ROOM
I asked God —
what about my
fingernail-biting habit
or the way I leave all
the cabinets
open in the kitchen?
What about the way I can
be dramatic,
drumming up a fight, only to
hand out apologies like
souvenirs?
What about the way I
second-guess myself,
let shame drive,
or stay quiet when I
have something to say?
What about the way I
chase accomplishments
like a dog with a bone?
What about the doubt,
or the fact
that I’m terrible at prayer and
cannot help but yawn
during church?
What about
What about
What about?
My baggage might be too
big for the van.
But then
God called me by my first
and middle name,
which always means
business,
and said:
Who told you that you
were too much?
Sugar, there is so much
room for you here.
So that’s when I grabbed
a seat
and we hit the road
and I knew right then
that the rumors were true.
There is room.
There is room.
There is room.
Poem by
Rev. Sarah (Are) Speed
A Letter from the Christian Formation Staff at First Presbyterian Church, Charlotte:
This year’s Advent devotional is produced by Sanctified Art. Sanctified Art is a group of artists and ministers who create liturgical resources for churches and congregations. At first, this group’s work focused on equipping people to increase the use of creativity in spiritual practices. As they found great success, their vision and mission grew quickly.
Now, their work includes resources for churches and congregations to use in worship, small groups, liturgical seasons, and personal spiritual practices. This group of talented people have quickly become a popular source of new materials for church leaders and ministers.
We are excited to be introducing the 2022 Sanctified Art Advent devotional. We hope this daily devotional will enrich our time in Advent. Some of the devotional styles and practices will be new. We encourage you to try them all. You may discover a new way to speak to God. a different form of prayer, or ideas on how to recognize Christ among us. ‘
As we wait with hope for the incarnation, we invite you to take time to engage with God’s word each day and celebrate this season as a congregation with his Advent devotional,
The Christian Formation Staff
First Presbyterian Church