First-Plymouth Church's Podcast

This week, the Church traditionally celebrates All Saints—a day to remember those who have died. In many cultures, this is a moment of deep reverence and remembrance, a time to recognize the ways our ancestors are still “with us.” This Sunday, Pastor JC invites us to reclaim this ancient feast day as a source of strength—to become the saints that future generations will need.

We rush through our lives, often unaware that a higher state of being is available to us—a state of peace, calm, and deep connection with all life. The radical message of the Apostle Paul is that this way of being becomes possible when we simply accept Christ into our hearts. So, what are we waiting for?

Jacob's life was a wild rollercoaster filled with many ups and downs, twists, and turns. At a crucial point, he finds himself by the River Jabbok, where he wrestles with an angel all night long. After this struggle, his chaotic life begins to settle into a more peaceful moral clarity. Dr. Keck will interpret Jacob's wrestling match as an existential encounter with his own ego—an experience through which Jacob learns to transcend himself and engage more fully with others.

There is so much evil in the world, and we often feel powerless against it. This week, Pastor JC invites us into an ancient story where the disciples also felt powerless in the face of evil. Jesus offers a way to approach moments like this—an invitation that still speaks to our lives today.

We often talk about faith in God, but rarely about the faith of God. Our God has faith in us and remains steadfast. Dr. Keck will explore the faith of God, the difference between faith and belief, and the hiddenness of God. Through all the mistakes and missteps of religion—our attempts to grasp God—we ultimately learn to let God grasp us.

This week, Dr. Keck will unpack one of the most famous lines in scripture: “The love of money is the root of all evil.” The word radical comes from a root meaning “to get to the root of something,” so this line is literally radical. Together, we'll explore how it is not just a warning, but a bold idealism meant to open our minds to new possibilities.

So much disorientation, so much pain, suffering, anguish, and so many questions fill our days. It can feel as if God's song—the redemptive, life-giving, soul-sustaining rhythm—is muted and hard to hear. How are we to sing this song? We are not the first generation to ask this question. This week Pastor JC invites us into an ancient song: a song of lament, a song of reality, that becomes a song of liberation and healing. It is an invitation to keep singing the song of love, especially in these days.

The central symbol of Christianity is the cross. It is almost unfathomable that a method of execution could become a powerful symbol of love and forgiveness. Yet somehow, the old rugged cross has come to represent a cosmic event that ensures the safe journey of our souls. Join us this weekend for a spiritual exploration of the meaning of the cross.

The ancient stories of the Bible reveal a community searching for both their identity and God's. This week we meet a God who seems to stir up havoc, yet also brings healing. In our own lives, we may feel that God causes the chaos around us—but those feelings are part of the journey of faith. Pastor JC will lead us into an ancient story that invites us to see God as the one who heals, no matter how dis-eased or broken we may feel.

The ancient stories of the Bible reveal a community searching for both their identity and God's. This week we meet a God who seems to stir up havoc, yet also brings healing. In our own lives, we may feel that God causes the chaos around us—but those feelings are part of the journey of faith. Pastor JC will lead us into an ancient story that invites us to see God as the one who heals, no matter how dis-eased or broken we may feel.

Luke 14 is the classic text used to describe the high cost of discipleship. It seems to say that if you truly want to follow Jesus, you must give up everything else. Sure, it sounds rousing to shout, “I'm ALL IN!”—but what does that really mean? And isn't it okay to dip a toe in the water first? Dr. Keck will suggest that Jesus would also welcome those who are just checking him out.

We make choices every day, and the ancients were no different. The choices we make for ourselves impact the lives of those around us. Choosing life for ourselves should not come at the expense of life for our neighbors. This week, Pastor JC invites us to reflect on human flourishing—what it looks like and the practices that could make flourishing possible for all.

Steadfast, humble and joyful: Three key virtues in a disrupted world “Polycrisis” is a term that became popular in the early 2020s as a way to refer to the overlapping effects of such things as: Covid, war, surging debt levels, inflation, climate change, artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, democratic erosion and growing inequality. This weekend we will explore how in a time of polycrisis it is essential to reclaim some basic virtues such as steadfastness, humility and joy.

Remembering is a key theme through the story of faith and yet we know how is easy it is to forget. This week in the midst of our current situation we are called to take a moment and to remember where we have seen God at work in our lives. Along the way we are cautioned about the many ways we numb, make excuses, and have selective memories, about the ways we forget. Unforgetting, reconnects us to each other, to our true selves, and to divine life. It frees us in ways unexpected.

So much around us is in need of repair, so much in our own souls too! Acknowledging this need and embarking on that journey is not easy and yet again and again we are called to it. This week Pastor JC invites us to consider repair, within ourselves, in our families, communities, and even in the world.

"I see you" is an informal idiom used to express several things, including acknowledgement, understanding, admiration, or support. It's a way of recognizing someone's efforts, understanding their situation, or appreciating their qualities. It feels good to be seen and can be very painful when we feel invisible. In our beautiful gospel passage this week, Jesus sees - really sees - a woman who is suffering and he heals her by helping her stand up tall and be seen by others as well. Dr. Jim Keck will describe how it takes a special effort to truly see one another.

This weekend, Pastoral Intern Jacob Mason will preach a sermon entitled, “A Faithful Detour.” Informed by Jacob's civil rights pilgrimage to Selma, Alabama, the sermon will focus on the tempting of Jesus in Luke 4. Together, we will explore how Christ's response to temptation informs our faithful walk with both God and neighbor. Along life's path, we just might find ourselves taking a faithful detour!

Two Pastors and Four Books It might be that you have a few books that were very important to you in some way. Maybe it was the certain time in your life that you read them, or the story continues to captivate you in some way. For example, many people will describe how enthralling the Harry Potter books were or how “To Kill a Mockingbird” stayed with them. Pastors Jim and JC will each share two books that have been part of their lives in meaningful ways and helped propel their spiritual journey.

This weekend, Dr. Jim Keck will preach a sermon titled "Faith on Earth," grounded in Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-10—a stirring passage that reminds us that faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. From Abraham's bold journey into the unknown to our own modern quests for meaning and trust, we'll explore how to live faithfully in a world that often demands certainty.

Greed is prevalent around us. It is easy to point at others, at the billionaire class, at the politicians, or big business, and yet those examples are the fruit of a culture that seems to never be satisfied, always wanting more no matter what the cost. What does it look like to live a more simpler life, so that others have an opportunity to live. There is enough for all, is that enough for us?

In 1972, Rev. Dr. Otis Young preached his first sermon at FP. He was to be our pastor for the next 34 years. And what he had to say then, is still critical today. Dr. Jim Keck will replay that basic message.

From the Gospels to the book of Revelation we have the continuation of one of the great stories about us, about the world, and about God. This narrative journey is rooted in stories that are thousands of years old and now in a few hundred years take on a new imagination. Join us as Pastor Juan Carlos surveys the landscape across genres, theologies, narratives, and invites us into the story, our story, for the life of the world!

It is easy to feel isolated these days, to long for connection, to wonder if there is more in life than this (whatever "this" is to us). Faith calls us to the recognition of a deeper reality but also it calls us to the recognition of our need for one another, the sense of transcendence pushes us not just vertically but horizontally, to a sacredness before us. This week, join Pastor Juan Carlos for worship.

This weekend, Pastor Jim will hone in on BEAUTY as a key aspect of the faith. All beauty in our world harkens to the transcendent beauty of the divine. And to strive for a more just world is at the same time to strive for a more beautiful world. As a great theologian said “we must move people toward truth, goodness, and liberation through beauty. Frenetic and harried and labored activism won't shift people. We need to appeal to their dreams and hopes and sense of beauty.”

Gospel means good news but what happens when said good news sounds more like bad news? This week we hear one of the most difficult teachings of Jesus. At first it seems impossible but as we engage it in the day to day of life, it opens up a pathway to freedom, belonging, and community.

At a few moments in his life Elijah was overcome with negative thinking. To be sure, it was mostly an appropriate response to brutal hardship. However, many of us are prone to a more chronic, low-grade type of negativity. This weekend Dr. Jim Keck will speak about different personality types and the essential role our faith plays in creating a more joyful approach to life.

In life we often wonder why we are where we are, at times with joy, and at others with regret. This week we hear from an ancient social critic and thorn in the flesh to those in power, he is tired and wondering why, in spite of his faithfulness, he finds himself in a very difficult situation. Where is God? Where are we? And Why? The questions of our lives.

God and Jesus are bigger than religion. That is, human hearts can be in love with God and Jesus even though they might not attend church. Religion is a human construct and is always evolving. On this Pentecost Sunday, Dr. Keck will speak of a new pentecost that is underway that is changing the very concept of religion itself.

It is Pentecost, the day when the Christian tradition remembers the coming of the Spirit and the birth of the church. Long ago our ancestor in faith tried to explain human divisions (and maybe human strife), this week Pastor JC invites us into that ancient story and reminds us why Pentecost is seen as a story of reversal, restoration, and re-start for all of creation. What was once scattered is now gathered again and again towards flourishing.

These days so many of us feel powerless, so much happening, so much suffering, hatred, and struggle. We want to do something, but we know it will probably not make a difference. This week, disciples are left behind, what are they going to do now that Jesus has left them? What are we to do now, in the midst of life, in light of our encounter with Jesus?

There is so much fear these days, so much fear mongering, and so much to be fearful of. This week Pastor JC invites us to pay attention to our fear but not to let it take over our lives. Instead there is an invitation, to embrace community, to lean into uncertainty, and to trust in the love that is all around us. Do not be afraid becoming an invitation to not allow fear to control us, an invitation to be free.

Near the very end of the Bible is a beautiful description of heaven and how we will live in the full light of God. But Heaven is not only something that we experience after we die. There are many chances to experience a slice of heaven in this life and Dr. Keck sees in Revelation 21 some clues to hearing the angles sing in your life right now.

Humans mark time in a variety of ways, holidays originally were days of observance, of remembering something that was important. Now it often turns into time off, or a time to celebrate with friends, disconnected from the Holy or is it? This week Pastor JC invites us into remembering, time keeping, and how the holy is present in our day to day of life.

We often think of God's home as otherworldly, above, heaven, ethereal, maybe even sublime. This week the scriptures gives us a much more common and accessible picture, God's home is among us. Yes, right here, where we live, work, and play. This says something about God, but it also says much about us.

With so much noise and so many things vying for our attention, it's what we truly value that holds our focus—even amid the distractions.This week Pastor Juan Carlos Huertas invites us to consider what we are listening to, why that matters, and how an adjustment might help us live a more flourishing life.

Dr. Jim Keck will share how Dr. Martin Luther King played such a large role in his childhood. He will also explain that they share the same theological perspective that was developed at Boston University in the mid-twentieth century. Pastor Jim believes this theology is most true to scripture and could change our world.

Jesus calls us into a vision, to make the kin-dom of God known. This is a kin-dom of wholeness, healing, community, connection, and new life. It would be easier to talk about it, and yet the call is to follow the Spirit's leading into rehearsing it, making it known a bit, however imperfect. This week Pastor Juan Carlos takes us into the story of our next neighborhood initiative, the Hope House, its story, its vision, and its potential to make the good news of Jesus evident in our neighborhood, our congregations, and our lives.

This Sunday, Pastor Jim Keck brings a powerful message on Spirit and Truth—come be inspired and uplifted!

Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem. According to the synoptic gospels, Jesus then goes to the temple and throws over the tables. What an incredible juxtaposition of gentleness and strong protest. What is Jesus up to? Dr. Jim Keck will explore how our times demand a simple humility mixed with a strong sense of right and wrong.

In one of the great stories in scripture, Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem on a donkey where he is received as a hero by the crowds. This celebration is called Palm Sunday and it initiates the holiest of weeks in the Christian calendar. It turns out that before Jesus can enter the city he needs a little help from those around him. It turns out that 2,000 years later God still needs our help, our coming alongside, in making the kin-dom known in the world? What does that say about God? What does that say about us?

It's amazing what we remember and how we remember it, it is also amazing how much we forget. Memory is a complex function of our being human that allows us to make sense of our current situation. This week the truth-teller and social critic tells us to leave behind nostalgia and make room for the new thing that God is doing. It turns out that the new thing is nothing short of what God is always up to in the world!

It's amazing what we remember and how we remember it, it is also amazing how much we forget. Memory is a complex function of our being human that allows us to make sense of our current situation. This week the truth-teller and social critic tells us to leave behind nostalgia and make room for the new thing that God is doing. It turns out that the new thing is nothing short of what God is always up to in the world!

Saint Augustine taught that human beings are driving by their desires, so we must strive to have the right desires. Using C.S. Lewis, Augustine and a great poem by Coleridge, Dr. Jim Keck will call for us to desire the most noble things in life.

Evil is manifested around us in so many ways. It is the antithesis of love, freedom, and God-self. In the ritual for baptism people are often called to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever form in may present itself. Resistance is a call for all of us who are seeking to follow Jesus. This week Pastor Juan Carlos Huertas invites us to think about resistance, its importance in every season, its importance today, and how we might become the kind of holy resisters that witness to the good news of Jesus Christ for all creation.

Hell Revised with Dr. Jim Keck