Isaiah 12:2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; God has become my salvation. // The Good News of Jesus is that God entered the pit. God walks the valley. God is knowable. Emmanuel, God with us, is everywhere, waiting to be discovered. We can see God and hear God and taste God and touch God and smell God. The prophet Isaiah says that God is my Salvation. God is my strength. God is my song. When you are saved from circumst...
Dec 19, 2018•5 min
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, who has looked with favor on the lowliness of God’s servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is God’s name. whose mercy is for those who fear God from generation to generation. Who has shown strength with God’s arm; and has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. who has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up th...
Dec 18, 2018•1 min
Zephaniah 3:14, 20 Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord. // In the little book of Zephaniah, images of God’s power and love are extreme. They are a consuming fire and a crooning song. A fire that purifies rather than destroys...
Dec 17, 2018•9 min
Psalm 98: 4-6 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord. // Joy to the world; the Lord is come; let earth receive her King: Let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing. -Isaac Watts // The subtle power of this song is that forces me to confront the reality that I a...
Dec 16, 2018•8 min
Luke 1:47-50 My spirit celebrates God, my Liberator! For though I’m God’s humble servant, God has noticed me. Now and forever, I will be considered blessed by all generations. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; holy is God’s name! From generation to generation, God’s lovingkindness endures. // Mary didn’t believe the lies of the cruel empire. Nor did she swallow the bitter shame of her gender. Nor did she trust the intolerance. For though people saw Mary as poor, she knew that she ...
Dec 15, 2018•6 min
Luke 3:3-6 The word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smo...
Dec 14, 2018•4 min
Philippians 1:3-6 I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. // Paul writes these words to his close friends at Philippi, memories of their time together are what sustain him…their shared work of the gospel. This Advent, you and I are ma...
Dec 13, 2018•6 min
Luke 1:46-55 Mary responded, “Oh, how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my Savior! For God took notice of his lowly servant girl, and now generation after generation forever shall call me blest of God. For God, the mighty Holy One, has done great things to me. God’s mercy goes on from generation to generation, to all who reverence God. “How powerful is God’s mighty arm! How God scatters the proud and haughty ones! God has torn princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. God has satis...
Dec 12, 2018•9 min
Luke 1:76-79 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” // We are a people desperately in need of good news. In this land, life expectancies are more accurately p...
Dec 11, 2018•5 min
Malachi 3:1-4 See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until...
Dec 10, 2018•8 min
Luke 1:26-35 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and...
Dec 09, 2018•10 min
Luke 1:52-55 “God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. God has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of God’s mercy, according to the promise God made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to God’s descendants forever.” // After saying a risky yes to a divinely unorthodox pregnancy, Mary boldly declares a vision of God’s reign in which God throws “down the powerful from their thrones, a...
Dec 08, 2018•8 min
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may God so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you ...
Dec 07, 2018•8 min
Luke 21:34-36 “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” // Sometimes we say that Advent is about waiting. But that implies that we’re just sitting arou...
Dec 06, 2018•12 min
Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” // Advent is the season of anticipation. The word Advent literally means “arrival” and during these four weeks leading up to Christmas we are waiting for the arrival of the Prince of Peace. Advent marks the beginning of the Christian calendar and it is a time when we reflect on the brokenness around us and the promised coming of the reign of God. It strikes me that there is a particular wis...
Dec 05, 2018•7 min
Luke 1:46-52 “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for God has looked with favor on the lowliness of God’s servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is God’s name. God’s mercy is for those who fear God from generation to generation. God has shown strength with God’s arm; God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. God has brought down the powerful from their thrones...
Dec 04, 2018•7 min
Jeremiah 33:14-16 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.” // Advent is the season of watching and waiting. But I ...
Dec 03, 2018•10 min
Luke 21:25-28 “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” // These are apoc...
Dec 02, 2018•7 min
Be Still and Go: Meditations for the Movement returns for a second season, offering daily audio reflections for the 2018 season of Advent, filling you up so that you can continue to pour out life and justice and creativity and beauty in the world around you. So whether you're on your morning commute, at home cooking dinner, out on a run, or whatever you do while you're listening to podcasts, this invitation is for you: Be still. And go. // This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Jim ...
Nov 25, 2018•3 min
We don’t have to be held hostage by the way things are. // Mark 16:1-4 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out loud to each other, “Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?” Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back—it was a huge stone—and walked right in. // This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Dr. A...
Apr 01, 2018•7 min
"The truth is simple: only love will give our lives any meaning at all, any substance, love as service, love as justice, love as grace and forgiveness, love that is living in the world for others." // This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Michael Livingston, the Senior Executive Minister at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat, the Associate Minister of Digital Strategy and Online Engagement at The Riverside Church. Find out more at www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo ....
Mar 31, 2018•6 min
"God knows what it feels like to lose a child, God knows what it feels like to suffer the execution of a cross, and God knows what it feels to be born a refugee" // Matthew 27:46 And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? // This episode was written and recorded by Shane Claiborne, the founder of The Simple Way and a part of Red Letter Christians. It was produce...
Mar 30, 2018•6 min
"As followers of Jesus we’re supposed to more than just remember the story." // John 13:34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. // This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Ellen Robison, the Minister of Worship & the Arts at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat, the Associate Minister of Digital Strategy and Online Engagement at The Riverside Church. Find out more at www.trcnyc.org/BeStillA...
Mar 29, 2018•8 min
"Just as our bodies requires water, the world needs justice." // John 19:28 I am thirsty. // This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rev. Jim Keat, the Associate Minister of Digital Strategy and Online Engagement at The Riverside Church. Find out more at www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo .
Mar 28, 2018•6 min
"And if there is a God and God is not finished with us, if there is a God then the human word is not the last word. God is." // Psalm 31:9-16 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away. I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the s...
Mar 27, 2018•5 min
"You may not hear God speaking but can you feel God moving?" // 1 Samuel 3:1-10 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I a...
Mar 26, 2018•10 min
"We need the Jesus of Holy Week to teach us that you can never be perfect enough to avoid rejection." // Psalm 118:22-24, 29 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. // This episode was written and recorded by Amy Sullivan, a Chicago-based journalist and co-...
Mar 25, 2018•8 min
“Anger is the joyful noise that makes the ears of the powerful perk up because it is a sign that the new life is not yet here but maybe it’s just around the corner." // Matthew 21:10-17 Then Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.” The blind and...
Mar 24, 2018•10 min
"It’s easy to deny reality when you don’t look below the surface." // Psalm 51:1-12 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. Indeed, I was ...
Mar 23, 2018•10 min
"You are a child of God and by nature of being a child of God, you are a priest." // Hebrews 5:5-10 So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from deat...
Mar 22, 2018•12 min
