Be Still And Go

“Our first temptation is to look at what new thing God is doing now rather than to look hard at the history, both ancient and contemporary, to face down the evil which we might not have created but from which we certainly benefit.”In your opinion, what is the evil that needs to be faced down from our ancient and contemporary history?//Isaiah 43:16-21Thus says the Lord,who makes a way in the sea,a path in the mighty waters,who brings out chariot and horse,army and warrior;they lie down, they cannot rise,they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:Do not remember the former things,or consider the things of old.I am about to do a new thing;now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?I will make a way in the wildernessand rivers in the desert.The wild animals will honor me,the jackals and the ostriches;for I give water in the wilderness,rivers in the desert,to give drink to my chosen people,the people whom I formed for myselfso that they might declare my praise.//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Mic

"Having the mind of Christ is a way of knowing from a heart motivated by love, demonstrated by emptying ourselves and letting go of our position and privilege and everything we think we're entitled to and deserve, doing this all on behalf of others and on behalf of the entire world."In your own words, what does it mean to have the mind of Christ?//Philippians 2:5-11Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name,so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father

"We realize that we are not the source of our power, that the power in us is not something we have to fuel with our own little bodies, that it's not energy we have to work up out of our own stores, but our true power comes from God. Our power is rooted in and nourished by the ultimate truth that we are each beloved children of God."What does it mean for you to be a beloved child of God?//Psalm 31:9-16 (The Sidney Psalter)Oh Lord, of thee, lett me still mercy wynne;For troubles, of all sides, have me within;My ey, my gutts, yea my soule, grief doth waste.My life with heaviness, my yeares with moaneDoe pine: my strength with paine is wholly gone:And ev’n my bones consume, where they be plast.All my feirce foes reproach on me did cast:Yea neighbours, more, my mates, were so aghast, That in the streetes from sight of me they fledd:Now I, now I my self forgotten find, Even like a dead man, dreamed out of mind, Or like a broken pott, in myre tredd.I understand what railing greate men spredd:Feare was each where, wh

"Eternal God, whose word silences the shouts of the mighty: Quiet within us every voice but your own. Speak to us in these times of unprecedented challenge and remind us that there is no challenge, tragedy or hardship greater than your love. Amen."What do you hear God saying?//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Debra Northern, the Minister of Parish Care at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and A Dream by Jessie Villa.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.

"We need a God who is in the water with us, a God who isn't afraid to get her clothes wet, a God who will gather friends and strangers on the beach to form a human chain to reach us where we are, stay with us as long as we need, and bring us to safety."Where have you found God recently?//This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear. The cover of Bridge Over Troubled Water is by Bella River Music.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.Visit https://youtu.be/RIDWmPMA1Bk to see the video of Bella River Music performing Bridge Over Troubled Water.

"We are not journeying alone. We are interconnected. We are each others' teachers."Who are you learning from during this season?//John 12:20-33Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voi

"Be still my heart and go forth to create."What is your heart leading you to create?//Jeremiah 31:31-34The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Phil Dieke, the Associate Pastor of Discipleship & Digital Ministry at White Rock United M

"It is an act of worship to tell God what kind of spot we're in. Lament is not just something we can do. It is way of worship we are called to."When was the last time you practiced lament?//Psalm 22:1-18My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest.Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them.To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame.But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people.All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads;“Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver— let him rescue the one in whom he delights!”Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother’s breast.On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me you have been my

If you have been Bathsheba. If you didn’t consent. If you have never told anyone or if you have, if you have restitution or  justice or you don’t. My God is big enough to write a Psalm to you. My beloved,What happened to you was wrongIt was not your faultAnd you don’t have to make sense of why it happenedI should have rescued you I will do what it takes to restore youI will not walk away from youEven if you are very angry.Even if you are finished with me.I will love you until the end.//Psalm 51:1-2Have mercy on me, O God,    according to your unfailing love;according to your great compassion    blot out my transgressions.Wash away all my iniquity    and cleanse me from my sin.//This episode was written and recorded by Amanda Meisenheimer, the Minister of Children & Families at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Threnody by Goldmund.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be S

"Faithful waiting means paying attention, listening with compassion, acting with intention, and trusting that it doesn’t all rely on you or me."What can you learn from polar bears?//Psalm 130Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.    Lord, hear my voice!Let your ears be attentive    to the voice of my supplications!If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,    Lord, who could stand?But there is forgiveness with you,    so that you may be revered.I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,    and in his word I hope;my soul waits for the Lord    more than those who watch for the morning,    more than those who watch for the morning.O Israel, hope in the Lord!    For with the Lord there is steadfast love,    and with him is great power to redeem.It is he who will redeem Israel    from all its iniquities.//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Lynn Casteel Harper, Riverside's Minister of Older Adults and the author of On Vanishing. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms, Leaf Sh

"We need Lent for such a time as this to remind us that nothing in this world is permanent and lasting; only God is forever. We need Lent for such a time as this to recommit ourselves to work for a just and peace-filled world because our world needs God’s healing touch."In your own words, why do we need Lent this year?//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Phil Tom. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Evelyn by Godmund.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.

"God is jumping out of bed at the sound of our first cry. God is picking us up out of our crib, holding us gently and whispering to us lovingly. And God is there when the evening continues to fall, when we can't seem to go back to sleep, when we cry all night long. When evening falls so hard, God will comfort us."How have you found comfort in the midst of a trying time?//This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and Still by Alsever Lake.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.Visit https://youtu.be/cJ8XZV6A4-A to see Sadie Horlor perform this song on Youtube

"God’s goal is to heal the world and to liberate the world from oppression that enslaves and violence that kills."In your own words, what is God's goal?//John 3:14-21And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the

"Although the pains and injustice of life exist all around us and given how this story from long ago is constantly replayed throughout human history and will continue, most likely, to be played, we do have one who is held high, indeed, for all to see. Thanks be to God."Who do you turn to when you experience the pains and injustice of life?//Numbers 21:4-9From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and

"Sorrow, pain, and loss will come to us but what we do with them and what we allow them to do with us is a choice. So surrender. Lament. Allow yourself to break open. Allow your heart to expand until it includes everyone. Erase the boundaries between you and the world. They are false boundaries anyway."When was the last time that you allowed yourself to break open?//Kindness by Naomi Shihab NyeBefore you know what kindness really isyou must lose things,feel the future dissolve in a momentlike salt in a weakened broth.What you held in your hand,what you counted and carefully saved,all this must go so you knowhow desolate the landscape can bebetween the regions of kindness.How you ride and ridethinking the bus will never stop,the passengers eating maize and chickenwill stare out the window forever.Before you learn the tender gravity of kindnessyou must travel where the Indian in a white poncholies dead by the side of the road.You must see how this could be you,how he too was someonewho journeyed through the nig

"Just like the Psalm says, we can cry to God in our trouble, and God will save us from our distress. Because God has hands -- they're attached to our wrists. Our human innovation and ingenuity to heal this world and all of us in it is the work of God. "Where have you seen God at work in the world through the innovation and ingenuity of the people around you?//Psalm 108:19-20Then they cried to God in their trouble,    and God saved them from their distress;God sent out God's word and healed them,    and delivered them from destruction.//This episode was written, recorded, and produced by Rev. Jim Keat, the Digital Minister at The Riverside Church. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear, Bowles Full by Sam Barsh, and Electric Calm by The Realist.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social j

“We are called to live in the house of God and the house of God is among those who are suffering.”Who are you praying for? And with whom are you praying?//Psalm 27The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh—my adversaries and foes— they shall stumble and fall.Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear;though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble;he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me,and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;I will sing and make melody to the Lord.Hear, O Lord, when I cry a

"We are not called to live in isolation with our peace and calm but to share the fullness of life’s experiences with others on the journey. By sharing in the pain, joy and fear of life, there is a 'place for deepest dreaming' and, with the Spirit, 'there is always room to share.'"How are you finding stillness in your life? What does creating space add to your life? //This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Bruce Lamb, the Minister of Faith Formation at The Riverside Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear, Come and Find the Quiet Center by Voices United, and Well Enough Alone by Reveille.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to more episodes from all five seasons of Be Still and Go.Visit www.trcnyc.org/Donate to support this podcast and other digital resources from The Riverside Church that integrate spirituality and social justice.Visit www.trcnyc.org/SmallGroups to find out more about the small groups and faith formation classes that

"This gospel is willing to look at pain but not romanticize it, and push towards incremental and partial healing. Just like the pockets of joy we find in the midst of our own pain and suffering, our own loss and trauma, even when we are down and out, may we take a cue from our Christian ancestors and, if only during this Lenten season, try not to romanticize or fix it, but just sit in the complexity of this moment in time, that it may usher in its own incremental or partial healing. May it be so."In the midst of being "down and out," how have you experienced incremental or partial healing during the past year?//This episode was written and recorded by Rev. Natalie Renee Perkins, the Digital Minister at Middle Collegiate Church. It was produced by Rev. Jim Keat. Background tracks include Button Mushrooms by Podington Bear and All You Say by Kurtis Parks. The recording of Bridge Over Troubled Water is from Choir! Choir! Choir!, a drop in singing event in Toronto.Visit www.trcnyc.org/BeStillAndGo to listen to mo

"It looks like someone was finally fed up with the money changers profiting on every trade and the dove sellers exploiting the poor. About time someone did something! A riot is the voice of the unheard, right?"Who is exploiting the poor in our world today? And who do you see doing something about it?//John 2:13-22The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” The Jews then said to him, “What sign can you show us for doing this?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.