Advent Art (2025)
Around a dozen artists led and collaborated this year to produce Advent art. Each artist worked hard and thoughtfully to create a piece depicting a different interpretation of walking through the wilderness with God.
Cover Art
Week 1: Kyle Ragsdale, 2025
Week 2: Sam Haist, 2025
Title: Levi Mann & Caleb McDonald, 2025
Back Stage Wall
Tom Peck, Galilean Boat, 2024
Greenery
Barb Knuckles, Betsy Bird, and Advent Workshop, Cross-stitch, Milk Carton Houses, Ribbon of Names, 2025
Hanging Installation
Michael & Moriah Taft, Surprise Meeting, 2025
These flannel panels are meant to reflect the “Tent of Meeting,” a place where God meets us today and also a symbol of our future home. When I was young and my parents told me God was preparing a place for me, I (Moriah) prayed that “my new room” would have purple sparkly walls. I had a specific idea of what that place would be like.
However, the ways in which God meets us and prepares for us may be different from what we expect. When Michael and I started sewing the fabric, we started with assumptions about the final design. But we are trusting someone else to install the pieces each week in unique and surprising ways. We pray that this Advent season, God’s love and truth will meet Redeemer in unexpected ways.Advent Candles
Banners
Elise & Caleb C. Keitt, Katie Ito, and Keitt Fleet community group, Cloudy Connections & Elegant Embers, 2025, fabric, cotton batting, zippers, thread, and ink
On either side of the stage hangs a sleeping bag banner—or a sleeping banner—depicting the two pillars that guided the Israelites day and night. On the left is the pillar of cloudy upholstered with a mushroom-champagne-colored chenille jacquard fabric. To support the batting, straight and angled lines were sewn. Pinned on top are blue and green felt trees and mountain peaks to represent the fourteen members of our community group. Blue for all the women in our group and green for all the men. The trees are for those with Midwestern roots, while the mountains are for those of us who now call Indy home.
The right sleeping banner was based with a crimson and gold floral scroll polyester chenille jacquard fabric. Adorned from bottom to top are a mariad of warm-colored fabrics made of linen, sequins, and sheer voile used to depict the wild flames of the pillar of fire. Golden printed leaves are scattered across the outter surface which portray leaves found along hiking paths, used to start a fire, or to mark the changing of seasons.
Newel Posts
Dirk Edwards, Branches, 2025
South Window
Created by Kyrie Lewis with help from Erin Hall, Barb Knuckles, Tom Peck, Bethany & Phil Saunders, Drew Lurker, Amanda Anez, Amy Lewis, Discovering Redeemer Class, Creatives Class, and Advent Workshop, 2025, hand-carved stamps, printing ink, sharpies, lights, and acrylic paint on cloth
Some of the imagery is based off of the stained glass in the north side window to tie in the beauty of our sanctuary.
Growing up, my siblings and I delighted in drawing maps together, the bigger the better. Made in the image of God, the ultimate Creator, we longed to build fantastical worlds ourselves. I loved passing on the joy of map making to my students, reusing crinkly brown packing paper and fostering collaborative creativity, watching them excitedly chatter and draw all they could think of.
This giant map of maps is the biggest I’ve made and took much collaboration of its own. From hand-carving and making stamps, to hand-sewing on lights, this project reminded me that we are not made to work entirely alone. God made the world not as a singular artist, but as a triune one, making us artists to work within relationships too.
God led the Israelites in a circuitous path through the wilderness, painting a picture of His faithfulness through our weakness. The Promised Land did not fix their problems, but Jesus has fixed ours, leading us in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake, our salvation and His glory.
Communion Set
Tom Peck, Gnarly, 2025
I was asked if I could make a gnarly communion set—whatever that might mean. Over the years I’ve collected peculiar pieces of wood, for no particularly good reason and with little expectation of ever using them. When I dug through the pile, I found some intriguing candidates for this project.
This project became an opportunity to pair highly polished, carefully turned forms with raw, natural elements. Rough and smooth, side by side—an interesting juxtaposition, and perhaps a small reminder of our own lives as believers, watching the Spirit continue the work of sanctifying His children.
