... from home—
a dozen blueberry muffins, a love letter with my name on it,
a reminder that I was not alone.
If you’re running out of hope, count to three.
God is in the kitchen. She’s just waiting for yeast to rise.

—from the poem “God in the Kitchen” by Rev. Sarah Speed | @sanctifiedart

Hope in the gospel is not grounded in outcomes or visible success.
Hope is rooted in perception—
in trusting God is still at work,
even when systems remain unchanged,
even when prophets die behind bars.

—Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee, from her commentary on Matthew 11:1-11 | @sanctifiedart

Looking out a prison window
who can see the flowers bloom?
Hope dissolves like dreams at daybreak
leaving us an empty room
Still beyond what we can see
God is always planting seeds

—from the hymn “Looking Out a Prison Window” by Rev. Anna Strickland | @sanctifiedart

As these six dancers illuminate the cell, I imagine John, even if for a moment, breaking into a bit of laughter at the magnitude of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus was quite literally doing the unimaginable.

—from the artist statement for “Hope Like a Dancer” by Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman | @sanctifiedart

I believe that a God, born into empire
Carries the message that hope is enough
A little brave candle against growing shadows
Fearful or not, we show up

—from the song “Show Up” by Britt Kusserow (@brittkmusic) | @sanctifiedart

In her commentary for the First Sunday of Advent, Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee asks:

What are we afraid to hope for?
What have we stopped praying for?
Where has fear caused us to shrink back?

How would you answer these questions?

@sanctifiedart

And when all of that is said and done, we whisper to our creator,
God, break through the yelling and the fear. Break through the violence and the oppression.
Get past the Herods of this world, and come be here...

—from the poem “In the Time of Herod” by Rev. Sarah Speed | @sanctifiedart

When the fall ends, when the deepest depths have been reached, who hears us when we call? As we echo prayers... we can rest in the assurance that we are heard by a God who meets us at rock bottom.

—from the artist statement for “Depths” by Carmelle Beaugelin (@beaufoliostudio) | @sanctifiedart

Here the angel’s message is represented by the doves and the stars. Her message flows into his space with the same power that invoked his fear. I imagine Zechariah let his guard down then, and listened...

—from the artist statement for “Zechariah and the Angel” by Hannah Garrity | @sanctifiedart

Piercing through the stratus comes the angels’ song
“Do not fear!” rings hollow when we’ve feared so long
Still in the recesses of our weary souls
Something is awakened—could it be our hope?

—from the hymn “In the Time of Herod” by Rev. Anna Strickland | @sanctifiedart

When the angel says, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah...” it is not a dismissal...

God has already been listening.
God enters the silence, the ache, the barrenness—into the very place where fear has taken root.

—Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee, from her commentary on Luke 1:5-13 | @sanctifiedart

This Advent, perhaps the question is not how we rid ourselves of fear.
Perhaps the deeper invitation is this:

Can we name our fear honestly—
and still believe God is near?

—Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee, from her commentary on Luke 1:5-13 | @sanctifiedart

Jesus entered a fearful world, one filled with rampant oppression, economic disparity, uncertainty, and instability. A world not so unlike our own. And yet, throughout the stories of Christ’s birth, we hear the whispers of angels delivering a surprising message: “Do not fear.”

@sanctifiedart