plans of having children anytime soon. Truly, I was intrigued by the way we hide the earthy, natural, bloody parts of the process. All semester I painted fetuses, newborns crowning, mothers birthing alone. They were dancing in the womb. They were emerging from the womb. They were patterns in a collage of orphaned children due to the AIDS epidemic. They were an American flag interwoven with articles of the strain of American military action on children overseas. They were newborns, still bloody, painted on patterned fabric with the stories of Peter Rabbit and the cow jumping over the moon. I even made a paint by number children’s book explaining the stages of childbirth. The clash of a facade of perfection and the tangible reality was and is ever-present in my every day. Here the globe is drawn as the background flow of the image. This long view of the world acknowledges the earthy, bloody, tangible, pouring-out reality that Mary and Elizabeth will soon embody to bear their sons. There is so much liquid everywhere. The central story of the text emerges as John dances with joy in his mother’s womb of this world. Around him the patterns of his baptisms flow outward into the miracles of Jesus, woven into the flow of landforms and waters on the map.Where in my daily routines can I remove the facade of perfection, or break through it, and embrace the tangible reality of a beautiful and wonderful, earthy joy?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.33 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | SEEKING SANCTUARYDances for Joy | Hannah GarritySANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | SEEKING SANCTUARY | 34

Tuesday | SeekinG Sanctuary (Love) Read Luke 1:39-45From the Artist Hannah Garrity As I worked through the creative process for this image, I was talking to my mother and showing her my inspiration board: images of babies in the womb, spinning or cuddling. She said that John dancing for joy in his mother’s womb is one of her favorite biblical images.I thought back to my study abroad in Glasgow, Scotland, at the Glasgow School of Art. I was interested in childbirth that year. As a woman in my early twenties, I had no plans of having children anytime soon. Truly, I was intrigued by the way we hide the earthy, natural, bloody parts of the process. All semester I painted fetuses, newborns crowning, mothers birthing alone. They were dancing in the womb. They were emerging from the womb. They were patterns in a collage of orphaned children due to the AIDS epidemic. They were an American flag interwoven with articles of the strain of American military action on children overseas. They were newborns, still bloody, painted on patterned fabric with the stories of Peter Rabbit and the cow jumping over the moon. I even made a paint by number children’s book explaining the stages of childbirth. The clash of a facade of perfection and the tangible reality was and is ever-present in my every day. Here the globe is drawn as the background flow of the image. This long view of the world acknowledges the earthy, bloody, tangible, pouring-out reality that Mary and Elizabeth will soon embody to bear their sons. There is so much liquid everywhere. The central story of the text emerges as John dances with joy in his mother’s womb of this world. Around him the patterns of his baptisms flow outward into the miracles of Jesus, woven into the flow of landforms and waters on the map.Where in my daily routines can I remove the facade of perfection, or break through it, and embrace the tangible reality of a beautiful and wonderful, earthy joy?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.33 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | SEEKING SANCTUARYDances for Joy | Hannah GarritySANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | SEEKING SANCTUARY | 34

Wednesday | SeekinG Sanctuary (Love) Read Luke 1:46b-55From the Artist Rev. T. Denise AndersonI’ve read the Magnificat many times, but only recently have I started reading it for what it is: a protest song. Listen to the tone: “[God] has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.” It’s a song of vindication against oppressive powers. Some ancient manuscripts attribute this song to Elizabeth, not Mary. Of course, an older woman would be able to exegete the times from both communal history and lived experience. But it’s also true that the gift of prophecy is no respecter of age. They each have different proximities to the Messiah: one’s offspring will prepare the way, and another’s will be the way. Both are able to sing the song because both are oppressed, which brings me to the inspiration for this portrait: Ahed Tamimi.An activist from childhood, Tamimi became a symbol of Palestinian resistance. Because of her recognizability, her family sent her to live with relatives in Ramallah, where she’d not have to face the threat of checkpoints. At the age of sixteen, she was arrested for slapping a police officer to protect her disabled cousin. The reference for this painting12 was a photo taken of her as she was being detained by Israeli forces for trying to intervene in her mother’s arrest. This visual expresses the mood of the Magnificat in a new way for me: a young girl under occupation, sent away for her own safety, responding to not only her own oppression, but to that of her community. She believes that righteousness is on her side, but she’s still in anguish. The Gaudete (joy) colors of Advent surround her, but with that joy is remarkable pain. As for the key, it’s there, but very tenuous. Can you even see it? Freedom is both here and not yet.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.35 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | SEEKING SANCTUARYRedemption Song | T. Denise AndersonSANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | SEEKING SANCTUARY | 3612 Painting inspired by a photo by Abbas Momani/AFP/Getty.

Wednesday | SeekinG Sanctuary (Love) Read Luke 1:46b-55From the Artist Rev. T. Denise AndersonI’ve read the Magnificat many times, but only recently have I started reading it for what it is: a protest song. Listen to the tone: “[God] has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.” It’s a song of vindication against oppressive powers. Some ancient manuscripts attribute this song to Elizabeth, not Mary. Of course, an older woman would be able to exegete the times from both communal history and lived experience. But it’s also true that the gift of prophecy is no respecter of age. They each have different proximities to the Messiah: one’s offspring will prepare the way, and another’s will be the way. Both are able to sing the song because both are oppressed, which brings me to the inspiration for this portrait: Ahed Tamimi.An activist from childhood, Tamimi became a symbol of Palestinian resistance. Because of her recognizability, her family sent her to live with relatives in Ramallah, where she’d not have to face the threat of checkpoints. At the age of sixteen, she was arrested for slapping a police officer to protect her disabled cousin. The reference for this painting12 was a photo taken of her as she was being detained by Israeli forces for trying to intervene in her mother’s arrest. This visual expresses the mood of the Magnificat in a new way for me: a young girl under occupation, sent away for her own safety, responding to not only her own oppression, but to that of her community. She believes that righteousness is on her side, but she’s still in anguish. The Gaudete (joy) colors of Advent surround her, but with that joy is remarkable pain. As for the key, it’s there, but very tenuous. Can you even see it? Freedom is both here and not yet.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.35 | SANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | SEEKING SANCTUARYRedemption Song | T. Denise AndersonSANCTIFIED ART CLOSE TO HOME DEVOTIONAL | SEEKING SANCTUARY | 3612 Painting inspired by a photo by Abbas Momani/AFP/Getty.

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.