The Word Made Fresh

What does it mean to make space for justice? And what walls need to be remodeled in order for those who need justice to have access to it? Join Rev. Jim Keat as he talks with guest preacher Rev. Karlos Nichols about the sermon he will be preaching on Martin Luther King, Jr. Sunday at The Riverside Church.

Join Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat as they discuss Epiphany Sunday, the Baptism of Jesus, and more.

Before we get to Christmas Eve take a moment and step into the final Sunday of Advent, where it's all about love. Only this love is a bit heavy.

"The people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the peoples weeping." How do you hold joy and sorrow? It's easy to find ourselves consumed or overwhelmed with one of them, but to be human is to experience them both. Join Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat as they discuss this Sunday's Narrative Lectionary text and how it intersects with the third Sunday of Adve...

We have so much to talk about in this video! First, we're making our way through the Bible, one chapter at a time, on our Bible in a Minute project. Visit http://www.trcnyc.org/BibleInAMinute to start watching. Then we talk about Riverside's Annual Christmas Pageant, happening Sunday, December 10 at 11:00 am ET in worship. As always, it will be incredible! And finally we dip our toe into this Sund...

"And it is always an utter shit show for somebody." Yep, that's a direct quote from Rev. Adriene Thorne. And it is true, especially during the holiday season. No matter how many Hallmark movies you watch or Christmas cookies you bake, we need to face the reality of our world, the reality that so many of us (all of us?) face -- everything is not perfect, we are holding grief and pain, and yet... .....

Join Rev. Jim Keat as he talks with Rev. Mark Charles about his most recent and his forthcoming books. And if that weren't enough, they dive into what he will be preaching on Sunday, November 23, 2023 at The Riverside Church. Pour yourself a cup of tea and settle in for this rich and insightful conversation!

What does God do with sour grapes? Join Rev. Dr. Lisa Weaver as she sits down with Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat to talk about the sermon she is preaching on Sunday, November 19. Rev. Weaver also walks through her process of how she goes about crafting a sermon. This one is one part Bible study and one part Homiletics class. It's a conversation you won't want to miss!

Join Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat as they discuss this week's Narrative Lectionary text and the sermon that Rev. Thorne will be preaching. When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the more they went from me; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and offering incense to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up in my...

It's an epic showdown. The world's largest BBQ. Elijah vs. the prophets of Baal! Join Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat as they sit with this epic story and explore some of the ways it intersects with our lives and our world today. (And as a bonus, you'll get some hints at where Rev. Thorne's sermon will be going for this Sunday!)

How do we handle power, conflict, and division in our world? In our lives? In our churches? (Wait, churches never have conflict, do they?) Join Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat as they talk about 1 Kings 12:1-17, 25-29 and how Rev. Thorne will be exploring this story of the kingdom divided in her upcoming sermon.

The preacher is lucky if you remember her sermon. But we all can't help but hum the church music all week long. Join Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat as they talk about her upcoming sermon and the essential role music plays in church and the ways it shapes our faith, spirituality, and theology.

What is Children's Sabbath? And how does it intersect with the story of Ruth? Join Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat as they talk about the annual Children's Sabbath worship service and the sermon Rev. Thorne is preparing for this Sunday at The Riverside Church.

We hear the invitation (er, command) to sabbath but don't always think of how it lands on a different context. To the descendant of formerly enslaved people, thou shalt sabbath. To the worker ground to a pulp from the machines of capitalism, thou shalt sabbath. To the manager or CEO who is creating these unjust systems that allow no room to rest, thou shalt sabbath and your workers shall too! Join...

"Wrestling with God – always a bad idea!" This is one of Rev. Adriene Thorne's entry points into this Sunday's lectionary text. Join her as she talks with Rev. Jim Keat about what she's thinking for her next sermon, all sorts of great insights about names from Rev. Keat, and a whole lot more about the juggling so many stories in the Narrative Lectionary from them both.

Riverside's Senior Minister, Rev. Adriene Thorne, is stepping back into the pulpit on Sunday for the first time since mid-June. But before the opening hymn is even sung, she sits down with Rev. Jim Keat for the latest episode of The Word Made Fresh as they discuss the text, how she is approaching it, and why it's ok – perhaps even necessary – to hold a simple phrase from a longer narrative and see...

The Word Made Fresh is back! Join Rev. Jim Keat for this quick announcement about the return of this show and flash of ideas for the first Sunday in the Narrative Lectionary. And if you are able to, be sure and join us for worship on Sunday, Septembe 10 in NYC or online at http://www.trcnyc.org/watch to see exactly what he ends up preaching!

Let's talk about Pride Sunday! Listen in as Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat explore all the ways Isaiah 61intersects with Pride Sunday and our world. What does it mean to bind up the brokenhearted and set captives free? Who exactly is the spirit of the Lord upon today? And what happens when these two rambling reverends end up telling stories about their experience with God's affirming and ce...

"Comfort, O comfort my people." These are the opening words of Isaiah 40. But they could just as well be the announcement made in Galveston, TX on June 19, 1865, the day when the last enslaved people in America were informed of their freedom. What happens when you're preaching this text on Juneteenth weekend? Listen in as Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat discuss this text and this upcoming Su...

Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat welcome a new guest to their weekly Narrative Lectionary conversation. Listen in as they talk with Minister Nordia Bennett, Interim Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministry, as she shares about the sermon she will be preaching and the context both in the text and in the room this Sunday at Riverside. Isaiah 9:1-7 But there will be no gloom for those who...

What happens when Trinity Sunday falls on the beginning of Pride Month? Join Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat as they explore this Sunday's Narrative Lectionary text (Isaiah 6:1-8) and how to preach a sermon or lead a Bible study with one foot in each of these spaces.

When you think of Pentecost you probably don't think of the book of Romans. But after Rev. Adriene Thorne tells Rev. Jim Keat about the sermon she's working on for Sunday, you'll start to see the connections between the story from the book of Acts and this final text in the Narrative Lectionary.

What does baptism have to do with The Little Mermaid? Join Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat as they dive in and explore Romans 6 and how we might be able to best understand a theology of baptism based on the new live action version of The Little Mermaid.

What do we do with Romans? On this episode Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat explore Romans 5:1-11 and discuss the challenges and opportunities in preaching this text. They share how their personal experiences have shaped their perspective on the language of justification and righteousness and highlight the tension and opportunity this text presents in bringing people together on different sid...