04/26/2026

     Growing up, I encountered many Christians who scoffed at the environmental movement, insisting that God had given us “dominion” over the earth and we were entitled to take anything and everything we wanted from it, that it was all ours anyway. When I pressed some of these folk on the potential destruction of our world through mistreatment of the gift of creation, I was often met with responses that amounted to “God will never let that happen” or “then God will just fix it for us.” Even as a teenager, such a dismissive and entitled response to the amazing gift of creation seemed like a slap in the face to the Divine.

     Dominion, in the OT context, refers to the authority and responsibility given by God to humans to govern, manage, and steward creation. It is rooted in the idea of stewardship, where humans are seen as caretakers of the earth, accountable to God for their management of God’s creation. Dominion implies a God-given authority that is both a privilege and a responsibility. It is not a license for exploitation or abuse but a call to stewardship and care. The biblical mandate for dominion is closely tied to the concept of being made in the image of God, which suggests that humans are to reflect God's character in their authority over creation. This includes exercising justice, mercy, and wisdom as they engage in that work.

      Earth Day (April 22nd) was founded in 1970. The desired outcome was that we as human beings would begin to shift our thinking, and our actions, away from seeing the world only as source of “resources” to be pillaged and consumed and instead begin to recognize the earth as a provider of all we need to live and sustain ourselves. One that can only do so through a delicate balance. We, as people of faith, should always remember that we bear both the privileges and the responsibilities of being appointed the caretakers of one of God’s greatest gifts to us. Happy Earth Day!

04/19/2026

~ PASTOR’S NOTE ~

    I don’t know about you, but I am really uncomfortable with not being in control. I understand that one of the most basic Christian understandings is that God is in control and we are to trust in that, but I find it much easier said than done. See, I am a helper. It seems to be something that is baked into my DNA, and when you combine that with my theological understanding that, as disciples, we are called to be the hands and feet (and even at times, face) of Christ in this world for those in need, it is easy for me to slip into a headspace where I am never able to do enough.

    Then there are those in the faith who are content to lean into the idea of God being in control as a way to shrug their shoulders and say, “only God’s in control and therefore, only God can fix it.” This too often becomes a justification for not engaging with the pain and the need and the struggles of the world. And I’m not comfortable with that approach either. There is so much need and so much hurt in the world, and that suffering is being inflicted on beloved children of God, those created in the Imago Dei (image of God), who we are charged to love and seek justice for. I am struck by the words of Pirkei Avot, known as Ethics of Our Fathers, one of the best-known and most cited of the Jewish texts, and the apothegm, “It is not your duty to finish the work, but neither are you at liberty to neglect it.”

     So, it is mine to do, but not all of it. God is in control, but I am not allowed to sit back and coast on that truth. Today I will simply need to have faith that God made me enough for this moment. For what does the Lord require of us, but to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.

04/12/2026

Every year, in the days following planting the first seeds in my garden for the year, I worry. I stare at the barren soil and wonder, “Did I screw it up somehow?” I fret that I have over or under watered the seeds, especially in the early Spring when the weather and temperatures are so changeable and unpredictable. Logically though, I know that there hasn’t been enough time for the seeds to germinate, or that just because the seed package says that it is going to only take a certain number of days doesn’t mean that it’s going to be totally accurate. I remind myself that patience is the key in this process just like every growing season that has come before. And yet, I still cannot help wondering once more, “is this going to be the year that nothing grows?”

Often, when I find myself entering into a spiritually challenging season of life or taking on a new ministry role, I fall into the same pattern of worry. “Am I doing too much or not enough?” “What if I don’t have enough experience to accomplish this new thing?” “Will God still be able to create something positive even I screw it all up?” Just like in my garden, it is essential for me to remember that I am not being asked by my Creator to control the end result, but rather I am being charged to faithfully plant seeds. Even in the midst of worry, doubt, and inevitable mistakes, I am called to keep on sowing.  

God will take care of the rest.

04/05/2026

Lost & Found

by Rev. Sarah Speed

Mary wept.

Standing in the garden,

soft dirt under her feet,

sun still tucked away,

sleeping under the horizon.

The other disciples left,

but Mary stayed.

Mary wept.

Shoulders shaking,

tears running down her face.

She said, They have taken my Lord away,

and I don’t know where they put him.

But here’s what Easter taught me:

if you think you’ve lost God,

if it feels like heaven has slipped through the cracks,

if you feel like the night will never end,

then know, there is no hide-and-seek with the divine

that doesn’t end in you being found.

Stay still.

Keep breathing.

God is closer than you think.

03/29/2026

Where are you headed?

by Rev. Sarah Speed

We are trains on a track,

moving through life at warp speed.

Please keep all arms and legs

inside the moving vehicle

at all times.

The years pass like a flipbook,

faster than we can absorb,

but the train does not stop.

We press our faces to the windows

to try and get a good view

and we ask each other,

Where are you headed?

And there on the train

we decide—

We want to head toward

the promised day.

We want to head toward crowded tables

and long, healthy lives.

We want to move in the direction of joyful children,

and hopeful communities.

We want to move closer to God

with every mile of track,

and that does not happen by accident.

So it’s time to ask,

Where are you headed,

and who’s driving that train?

03/22/2026

the answer is yes

by Rev. Sarah Speed

It’s the question we ask at the end of our rope,

when the storm is raging,

when the monsters under the bed have

introduced themselves.

When everything around us seems to be on fire.

It’s the question we ask when hope slips through like sand in a bottle,

when the mockingbirds stop singing,

when the news reporter leads with another mass shooting.

It’s the question we ask when the depression moves in,

making herself at home, making a mess of it all.

It’s the question we ask

when we’re not sure if Easter will come.

Will it be Lent forever?

Will the sun ever rise?

Will this hope lead to something?

Can these bones ever live?

03/15/2026

Jesus in the psych ward

by Rev. Sarah Speed

He’s in group therapy, plastic chairs in a circle.

Paper cups with weak coffee. Everyone in the room has seeking eyes.

The Pharisees admitted him. They said things like,

He’s more than we can handle.

They let the rumors fly.

The other patients like him. They say, He listens to me.

He calls them by name.

And when one of them asks,

Is this our fault? Are we here because we sinned?

Jesus does not wait for the facilitator to speak.

He crosses the circle. He kneels down. He grabs their hands in his and says,

Child of the covenant, God loves you too much to ever wish you pain.

Bodies and minds crumble sometimes, but God’s love for you does not.

And after that

there were happy tears and the group was dismissed to lunch,

where they broke bread and no one talked of sin.

**A note from the author: “I placed Jesus in a hospital setting to reflect the text’s (John 9:1-41) focus around healing. In particular, I chose a psychiatric setting to continue dismantling unfair stigmas around mental health. Once again, in this modern-day context, Jesus offers words of comfort and belonging.”**

03/08/2026

anything & everything

by Rev. Sarah Speed

I’d give you a drink,

a warm cup of tea with lemon and mint,

a confetti cannon, roses from the garden,

my favorite sweatshirt, a bed to lay in,

homemade bread, a hand to hold.

I’d give you my full attention.

I’d give you my phone,

and say, put your number in.

I’d give you the melody line,

a standing ovation,

a sense of security.

I’d give you anything and everything

if it made you believe

that you were enough.

03/01/2026

How Do We Begin Again?

by Rev. Sarah Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC

Do we slide into something new?

Do we make a formal announcement? Dearest reader,

I have decided to begin again. Do we turn gradually,

a gentle yield

in a new direction; or like a wave,

do we crash onto the shore of a new day?

Do we grieve the change? Are there breadcrumbs

on the path?

Will Nicodemus be there?

Will it ever be easy?

I’m not sure exactly how we begin again,

but I know that moths wrap themselves in silk,

and after quite some time,

after many long nights,

after days spent alone,

they break out of their shell.

They pull themselves out under open sky,

and they spend the rest of their days chasing the light.

Maybe it’s always that way with beginnings.

Maybe it feels like the protective layer falling away.

Maybe we have to go it alone at first.

Maybe it feels like pulling and dragging yourself into something new.

Maybe there’s always open sky at the other end.

02/22/2026

At the Start

by Rev. Sarah Speed | A Sanctified Art LLC

Is this the fast I choose?

Will I wake with the sun each morning?

Will I start with thank you?

Will I peel back the cage around my frame to let you in

or will I get too busy? Will my Bible collect dust on the shelf,

along with my journal, along with my sense of self,

or will I roll back the stone and wade in?

Every new season beckons something of us—

attention, beauty, the chance to create.

This season is no different.

So, like moths to the light, will we find our way toward God,

or will we hover, circling fake suns?

I am seeking something deeper.

I am kicking off my shoes.

I am starting this season on holy ground.

02/15/2026

Transfiguration    by Malcom Guite

For that one moment, ‘in and out of time’,
On that one mountain where all moments meet,
The daily veil that covers the sublime
In darkling glass fell dazzled at his feet.
There were no angels full of eyes and wings
Just living glory full of truth and grace.
The Love that dances at the heart of things
Shone out upon us from a human face
And to that light the light in us leaped up,
We felt it quicken somewhere deep within,
A sudden blaze of long-extinguished hope
Trembled and tingled through the tender skin.
Nor can this blackened sky, this darkened scar
Eclipse that glimpse of how things really are.

02/08/2026

It’s hard to imagine that we are only a few weeks from another Lenten season. This year during our season of Lent we will be guided by the theme Seeking: Honest Questions for a Deeper Faith. The lectionary for Year A offers us many stories of Jesus encountering people who are seeking: Nicodemus comes to him in the veil of night, he approaches a Samaritan woman at a well, he heals a man born without sight. In these stories, each person is seeking a new beginning, a different life, a deeper faith. What unfolds is an exchange filled with questions and exploration. Often, an unveiling occurs—assumptions are disrupted, a new perspective is revealed, mystery grows.

I chose this theme because I know that this congregation is in the midst of a time of seeking, a time of discernment regarding what God may be faithfully calling us to next and who we are to become as a community of faith going forward. Anderson CoB doesn’t look like it once did, and we are unsure of what comes next for us. It is a difficult liminal space for communities of faith to find themselves in. Such seeking requires hard questions and conversations, a willingness to sincerely reflect on and consider initially uncomfortable answers, and the courage to be honest with ourselves about what faithful risks we are (or are not) willing to take. All of this must be engaged in with a spirit of love, care, and compassion, both for ourselves as individuals and for one another. 

To that end, I would encourage each of us to think a bit differently as we approach Lent. It is a common practice to give something up for 40 days of Lent as a form of fasting and preparing our hearts for the resurrection of Christ. Alternatively, I suggest we consider what it would look like to commit to a new spiritual discipline for Lent, focused on Seeking. Such disciplines could include Openness, Generosity, Radical Visioning, Prayerful Reflection, Honest Assessment, Deep Listening, and Risk Taking. As we pursue these practices to engage more fully with the Holy Spirit and how it is moving in our congregation, we are faithfully moving toward the threshold of God’s vision for us.

02/01/2026

Beatitude Prayer

(inspired by Matthew 5:3-12, from Catholic Online website)

Lord Jesus, you said,

    "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Keep us from being preoccupied with money and worldly goods, and with trying to increase them at the expense of justice.

 Lord Jesus, you said,

    "Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth."

Help us not to be ruthless with one another, and to eliminate the discord and violence that exists in the world around us.

Lord Jesus, you said,

    "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted."

Let us not be impatient under our own burdens and unconcerned about the burdens of others.

Lord Jesus, you said,

    "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be filled."

Make us thirst for you, the fountain of all holiness, and actively spread your influence in our private lives and in society.

Lord Jesus, you said,

    "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy."

Grant that we may be quick to forgive and slow to condemn.

Lord Jesus, you said,

    "Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God."

Free us from our senses and our evil desires, and fix our eyes on you.

Lord Jesus, you said,

    "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God."

Aid us to make peace in our families, in our country, and in the world.

Lord Jesus, you said,

    "Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of justice, for the kingdom of heaven in theirs." 

Make us willing to suffer for the sake of right rather than to practice injustice; and do not let us discriminate against our neighbors and oppress and persecute them.

01/25/2026

    I would like to take a moment this week to express my deep appreciation for the extended time away that the congregation was willing to offer me following the death of my grandmother, which allowed me to travel down to Virginia for her funeral. Many thanks to Jaye Lee and John for delivering the messages on Sundays I was absent, and to all of the members of the congregation who sent cards and texts and prayers. All the support you have shown during this difficult time of grieving has been a meaningful demonstration of support.

    As we begin to enter the next phase of getting to know each other, please know that I am greatly looking forward to learning about each of you as individuals, and to learning about the hopes you have for the future of this congregation and the challenges you perceive the church is facing. Over the coming months, I would ask each member of the congregation to reflect on how they would answer the following questions:

    1. What do you love about the Anderson Church of the Brethren?

    2. What are the values of the Anderson congregation? (How would you describe the congregation to your neighbor on an airplane?)

    3. If you were granted one wish and could change anything about the congregation, what would you do with that wish?

    As we move forward together in discernment for what God may be calling Anderson to next, may we do so with open hearts and listening ears, knowing that God walks with us.

01/18/2026

~ PARISHONER’S NOTE ~

Provided by Jaye Rogers

Mary Oliver (1935-2019), during her lifetime, was the best-selling poet in the United States. Her poems combine her deep and welcoming faith with nature, where she found beauty in all of God's creation. 

"Making the House Ready

for the Lord"

Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but

still nothing is as shining as it should be

for you. Under the sink, for example, is an

uproar of mice -- it is the season of their

many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves and through the walls the squirrels

have gnawed their ragged entrances -- but it is the season when they need shelter,

so what shall I do? And

the raccoon limps into the kitchen

and opens the cupboard

while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;

what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling in the yard,

and the fox who is staring boldly

up the path, to the door. And still I believe

you will come, Lord:   

you will, when I speak to the fox,

the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering

sea-goose, know

that really I am speaking to you

whenever I say,

as I do all morning and afternoon:

Come in, Come in.

01/11/2026

~ PARISHONER’S NOTE ~

Mary Oliver (1935-2019), during her lifetime, was the best-selling poet in the United States. Her poems combine her deep and welcoming faith with nature, where she found beauty in all of God's creation. 

"Making the House Ready

for the Lord"

Dear Lord, I have swept and I have washed but

still nothing is as shining as it should be

for you. Under the sink, for example, is an

uproar of mice -- it is the season of their

many children. What shall I do? And under the eaves and through the walls the squirrels

have gnawed their ragged entrances -- but it is the season when they need shelter,

so what shall I do? And

the raccoon limps into the kitchen

and opens the cupboard

while the dog snores, the cat hugs the pillow;

what shall I do? Beautiful is the new snow falling in the yard,

and the fox who is staring boldly

up the path, to the door. And still I believe

you will come, Lord:   

you will, when I speak to the fox,

the sparrow, the lost dog, the shivering

sea-goose, know

that really I am speaking to you

whenever I say,

as I do all morning and afternoon:

Come in, Come in.

01/04/2026

The Magi              by Malcolm Guite

It might have been just someone else's story;

Some chosen people get a special king,

We leave them to their own peculiar glory, 

We don't belong, it doesn't mean a thing.

But when these three arrive

they bring us with them,

Gentiles like us, their wisdom might be ours; 

A steady step that finds an inner rhythm,

A pilgrim's eye that sees beyond the stars.

They did not know his name

but still they sought him

They came from otherwhere

but still they found;

In palaces they found those

who sold and bought him,

But in the filthy stable, hallowed ground.

Their courage gives our

questing hearts a voice

To seek, to find, to worship, to rejoice.

It could have so easily been a gift for a chosen few, the wondrous gift of God’s embodied self. Only for a select group of people, the VIPs. However, the love of God turned out to be far more radical than that. It included everyone, even the people we’d rather it didn’t, and most shockingly it included us. In the magi we can see ourselves, in our own long and often unexpected search for God. It is not surprising to us that we are forever reaching out toward God, but every year, every week, every hour, this very moment, I continue to be blown away by the fact that God is reaching out to us, too.

Happy Epiphany Everyone!

12/28/2025

A New Year's Prayer  by Joyce Rupp

God, surprise us again.

When we miss the beauty and the joy of earth's goodness.
When we grow too accustomed to life's busyness.
When the goodness of others gets lost in the rush.
When our frailty outruns our strength.
When the hope in our heart fades away.
When the call to serve others loses its flavor.
When we search for the way home to you.
When loneliness pursues us.
When it seems the darkness will never give way to

the light.

 
When the ache of the world wears our compassion thin. 

When the troubles of others seem more than we can carry.       

When even you seem far away from us. 

Walk closely with us, God.
As we strive to live our lives well.
As we enjoy the treasures we've found in the field

of faith.  

As we continue to surrender ourselves to you.
As we journey into the unknown territory of a new year.
As we hurt in the process of loving our enemies.
As we learn to accept our weaknesses and our strengths.
As we open our hearts to the messengers you

send to us.

1As we give ourselves to the poor and the powerless.
As we keep searching for the truth.
As we try to live in the heart of the scriptures.
As we accept your constant love for us. seeks us out no matter where we are, how prepared we are, and what kind of headspace we are in. Merry Christmas!

12/21/2025

Sometimes, the Advent & Christmas season arrives with joy and singing. We feel prepared and are excited about the prospect of seeing family and spending time with friends. Our homes look festive and welcoming, and our hearts are open and ready to receive all the blessing this season has to offer us. Other times, though, we arrive at this season with little enthusiasm. We are frustrated by the holiday disruptions to the regular patterns of our lives, knowing by the end of it all we will be even more behind on things than we were before. All we can see before us is endless to-do lists and the overwhelming crush of expectations we can never live up to.

    The flawless image of the nativity scene at the center of our imaginations is often where we go wrong in our expectant thinking. That perfect image of a calm and bright Christmas. It sounds great on the page and in our imaginations, but let’s be honest, Christ’s arrival was pure chaos. A dung-smelling, filthy birthing room after an exhausting journey to a place Joseph and Mary were forced by governmental decree to go to, followed by playing host to strangers arriving with tales of terrifying angels and thrusting expectations on a child only hours old. There was no order, limited preparedness, and everybody was just doing the best they could with what was in front of them.

    And yet, the in-breaking of God’s love arrived anyway, just as it does today. A love that doesn’t wait for the perfect time and setting. A love that seeks us out no matter where we are, how prepared we are, and what kind of headspace we are in. Merry Christmas!

12/14/2025

After Annunciation 

by Madeleine L’Engle

“This is the irrational season
when love blooms bright and wild.
Had Mary been filled with reason
there’d have been no room for the child.”

    Jesus, Emmanuel, God-With-Us, was not a rational solution to the world’s problems in the 1st century Roman empire. Today, in our own time of struggles for power and crushing inequity, it is just as irrational. Everything about God’s love for us and this world defies all rationality. We cannot comprehend such a love. We fail at every attempt to wrap our minds around it, and in our clumsy efforts to do so, we often find ourselves trying to make it smaller than it really is. We want to define it, to categorize it, to place boundaries on it so that it won’t expand beyond the grasp of our understanding or the limits of our comfort concerning who we think should receive it. 

    But Mary recognized God’s love for exactly what it was. Why else would she risk such scandal as a teenage woman, in a time when it would likely have cost her own life? It seems to be the irrationality and joy of deep faith rather than the rationality of a “what might this cost me” mindset. Mary seems to understand L’Engle’s poem. She understands about love blooming “bright and wild.” And so she makes room for God’s wild and uncontainable love, no matter the risk. 

    How will you risk being the bearer of God’s wild, irrational love this week?