Join us for a deep dive into Luke 1:26-45—“Blessed is she who believed”—as we explore Mary’s extraordinary agency, faith, and leadership in the story of the Annunciation. This week’s reflection on the fourth Sunday of Advent focuses on Mary’s powerful role in the Christmas narrative, her relationship with Elizabeth, and the broader implications for women in leadership and faith.

We’ll also touch on the transformative power of women’s relationships, inspired by Adrienne Rich and Sojourner Truth, and consider how Mary’s story challenges traditional narratives about women’s roles in the church and beyond.

💡 Highlights:
The Beatitude of Mary: Blessed is she who believed.
Mary’s agency and permission-giving in her dialogue with God.
The supportive relationship between Mary and Elizabeth as a model for women’s solidarity.
Reflections on the importance of diverse voices in interpreting scripture.

✨ Upcoming Services:
🎄 Sunday Worship (Dec. 22): Music at 10:30 am ET, Worship at 11:00 am ET
🎄 Christmas Eve Services (Dec. 24):
4:00 pm ET: Family-Friendly Service with Jazz & Nativity
7:00 pm ET: Traditional Lessons & Carols

📍 Find more details and join us online or in person at http://www.trcnyc.org

Rev. Thorne is back in the pulpit and she's picking up the same scroll that Jesus read from in Luke 4. Only the Narrative Lectionary has us reading a bit further, exploring some aspects of this often familiar passage that you might be less familiar with!

Listen in as Rev. Thorne and Rev. Keat talk about this Sunday's sermon at Riverside and all the reasons why you should stick around on Sunday and join us for our annual Candlelight Carol Festival!

Visit https://www.trcnyc.org/event/candlelight/ to learn more about Candlelight and purchase your tickets today!

Join Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat as they talk about the subtle yet significant differences between the Christmas stories found in Matthew and Luke. Or in the words of Rev. Jim, don't mix your magi and your shepherds!

They go on to talk about this Sunday at The Riverside Church, where the children will proclaim the good news in our annual Christmas pageant. This is a Sunday you never want to miss!

And if that wasn't enough, they pull back the curtain and talk more about how Riverside has come to center children in worship, not just once or twice a year but every single Sunday.

Enjoy!

Life is filled with waiting, especially now -- waiting to see what will happen when a new president steps into office, waiting to see exactly what his staff and administration will do in our country and around the world, waiting for another headline and another injustice and another "fill in the blank."

Advent is a season of waiting, typically waiting for the birth of Jesus at Christmas but also waiting for God to show up in the midst of this world (which is really what the Christmas story is all about!). This year the Narrative Lectionary invites us to begin advent with Daniel in the lion's den, a story filled with waiting.

As we find ourselves waiting in our lives and our world, as we sit with Daniel and the king and the administrators and their waiting in this story, we just might find that what we are waiting for isn't far off in  a distant future, but it is always and already here, a present hope for what is to come, God with us and within us, as close as our very breath, calling us to action here and now and never just someday.

Stop waiting and push play. Watch the latest episode of The Word Made Fresh and listen in as Rev. Adriene talks with Rev. Jim about what he will be preaching this Sunday at The Riverside Church. (And yes, you read that correctly. Rev. Jim will be in the building to preach!)

This week's Narrative Lectionary text offers a deep cut of a story, where Jehudi cuts the scrool with a penknife and throws the pieces into the fire. Only that's the not the end of the story. God tells Jeremiah to dictate the words so they can be written again.

The work of an artist is not to do it once, but to do it again, and again, and again. Put in the reps. Practice and keep practicing. You cut the scroll? Write it again. After all, hard times require furious dancing.

Hard times might feel a little closer than we would like, especially for black and brown people, queer folx, women. And it is in the midst of these hard times that we hear Jeremiah's words, reminding us that the days are coming when God will make a new covenant, because even -- especially in the midst of trouble and turmoil -- God is doing something new. And the best part, God is inviting us to help bring this newness to life.

We need the artists, the poets, the dancers, the writers. Put in the reps. Do it again. Because hard times most definitely require furious dancing.

Listen in as Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat talk more about this on the latest episode of The Word Made Fresh, offering a glimpse at what you might hear from the pulpit on Sunday at The Riverside Church.

Why is it that we tend to hear God most clearly when everything has fallen apart? Oh, that's what you've been saying all along. It's not that God wasn't always speaking, but that we weren't always listening, or perhaps just not knowing exactly how to hear or what to listen for. But when a major events happens -- the death of a King, in the context of Isaiah, or the election of a new President, in the context of all of us -- what do we hear from God?

One thing we hear in this Sunday's Narrative Lectionary text (Isaiah 6:1-8) is that God is holy and the whole earth is full of God's glory. No matter what reality we encounter around us, God is holy and the whole earth is still full of God's glory. The challenge, often, is having eyes to see it, ears to hear it, and the courage to respond to: "Here am I; send me!"

Join Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat as they talk with Rev. Dr. Lisa Weaver about the sermon she is preaching this Sunday. And be sure to stick around to the end of the video as they all share ways that they are caring for themslves during a tense and tumultuous time like this.

Jonah's call is clear, from the very first verses of the book: "Go at once to that great city and cry out against it." While we tend to think of this book as the story of a man being swallowed by a whale (which it's not, because it was just a big fish, not a whale!), this story is an invitation for us all to see ourselves as Jonah, reluctant to go where God is calling, seeing the world through our implicit biases, and hopefully open to a God who goes out of bounds to show love and mercy even upon our enemies.

Pull up a chair and listen in and Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat talk about this Sunday's Narrative Lectionary Text and explore its impications for our lives and our world, especially on this side of the election.

What happens when two pastors talk about the Bible and the impending election? Watch this episode of The Word Made Fresh to find out!

What does it mean to be a person of faith when we are days away from the next election?

Join Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat as they talk about what to expect this Sunday at The Riverside Church -- Rev. Dr. William Barber, II is preaching and Rev. Dr. Brian Kaylor is leading a lunch and learn on his book, Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism. Yep, all that on a single Sunday!

And even if you can't join us on Sunday (onsite or online!), make sure that you are registered to vote! (And then make a plan to ensure that you do!)

What is Children's Sabbath and why do we celebrate it at Riverside?

Join over half the Riverside clergy team – Rev. Adriene Thorne, Rev. Jim Keat, Rev. Jabe Ziino, and Minister Heelee Velez – as they talk about Children's Sabbath and what you can expect this Sunday at Riverside. (Spoiler: it's going to be amazing!)

And this is one episode that you will want to watch to the very end as Jabe and Heelee have an epic showdown in an unforgettable game of Theomoji!