Artist Reflection: Status Quo
by Hannah Garrity
Inspired by John 19:1-30 | Paper lace

Pitiful, sad, scary. The continuous repetition of history is so poignant with our yearly reading of this text. As I drew and cut the layers of this work, I contemplated the ways in which I play the role of Pontius Pilate or the crowd in my daily life. Where do I perpetuate hate? Where do I forward injustice? Where do I join the voice of the wayward crowd?

Pontius Pilate depicts the weakness of the status quo. Structures— what holds them up? What makes them fall? Windows are the lenses through which we see the world. In this image, we look through the window of my favorite architectural style, Arts and Crafts, to the cathedral window style. I portrayed layers of architecture and symbol. The cross is a contentious symbol. I repeat it again and again. The cross is the instrument that murders God incarnate. The crown of thorns shames Jesus. I have placed the Alpha and Omega within the crown of thorns on the cross, reminding us that the crowd put God to death and shamed God. The cross I drew was modeled after Celtic crosses made of nails.

Again and again, we meet Pontius Pilate, knowing Jesus to be innocent, refusing to protect him from the hate of the masses, refusing to do the right thing. As I look around me now, I see the same things happening in our daily lives, in the life of our nation, in the life of the world. How can I pivot those places in my life where I resemble the crowd and crucify the righteous, or where I resemble Pontius Pilate and perpetuate the injustice of the status quo?
—Hannah Garrity

Daily Devotion: Deny

Read: John 13:36-38

Reflection Questions: When have you been in denial? When have you denied others? When have you denied God?

Prayer: Holy God, Peter denied. I understand why. Being a Christian in this world is not easy. People have assumptions about what I believe, who I am, who I include. I find myself tempted to defend my beliefs, or to downplay how much I long for you. Forgive me, for I am like Peter. I have been ashamed to tell this story. Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me. Amen.

—Prayer by Rev. Sarah Are | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org