“Gracious God, you see me when I am down, and you invite me to tell you about it. You ask me, ‘What is your name?’ And in that moment, I can respond with the lies that cover me, or I can respond, ‘I am a child of God.’ No matter what I say, I know that you love me. What a gift to be seen and called by name. Amen.”
—Prayer by Rev. Sarah Are | @sanctifiedart
“The Lenten journey calls us to examine the things in which our hearts are invested. How important is comfort to us? Would we be willing to listen to hard truths and be changed by them even if it proved to be difficult? Or are we committed to the status quo because, though it may be…
“When I first created this piece, it appeared to me to be three different images. The sky, the distant water, and the ripple in the foreground. As I stared at the three patterns, I desired unification. Perhaps I’d repeat the ripple in the sky, or maybe add thin lines in the foreground to tie it…
“Patient Jesus, when you walked this world so many people did not understand. They tried to pin you down with logic, throwing stones at their confusion, throwing stones at what they did not understand. I know I am guilty of the same. So today I pray: Stretch my mind. Open my heart. Give me the…
“If there is one truth in my lifeThat unfolds again and again,It is the need to listen. For again and again, I will try, with good intentions,To act and walk with love.But again and again, I will make mistakes.Again and again, I will say the wrong thing.Again and again, they will call me Peter,And again…
“Consider those first few days after you’ve lost someone and the liminality between their death and funeral. There’s no closure yet, and mornings are reminders that the nightmare is real. It’s hard to imagine how you’ll face the day. … Again and again, the sun rises on a new day, often without embrace or acknowledgment….
“If you hold a newborn in your arms,All at once you will understandThe crook of your elbowAnd the cup of your palmAs never before—Ordinary curves of the bodyTransformed into a resting space.You were designed for love.”— Excerpt from “Hold” by Rev. Sarah AreFrom the Again & Again poetry collection by @sanctifiedart
