2025 blessings to you. In some ways it feels like a slow start to the year, in others, a whirlwind. On Epiphany Sunday we drew "star words:" words to guide our focus this year. The word I drew was "flexibility," and the word I had chosen to be my word for the year was "brave." I chose brave instead of bravery because it is an adjective as well as a verb. You can be brave, and you can brave a situation. Combined, my word for the year and my star word make my focus for the year: Brave Flexibility. 

How about you? What are you focusing on this year? What principles, characteristics or goals are guiding you in 2025? 

Holy one, creator of beauty - of trees standing tall, gifting us the scent of pine in the crisp of the fall, of changing leaves and cozy, leaf-crunching walks, of brilliant minds who envisioned beautiful works of architecture from nothing... God of all, our prayers abound for the devastation in the wake of hurricanes Helene and Milton. 
The loss is widespread, incomprehensible; unfathomable and yet very very present. 
For those who must rebuild, who lost everything and now have to start again, we ask a blessing of comfort, peace, and your abiding presence.
For those who have lost loved ones, sustanance as they mourn, and time and space to grieve.
For those who are now traumatized, we ask for helpful resources to navigate their trauma and pain; and people to sit with and listen to them. 
And for us, bystanders safe and sound on dry land, we pray for willingness to listen, to bear witness to these horror stories of loss, trauma and devastation. Let us not be quick to jump to joy or hope or thin platitudes that only thinly veil the discomfort of the present reality. Let us sit in the muck and mire with our siblings in humanity who are hurting,
​Amen

This is a letter I wrote and read to the church on Sunday morning of this week (9/22/24)

Greetings,
 
Last week, we had the privilege of hearing from Glen Foster, Executive Coordinator of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship West, the Western regional association of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF).
 
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF) is an organization that exists to support churches and their leaders. It is structured much like American Baptist Churches of the Rocky Mountains (ABCRM), with which this church has a long-standing affiliation.
 
At the July Church Board meeting, I presented a proposal for consideration, to become a part of not only ABCRM but also CBF. This proposal was approved. 
 
ABCRM and CBF are two organizations that provide congregational and clergy support. This church has a very long-standing history with ABCRM, and I have a long-standing ministerial relationship with CBF. CBF subsidized my seminary education, the first church to call me as associate pastor was a CBF church, and I am endorsed as a chaplain through CBF.
 
All that this affiliation with CBF means is that we get an extra layer of support as a congregation, and I have access to clergy support initiatives like pastor peer groups, book clubs, and retreats, to nurture my own spirituality and faith while I join in helping you to nurture yours.
 
It does not mean that we are becoming a different church, or merging with any other churches, or getting a new name. It just means that we are a part of a group of churches that are on CBF’s radar – they will check in with us from time to time, ask us how they can be supportive, and come and visit us from time to time. It’s a good thing.
 
Just like Steve Van Ostran and Rodney Perry visit us from time to time just to check in on behalf of ABCRM, staff from CBF and CBF West will check in with us from time to time, simply to be there for us, fellowship with us, and encourage us as we seek to be the people God has called us to be and do the work that God has called us to do.
 
I hope this helps to clarify any confusion, and I hope that you will be as blessed by CBF’s support of the Church at Eaton, as I have been blessed by their support of ministers all over the country and the world.
Blessings,
-Pastor Sara - 

In my most recent meeting with my Spiritual Director, we talked about rhythms of work and rest. I said that for the first time in a while, I feel like I'm working from my rest, rather than resting from my work. 

The difference is, rather than catching up on rest at then end of a busy week, paying back a sleep debt and recharging over the weekend, rest has become a way to fuel me for the day ahead, and the week ahead in ways that are allowing me to be more present to my time off - where I'm able to read or write, or garden, or simply be. 

Rhythms of life are important things to pay attention to. What you say "yes" to can quickly become overwhelming, if you're in a habit of not intentionally paying atteniton to how much you're giving, and how much you're pouring back into yourself. 

Jesus modeled rest in his ministry often. He withdrew to lonely places to pray, and a few times, though their attempts for rest were thwarted at the time, he tried to get away to a quiet place with his disciples so they could have a meal together and enjoy a time of rest. 

As you probably know, if you're not giving your body the rest it needs, it will start to ask for it: through aches and pains, or illness; through irritability, or frustration. 

My rest time is often spent gardening - where i connect with God and the Earth, reading - a chance to learn something, or experience a new style of writing and imagination, journaling - where i list my gratitudes and prayers, and just being still, at home, at REST. 

How do you find rest that nurtures your soul and feeds your spirit? 

I met with my spiritual director yesterday, which I do once a month, and we had a really good conversation about nurturing and maintaining joy. 
At one point, he asked me to complete this sentence: "my joy is..."

And my answer was, unsurprisingly, about embodied joy - a feeling of peace and restfulness that is most prominent when a soccer cup is happening where Brazil and Mexico are playing. The USA is (or was) in this current cup, the Copa America which comprises teams from North, South, and Central America. So, I've been spending the last two weeks rooting for my 3 teams: Brazil (where I grew up and learned to love soccer), Mexico (where at least one of my biological parents is from), and USA ( where I've made my home for many years, and have family roots). 

There's something that happens when there is soccer to be had. It's like my heart and mind align with my body; my body that remembers World Cup '96 when the whole church gathered together with food and Guarana soda, in the linoleum covered sanctuary area. Some grown-ups wheeled in a little TV from one of the classrooms and we all watched, transfixed, as Italy and Brazil went into a penalty shoot-out during the final, and finally, one of the Brazilian players faked out the Italian goalie, and Brazil won their fourth World Cup. 

My body remembers being in Mexico during a Cup - I think it was a CONCACAF Gold Cup. The energy on game day was elecric. A few times, the mission teams I was with, serving as a translator, would huddle around a TV in a church member's home, and there would be treats and soda, and loudness and joy. 

My body remembers watching USA v Portugal during the 2014 World Cup as a member of the Young Adults Ministry at North Atlanta Church of Christ. We were at someone's beautiful home for a watch party. Snacks, soda, and loud fun. I sat next to my friend and fellow soccer enthusiast, Rosie; and I remember how we both almost came out of our skin when a kid who didn't know any better said at the end of the tied match, "at least we didn't lose!" 

We didn't loose but it was the knockout round, so we didn't advance either. That was the year that saw Germany's national team absoulutely massacre the Brazilian national team, in my hometown of all things, too!  Most disappointing World Cup ever. 

As our conversation progressed, I was asked to describe what joy feels like in my head, in my heart, and in my body. I said that rationally, in my head, this joy feels like it might be fleeting because its tied to a very specific circumstance but I hope not - I hope I can harness it and evolve it and grow with it for a long time. I said that in my heart, joy feels like a synergy, a connection of mind, sould, and body that emanates from who I am at my core: a person who remembers relationships, places, tastes, and experiences. And remembering those experiences in an embodied way is how I maintain joy. And I said that in my body, joy feels like better rest, less anxiety, and more time being "at rest."

We wrapped up the conversation with an invitation to explore further what I need from God, from the people in my life, and from myself, to maintain and nurture, and cling to joy. 

So I'll leave you with the same exercises:

Complete this sentence: "my joy is..."

What does joy feel like... 
in your head/mind?
in your heart?
in your body?

What do you need in order to maintain, nurture and cling to joy? What do you need from God? From the people in your life? From yourself? 

Have a blessed week.

- Pastor Sara - 

First of all, I would like to thank the Church@Eaton for the flexibility in accommodating time away for me to attend the 2nd of 3 May seminars for my Doctor of Ministry program. That means after this one, I'll just have one more. I'm anticipating completing the writing of my thesis in May of 2025, completing my oral defense of my project in May of 2025, and walking at graduation in May of 2026. 

I'll be out this Sunday and next because of attending the seminar in Atlanta for my class, Spiritual Practices in the Life of the Church. My overall project is focused on embodiment and story, and specifically addresses decentering whiteness in preaching. Whiteness is an ideology - apart from the sole color of the skin of a person - whiteness, from which emerges the dangerous ideology of white supremacy, permeates society and even creates an approach to scripture that suggests there is only one way to approach and understand the bible.

My project seeks to find new and liberative ways for the preacher and the hearer to engage with scripture, and find themselves more fully in the story of God, through listening to the voices on the margins of scripture and scripture study. I will be working with a small group of preachers from churches affiliated with ABCRM or ABCUSA, to discuss the impact of engaging with minority perspectives and commentaries, on spiritual growth, understanding of self and the world of the biblical text, and on preaching itself, for offering a liberating way of being in the world as fully ourselves, preaching in our authentic voices, understanding that faith is not one size fits all. 

Thank you for allowing me this time.  See you in June!
​-Pastor Sara -

You may have noticed a change in the process for communion. I would like us to move to a practice of communion by intinction (dipping the bread in the juice). This practice is something that I learned about in my first church job - I was associate pastor of a small, predominantly aging congregation, and I found it incredibly meaningful. 
Being able to look into each person's face as I offered them the body of Christ broken for them and the blood of Christ poured out for them was humbling, uplifting, and affirming all at the same time.
It humbled me to be able to serve my congregants in this intimate way. 
It uplifted me to share a moment with each person, even as short as it was, and to be reminded that we are all on this journey of learning to be more like Christ, together. 
It affirmed that my ministry, the path I have chosen, is one of serving others. 

Communion by intinction connects me to you, and me to God. It connects you to me, and you to God, and it connects us all to one another. 

I thank you for the opportunity that you are giving me, to serve you and become ever more humbled in service to Christ and to you.

Blessings,

-Pastor Sara - 

Holy Week culminates on Easter Sunday - the day of resurrection. On this day, we remember that death is not the final word.
The season of Easter, however, on Easter Sunday, is just beginning. Eastertide, or the Easter Season, lasts from Easter Sunday and ends on Pentecost Sunday. 
During the season of Easter, we remember the events following the resurrection of Jesus: his appearance to the two travelers on the road to Eammaus, his appearance to and commissioning of the apostles, his teachings about how to be the presence of Christ in the world around us, and his ascension into heaven. 
The fact that Easter is a whole 50 day season, spanning each Sunday from Easter to Pentecost is refreshing to me. It's a relief to know that the joy of Resurrection Sunday continues on, in Jesus' appearances to his followers, and that the official end to Easter is Pentecost, when the Apostles received the Holy Spirit.
Relish this season. Enjoy the 50 days following the celebration of Jesus' resurrection. 
In fact, think about ways in which the Easter Season can be a spiritual practice for you. How are you being invited over the next 50 days to notice reminders of Christ's presence in your life? To be a living example of that presence to the people around you? 
As we continue to learn and grow together, I wish you a very blessed Easter Season. 

-Pastor Sara -