DEAR PATRON,
Consider this page your home base for the season—return here often to access and download the files you need to bring these resources to life. Thanks in advance for not sharing these files (or this password) with any non-patrons. Please refer to our licensing guidelines for details on usage. To quickly reference the weekly themes and texts in the series, download our infographic.
It is truly a gift and an honor to partner with you in ministry. We hope these materials provide opportunities for deep reflection and meaningful connection. If you have any questions or issues along the way, don't hesitate to reach out: contact@sanctifiedart.org.
DIGITAL RESOURCE LICENSING AGREEMENT
By purchasing and downloading digital resources from A Sanctified Art LLC (SA), you hereby agree to the following terms of agreement:
All downloaded artwork, digital files, and written content remain the sole property of A Sanctified Art LLC.
Downloading files grants you licensing permission to use the resources for ministry purposes only in your local context, which pertains to the faith community, church, or ministry in which you serve.
Downloads constitute permission for one-time use only. One-time use refers to one specific event, occasion, or liturgical season. You are welcome to use the digital resources multiple times within the confines of one specific event or liturgical season, but please purchase again if utilizing resources for an additional occasion, event, context, or liturgical season.
Quilt square designs
You may have noticed that the visual art and theme branding for this bundle are visually inspired by quilting. Some of the artist statements, commentary, and sermon guide materials also point to stories and metaphors of quilting. If you have quilters and crafters in your congregation who want to build onto the quilting motif with creations of their own, you can download the designs we’ve incorporated into the resources. Use these as templates to inspire your creativity in many mediums!
1. ADVENT DEVOTIONAL BOOKLET
WHAT IT IS:
This devotional contains art, poems, hymns, commentary, and reflection prompts. It is meant to be read at your own pace throughout the season of Advent and Christmas; it concludes with Epiphany.
HOW TO USE IT:
Print the booklets & distribute them to members in your community for them to complete at their own pace throughout the Advent season.
Invite members to bring their devotionals to worship, Sunday School, small groups, etc. to share their reflections with one another.
This booklet is great for older youth and adults of all ages—and especially for those who are hungry for weekly readings and prompts.
PRINTING & DISTRIBUTION INFO:
TO PRINT IN-HOUSE: Print the devo on fifteen 8.5x11 sheets to fold into an 8.5x5.5 booklet. Print the PDF under landscape orientation, double-sided, and choose "short edge to short edge," "flip to short edge," or "head to head" for the correct layout. The PDF is arranged so that you can easily fold the pages in half then staple or bind them down the middle.
TROUBLESHOOTING & ALTERNATIVE FORMATS: Check our printing guide for troubleshooting information and for links to additional formats, including a large format version.
TO SHARE THE DEVO DIGITALLY: To share access to the e-reader version with your community, please copy/paste the following message (sharing the link only through email and password-protected webpages):
Our friends at A Sanctified Art have provided a special e-reader version of this year’s Advent devotional, which you can access on your computer and mobile devices: online.flippingbook.com/view/811735764/
In order to protect their work, please refrain from sharing this link or posting it on social media.
2. WORDS FOR WORSHIP
WHAT IT IS:
A collection of over 50 liturgies and prayers providing fresh and meaningful language for worship for each Sunday (plus Christmas Eve) in our series.
HOW TO USE IT:
Copy/paste or adapt these prayers for your corporate worship (with credit).
CREDIT INFO:
Liturgy by Rev. Sarah Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
3. CURRICULUM for Children & Families
WHAT IT IS:
Curriculum designed to facilitate meaningful spiritual formation for ages 5 and up in multigenerational settings. The storytelling curriculum includes singing, telling the bible story and discussing it, and engaging in art and activities to further explore the themes and scriptures. The curriculum includes quilt square designs and instructions for creating your own fabric or paper quilt squares as an intergenerational art project throughout the season.
HOW TO USE IT:
Read the intro to the curriculum to learn more and decide how you will use the curriculum and quilt squares.
Use the curriculum for children’s Sunday School—or make your Sunday School hour intergenerational for all of Advent, as the curriculum is designed for children and families to do together.
Adapt the curriculum to use in children’s moments during worship or during extended time for children during or after worship.
Adapt the curriculum for special events, such as a quilting bee, craft night, or mission fair (see the introduction for more info).
CREDIT INFO:
Curriculum by Rev. Anna Strickland | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
4. SERMON PLANNING GUIDE
WHAT IT IS:
For each Sunday in our Advent series, this guide offers biblical commentary, theme connections, considerations for the week, guiding questions, and inspiration for further reading.
HOW TO USE IT:
As a starting point for your text study and worship prep. You may also wish to add our artist statements and our words for worship as companions to this guide.
Use the sermon planning grid to map out your ideas.
Use the guide for teaching adult Sunday School or small groups, as the commentary and additional readings are great for group study!
CREDIT INFO:
Guide developed by Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity | Commentary by guest writer, Kayla Craig | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
5. ADVENT CALENDARS FOR CHILDREN & ADULTS
WHAT IT IS:
Advent calendars for both children and adults. Each day in December, children can color in a new shape on the calendar containing a daily word to learn and use. Our adult (and teen-friendly) calendar is a photo-a-day challenge to share online. The daily words are the same for both calendars so all ages can engage in this daily practice.
HOW TO USE IT:
Print the children’s calendar on 11x17 paper to distribute to families in your community.
Share the photo-a-day image on your community’s social media accounts.
CREDIT INFO:
Calendars designed by Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman
6. CHILDREN’S Worship BULLETINS
WHAT IT IS:
These children’s bulletins (for Advent–Epiphany) invite children (ages 5-10) to engage in worship through coloring, storytelling, reading, and drawing.
HOW TO USE IT:
Print the bulletins on 8.5x11 paper and fold in half to create an 8.5x5.5 children’s bulletin.
Place the bulletins at the entrance to your worship space and/or in children’s worship bags.
Include the bulletins in Advent take-home kits for families to do together at home.
CREDIT INFO:
Prompts by Hannah Garrity | Coloring pages by Anna Strickland | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
7. STAR WORDS (W/ LITURGY)
WHAT IT IS:
170 star words used for intentional prayer and reflection throughout the new year, traditionally passed out on Epiphany Sunday. We’ve included a liturgy for introducing the star words and integrating them into worship, either during Communion or the Prayers of the People.
HOW TO USE IT:
Print the star words on card stock and cut them down with a paper cutter. They are standard business card size: 2” x 3.5”.
Print the star words on this perforated paper then pull them apart.
Hand-write the words on star shapes (a list is included for quick reference.)
CREDIT INFO:
Liturgy by Rev. Anna Strickland | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
8. ADVENT POEMS
WHAT IT IS:
This collection of eight poetic prayers offers meditations on the weekly themes in our series.
HOW TO USE IT:
Print the prayers and distribute them to members in your community.
Adapt the prayers for use in worship (perhaps as an opening meditation).
Use the prayers in a bible study group or Sunday school.
Use the poetry as a meditation during the sermon.
Use the poetry to inspire your own liturgy and sermon writing.
Print the poetry in your bulletin (perhaps as the bulletin cover).
CREDIT INFO:
Poetry by Rev. Sarah Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
9. VISUAL ART COLLECTION
WHAT IT IS:
This is a collection of 11 visuals inspired by the focal texts our series. These art pieces, created in a variety of mediums—acrylic painting, collage, block prints, silk painting, and digital media—are visual meditations on these scriptures.
HOW TO USE IT:
as bulletin cover art and on other print publications.
as sermon illustrations and visual aids.
as projected images or slides for online worship.
as materials for Sunday School and education programs to supplement bible study.
as materials for visio divina practices to engage more deeply in scripture (hint: use our visio divina guide!).
to install a growing art installation throughout the series.
as worship and sermon preparation, alongside the artist statements.
CREDIT INFO:
"[Image title]" by [Artist's name] | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
10. Lessons & Laughter Liturgy for Christmas
WHAT IT IS:
Creative, low-prep liturgy for the first Sunday after Christmas, interweaving joy and playfulness with scripture readings that emphasize all of creation rejoicing.
HOW TO USE IT:
Implement the communal liturgy as-is or adapt it for your context.
Optional: Create a prayer loom for worshipers to add their prayers (see liturgy for instructions).
CREDIT INFO:
Liturgy by Rev. Sarah Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
11. BRANDING BUNDLE
WHAT IT IS:
A full branding package with logo files, graphics, design elements, background images, and a branding story PDF for you to effectively communicate the Words for the Beginning theme.
HOW TO USE IT:
Use the logos and graphics in your worship, social media, and print and digital communications.
Use the background images, logo files, and design elements to create the customized graphics and marketing elements you need.
Refer to our branding story for a guide on how to use the files (if you don't have Photoshop, we recommend using Canva to create graphics with these files).
CREDIT INFO:
Graphic design by Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
12. BANNER DESIGN
WHAT IT IS:
A design to project and trace to create either a painted or paper lace banner for your sanctuary or sacred space. Alternatively, you can print the design as a vinyl banner.
HOW TO USE IT:
Project and trace the design onto paper to paint or color in the shapes.
Project, trace, and cut the design into paper lace banners.
Use the large, color file to print the design as a 6’ x 6’ vinyl banner (through a company such as Got Print) to install and display on the exterior of your church building.
Follow the written instructions included, and read this blog post for more creative ways to bring the design to life.
MATERIALS/INSTRUCTIONAL INFO:
If you wish to create a paper lace banner of the design, you'll want to purchase a roll of Savage Seamless Backdrop paper that's 107" wide (or wider for bigger banners) HERE.
Watch this TUTORIAL VIDEO to walk you through the steps. Please note: This video shows the process of creating our Advent 2016 designs and says to create the banners 8.5’ x 2.5’. Disregard that information and follow the measurements in the written instructions.
CREDIT INFO:
Design by Hannah Garrity | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
13. THEME SONG + music video
WHAT IT IS:
A theme song titled “Echolocation” created by our guest musicians, The Bengsons. We’ve included a recording of the song (MP3) and an edited music video featuring the Words for the Beginning art (MP4) for you to play in worship or ministry settings. We also have sheet music for a SATB choir and Alto soloist with piano accompaniment. The song features a stomp/clap score you can teach to your choir.
ABOUT THE SONG:
The song is about reaching for—or “echolocating”—hope. The primordial tone of the song makes it feel connected to the beginning of time, but also the time of Jesus’ birth and today. As you listen and sing along, perhaps you will imagine a people yearning for a messiah, wanting to see the sun metaphorically rise again. Maybe you will think of the wisemen, those hearing the news of hope entering the world as they journey through the dark. May the song help you embody hope this season and point you toward the light of that bright star that continues to shine in our eyes.
FROM THE MUSICIANS:
"We think of hope as an action rather than a feeling, so we hope we’ve made a song you can DO with your community, or sing along to in the dark, or clap to and shout with. A song to make WITH us, or the people you make community with. We think of the song lines as threads in a fabric, each singer holding a strand that makes a collective tapestry to vision a future together. We wanted to make something that could feel whole and true whether Trump wins or Kamala wins, whether or not Palestine is free, whether assault weapons have been banned or there was just another shooting. We had the image of a beloved community of lonely, lost people standing in the dark of winter in grief, but also in collective, radical hope. So we made this choral piece for voices with a clapping/stomp score! We hope choirs will sing it and shake the walls. It’s meant as a heart-cry to call in the light. The line 'echolocation' in the song is about sending out voices into the dark and listening for what might come back." —The Bengsons
HOW TO USE IT:
Use the sheet music to sing the song in worship with your choir or worship leaders.
Play the recording of the song as part of your worship or as people are gathering for fellowship.
Show the music video in worship as a musical offering or a closing or opening meditation. Note: The video may be embedded within a livestream or virtual service.
Share the video on your social media, email it to your congregation, or embed it on your website. However, when posting just the video publicly online, please use the watermarked preview version we post on Vimeo (so that we protect the un-watermarked version for our patrons).
Free Supplemental Materials
These supplemental materials were released progressively, so be sure to check this page to make sure you got everything!
BONUS ADD-ONS:
ORIGINAL HYMNS
This is a collection of seven original hymns inspired by our weekly sub-themes, written by Rev. Anna Strickland. Each hymn offers new words to sing with familiar tunes. Download the sheet music to include these hymns in your worship. Note: These hymns are also included in our Advent devotional booklet for individuals and families to sing at home.
A CONTENT CALENDAR FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
To support you in sharing this Advent series with your community online, we have curated a content calendar for you to use throughout the season. The calendar includes carefully-selected images, graphics, and excerpts from the Words for the Beginning resources for you to post on your social media platforms so you can share the series with your larger community, near and far. If you need help, watch this video for more information on how to use the calendar.
ON OUR BLOG:
MUSIC IDEAS FOR WORSHIP
In this blog post, we’ve curated a long list of music ideas—both traditional and contemporary—for worship, fellowship, and listening. Use this for your worship planning.
A Liturgy for Endings & Beginnings
We offer this simple worship outline as a way to make space for difficult emotions during the holiday season, particularly grief around endings and anxiety for new beginnings. You might use this liturgy for a Longest Night or Blue Christmas service.
We love seeing how you put our resources to use. Consider joining our A Sanctified Art Community Facebook Group to join others who are using our materials. This is a great place to share photos, ask questions, troubleshoot challenges, and connect with others getting creative this season!