Seekers recognizes that any member of the community may be called upon by God to give us the Word, and thus we have an open pulpit with a different preacher each week. Sermons preached at Seekers, as well as sermons preached by Seekers at other churches or events, are posted here, beginning with the most recent.
Click here for an archive of our sermons.
Feel free to use what is helpful from these sermons. We only ask that when substantial portions are abstracted or used in a written work, please credit Seekers Church and the author, and cite the URL.
Incarceration by Sandra Miller
The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost
July 19, 2026
Please pray with me: Holy One in three, may the love in my heart for all your creation speak to those who hear me. May we remember the words of this season’s reflection: that you are not a distant judge nor sadist, but a God who weeps. You suffer for us and with us. May we be open to your transforming spirit. Amen
Dear Seekers, I stand before you again in a fairly short time. I stand today having heard a word in Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 from last week that shook me, and was followed a day later by a private email that fed me. It’s a familiar passage that I offer to you again. Jesus preached to the crowd: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. If you have ears, hear!”
The word that got stuck in my heart and screamed at me as I took the passage in was Incarceration. It’s a harsh word with as many syllables as the digits on a hand. The hand of a judge, a mere frail human being, who after the deliberation of twelve humans or closed testimonies, that is to say people as flawed as we all are, bangs a gavel and declares “guilty as charged” and renders a sentence that adds a lava flow on top of the hard and thorny ground of one person’s precious life. Hard scrabble, thorny, infertile, withering, dying. Incarceration is a hard and harsh reaction by a country that sings “My Country ‘Tis of Thee, Sweet Land of Liberty”. Swears the Pledge of Allegiance to “one nation under God with liberty and justice for all” with pride. Yet this same country gave rise to our system of grave injustice. To borrow a lead-in from a recent post on Unlock the Box, incarceration is: Punishment & Torture under the Guise of “Protection”. It is an apt descriptor of such a vast majority of the prison industrial complex. It tears at my heart and haunts me every single day. I’ve been privileged to be confided in by many incarcerated pen pals over the years, and what struck me about their stories is that they are about people whose seeds were sown on all the types of harsh ground to which Jesus refers. Yet many have managed to excavate through compacted dry soil, torn away thorns, and managed to find some drops of water. They have found a path through man’s inhumanity to man. It’s the story exemplified by Victor Frankl’s of living through the harsh reality of German concentration camps in his seminal book Man’s Search for Meaning.
Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address offered by members of REJMT and Earth and Spirit
The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
July 12, 2026
Members of the Racial and Ethnic Justice Ministry Team and the Earth and Spirit Mission Group recited the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address: Greetings to the Natural World. They read from the book found at https://syracuseculturalworkers.com/products/book-thanksgiving-address, with illustrations by Kahionhes, Mohawk Nation Turtle Clan. Members of the Haudenosaunee, also known as the Six Nations or Iroquois, speak these words before and after all ceremonial and governmental gatherings. The belief is that the world must not be taken for granted, and that communicating thankfulness aligns the minds and hearts of the people with Nature. This forms a guiding principle of culture.
God is With Us At Our Semiquincentennial by Dave Lloyd
The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
July 5, 2026
Did you know that there have been two organizations with overall responsibility for planning and conducting the commemoration of America’s 250 years of independence? The older one is the U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, established by Congress in 2016 to plan and orchestrate the commemoration through “America 250,” [show “America 250” hat] a bipartisan group that worked with the federal agencies, especially the Department of the Interior, which has authority over our National Parks, Monuments, and Historic Sites, and with state and local governments, civic groups, and the Smithsonian Institution. America 250’s leadership is inclusive, with senators and representatives, cabinet secretaries, academic historians, and other prominent Americans who fully reflected our national diversity.[i]
Thoughts on Spiritual Practices, Call, and Music by Glen Yakushiji
The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
June 28, 2026
I was sitting where I usually sit last Sunday when I suddenly understood something about: my call to music, to this community, and the singalong. So I told Peter, who was scheduled to preach today, that I’d like to do this sermon so I could share my insight. He said “okay.”
Do you remember that I gave a sermon on April 19th,, a couple of months ago? Today I am continuing that sermon. I talked about my time with Group 4 and the important work we did. I was asked to describe Seekers desire for basic fairness and respect that lies at the heart of the community. I made a list of actions that Seekers could do:
1. create partnerships with people or groups who share our values and beliefs.
2. practice disciplines that promote spiritual growth, courage, and introspection.
3. promote and support creative and artistic projects that express our social values.
Just Give Me Some Kind of Sign by John M
The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
June 21, 2026
Our readings this morning make an interesting conversation. In the psalm, the singer has a number of ardent requests for God. Then, in Romans and Matthew, we’re told how the requests have been answered. Or at least that’s one way to see it, so bear with me for 15 minutes or so and I’ll try to show you what I mean.
What is the psalmist asking God for?
They ask God to “incline your ear” — to listen to prayers and supplications.
They ask God to “preserve my life”.
They ask God to “be gracious to me.”
They ask God to “gladden my soul.”
They ask God to “answer my call.”
They ask God to “give strength to your servant.”
They ask God to “save the child of your maidservant.”
They ask God to “show me a sign of your favor.”
That’s eight asks! That’s a lot.