Episodes

  • What If Faith Started with Curiosity Instead of Certainty? // The Word Made Fresh (Acts 17:16-31)

    What If Faith Started with Curiosity Instead of Certainty? // The Word Made Fresh (Acts 17:16-31)
    Apr 28 2026
    What if faith wasn’t about proving you’re right—but staying curious?

    This week on The Word Made Fresh, Rev. Adriene and Rev. Jim explore Acts 17, where Paul finds himself in Athens surrounded by unfamiliar beliefs, practices, and altars—including one to an “unknown god.”

    Instead of condemning or correcting, Paul does something unexpected:
    He affirms.
    He connects.
    He gets curious.

    In a world shaped by division, certainty, and the need to win, this conversation imagines a different way of engaging across difference—one rooted in humility, openness, and mutual transformation.

    They also wrestle with:
    • What it means to embody faith (not just think it)
    • How other traditions can deepen—not threaten—our own
    • Whether the real “conversion” in this story might be Paul himself

    And maybe most importantly: What kind of God are we proclaiming if that God fits neatly inside our own box?
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    24 mins
  • Paul, the Slave Girl, and the Cost of “Freedom” // The Word Made Fresh (Acts 16:16-34)

    Paul, the Slave Girl, and the Cost of “Freedom” // The Word Made Fresh (Acts 16:16-34)
    Apr 23 2026
    A few weeks after Easter, we return to the pulpit with a challenging and deeply honest conversation about Acts 16—the story of Paul, Silas, and a slave girl.

    But what if we’ve been reading this story wrong?

    Instead of focusing on Paul and Silas, Rev. Adriene Thorne invites us to center the unnamed enslaved girl—her exploitation, her “liberation,” and the unsettling question: what actually happened to her next?

    This episode wrestles with:
    • When “doing good” can still cause harm
    • The cost of liberation without long-term care
    • How power, gender, and class shape whose stories matter
    • Why the church struggles with suffering, lament, and complexity
    • The danger of turning every hardship into a neat redemption story

    This is not a feel-good sermon preview. It’s an invitation to sit in the tension, ask harder questions, and develop a deeper, more honest faith.

    Because sometimes suffering isn’t redemptive.

    Sometimes it’s just suffering.
    And maybe the work of the church is learning how to stay present in it—together.
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    19 mins
  • Ecological Conversion: Is the Church Missing the Point? // The Word Made Fresh (Acts 2)

    Ecological Conversion: Is the Church Missing the Point? // The Word Made Fresh (Acts 2)
    Apr 15 2026
    What does Acts 2 have to do with Earth Day?

    In this episode of The Word Made Fresh Rev. Jim sits down with Rev. Derrick Weston—pastor, author, and leader with Creation Justice Ministries—to explore a bold and timely sermon: “Recruiting Terrorists.”

    This conversation dives into the idea of ecological conversion—a transformation of faith that moves beyond belief into action. Why has the church often stayed silent on environmental justice? What happens when faith challenges systems of power, profit, and exploitation? And how do we expand our understanding of “neighbor” to include not just people, but the planet itself?

    From Pentecost and mass transformation in Acts 2 to modern climate crisis realities, this episode challenges Christians to rethink what it means to follow Jesus in a world facing environmental collapse.

    You’ll explore:
    • Why environmental justice is a core faith issue
    • The danger of “comfortable” justice that doesn’t disrupt systems
    • How climate change is already impacting everyday life
    • The theological roots of ecological responsibility
    • What true conversion looks like today

    If you’ve ever wondered how faith connects to climate, justice, and real-world action—this conversation is for you.
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    19 mins
  • We’re Still Here: Finding Hope After Easter // The Word Made Fresh (John 20:19-31)

    We’re Still Here: Finding Hope After Easter // The Word Made Fresh (John 20:19-31)
    Apr 9 2026
    What happens after Easter?

    In this episode of The Word Made Fresh, Rev. Jim Keat sits down with Rev. Mira Sawlani-Joyner to explore John 20:19–31, where the disciples are hiding behind locked doors, afraid of what comes next—even after the resurrection.

    Sound familiar?

    In a world filled with fear, uncertainty, political tension, and exhaustion, this conversation wrestles honestly with what it means to believe in resurrection when everything still feels fragile. From the disciples’ fear to Thomas’ doubt, from Mary’s witness to modern-day survival, this episode invites us to consider:
    • What do we do when fear makes us shut the door?
    • Why is doubt part of faith—not the opposite of it?
    • What does it mean to say “we’re still here” in a world that feels overwhelming?
    • How can we step back and see the bigger picture of our shared humanity?

    This is not a polished, easy Easter message. It’s real, grounded, and deeply hopeful.

    Because resurrection isn’t just something that happened—it’s something we’re still living into.

    👉 Join us as we reflect on faith, fear, survival, and the courage to keep showing up.
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    22 mins
  • Easter Isn’t the Finish Line. It’s a New Beginning. // The Word Made Fresh (John 20)

    Easter Isn’t the Finish Line. It’s a New Beginning. // The Word Made Fresh (John 20)
    Mar 31 2026
    Easter is almost here—but what if resurrection isn’t just something that happened… or something we celebrate once a year?

    In this episode of The Word Made Fresh, Rev. Adriene Thorne and Jim Keat explore what it means to reimagine resurrection—not as a distant miracle, but as a lived, embodied reality. From Holy Week practices like foot washing and Tenebrae, to the power of imagination, forgiveness, and joy, this conversation invites you to see Easter in a whole new way.

    What if resurrection is about more than the empty tomb?

    What if it’s about how we live, what we imagine, and how we love—every single day?

    ✨ Topics include:
    • Why Easter isn’t just the “finish line” of Lent
    • The role of the body in faith and worship
    • Reimagining resurrection in everyday life
    • How imagination shapes forgiveness and possibility
    • Creating meaningful, embodied worship experiences
    Whether you’re a lifelong Christian, a curious skeptic, or just looking for hope in a heavy world—this conversation is for you.

    👉 Join us for Holy Week and Easter at Riverside Church (in person or online)
    👉 Subscribe for weekly conversations on the lectionary and lived faith

    #Easter #Resurrection #HolyWeek #ProgressiveChristianity #FaithInPractice #TheWordMadeFresh
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    24 mins
  • Love Made Public: Finding God in Suffering // The Word Made Fresh: John 19

    Love Made Public: Finding God in Suffering // The Word Made Fresh: John 19
    Mar 26 2026
    What if we didn’t skip straight to Easter?

    This week on The Word Made Fresh, Rev. Adriene Thorne and Rev. Jim Keat explore a surprising approach to Palm Sunday—one that turns toward the crucifixion instead of away from it. Drawing from John 19, this conversation invites us to slow down and sit with the hardest part of the story: suffering, grief, and the cross.

    In a world filled with pain, injustice, and uncertainty, this episode asks:

    Where is God in the midst of suffering?
    What does it mean for love to be “made public” on the cross?
    Why do we rush past Good Friday—and what happens when we don’t?

    Together, we reflect on how the crucifixion reveals a deeper, more powerful vision of grace—one that doesn’t ignore pain but meets us within it.

    If you’ve ever felt like faith focuses too much on the “happy ending,” this conversation offers a more honest and healing way through Holy Week.

    👉 Whether you’re preparing for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, or simply navigating your own “Good Friday moment,” this episode is for you.

    📖 Scripture: John 19:16b–22

    👍 Like, subscribe, and share if this resonates with you.
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    17 mins
  • Pride Sunday! (Jeremiah 36:1-8, 21-23, 27-31)

    Pride Sunday! (Jeremiah 36:1-8, 21-23, 27-31)
    Jun 23 2025
    This Sunday is Pride Sunday! Listen in as Rev. Adriene and Rev. Jim talk about this Sunday's text (Jeremiah 36:1-8, 21-23, 27-31) and what it's like to preach the same text six months later!

    Also, this is the Season Finale for The Word Made Fresh. But don't worry, we'll be back in September!
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    23 mins
  • Get Out of the Boat with Rev. Dr. Paula Stone Williams (Matthew 14:22-33)

    Get Out of the Boat with Rev. Dr. Paula Stone Williams (Matthew 14:22-33)
    Jun 16 2025
    Get out of the boat! What does it mean to step away from fear and step into who God is calling you to be? Listen in as Rev. Jim Keat talks with this Sundays guest preacher, Rev. Dr. Paula Stone Williams, about the sermon she will be preaching from Matthew 14:22-33 as well as how she goes about writing a sermon and why you should be looking forward to experiencing this one!

    Rev. Dr. Paula Stone Williams is a Pastoral Counselor and internationally known speaker on gender equity and religious tolerance. She lives in Lyons, Colorado, where she serves as Mayor Pro Tem.

    Paula has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, PBS, NBC, CNN,and many other media outlets. Her TED talks have had over ten million views. Paula’s memoir, As A Woman, What I Learned About Power, Sex, and the Patriarchy After I Transitioned, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2021.
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    18 mins