Be Still And Go

Luke 1:26-35In 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 bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.”//I came to

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, and lifts up the lowly;” and “has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” A prophetic, truth-telling disciple, Mary announces a new order, in which the Creator of Heaven and Earth favors her lowly estate, while scattering the proud in their hearts. Mary’s vision of power topples the usual visions of power as physical strength, economic wealth, intellectual superiority, or military dominance. In her vision, the poor, the hungry, the lowly—they are the chosen ones, the truly blessed, th

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13How 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 may be blameless before our God at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.//This passage reminds me that there is a great cloud of witnesses around us, that there is great love to be had if we only know where to look. I see that the writer begins with gratitude, with thankfulness, looking at his brothers, sisters, and siblings and saying, “I can’t imagine my life without you. I can’t imagine being a church without you. I can’t imagine doing this work without you.”The writer here is encouraging us to begin with

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 around waiting for the time to pass until the birth of the Christ child. But Advent isn’t passive. Lived well, Advent is the time when we are the most active, the most alert, the most awake, the most in tune with the world because we are expecting God to break through into our lives.I believe that God longs to break into each of our well-protected lives, to teach us about hope, love, joy, and peace, right now. If anything, Advent is the time when we must wake up to live in the present, to live the life that God has given us r

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 wisdom in the fact that our year does not begin with an event. It does not begin with the birth of the one who is supposed to heal our world. It begins in stillness, in waiting.Waiting is not a substitute for doing. We don’t say, “Instead of going to the polls on election day, I’ll just sit still for 20 minutes.” Prayer alone will not fill a hungry stomach. And yet, in a near mystical way, science has shown that it is how we kit ourselves back together from the battering of life. Be still and go. Meditate for the movem

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, and lifted up the lowly;God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.God has helped God’s servant Israel, in remembrance of God’s mercy,according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to God’s descendants forever.”//It’s amazing to me that Christianity with such direct words as this has still largely been able to confuse capitalism, Western imperialism, the world of white privilege, however you want to call it, with the gospel. It’s ignoring what’s sp

Jeremiah 33:14-16The 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 don’t believe that we’re waiting for God to show up — spoiler alert, God is always and already here — but we are waiting for God to be born again in us in new ways so that justice and righteousness can spring up all around us, in us, and in spite of us.Because this branch is not some person from once upon a time or a galaxy far, far away. This branch is you and me. We are the branches for justice and righteousness. When you march in a protest, you are a righteous branch springing up. When you call your congress person to

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 apocalyptic texts, passages in scripture that speak to the end of the world as we know it. These texts were composed by people living in dire straits, circumstance in which the world around them seemed to be falling apart and there was nothing to do except think about what would happen when it was all over once and for all.I can look at the distress among nations and the roaring of the sea and the waves and summon the hope to do exactly what Jesus told us to do: “stand up raise your heads...because your redemption is drawing

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 Keat. Samples include The Wizard of Oz, Work by Rhianna, The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel. Background tracks include Relinquish by Podington Bear, Beyond Daze by Broke for Free, and The Tide by Alex Fitch.Find out more at www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo.

We don’t have to be held hostage by the way things are.//Mark 16:1-4When 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. Any Butler, the Senior 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.

"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.

"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 27:46And 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 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.

"As followers of Jesus we’re supposed to more than just remember the story."//John 13:34I 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/BeStillAndGo.

"Just as our bodies requires water, the world needs justice."//John 19:28I 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.

"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 31:9-16Be 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 street flee from me.I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel.For I hear the whispering of many— terror all around!—as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.”My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Michael Curry, the Pre

"You may not hear God speaking but can you feel God moving?"//1 Samuel 3:1-10Now 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 am!” and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lordhad not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived t

"We need the Jesus of Holy Week to teach us that you can never be perfect enough to avoid rejection."//Psalm 118:22-24, 29The 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-host of the religion and politics podcast Impolite Company. 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.

“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 21:10-17Then 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 the lame came to him in the temple, and he cured them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that he did, and heard the children crying out in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became angry and said to him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read,‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise for yourself’?”He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.//This episode was written b

"It’s easy to deny reality when you don’t look below the surface."//Psalm 51:1-12Have 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 born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy

"You are a child of God and by nature of being a child of God, you are a priest."//Hebrews 5:5-10So 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 death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.//This episode was written and recorded by Brandan Roberts, the Lead Pastor of Missiongathering Christian Church in San Diego, CA. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat, the Associate Minister of Digital Strategy and Online Enga