Day 9 – 2/25

“As I cut tiny stencils of prayer poses, I abstracted them to depict the shrouded minuteness of our being in God’s presence. As we became a beautiful and intricate pattern of prayer and praise, I began to see other images in the patterns—masks, faces, flowers—as though all states of being are present in that constancy…

“In this image, God’s hands hold various animals and plant life, and are surrounded by the bands of the rainbow, shielding Creation from the swirling waters of chaotic destruction. I chose not to image humanity because the hands are at once God’s and ours. We must respond to God’s covenant by protecting and keeping the…

“’A MAN WAS LYNCHED YESTERDAY’ These words were stitched onto a flag that flew outside the Manhattan headquarters of the NAACP between 1920 and 1938. When a Black person was lynched, the flag was raised the following day… You should understand that what happened to Jesus was a lynching. …Do not look away and do…

“I love borders. I place them in my artwork so that I can break them… The wheat grows beyond the border of life; the wheat brings forth a standard of daring love. ‘Those who love their life lose it’ (John 12:25). The wheat breaks the border, it dances with the voice of God, it is…

“As crucifixion nears, Jesus gives his remaining disciples a commandment related to the time they’ve spent together. They’re to love one another as Jesus has loved them… How did Jesus love them? They’ll have to draw from their encounters. The acts of love and healing, the teaching, the signs and wonders—all of it needs to…

“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