Heaven's Stair

A Poem and Block Print for the Third Week of Advent

For the third week of Advent, I am sharing visual art and a poem which, though not created specifically for Advent, very much embody the movement of Advent—God reaching down to rescue us, descending to dwell among us to bring us life.

Both are from The Soil and the Seed Project’s new Matthew: Gospel Collection, a collection of songs, liturgies, prints, and poems, all available for free (physically and/or digitally). Here are both pieces, followed by a few brief notes.

Bethany Tobin, Immediately Jesus Reached Out His Hand and Caught Him (linocut print on paper, 2025). Used with permission.

Heaven’s Stair

Since Babel we have built our way toward heaven,
   ascending up our stairs of chiseled stone,
      up flights of fame, up steps of dead religion,
         determined we can reach you on our own.
      We never make it. Dust returns to dust.
   Our best accomplishments cannot atone
for pride—when what you seek is humble trust.

But what we could not climb, you have descended
   by fashioning yourself in human form,
      uniting us with you—your life extended
         by grace to us, that we might be transformed:
      to cease our striving, rest in your renown,
   and sojourn with your Spirit who conforms
our lives to yours—the God who journeyed down.

About the Art

Bangkok-based artist Bethany Tobin’s Immediately Jesus Reached Out His Hand and Caught Him (inspired by Matthew 14:31) is one of seven linocut prints she created inspired by the gospel of Matthew. I asked if she could share a bit about the art and here’s what she said:

For this series of work, I’ve zoomed in on sacred moments in the gospel of Matthew, moments often described in just one, short, poignant verse. It’s an intimate close-up, framed with a halo around the activity or interaction. In this story of rescue, I am struck by the words “Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.” That phrase is a sermon in itself. We are drowning in a churning sea, and Jesus’s hand shoots out and takes ours in a tight grip.

I’ll add that the photos here fail to capture the incredible way that light plays off these prints’ diverse, layered textures in real life. If you like this image or any in the series, I highly recommend buying a unique, original print to hang in your home or church!

Left: Bethany Tobin in her studio with six of the series' seven prints. Right: Detail shot of this print's layered textures.

My poem “Heaven’s Stair” is yet another twist on the sonnet, this time dividing the fourteen lines into two seven-line stanzas rather than the classic division into eight and six lines. As in “His Hand,” the indentation (which might be muddled if you’re reading vertically on a phone) helps to tell the story, embodying the content of the words.

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Thank You!

Thanks to Bethany Tobin for being an incredible friend and a truly inspiring artist; to The Soil and the Seed Project for inviting us to be a part of this big and beautiful collaboration; and to my very talented friend Verity Tan for the photo of Bethany.

Finally, thank you for reading! We made this art to be shared, so please feel free to use it (crediting the artists) with family, friends, or your church during this Advent season. For more Advent art, check out Bethany’s 2023 Advent series and my own. Blessings!