The Word Made Fresh

This Sunday is Pride Sunday! Listen in as Rev. Adriene and Rev. Jim talk about this Sunday's text (Jeremiah 36:1-8, 21-23, 27-31) and what it's like to preach the same text six months later!Also, this is the Season Finale for The Word Made Fresh. But don't worry, we'll be back in September!

Get out of the boat! What does it mean to step away from fear and step into who God is calling you to be? Listen in as Rev. Jim Keat talks with this Sundays guest preacher, Rev. Dr. Paula Stone Williams, about the sermon she will be preaching from Matthew 14:22-33 as well as how she goes about writing a sermon and why you should be looking forward to experiencing this one!Rev. Dr. Paula Stone Williams is a Pastoral Counselor and internationally known speaker on gender equity and religious tolerance.  She lives in Lyons, Colorado, where she serves as Mayor Pro Tem.Paula has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, PBS, NBC, CNN,and many other media outlets.  Her TED talks have had over ten million views.  Paula’s memoir, As A Woman, What I Learned About Power, Sex, and the Patriarchy After I Transitioned, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2021.

Science fiction uses language and ideas from the future to talk about the present. And in many ways, apocalyptic literature does the same!Join Rev. Jim Keat as he reflects on the book of Revelation, this particular passage from chapter 21, and invites us all to learn more about Dr. Yii-Jan Lin, the guest preacher at The Riverside Church this Sunday.Be sure to join us for Open Bible Study at 9:30 am (onsite and online) as we talk with Dr. Lin about this text and her work: http://www.trcnyc.org/OpenBibleStudyAnd check out the full podcast with Dr. Lin over at Data Over Dogma : https://youtu.be/HIgF6uy4H3U?si=ggVDqFUpaeZysH3a

Are you in step with the Spirit?Sit down with Rev. Adriene and Rev. Jim as they dive in to the of the letter to the Galatians, exploring the Work of the Flesh, the Fruit of the Spirit, and what it means to be in step with and guided by the Spirit.Bonus: you'll also hear Rev. Jim talk about his marathon strategy and some excellent podcasts that Rev. Adriene recommends.

You foolish Galatians!Dive in to Galatians 3 with Rev. Jim and Rev. Jabe as they explore how it is coming to life in the sermon Rev. Jabe will be preaching this Sunday. Consider this conversation a mini seminary class -- buckle up and get ready to wade into the theological deep end!Join us on Sunday as we talk more about this text: http://www.trcnyc.org/SundayMorningWorship

Galatians! A new book but a familiar story -- what is the solution for church conflict? Listen in as Rev. Adriene and Rev. Jim talk about this Sunday's text (Galatians 1:13-17; 2:11-21). And bonus conversation -- what exactly does it mean to be "crucified with Christ?" Listen in to find out!

Listen in as Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat reflect on a text that neither of them are preaching. But you're in luck, because this Sunday's preacher is one that we will all be eager to hear -- Rev. Dr. Andrea White!And be sure to keep listening to this extra-long and extra-special episode as Rev. Adriene tells Rev. Jim all about the why and how of her approach to preaching. If you ever wanted to learn how to preach a sermon Rev. Adriene style, this is the episode for you!

It's all about trust.Listen in as Rev. Jim talks with Rev. Adriene about the sermon she will be preaching this Sunday at The Riverside Church. Put on your running shes as we follow Phillip sprinting down the wilderness road to talk with the Ethiopian Eunuch.

What can we learn from older adults?That is one question we will have answered this Sunday at The Riverside Church. Rev. Tim Dalton will step into the pulpit as we celebrate Older Adults Month for a sermon filled with the voices and stories of older adults from our Riverside community.Join Rev. Adriene and Rev. Jim as they sit down with Rev. Tim to talk about this coming Sunday and the story of the first Christians at Antioch. What does it mean to find our way in the midst of fear and uncertainty? Who is this "Saul" character and why isn't he called Paul yet? What happens when three pastors are all in the same room to talk about this Sunday at Riverside? Listen to this episode of The Word Made Fresh to find out!

What is Holy Humor Sunday? What is Rev. Jim planing for this sermon?Pull up a chair as he talks with Rev. Adriene about this coming Sunday at The Riverside Church.(And if you know anything about Rev. Jim's sermons, you know he has a surprise or two tucked up his sleeve!)

Join Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat as they look ahead to Easter Sunday.And yes, while this day is special, so is every day. While you might only hear the timpani and brass on Easter Sunday, we are intentional about bringing a little Easter magic into every Sunday (and every day!).Listen in as Rev. Adriene and Rev. Jim talk about what you can expect this Sunday at Riverside! Visit http://www.trcnyc.org to learn more.

Join Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat as they take a closer look at the story of Jesus entrance into Jerusalem (Luke 19:29-44). And even though there aren't any palm branches in the text, we'll still e waving them on Sunday!

Join Rev. Jim Keat as he sits down with Minister Heelee Velez to talk about Luke 18:31—19:10, the story of Jesus healing a blind man and sharing a meal with a tax collector (Zacchaeus!) and the sermon she will be preaching on Sunday. And watch out, because she's got a secret about her sermon that she's not sharing! Leave a comment and let us know what you think it might be!

Jesus is talking about money, specifically one person who has it and one person does not. What is the relationship between the rich and the poor? How do they engage the world around them and what might God have in store for those on the extremes of an ever-expanding wealth gap in our world?Join Rev. Jim Keat as he rolls into this week's Narrative Lectionary text (Luke 16:19-31) and offers a few thoughts on Jesus' story of the rich man and Lazarus.

Join Rev. Jim Keat as he talks with Kathy Lin, a third year student at Union Theological Seminary, a second year intern at The Riverside Church, and this Sunday's preacher!What does it mean to be found by God when we think we're lost? How do we find ourselves in these stories of a lost sheep, coin, and two brothers? What might we learn when enter the story, not as the "prodigal son" but as the older brother?Listen in as they talk about this well known text in some fresh and exciting ways.

How do you look at the tricky parts of the Bible? Especially when they're the words of Jesus?!Join Rev. Adriene and Rev. Jim in this week's episode of The Word Made Fresh as they join Jesus for a conversation about falling towers, fig trees, and lament. Stick around to hear Rev. Adriene share how the way she looks at the Bible changed and evolved over time (and how yours can too!).

The Good Samaritan – one of those stories we're often so familiar with that we miss some of the essential details. Join Rev. Adriene and Rev. Jim on this 200th episode of The Word Made Fresh as they explore a fresh perspective on this well known story.

Free throws for Jesus? Yep, you read that right.Listen in as Rev. Adriene and Rev. Jim offer a fresh take on the story of Jesus' transfiguration. And yes, it all leads to shooting free throws for Jesus. (Or something like that.)

Join Rev. Jim Keat as he talks with Rev. Dr. John J. Thatamanil about the sermon he will be preaching this Sunday at The Riverside Church, focusing on Luke 7:36-50. The passage recounts Jesus dining at Simon the Pharisee’s house when a woman, labeled a sinner by Simon, anoints Jesus' feet with perfume and tears. Reverend Dr. John Thatamanil, guest preacher and professor at Union Theological Seminary, discusses how Jesus continually disrupts social expectations by associating with those deemed “the wrong sorts.” He challenges the notion of accepting Jesus while rejecting the company he keeps, emphasizing that the only one calling the woman a sinner is Simon, not Jesus himself. This raises questions about how society labels and marginalizes people, and whether those judgments align with Jesus' perspective.Dr. Thatamanil and the host explore the deeply intimate and scandalous nature of the woman’s actions, highlighting the physicality and radical love expressed in the passage. They discuss how Jesus not only accepts but welcomes such an extravagant display of love, suggesting that Christianity often sanitizes or ignores the bodily and emotional depth of faith. The conversation touches on how this passage confronts traditional notions of orderly love, contrasting it with a love that is boundary-breaking, embodied, and passionate. The discussion also critiques how some theologians and political figures, like JD Vance, attempt to impose a rigid, hierarchical order on love, in contrast to the radical inclusivity demonstrated by Jesus.As the conversation concludes, Dr. Thatamanil reflects on how encountering infinite love in human form would shatter our categories and expectations, pushing us toward a more radical and transformative way of loving. He draws attention to the woman’s act of pouring out costly perfume—symbolizing an extravagant, self-giving love that challenges societal norms. The episode invites listeners to consider what it truly means to love God with all one’s strength, including the embodied, passionate, and scandalous dimensions of love that Jesus himself embraces. The upcoming sermon at Riverside promises to explore these themes in depth, offering a provocative and deeply theological reflection on this striking New Testament passage.

Sometimes we have a good idea where the sermon is headed when we record an episode of The Word Made Fresh. And other times we know the text and maybe have an inkling of an idea and then we just see what emerges from the conversation. This episode is definitely the latter. Listen in as Rev. Adriene and Rev. Jim talk about the stories from Luke 7:1-17 and they both share ideas that blow each other away.