“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 strength to imagine that which I cannot understand. Amen.”
—Prayer by Rev. Sarah Are | @sanctifiedart
“In this image, I wanted to freeze-frame the destruction Jesus ignites, forcing us as viewers to focus on the process of dismantling and destroying an oppressive system. For those who willingly or unwillingly benefit from systems of oppression, it may feel threatening and terrifying to see them all come tumbling down. But for those held…
“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
What conversations are hard for you to hear? Lean into active listening today. | @sanctifiedart
“We might expect the long-awaited Messiah to greet his new followers like the kings before him have—with a pompous coronation, with hunger to exert power and control over his populus. Instead, Jesus steps in line along the river’s edge, blending in with the crowds, joining in solidarity with those around him. Jesus doesn’t demand any…
“I somehow came to religion in my teens. I came to my denomination in seminary after learning more about the Reformed tradition. Reformed theology emphasizes God’s initiative, which is consistent with my own experience. I can’t tell you that I ever really found God. It was God who found me, and kept finding me throughout…
“God who knows, most of us walk around begging to be seen, begging to be known. However, I don’t have to beg with you. You know me completely. You see me. You hear me. You walk with me. There is no fighting for your attention. I have it. What a gift that is. Help me…
