Pastor’s Corner – March 27, 2025

Dear Beloved,

How has your season of Lent (the season from Ash Wednesday through Holy Week that offers us an opportunity for repentance and deeper reflection in preparation for remembering and celebrating the resurrection) started out?  I am grateful for Dr. Rev. Hannah Ingram’s message on Ash Wednesday and Pastor Marc’s Sunday messages throughout this season that are guiding me.  I am thankful for the choir, minister of music, and organist who help me be still in our community worship time.  I am thankful for artists, authors, prophets, and poets who help me grow and for the opportunities to be in conversation with you and with people, creatures, and the creation that I am blessed to be around.  One of the authors that I am grateful for this season is Mallory McDuff.  Her book Last Best Act is helping me take time to think about regenerative death and how my morality can bring life and blessings.  As a pastor’s kid, funerals were common dinner time topics.  I am grateful that we grew up talking about death.  I’m grateful that I grew up being taught that no matter what, not even death separates us from God’s love.  

As I grew up, I learned that it is important not to try to rush or hurry people’s hurt and pain.  Grief is complex and different for everyone.  Words often fail me, and in those times, I hope that I can stay present in whatever way the person or people need and in that presence to share God’s love and care.  I still have so much to learn about how to do this well.  

Being at funerals and the season of Lent lead me think about my mortality which helps me think about what truly matters most - often I fail to live that out, but by God’s grace I can keep trying.  I’m so grateful that God never gives up on us.  God’s love is unbounded and unending.  May this good news offer us hope and shalom this day and in whatever lies ahead - for God is with us in life, in death, and in life after death.  We are not alone.  May we share this good news near and far.

With gratitude and hope,

Sarah

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39

Pastor’s Corner – March 13, 2025

Dear Beloved,

This winter I've been enjoying a gratitude journey with you.  A few Sundays ago when chatting with the children, I shared that I am grateful that God designed us to learn.  How wonderful it is that we can learn about each other - about neighbors near and far, God's creation, ourselves, and about the nature of God - God's love, God's work in the world, God's grace, God's call on our lives our whole lives long!!!  Learning with and from you are gifts for which I thank God.  As we prepare to celebrate the rite of confirmation with the confirmation students and their families and mentors next month on Palm Sunday, I give special thanks for the opportunity to learn with and from these students and the confirmation experience.  I would invite you to be keeping these young people in your prayers.  In the United Church of Christ (the denomination that Friedens is part of), people can be baptized at any age.  In the United Church of Christ, young people have an opportunity to go through the confirmation experience to consider more deeply and intentionally what they believe about God and whether they want to make a commitment to follow the Jesus way and become official members of Friedens United Church of Christ.  In this next month as the rite of confirmation approaches for these young people, I’d invite you to reflect upon your understanding of who God is and what it means for you to follow in the Jesus way.  Pastor Marc and I are always glad to chat with you and grow with you as we journey together as disciples of Jesus who share his unbounded love, so that all may know they are beloved and so we may all live together in shalom - the beloved community of wholeness and comprehensive well-being.  May you feel uplifted and encouraged by the joy and hope of the Creator, the compassion and peace of Jesus, and the comfort and guidance of the Spirit throughout this Lenten season. 

With appreciation and hope,

Sarah

 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God…  1 John 4:7

Pastor’s Corner – February 27, 2025

Dear Beloved,

Even though Lent begins rather late this year, I can’t believe it is almost here! The season of Lent (the forty days, not counting Sundays, from Ash Wednesday through Holy Week that gives us space and time to prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus) is almost here. It begins on Wednesday March 5th. The Lifelong Spiritual Formation Ministry Team invites everyone to stay after the 10:30 a.m. worship (or to come back if you worship at the 8:30 a.m. worship service) the Sunday before Lent for a light lunch and an informal chat about the season of Lent.

If you’ve had a chance to catch any of my notes this winter, I have been inviting us to take a gratitude journey of prayer and reflection as inspired by Philippians 4:4-7

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

Today I’d like to rejoice in the gift of holidays, seasons of honoring, and seasons of preparation. Epiphany and Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr Day are my favorite winter holidays. I’m also grateful for this coming season of Lent. I’m grateful for Black History Month, Disability Awareness Month, and Women’s History Month. I am grateful for special months set aside to be intentional about learning, growing, remembering, and honoring in order to be mindful and grateful all year around. I would invite you to rejoice with me in all the people and organizations who help us grow – all the people and organizations who share stories and enable us to listen and learn. I rejoice that we as a community have covenants that help us stay focused on and committed to Jesus’ ways of embracing and affirming one another in the splendid diversity in which the Maker of the heavens and the earth designed us. If you’ve been learning something new during this Black History Month, I’d be excited to hear what you’ve learned – it will help me to grow, too. I rejoice in the opportunity to worship and serve with you, to pray and ponder, to cry and laugh, to be still and to sing out. Thank you for being you! You are loved and cherished by your church family and by God. 

      With appreciation for the journey with you,

              Sarah 

Pastor’s Corner – February 13, 2025

Dear Beloved,

How is your wintering going, my friends?  Are you a fan of winter – someone who loves bundling up and playing in the snow.  To be honest, winter isn’t my favorite.  Yet with each passing year as I grow older, each moment becomes more precious, so each year I have tried to embrace winter a little more.  I must admit, I struggled a bit when a huge snowstorm came before we even finished the first week of January, but the idea of rejoicing has always helped me through it – there is always something to rejoice about.  And in this winter season, I am extra grateful to be on a journey of gratitude, reflection, and prayer with you which was inspired by one of our Advent sermon texts -Philippians 4:4-7 - 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

For me, one of the gifts of winter in our geographical region is the darkness – the beautiful darkness – perhaps a special invitation from the Creator of dark and light to move more mindfully, to wonder and ponder more deeply, to be amazed by the hush of a gorgeous black sky and tiny sparkling stars, to follow a rhythm of a more sleep, to dream about what God is birthing or regenerating in us, to cuddle under a warm blanket, to share a simmering cup of tea or a bowl of soup with a neighbor, to be attentive to God’s whispers…..  How about you?  What are you grateful for this winter?

 I won’t pretend that I’m not ecstatic when warmer weather comes again, but for now I’m going to try to rejoice in the present – in the transforming grace of the Creator who is with us in every season – in the opportunity to reach out to one another when winter seems too long – in the gift of the Holy Spirit who journeys with us and connects us one to another.

With prayers and the songs of night skies,

   Sarah

Pastor’s Corner – January 30, 2025

Dear Beloved,

When I wrote you last, I shared that for this season I will be praying and sharing about some of my experiences of Philippians 4 - 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

I’m thinking it might be fun to share different experiences of gratitude.  Perhaps you’d like to develop your own gratitude practices, piece of art, or journal.  In the winter weather, I am extra grateful for heat and shelter.  I’m thankful for the people behind the scenes who keep our heat going.  The winter also makes me more mindful of and prayerful with our siblings without safe shelter.  How do we live as good neighbors to our siblings without safe shelter?  Today, will you join me in giving thanks for organizations that work for warm and safe spaces for our siblings who are unsheltered and for organizations working to address the underlying causes of challenges to safe spaces to dwell? 

Thank you for the opportunity to reflect and pray with you.  I rejoice in God’s Spirit who joins us together through prayer – who interweaves us into community.  I rejoice in God’s listening and invitation to worship and share our hearts.  I rejoice in you and the ways you share the love and faith of Jesus.  Thank you for being you!

      With warmth and hope,

               Sarah

Pastor’s Corner – January 16, 2025

Dear Beloved,

How are you as 2025 begins? As 2025 begins, I am continuing to ponder our Bible passage from the third Sunday of Advent from Philippians 4 - 4 Rejoicein the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

As Pastor Marc, the worship leader of the day, and I prepared to pray before the 8:30 a.m. worship service began, the worship leader said, “This one is a good one.” I agree. This passage from Philippians is one of those passages we can carry with us throughout the day. It is one that can encourage and uplift us if we let God hold us and trust that God still loves us even when we still feel anxious even in the midst of rejoicing, giving thanks, and seeking to live in the paths of courageous and liberating gentleness made known by Jesus. In the midst of my deepest valleys when I have questioned whether it was worth going on, thanking God has been a lifeline back to the hope and peace God faithfully and continually offers. Perhaps that is why God has taught me to understand gratitude as a way of life. For this season and maybe beyond, I hope to spend time meditating on this passage with you. If you’d like to chat about it, please feel free to reach out. I will be praying it for us. I am thanking God for you and the opportunity to worship God with you. I rejoice in the opportunity to grow, learn, and serve with you as we seek to reflect the gentleness and peace of Jesus each day. May we invite God’s Spirit to guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, and may you always know that you are a loved child of God on the best days, on the worst days, and in all the days in between. You are cherished. You are appreciated.

With joy for the journey,

   Sarah 

Pastor’s Corner – January 2, 2025

Dear Beloved,

I hope you continue to enjoy Christmastide and the hope, love, joy, and peace of Jesus. I give thanks for you and the opportunities we’ve had to worship and serve God together in 2024. I’m grateful that we can pray together and for each other and the world. I’m grateful for those who have come before us, and I’m grateful for God’s mercy. For those of you who have known me for a bit, you know that I love opportunities for fresh starts. For me, I see the new calendar year and each new season of life, as an opportunity for a new beginning. I am reminded that God’s mercies are new all the time. Is there something that is yearning for refreshment and renewal in your life, a place you want to allow yourself to receive God’s grace, a new or different spiritual practice you’d like to try, a new perspective or attitude about something….? I pray that we can take our past experiences to God and allow God to use them - to help us be more and more transformed into the followers of Jesus we are invited to be - forgiven and free to more fully embrace and reflect God’s never-ending, ever-faithful, through-out-the-ages compassion and kindness. You are loved. You are cherished. May you feel God’s love leading you into 2025.  

  With gratitude for you and for God’s steadfast compassion,

        Sarah

Great is your mercy, O Lord;

    be gracious to me according to your justice.  Psalm 119:156

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9

Pastor’s Corner – December 19, 2024

Dear Beloved,

How are you as we near the end of Advent - a special season of repentance, reflection, and preparation to welcome Jesus into our lives? By the time this reaches your inbox, it will be a few days until Christmas. By the time another message from me reaches your inbox, it will be 2025, so I would like to invite you to spend some time this Christmas season considering what Christmas means to you? How does the good news of Christmas impact the way you view the world and who we are? As I sit with these questions, Mary the mother of Jesus comes to mind. I appreciate how she pondered and treasured things in her heart. This year I feel enfolded by the mystery and wonder of the incarnation - that God would choose to come and live among us - to be born to a young woman and a common worker who quickly had to flee for their safety. Words fail me, when I consider that Maker of the stars and seas would choose to come and live among - to experience our pain and joy, to show us how to live as beloved and loving children of God, to show us how to live as peacemakers. In the silence that arises as written and spoken human language escapes me, I feel movement in my heart. By God’s grace, I want to grow deeper in my love for God and neighbor, and I want to share the good news of Emmanuel - God with us! I pray that everyone would know that they are never alone and that they are loved. I pray that you would know that you are never alone - you are loved. You are called by name. You are embraced and accepted by the Creator of the sky and the soil. May you feel the hope, love, joy, and peace of Jesus this Christmas and throughout Christmastide, and may the good news of God with us encourage you each and every day.

With the hope, love, joy, and peace of the Creator of the heavens and the earth~

Sarah 

15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger. 17 When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them, 19 and Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.  Luke 2:15-20

Pastor’s Corner – December 5, 2024

Dear Beloved,

This message will reach your inbox a few days after we have lit the Advent candle of Hope. With this candle and worship experience in mind, I would invite you to reflect upon where/how you find hope and where/how do you share hope with others? Maybe should back up a bit first and reflect on what hope means to you? For me, hope is a gift from God. It is a gift that allows me to keep on keeping on, to trust in God’s never ending love rather even in the midst of despair and weariness, to rest when there is always more to do, to reach out to others on this journey of life. I receive God’s gift of hope when I spend time with children, when I rest in God’s creation, when allow myself to be still with God, when I pray with others, when I remember others are praying for me, when I give thanks for all the people and organizations working for healing and equity, when I listen to stories from the Bible and modern-day neighbors who share how God is at work their lives….I pray that I offer hope when I speak uplifting words, when I pray with others, when I listen carefully….May you feel God’s hope offering you renewal and strength this Advent season. May you know you are a beloved child of Immanuel - God with us. By God’s grace, may we reflect the hope of the Maker of the heavens and the earth this Advent season.  

  With gratitude and hope,

        Sarah 

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. 

Psalm 33:22

Pastor’s Corner – November 7, 2024

Dear Beloved,

I give thanks for you!  Thank you for the meal ministries - the meals you prepare for young adults who are welcoming new babies into their families, the meals for people who are going through loss or sadness, the meals for people in the midst of health challenges…. 

Thank you for the food you bring for the school partner weekenders, the community food box, and the peanut butter for Hunger Inc. 

Thank you for generously giving to the general funds of the congregation and to special givings for disaster relief and special offerings.  Thank you for your love for each other, the community, and people near and far. 

Thank you for your worship participation and prayers.  Thank you for serving on ministry teams and out in the community.  Thank you for working through conflicts and sticking together through sorrow and joy. Thank you for welcoming everyone. 

Thank you for more than I can ever put into words. Thank you for supporting special events we do in partnership with local and global organizations to share the love of Jesus.  Thank you for your participation in the prayer vigils for non-violence. 

You are deeply appreciated!  And may you always know you are loved simply for being you!  And God calls you beloved because you are God’s precious child.  May we live in grace and share the good news of God’s belovedness!

-Sarah

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.  Psalm 107:1

Pastor’s Corner – October 24, 2024

Dear Beloved,

Thank you for journeying along together in this meditation with colors for the last two months. I realized that with God’s infinite shades and hues, we could journey this way forever!  I wonder what your favorite colors have been in the past and present?  I wonder if any colors grew on you as you meditated with them?  I hope you enjoyed this journey together (through the colors in the ROYGBIV rainbow that I learned in elementary school).  Throughout this journey, I grew in my amazement and intrigue with colors - remembering that we name and experience colors differently and wondering about the ways our different senses connect - sight, sound, smell, taste, movement, touch, internal sensors that help stay regulated for functioning?  Wondering about connections between senses and how senses connect us with one another?  I am grateful for artists of all kinds who help us imagine and experience the creative nature of the Maker - drawing sounds, smells, textures, sights, and movement together - expanding our understanding of each other and the world God so loves - expanding our understanding of ourselves, our ancestors, the Spirit within each of us - expanding our connection with Jesus who painted pictures with his storytelling - who draws us in with parable - who repeated songs, prayers, and poetry of Hebrew scripture.  May you allow yourself time and space to rest in the creative embrace of the Compassionate Sculpture of the stars and the Swirler of the sunsets and sunrise, the Gracious Gardener who nourishes us with the fruit of the vine and the grains of the earth and invites to us join in receiving and sharing the beautiful gifts and blessings of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithful, generosity, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  May you find hope in the covenantal bow of God’s everlasting ever-enduring mercy and love (Genesis 9:13).  May you find shalom in God’s belovedness for each and every one.  And may we seek God’s wisdom, courage, and powerful healing to live as rainbows in the midst of pain and challenges - offering hope and reflecting God’s overarching care and grace.

With humble gratitude and surprising joy,

    Sarah

Pastor’s Corner – October 10, 2024

Dear Beloved,

How are you in this new season of autumn?  Are there any particular ways we can be praying with you as we journey together in the ways of Jesus?  Purple is not the color that comes to mind when I think of autumn, but it is one of the colors that comes up often in the Bible that we have not yet explored in our journey of enjoying some of God’s colors as a way of meditating or engaging in a spiritual practice.  When doing a search on www.biblegateway.com, purple came up 51 times - mostly in the Hebrew scriptures or Old Testament.  When I think of purple in the context of Friedens United Church of Christ - the liturgical seasons of Lent and Advent to mind - but we’ll save those for other pastor’s notes.  The grapes turned to grape juice or wine for the sharing of communion also come to mind - but we’ll save those for another time as well.

For me, the Bible passage that comes to my heart is about a woman in the early church.  You can find her story in the book of Acts.  I remember learning about her as a kid in Sunday school and doing fun activities with purple cloth.  My childhood self enjoyed hearing about this woman who responded to the good news of Jesus’ love by offering hospitality and encouragement.  I pray that perhaps you will feel the extravagant welcome of Jesus and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit when you see the color purple in coming days.  May you find rest and quiet in the wonder of God’s splendid array of colors - those painted in trees and in sunrises and sunsets, those on your plate at meal times, those decorating the spaces you encounter, those you create with, those that give you comfort, those that energize you, those who give you time for reflection and offer you hope in the Maker of the heavens and earth who loves you more that you can ever fully imagine!

With gratitude,

    Sarah

From Acts 16 - 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us. 

And

 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

Pastor’s Corner – September 26, 2024

Dear Beloved,

I hope you’ve been enjoying our journey of meditating on some of the beautiful colors of God’s creation.  Before we move onto another color, I’d like to pause at the rainbow which is where we began this journey.  For me, rainbows are a sign of hope - a reminder that God has always been with us, is always with us, and will always be with us - and with everyone and with all creation.  Rainbows are a sign of God’s promises of covenantal faithfulness.  When I hear of yet another shooting, I yearn for the hope of full shalom.  I yearn for each and everyone of us near and far to know their belovedness in God and to proclaim the belovedness of everyone in word, thought, and deed.  I pray for God’s mercy, forgiveness and continued grace to show us how to live into this hope of shalom….When I hear of all the hurt near and far, I need the colors of the rainbow which remind me that we are not alone - just like a rainbow would not be a rainbow with only one color, we need each other with our splendidly diverse array of personalities, experiences, gifts, questions, talents, curiosities, and interests.  What symbols stand as reminders of God’s hope for you?  Are there spiritual practices that help you rest in and be renewed in hope?  I pray that we can experience hope when we gather in community for worship, service, connection, study, quiet, and the blessings of God’s creation and when we spend time in stillness - being nurtured and nourished.  May you know you are appreciated and loved by your church family and most of all by the Maker of the heavens and the earth.  

With gratitude and hope,

   Sarah

My soul faints with longing for your salvation, but I have put my hope in your word.  Psalm 118:81

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.  Psalm 118:114

Pastor’s Corner – September 12, 2024

Dear Beloved,

How do you feel when you see or hear about something blue?  Are there certain blue tones that connect you to stories or songs, memories or smells, traditions or holidays….? 

The first story that comes to my mind when I imagine blue is the story of Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan.  I have no idea what shades of blue, green, brown, or clear the waters of the Jordan might have been that day, but perhaps pictures from children’s Bibles paint them blue for me.  The story of baptism and the sight, sounds, and textures of water often cause me to pause - pause in humility for the ways God covers us with grace, for the ways God connects us to each other, for the ways God creates, restores, renews, enlivens, protects, inspires, and provides.  In my experience of the baptismal story, I also hear a blue sky, but perhaps it was cloudy - however the sky appeared the gospel writers say that the heavens were torn apart or opened - God’s Spirit descended like a dove and a voice proclaimed, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” 

Friends, whether you’ve been baptized or not, whether you were baptized with a little water or lots, whether you were young or old or in between, whether your baptism was a few days ago or many years ago, you are loved.  You are covered by God’s grace.  God knows you by name.  You are precious.  May God’s gifts of blue and God’s gifts of water offer you encouragement this week, and if you would like to talk about baptism or the spiritual practice of praying through/meditating about God’s colorful world, please feel free to be in touch.  I appreciate you and enjoy connecting with you!

With blue hope and joy,

   Sarah 

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”  Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”   Matthew 3:13-17

Pastor’s Corner – August 29, 2024

Dear Beloved,

Thank you for journeying with me in our exploration of colors as a spiritual practice.  This week I invite you to reflect on God’s gifts of the color green.  What does green smell like to you or taste like to you?  Does green connect you to God’s creation?  Does green lead you to concerns and petitions to God for wisdom in the midst of consumerism?  No specific Bible passages came to my mind when I meditated on the word green, but during a word search the word green popped up 36 times - most often in reference to the energy and fruitfulness of the spirit experienced when we stay connected to God and God’s steadfast love. 

This week may you feel the beauty and nourishment of all God’s green creations and may you find peace and rest in God’s green pastures.  May you find hope in your name and identity - Beloved child of God.  May we proclaim Beloved to our neighbor, and may we rejoice in the ways God unites us and connects us through the life-giving greens of God.  

With gratitude and joy,

   Sarah 

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God.

I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.

I will thank you forever because of what you have done.

In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for it is good. 

Psalm 52:8-9

Pastor’s Corner – August 15, 2024

Dear Beloved,

I want to take a quick pause from our spiritual practices of reflecting on God’s goodness through colors to simply remind you of your Belovedness. 

 Perhaps you have wondered why I begin my notes to you with Dear Beloved. My deepest desire for each human and each creature is for them to know their Belovedness - to believe they are loved by the Creator of the heavens and the earth in their innermost being and to proclaim to each of God’s children that they are beloved. God made you, my friend and sibling. God loves you, my friend and sibling. God sees you and hears you, my friend and sibling. You are called by name. You are cherished for who you are regardless of what you accomplish. 

 I am grateful to my parents and the UCC who have taught me this since my childhood. I am grateful to Pastor Marc and Friedens UCC who taught me to ask about our belovedness each Sunday morning and to be assured and reassured of this sole (and soul) identity. I am grateful for the words of author Osheta Moore who is reminding me of this once again. I am grateful for our Just Peace, Open and Affirming, and Global Ministries covenants and our mission to share the love of Jesus which help us live out the good news of God’s belovedness. 

 This week, I pray that you take some time to breathe in and rest in this good news.  

 With deep appreciation and hope,

   Sarah

 Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another.

1 John 4:11

Pastor’s Corner – August 1, 2024

Dear Beloved,

How is your summer going?  If you or people in your family are transitioning back to school please know you are in our prayers.  With yellow school buses passing through the streets again, I’d invite you to ponder yellow as a way of connecting with God or simply being still with God.  When you hear the word yellow or taste something yellow or see something yellow, do any experiences or stories or songs come to your heart.  The hymn, “In the Bulb there is a Flower” comes to me.  In the yard, the first flowers to pop up in the spring are often yellow.  For me yellow is a color of fresh starts and energy, a color of encouragement and hope - soft or bright, pastel or neon - all shades offering a little different message or feeling for me.  How about for you?  Whether you are in a season of transitioning back to school or not, perhaps this a time for a fresh start or a time of renewal for you - a time to rest and consider how God is calling to you, a time to commit once again to trust God with a challenge that you have been facing for years, a time to reach out and connect with someone for support or with an organization for growing in partnership or community collaboration.  May you feel God’s refreshment in this season.

With gratitude,

   Sarah 

And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.  Revelation 21:5-6

Pastor’s Corner – July 18, 2024

Dear Beloved,

As we journey together experiencing color as an opportunity for a spiritual practice of reflection and meditation, I’d invite you to consider the color orange.  When you hear the word orange or see something orange or smell the scent of orange fruit (an orange, peach, nectarine, mango, or cantaloupe) does anything emerge in your mind, heart, body, or spirit (in your being)?  When I think of orange Biblically, the story of Moses and the burning bush (Exodus 3) comes to mind as well as sunrises and sunsets and passages about praising God in the morning and in the evening (Psalm 113:3).  Bright bushes, sunrises, and sunsets all get my attention.  They feel like ways that God reaches out through the splendor of creation as if to say, “I’m here for you, my child.  You have a purpose, my child.  Good morning, my child!  Good evening, my child.”  I wonder how often I respond?  How often do I miss the compassionate whisper of the loving Maker of the heavens and the earth, the leaves, soil, clouds, sun, and nourishing rains?  

 In more recent years, I’ve learned about Orange Shirt Day, so now the importance of remembering and honoring every child - past, present, and future - comes to my being when I hear the word orange or see the word orange.  If you’d like to learn more about Orange Shirt Day and participate in a time of remembrance, reflection, and response, you are invited to Eagle Creek the afternoon of Sunday, September 1st.  Sierra Nuckols and the Peace Learning Center will be guiding us through the sharing of stories and activities that afternoon.  We hope you and those you know can make plans to attend.  Please feel free to be in touch with any question, and if you’d like to share your experiences or reflections on the color orange, I’d enjoy hearing about them.

               With gratitude,

                  Sarah 

Pastor’s Corner – July 4, 2024

Dear Beloved,

     This week I’d invite you to meditate on God’s gifts in the color red as we continue on our journey of praying with/through colors as a possible spiritual practice.

      When you see the color red or if you think or hear about the color red, what comes to your mind?  When preparing to write this, my first thoughts went to objects or symbols - red hearts for Jesus’ love, red rosebuds on the altar table in worship services to celebrate the birth of a child, and red flames to celebrate God’s gift of the Spirit on Pentecost.

       Then Bible passages and stories came to mind - one of the stories about Jacob and Esau (Genesis 25), many stories involving the Red Sea (beginning in Exodus 10), a story that I enjoyed as a child about Rahab although the text I found says “crimson cord” rather than a red rope from my memories (Joshua 2), a warning about paying attention to the times rather than looking for specific signs in Matthew 16.  Do any particular images, symbols, stories, songs, or poems come to your mind?

       I’m also thinking of all the things that have come up and that I’ve been learning about red through my work at school and in relationship with the young adults and programs of the Conscious Caring Community, but that could fill more than a page, so maybe that will be for another pastor’s note at another time.  For now as I close this note to you, I am envisioning the powerfully strong and gentle eternal  love of God - may you always know you are a loved child of God!

  With gratitude and joy,

       Sarah

Pastor’s Corner – June 20, 2024

Dear Beloved,

In my last note to you, I shared that I am inviting you to journey through colors as a spiritual practice. When I pondered what color we might begin with for your journey, gray came to mind. 

Years ago, an art teacher changed my perspective on the color gray. When I asked her what her favorite color was. Her response was “gray” which puzzled me. Gray? Why gray? She said she liked gray because it was warm. I still think of her every time I put on a gray sweatshirt or sweater and thank God for hugging us with warm grays. Gray days also come to mind when I think of the color gray, and I thank God for the quiet and rest that gray days sometimes offer. 

I thought I might find the word gray in the story of God protecting the people of Israel with a pillar of clouds, but I did not. I did find many uplifting passages about gray hair - about praising God until our hair is gray - about trusting God in youth and with gray hair. There are also passages that help us honor age in a culture that often speaks of aging in a negative way. I am grateful for the energy, effort, commitment, time, strength, kindness, and wisdom of so many people with gray hair, and I’m grateful that people still allow me to connect and be part of things even as my hair continues to gray. 

What comes to your heart, mind, and spirit when you see the color gray or hear the word gray? May meditating with or on the gifts of God’s colors offer you encouragement this day and in days to come. May you know you are loved and treasured by the Creator of all the colors, shades, and hues.  

With gratitude and hope,

Sarah

Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained in a righteous life. (Proverbs 16:31)

The glory of youths is their strength, but the beauty of the aged is their gray hair. (Proverbs 20:29)