Wow, this is so beautiful. Blessed Advent, friends. O anitphon for our fears by Marin Tirabassi O Emmanuel, hailed by clueless Gabriel, who thinks we can shake off being afraid, Come to us in our fear. We fear the past and the future. We fear those who are unlike us in any way, and we fear family members who should not hurt us but do. We fear chemo and COPD, and any kind of mental illness... Read more
Here’s what can happen in a community that claims diversity but doesn’t tend it faithfully: we create a culture of accommodation. Read more
Live As If You Believe 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Theologian Frederick Beuchner writes: “In the silence of a midwinter dusk there is far off in the deeps of it somewhere a sound so faint that for all you can tell it may be only the sound of the silence itself. You hold your breath to listen…. The extraordinary thing that is about to happen is matched only by the extraordinary moment just before it happens. Advent is the name of... Read more
Who Do You Love? Matthew 6:19-34 I have a friend who is one of those guys who intentionally lives his life care-free and unfettered. At age 35, he is not married; he has no children. Though he’s very well-educated he doesn’t go in for the boring old traditional rat race the rest of us run day in and day out. Instead, he works to take care of what he needs and spends the rest of his time surfing or hunting... Read more
The task and challenge of putting words to the rhythm of our corporate life is an honor and a privilege. And sometimes, many times this year, in fact, that task is so difficult. Sundays come with a stunning regularity, and Sundays like this past Sunday–that come on the heels of terror and fear and pain in our world–offer the special challenge of finding words to express the grief and pain and fear and bewilderment, to call on God to comfort and... Read more
We can take in the terror and act in fear. Many do. But we are people of faith, and as such we take in instead the conviction that God’s kingdom is coming to be; the commitment to welcome the stranger; and the assurance that love will always have the final word. Read more
Continuing the celebration this week: here are a few pictures from Sunday’s 85th celebration. You can see in these pictures the wonderful spirit present, and the incredible dedication and hard work put in by planning committees, lay volunteers, staff, and friends…a wonderful, shared expression of all we can do and be when we work together. #OneRiverside! Read more
Sovereign, Creator, Mother and Father of life: With thanks beyond our ability to speak, with hope that fills even this sanctuary, with joy for each of our 85 years, with forgiveness for some of the scenes these stones have witnessed and joy for the words and acts that make these stones shout Amen, hear our prayer. For this congregation: Look upon us with compassion for the fools we have been, the betrayals we have perpetrated in the name of our... Read more
Telling Our Story 85th Anniversary of The Riverside Church November 8, 2015 What a story we have to tell today. We’ve seen it in pictures of the past, beautifully displayed all over our building. It’s woven through the conversations we’ve shared about the church in the world. We recognize it in the stories of those who have told us about their journeys of faith intersecting our own here in membership classes and in the waters of baptism. Our hearts warm... Read more
One Riverside: Believe Mark 12: 38-44 Happy birthday, Riverside Church! We’re at the start this morning of a whole day of celebration commemorating 85 years of mission and ministry in this place. What a gift we have been given, inheritors of such an incredible legacy of faith and witness… …and what a challenge we have before us, living into the promise of what God is calling us to do and be in this place. Today is also week two in... Read more
Talk with the Preacher
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In