WomenTalkGod: Recent Episodes
Middle Collegiate Church
Southern Freedom Movement leader Ruby Sales and The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis talk about faith and justice.
Southern Freedom Movement leader Ruby Sales and The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis talk about faith and justice.
Southern Freedom Movement leader Ruby Sales and The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis talk about faith and justice.
Southern Freedom Movement leader Ruby Sales and The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis talk about faith and justice.
The Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis speaks with civil rights icon Ruby Sales on recent mass shootings, white supremacy, targeted mass ICE raids that have left children unattended on the road, and more. Ruby Sales calls us to remember and to act on faith.
84 // Go Ahead and Fight With God, She Can Take It // Jacqui Lewis by Middle Collegiate Church
76 // Jesus is Woke; We Should be Too // Jacqui Lewis as read by Cheryl Cochran by Middle Collegiate Church
75 // Like the Youngest // Allison Mickelson & Marte Samuelstuen by Middle Collegiate Church
Join us for a Pride Month teach-in on the history of the House | Ballroom community as a Black Trans-Womanist theological discourse. How is the community a freedom movement and spiritual response to race, class, sexuality, and gender oppression? A panel discussion including Michael Roberson and Jacqui Lewis will examine the community’s ability to use the art of performance and place it in conversation with other historical struggles.
The people of God this is Jacqui, with a thought for you as you are thinking of Pentecost and the sermon this Sunday. Or if you are thinking about a way to devote yourself in this beautiful season of spirit.
It is so interesting that on June 12, there are many converging historical dates. It is the 50th anniversary of the decision by the Supreme Court, to make interracial marriage legal, all the way around the country. In a case called Loving vs. Virginia.
It's also the anniversary of the death of Medgar Evers.
It is quite sadly, also the anniversary of the Pulse shooting. Where all of those young people, dancing in a place that felt for them to be a sanctuary, were murdered. Just for being who they are.
So I am holding all of that.
And also thinking about London and Manchester, and the bombings in the Middle East, as I write my sermon.
What are you thinking about?
So the text today draws us into the place were Jesus has died, has promised the disciples he is not finished living, if you will. Has asked them to go ahead to Jerusalem and he'd meet them there. And he does.
His love, his passion, and his fierce commitment to God defies death. And he meets them and he gives them instructions. He tells them to go and make disciples of all the nations. Baptizing them in the name of God, whom Jesus knows as his father. And in the name of the son and the Holy Spirit.
Now, if you do the exegesis on that you know that Jesus didn't have a baptism formula already, right? Because he was fresh from the resurrection.
But the church has been really inspired by this text to think about our commission. Our great commission. To go and teach other people to know what we know, about God's love.
So I'm calling my sermon "Discipline".
What does it mean for us to have learning, lessons, teachings on this Holy one whom some of us think of as Christ and Messiah and some of us think of as Rabbi. Some of us just think of as the most enlightened Buddhist that we know.
What are the lessons to be learned?
And in the particular time as this, when the world is on fire with anger… What does it mean for us to have discipline, to have teachings (because that's what the word discipline means…teachings), inspired by the rabbi Jesus, in times like these.
I'm going to be looking at his life on Sunday.
What does Jesus do any encounters a stranger? Well, he speaks to them and makes the stranger the star of his story of what it means to love.
What does he do when people are sick? He heals them.
What does he do when people are hungry? He feeds them.
What does he do when he is encountering women who are on the margins? He puts them in the center.
Children? He puts them in the center.
In my discipline right now, I'm trying to learn to be more like my rabbi.
And I'm hoping you'll tuning on Sunday at 11:15 at the church. come in person or come online.
As You reflect on this. Read the text. But then go back to the Gospel of Matthew and look at Jesus' life.
What are the lessons for you and me from the way he lived.
Let's think about it.
This week, for your preaching prep and your spiritual edification, if you will, we are going to talk a little bit about Acts:2.
Now, it’s Pentecost this Sunday, June 4 and every Pentecost I preach this text. I could preach others. We could think about Joel, we could think about the Spirit coming. We can think about Romans and the gifts of the Spirit. But no. I preach this text from Acts: 2 because it's an amazing text for people who are thinking about a multiracial, multicultural future. Which of course we are.
You know the story. All of those Jewish people from the known world have gone to Jerusalem for holiday. I think it should Shavu’ot, but I think I always mispronounce it. They're going to celebrate the giving of the law when Moses goes up on the mountain and gets the glory of God all over him gets the commandments given to him on a tablet.
Every time I say that I think about Cecil B. DeMille’s movie Exodus. Well all the special effects right? The music and Moses has the light all over him. There’s a kind of lightning rod fingers writing things on the tablet. Psst....You know it didn’t happen that way...
Anyway, everybody's in Jerusalem celebrating this “Giving of the Law” and what happens? The disciples are there and they are still excited about Jesus, the ministry of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus and the sense that God is present everywhere.
They go to preach to these people in the city. and all the people that are gathered hear the good news of God's love and power in their own language. In their own language. The disciples are speaking Aramaic. How do they know how to speak in such a way that people from Libya and Syrian and all those name we can’t pronounce, can hear? But some how, there is a translation miracle and they hear it, in their own language.
What if the church today felt it was her job to preach the good news of Gods love in the language that people need in order to hear it and receive it.
Wow We would be speaking in such a way that four year olds could get it. We would be speaking in such a way that millennials would get it. And they’d get it that we get it that their friends... their Muslim friends, and their Jewish friends, their Buddhist friends, their Atheist friends also beloved by God and they wouldn’t have to pick. Church friends they'd get it.
If we were speaking in the language of all the people who need to know it, we’d be more trans friendly. Because those trans women who are being persecuted need to know that God loves them.
If we were speaking in the language that people need to know it, we’d be speaking so that Muslims are having conversations with Christians, and Christians are having conversations with Jews, and Jews are having conversations with Buddhist. And none of us would would act like we have God in our own pocket and that we know all about what God desires. I am talking about a translation miracle.
In these hot mess times, we need to do Gospel. We need to do good news, by any means necessary. If it's got good news in it for the poor, for the marginalized. If it's got good news in it, for gay and trans and lesbian people. If it's got good news for people who have been hurt, wounded, disrespected, dispossessed by the church, then it is good news. And if it's not good news for them, then it is not gospel.
This Pentecost, think about the people on the margins who need to hear God's love, in a way they can take it in.
I think that's sermon we should preach. On our own devotional, help, support, reflection, imagine what you need to hear from God that lets you know how special, how amazing, how beautiful you are.
God loves you. Period.
CF: My name is Christina Fleming and I am the Communications Director at Middle Collegiate Church. We are excited to be talking to the Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis today and looking back at the last few weeks of her preaching and what has informed that and how she has created this powerful series. Jacqui, will you take us back to the last few weeks and talk about your intentions and how you have balanced both whats going on in the world and what people are going through personally. I see you doing that in such a masterful way. Can you break that down for us? JJL: Christina, I am amazed at the words that have been coming out of my mouth for the past few weeks. I think our listeners know that my Mom has been struggling with lung cancer for the last seven years and she finally past away on April, 25. On the way to Palm Sunday and Easter, on the way to our Revolutionary Love Conference, not only was I feeling a kind of a nondescript, diffuse grief about what is happening in the world but I was grieving the certainly, imminent death of my Mom. And I think it got me in touch with a real vulnerable place in myself. A kind of stripped bare place in myself. Where quite frankly, I wasn’t thinking is this politic or I wasn’t thinking is this the right answer? I wasn’t thinking will people love this sermon. I was just in the prayer closet, so to speak, with my God. I felt like there was a power pouring into my heart. From what direction, I don’t know. Up? In? Out? But almost a palpable, direct power source that was giving me the space to grieve, permission to be unsure, and at the same time, certainty that God is God. And so I felt like in a way Middle was overhearing a conversation I was having with God. And the conversations were as much for me as for anybody else. And the message was, “Though there might seem to be evidence to the contrary, I am here. You (you plural) are loved, beloved. You are powerful. You are my partners, We can, together, You-Jacqui, humanity, Me, all of us, the Universe, we can make this different than it is. And I just, I don’t know, tried to channel that truth. But,I also felt bold to claim revelation. “God is still speaking.” I felt that God was speaking to me what I need to hear right now. And people at Middle Church seem to really need to hear. We are grieving, forgive the colloquial, “It kinda sucks” and together we can Do something about it. CF: What would you say to ministers who are in vulnerable places in their own lives or congregants who are hearing this and they can feel their own vulnerability? When you are feeling pretty vulnerable, how do you center yourselves, Jacqui? Suddenly we have a persona, a false self a patina between us and God and us and them. But the true power and maybe the best thing to idealize. Scripture that says: 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My strength is made perfect in your weakness.” I think the humanity that we own, the nature of our selves, is that we feel deeply. We have pathos, we have sorrow, we have joy, we have laughter. And to be real, is to be the best gift to give ourselves and the congregation. I think the aim is to be real. Vulnerable pastor, show your vulnerability. Show the truth to people helps them to be true. And in terms of people who might be listening for devotion. What have you got to lose? If you are honest with your God, or your friend, your partner, your lover? It takes too much energy to mobilize a front for yourself. Losing my Mom, has made me want more ferociously, to be honest, to be clean, to be true. When your Mom dies your priorities are ordered for you. What is important? What is important is honest relationships. That includes The Holy. The death of a parent makes you grow up. Maybe we put to death childish theologies or less grown-up ways of viewing the world. What if we have a grownup relationship with at grownup God? That is what I have been preaching this season.
"I can feel mommy-ness in me, perhaps stronger than I ever have in my life. And this psalm makes me think of God-ness—there are signs of God everywhere."
In this episode of That'll Preach, Jacqui Lewis reflects on Psalm 31.1–5, 15–16. As we prepare for Mother's Day, Jacqui talks about seeing signs from her mother, just as she encourages us all to notice the signs from God around us.
To hear more from this text join us this Sunday in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
"The image of the gate is symbolic for many immigrants that have to come the United States. Our journeys include not only migrating from country to country, but from spiritual world to spiritual world."
In this episode of That'll Preach, Chad Tanaka Pack reflects on John 10.1–10. As we celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, how can we rethink the idea of Jesus as a "gate" through which our journeys are all connected?
To hear more from this text join us this Sunday in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with your God.
In this episode of That'll Preach, Jacqui Lewis reflects on Micah 6.1–8. As we gear up for Revolutionary Love Conference Sunday at Middle Church, how can we more boldly embody the principles of justice, mercy, and humility?
To hear more from this text join us this Sunday in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
"Life keeps happening, even after death."
In this episode of That'll Preach, Jacqui Lewis reflects on the light and dark imagery in Ephesians 5.8–17. What does it mean to "be in the light"? What is it like, in Eastertide, to risk being ourselves?
To hear more from this text join us this Sunday in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
"We are in the middle of Holy Week," Jacqui Lewis writes. "Easter is on Sunday. And in the Easter story, I see hope."
In this episode of That'll Preach, Jacqui Lewis reflects on John 20.1–18. She tells how even in the midst of deadness, of darkness, God can enliven things with new spirit. She reflects on her mom, and tells how even in the face of illness, her mother has located new hope and resilience. This is not an episode to be missed!
To hear more from this text join us this Sunday in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
"Palm Sunday is a story about conflict, a conflict between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Rome; a conflict between peace and love and justice, and sword and violence and might."
In this episode of That'll Preach, Jacqui Lewis reflects on Matthew 21:1-11; 26:15-27; 66. As we think about this text in which love is in conflict, let's consider: Where are you finding the courage to resist? Where are you seeing signs in the universe of the resilience of the human spirit? And where do you see evidence that we can rise, as a people, as a culture, as Living Souls?
To hear more from this text join us this Sunday in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
"We all belong to God just because God is love. Just because God is love."
In this episode of That'll Preach, Jacqui Lewis reflects on a text you probably know well: John 3:1–17. What does it mean to be “born again,” and how does this text invite us to reconceive old notions?
To hear more from this text join us this Sunday in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
"Before we get to make the same amount of money as men, our God sees us as equal. I think that makes Jesus a bit of a feminist."
In this episode of That'll Preach, Jacqui Lewis reflects on Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman (John 4.5–42). How can we read Jesus’s interactions with women as evidence that God sees us all as equal?
To hear more from this text, join us this Sunday in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
"A shepherd pays such attention to its sheep, and we serve a God who pays that kind of attention to us."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jacqui Lewis reflects on Psalm 23. What does the metaphor of God as a shepherd really mean? To hear more from this text join us this Sunday in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
Why do some people believe that the creation myth suggests that women are inferior to men? In this episode of That'll Preach Jacqui Lewis reflects on Genesis 2.15-17 and Genesis 3.1-7, asking us to rethink any place where a piece of scripture is associated with inequality, sexism, or racism. To hear more from this text join us this Sunday in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
“Do you ever wonder where God is? Do you find God elusive, mysterious, or hard to pin down?"
In this episode of That'll Preach Jacqui Lewis shares a reflection on Exodus 24:12-18, inviting us all to take a deep breath as we inhale the Spirit of God. To hear more from this text join us this Sunday in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
"Jesus is raising the bar on what it means to be spiritual and lowering the bar on what it means to be a child of God."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis and Rob Stephens about the sermon they are co-preaching at Middle Church on Sunday, February 19, the third Sunday of Black History Month. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
“How are we going to sustain a movement for love and justice in hot mess times?"
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon she’s preaching at Middle Church on Sunday, February 12, the second Sunday of Black History Month. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
"Stories invite us to a different kind of empathy."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jacqui Lewis talks with Jim Kast-Keat about the sermon he’s preaching at Middle Church on Sunday, February 5, the first Sunday of Black History Month. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
“This is the answer that forces you to rethink one question and lean into a different kind of question."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Lynn Min about the sermon she’s preaching at Middle Church on Sunday, January 29 for our annual Lunar New Year worship celebration. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
“What one thing you want to see in this long march to justice?”
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon she’s preaching at Middle Church on Sunday, January 22, the first Sunday after the inauguration and the Women’s March on Washington. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
For more on the 1@1 campaign visit 1at1.org. To find out about a march near you visit https://www.womensmarch.com/sisters. “Rise” as performed by BETTY: https://youtu.be/4IlsxL-EQ5M
“We’re swimming in thick waters right now. There’s just no way around that."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon she’s preaching at Middle Church on Sunday, January 15 for our annual MLK Sunday worship celebration and the upcoming Woman’s March on Washington. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
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“40” as performed by U2: https://youtu.be/FRvvvJ6mdLQ “Lift Every Voice and Sing” as performed by Committed: https://youtu.be/ngFDy52eCZY 1968 King Assassination Report from CBS News: https://youtu.be/cmOBbxgxKvo “Surly God is Able” as performed by Aretha Franklin: https://youtu.be/xtENZEhHe4g
"All of life is rehearsing the world we dream about....We are the ones we've been waiting for.”
This week’s episode of That’ll Preach is a rebroadcast of the most popular episode from the first year of That’ll Preach. Revisit episode 12, Do YOU Want a Revolution?, in which Jacqui Lewis talks about the sermon she preached at the 2016 Revolutionary Love conference.
And then be sure to register for the 2017 Revolutionary Love conference at Middle Church on April 28-30 and join the conversation with William Barber, Brian McLaren, Valarie Kaur, Miguel De La Torre, Traci Blackmon, and more as we all join the movement for Revolutionary Love in our nation and our world.
And as always, you we hope you can join us this Sunday and every Sunday at Middle Church in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org. See you soon!
"Preaching is like jazz. It's tightrope walking without a net.”
"Words create worlds. A sermon comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable.”
"We are talking about this crazy, ancient, art, practice of preaching. It’s a shapeshifting practice, a reflection of God’s love for God’s people."
"Stories have a way of speaking to the unconscious. The best sermons come from being who you are.”
"A sermon moves the human heart. It takes you to the heart of what matters in your life and in the world. A sermon is a space where your soul can be renewed."
This week’s episode of That’ll Preach is a rebroadcast of five episodes wrapped up into one mega episode. Take a look behind the sermon writing curtain as you listen in on these conversations with the preaching team at Middle Church. And be sure to join us at Middle Church in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org this Sunday and every Sunday at 11:15a EST.
This week’s episode of That’ll Preach is a rebroadcast of the conversation between the entire preaching team at Middle Collegiate Church. Listen in as Jacqui Lewis, Jim Kast-Keat, Christina Fleming, Rob Stephens, and Lynn Min give you a glimpse behind the curtain of their sermon writing process. And be sure to join us at Middle Church in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org on Christmas Eve (7:00p, 9:00p, 11:00p) and Christmas Morning (11:15a).
"Are we not all Christopher? Are we not all Christ-bearers? Are we not all needing to be hovered over, indwelled, so that we carry the saving grace, so that we carry the mercy, that carry the love, that we give birth to the thing that will change and shape the world?"
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon she’s preaching at Middle Church on Sunday, December 18, the fourth Sunday of Advent. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
"Life is a huge process of waiting. Waiting can be a difficult practice. We need a revolutionary patience."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Lynn Min and Rob Stephens about the sermon they are co-preaching at Middle Church on Sunday, December 11, the third Sunday of Advent. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
"We’re moving from shadows to openness, from opacity to transparency. Prepare the way of the Lord. Make God’s paths straight."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon she’s preaching at Middle Church on Sunday, December 4, the second Sunday of Advent. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
"We are looking for light in the midst of shadow, we are looking for God to be born again and again and again, looking for hope in every bit of emotion we are feeling.”
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the what’s happening at Middle Church on Sunday, November 20, Reign of God Sunday and the second Sunday after the 2016 presidential election. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
“Because of our God’s deep compassion the dawn from heaven will break upon us to give light to those who are sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide us out and into the path of peace."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the what’s happening at Middle Church on Sunday, November 20, Reign of God Sunday and the second Sunday after the 2016 presidential election. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
"How do we organize around love, now more than ever?"
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon she is preaching on Sunday, November 13, the first Sunday after the 2016 presidential election. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
"God is the architect. And we are the subcontractors."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon she is cowriting for Transgender Awareness Sunday at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, November 6. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
Watch Geena Rocero's TED talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/geena_rocero_why_i_must_come_out?language=en
Read Jacqui Lewis' article at ON Scripture here: http://www.onscripture.com/work-progress
"Write the vision and make it plain. That’s your job. How plain is the vision of God for our lives and how simple can we communicate it?"
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about turning worship into a rock opera and the homily she is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, October 30. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
“What voices need to be heard that are not being paid attention to? What do the margins have to tell us about who God is? Because God is on the margins."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about Hispanic Heritage Month and the sermon she is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, October 23. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
“Some people will say that the children are the future of the church. They’re not the future of the church; they are the present of the church! They are right here, right now."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jacqui Lewis talks with Jim Kast-Keat about Children’s Sabbath and the sermon he is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, October 16. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
“God’s got something to say. And God wants you to say it."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Rob Stephens about “Get Out and Vote!” Sunday and the sermon he is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, October 9. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
Here's how to vote in every state: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7SMwipBlDwBPEwxq8QD8sw
“Communion provides a virtual space in which all of us are connected as we eat this meal together. It is a real virtuality."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about Worldwide Communion Sunday and the sermon she is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, October 2. Join us in the East Village or online at www.MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM.
“God loves us with a reckless abandonment. This God wants to throw parties for everyone."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about prophetic grief and the sermon she is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, September 25. Join us in the East Village or online at MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM for our 2016 homecoming worship celebrations.
Jacqui Lewis // twitter.com/RevJacquiLewis Jim Kast-Keat // twitter.com/IdeasDoneDaily Middle Church // twitter.com/MiddleChurch That’ll Preach // twitter.com/ThatllPreach
“Prophetic grief is not pathetic grief."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about prophetic grief and the sermon series she is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, September 18.
Join us in the East Village or online at MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM for our month of homecoming worship celebrations.
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Prophetic Grief by Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr. and Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III: https://sojo.net/articles/watch-father-son-tag-team-sermon-prophetic-grief
"They say you walked around in the flesh and if that’s true then I guess you know how it feels. God I thank you for never giving up on me. You’re my joy and you’re my peace. And all my cares I will cast on thee. Never take your love away from me."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon series she is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, September 11. Join us in the East Village or online at MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM for our month of homecoming worship celebrations.
“There is a humor and a playfulness that you can just see on a Sunday morning."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jacqui Lewis and Jim Kast-Keat talk with Christina Fleming, Lynn Min, and Rob Stephens on a staff retreat in upstate New York.
To find out more about the upcoming sermons at Middle Church, visit www.middlechurch.org.
"A sermon moves the human heart. It takes you to the heart of what matters in your life and in the world. A sermon is a space where your soul can be renewed."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Christina Fleming, the Director of Communication + Outreach at Middle Collegiate Church about her approach to writing and delivering a sermon.
To find out more about Christina Fleming and Middle Church, visit www.middlechurch.org.
"Stories have a way of speaking to the unconscious. The best sermons come from being who you are."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Lynn Min, the associate minister for care and community about her approach to writing and delivering a sermon.
To find out more about Lynn Min and Middle Collegiate Church, visit www.middlechurch.org.
"We are talking about this crazy, ancient, art, practice of preaching. It’s a shapeshifting practice, a reflection of God’s love for God’s people."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Rob Stephens, a freelance agitator minister and the associate minister for justice and community organizing about his approach to writing and delivering a sermon.
To find out more about Rob Stephens and Middle Collegiate Church, visit www.middlechurch.org.
“Read the Bible and let it wash in you like a good gin and tonic or a good lemonade. And just see what happens."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon series she is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church this summer. Join us in the East Village or online at MiddleChurch.org every Sunday at 11:15 AM as we explore the book of Romans.
"The freedom that we are set free for is to be the fullest and truest versions of who we are and who God is always making us to be."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about Pride Sunday at Middle Collegiate Church. This Sunday at Middle we welcome a guest preacher, Rev. Allyson Robinson, as she preachers a sermon titled “Religious Freedom in a Pluralistic Age.” Join us in the East Village or online at MiddleChurch.org at 11:15 AM on Sunday, June 26 for a fabulous Pride Sunday worship celebration.
"My identity as a person of faith supersedes any other identity. We are one. I want the hermeneutic that Jesus offers us: love. Love is my starting line and love is my finish line." #LovePeriod
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon she is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, June 19, 2016 for the third Sunday in Pride month.
"Jesus is a rule breaking rabble rousing son of a...God."
In this bonus episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about her thoughts on the Luke 7:36-50, the lectionary passage for Sunday, June 12, 2016. After recording this episode we made a change to the preaching schedule, inviting Rev. Bob Chase, the director of Intersections International, to preach at Middle Collegiate Church as a part of our Pride Month preaching series. This conversation reflections the sermon Jacqui would have preached, offers a inspiring challenge to everyone, and provides an idea or two to other faith leaders preaching this text.
"It is important for us to be reminded of the challenge God puts before us to be instruments of grace and justice in this world. It is not just that we believe these things of love and justice for LGBTQ people. But we must believe them out loud."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Bob Chase about the sermon heis preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, June 12, 2016. Rev. Bob Chase is the director of Intersections International. You can find out more about Intersections at www.Intersections.org and their work for LGBTQ justice at www.BelieveOutLoud.com.
"Too often 'resurrection' means 'escape' and your 'good' spirit leaving the 'bad' flesh. I'm a big fan of leaning into your humanity to find something divine. Resurrection is not just an event that did or did not happen in history but it is an ongoing practice today."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jacqui Lewis talks with Jim Kast-Keat about the sermon heis preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, June 5, 2016.
Practice Resurrection: http://thirtysecondsorless.net/resurrection-4/
Made Whole: http://thirtysecondsorless.net/whole-2/
"God isn’t necessarily going to take us from the desert to the mountain top. But God will give us streams or rivers in our desert."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jacqui Lewis talks with Christina Fleming about the sermon she is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, May 29, 2016.
"'Really God?' That is my prophetic prayer these days: 'Really God?!' And I think that is God's answer for me: 'peace.'"
In this episode of That'll Preach Jacqui Lewis talks with Lynn Min about the sermon she is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, May 2, 2016. At least she does until Jim Kast-Keat attempts to troubleshoot a problem with the audio recording. And sadly and ultimately fails. (Just listen to the podcast, he explains it all towards the end.)
You can watch the missing portion of this conversation on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jimatmiddle/videos/2047214785502895.
"I want people open their imaginations to look for, listen for God talking in these different spaces but also to see themselves cast in the role of translators. We're called to fresh theological imagination. Listen to the fresh word in your own heart. What if you are the one that God is calling to preach the good news to someone in their language? You are the one that is called to do this work."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon she is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, May 15, 2016 for the Pentecost/Vision Sunday worship celebration.
Listen to "Who May Abide the Day of His Coming" by Patti Austin: https://youtu.be/TewE8cH4vHc.
“For me it’s so much about being Jesus to somebody else, so that they can see an example. The times that I’ve encountered Jesus wasn’t because someone prayed a nice prayer or preached an awesome sermon. But it because someone gave me an extra hamburger because I was hungry or gave me a hug on a bad day."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Argenys Taveras about the sermon he is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, May 8, 2016.
"Revelation is not a book for the future. Revelation is a book for now. It's a vision for a healed and whole world will be one in which all of the voices are praising God. And one in which the diversity of the people is absolutely celebrated and affirmed."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon she is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, May 1, 2016.
"What is inside is getting wider and bigger and more complex and God's blessings are for all the people and not just some of the people."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jacqui Lewis talks with Rob Stephens about the sermon he is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, April 24, 2016.
"All of life is rehearsing the world we dream about....We are the ones we've been waiting for."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon she is preaching at Middle Collegiate Church on Sunday, April 17, 2016.
"I think the best way to discover who we are is by discovering who God is. And we discover a God who is with the poor and the oppressed and the marginalized and we realize that we should be that kind of person too."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jacqui Lewis talks with Jim Kast-Keat about sermon ideas for Acts 9:1-6, the text being preached on April 10 at Middle Collegiate Church.
"When acts of terror happen in the world it's easy for me to tend to despair, it's easy to sit in that place of 'here's another attack.' But if we're placing our energy in the God who was and is and is to come, I think we get a little veneer of protection. Not protection that keeps us from hurting but protection that helps us to get up and keep going."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jacqui Lewis talks with Adriene Thorne about the sermon she is preaching on April 3, the first Sunday after Easter, at Middle Collegiate Church.
"The sermon is the ongoing experience of the Word that keeps becoming flesh."
In this episode of That'll Preach members of the Middle Church Pub Theology group reflects on the seven last words of Jesus for our annual Sermon Slam.
Contributors: Nicole Marie Edine, Deb Williams, Pam Edgar, Starr Austin, Adam Gonnerman, Jim Kast-Keat, Klaudia Gorska, Jairo Mata, Ishamel Houston-Jones.
Music: YEYEY
"You are the resurrection when you feed the people and care for the people and when you march for justice and when you hug somebody you were just mad at, when you forgive, when you behave on behalf of God, the love that God calls us to -- you are the resurrection."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon she is preaching on Easter at Middle Collegiate Church.
"How do people find a way to do something about it or feel like they can star in the drama in which we're bending the moral arc of the universe towards justice? I want people to feel that they have agency to enter the scene and agency to change our minds, to feel like agents as opposed to puppets."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the Palm Sunday worship celebration and the sermon she is preaching on Sunday, March 20 at Middle Collegiate Church.
"Jesus is just like, 'Y'all come on and be just like you are. It's cool for me.' The extravagant offering of the perfume is such a fragrant offering that it overcomes the stench of death."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon she is preaching on Sunday, March 13 at Middle Collegiate Church.
You can watch clips from Just Faith at http://www.jacquijlewis.com/justfaith.
"God is still speaking in this book that we love. And we're all theologians interpreting this word, this living, breathing word. And every time we crack open this book it's got something to say to us, it's got something tasty and delicious, it's never old, it's never stale, it's never static."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jacqui Lewis and Jim Kast-Keat talk with Adriene Thorne about the sermon she is preaching on Sunday, March 6 at Middle Collegiate Church.
To find out more about Adriene Thorne and Middle Collegiate Church, visit www.middlechurch.org.
"There is an unnatural law of racism, of white supremacy, of white privilege. This law has become a wall and we can't get to peace until we break down this wall."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about the sermon she is preaching on Sunday, February 28 at Middle Collegiate Church.
You can find out more about the Revolutionary Love conference at MiddleProject.org.
"Words create worlds. A sermon comforts the disturbed and disturbs the comfortable."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jacqui Lewis talks with Jim Kast-Keat about his approach to writing and delivering a sermon.
To find out more about Jim Kast-Keat and Middle Collegiate Church, visit http://www.middlechurch.org.
"A sermon is a word of hope and a challenge, a tear and a smile. And it is an absolutely sacred moment."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Adriene Thorne about her approach to writing and delivering a sermon.
To find out more about Adriene Thorne and Middle Collegiate Church, visit http://www.middlechurch.org.
"Preaching is like jazz. It's tightrope walking without a net."
In this episode of That'll Preach Jim Kast-Keat talks with Jacqui Lewis about her approach to writing and delivering a sermon.
To find out more about Jacqui Lewis and Middle Collegiate Church, visit http://www.middlechurch.org.