Rev. Jes Kast: A Taste of Heaven & Mashed Potatoes

"When you get a taste of mercy, when you get a taste of forgiveness, when you have been the recipient of grace and kindness yourself, that moves us to offer that to the world. That's what we're trying to do. That's what the movement of the Gospel is. This is what Jesus is about: 'hey, you've tasted this, now go and share that with others.'"

What does the Gospel of Jesus Christ have to do with mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie?

For our last episode before the holiday break, we sat down with Rev. Jes Kast - a powerhouse preacher, teacher, and leader in the church. We dive into everything from the value of interfaith dialogue to what it's like to get a taste of heaven here on earth while we are in service of and in worship with others. And once you get a taste - just like getting a taste of mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving - a taste just isn't enough and you end up wanting more. As Rev. Jes Kast tells us - that is exactly what the Gospel is all about. "Hey, you've tasted this, now go and share that with others."

Grab a slice of leftover pie and cuddle up with a blanket to listen!
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Rev. Jes Kast is the pastor at Faith UCC in State College, Pennsylvania - a vibrantly progressive and deeply faithful community. As she talks about in this interview, Rev. Jes’ ministry was deeply formed by a Christian and Muslim peacemaking trip to Oman where she found a deeper understanding of Jesus’ commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Since that trip, she has served on President Obama’s Interfaith Education Initiative; she has led interfaith dialogues and prayer gatherings in New York City, and most recently served on the Governor of New York’s Interfaith Advisory Council.

Prior to moving to Pennsylvania, Rev. Kast served at West End Collegiate Church in New York City where she helped revitalize a soup kitchen ministry, which transformed into a worshipping community they named A Taste of Heaven. You can read more about that ministry here.

You can find Rev. Jes Kast on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and on her website, which has links to work featured in The Atlantic, Washington Post, Sojourners, Huffington Post, NPR, and CNN.