Keisha Olsen

Keisha opened the first Sunday of Advent by sharing honestly from a place of sadness, grounding her message in the deep, enduring Hebrew concept of yachal—a hope that waits, endures, and trusts God even without clarity or guaranteed outcomes. Drawing on her own family’s painful journey with her mother’s terminal diagnosis, she contrasted shallow, wishful ideas of hope with the ancient, tension-filled, faithful waiting reflected in Psalm 130. She reminded the community that Advent is for the weary, the waiting, and the ones still holding onto God in the dark, just as generations before waited for the Messiah they would never see. Advent, she said, teaches us to trust the God who comes close, who chooses to be present in suffering, and invites us to consider what we’re carrying, how hope lands for us, and who can sit with us as we wait.

Keisha’s talk invited the community to reflect on the power of identity and belonging through both her personal story and the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. She shared her own journey as a biracial woman navigating family, culture, faith, and the many social identities that shape who she is—often asking where she truly belongs. Drawing from John 4, she highlighted how Jesus not only engaged the Samaritan woman but fully saw and honored every part of her identity, placing her at the center of God’s work. Keisha challenged the community to consider the ways we place limits on which identities we deem worthy of belonging and to imagine what it would look like if Jesus met us at the well and named our whole selves with love. She closed with a blessing, affirming that God is big enough to hold every part of who we are, and encouraging us to embrace both our own belovedness and that of others in the family of God.

Keisha wrapped up the Ruth series with honesty and vulnerability, reflecting on how challenging it can be to engage scripture when faith feels uncertain or evolving. She acknowledged her own discomfort returning to the Bible after years of spiritual questioning, and centered her message on Ruth’s quiet resilience amid grief, uncertainty, and risk. Rather than framing Ruth’s story as a tidy fairytale, Keisha invited listeners to imagine Ruth’s inner world—her grief, exhaustion, and courage in choosing love and loyalty despite personal cost. Drawing from the song Sunday by Joy Oladokun, Keisha likened Ruth’s perseverance to a prayer born from struggle. Ultimately, she challenged the community to ask where they need to sit with grief, confront their biases, and take action that creates belonging and justice—reminding us that Ruth’s legacy is a radical testament to God’s inclusion of all people