Sermons

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.

Pentecost and the Divine Feminine

Jacqie Wallen

June 8, 2024

Pentecost

I love Pentecost! Which is why, I assume, Deborah asked me to preach today. The first thing I did after I said “yes” to Deborah was to go to Google and type in “Pentecost.” This is my usual way of starting a project, and especially necessary in this case because I have already preached on Pentecost several times and needed to be sure I had some new ideas.

Being a Man, for Better and for Worse: How Illuman Deepened My Inner Work

Dave Kraybill, Kevin Barwick, Oswaldo Montoya

June 1, 2024

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Dave Kraybill

Some years ago, I had a heart attack that caught me and those who know me by surprise.  I didn’t have the usual markers for heart disease.  Except, that is, my tendency to work long hours at the expense of my physical and emotional health.  A few years later, I experienced a breakdown in some close social ties, and that also caught me by surprise.  No, I wasn’t mean to others intentionally, but I had often left my loved ones down through my constant preoccupation with work. I found myself in a place I didn’t expect to be—facing a health crisis, emotionally drained, and unsure how to move forward. That’s when I found “men’s work.”

Christian Discipleship in a “Terrible Time”

David Lloyd

May 25, 2025

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Two weeks ago in discussing Dr. Wilda C. Gafney’s A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church that we are using, Deborah Sokolove said that

Rather than simply ignoring the parts of the biblical record that today seem immoral, unjust, or downright cruel, we can acknowledge the whole truth of our past and use that knowledge to move forward into a more just, merciful, and inclusive future.

The Call and Future of Seekers: A Day of Prayer and Conversation

Jeanne Marcus

May 18, 2025

Fifth Sunday of Easter

I’d like to share a moment I had a few weeks ago: it was a perfect D.C. spring morning– the day was fresh and bright and tangy, and the trees were just budding out with that fleeting glow of new spring green.

I had parked in the Takoma Metro lot, and was walking through the grassy space between the bus stops and our corner here. The streets and sidewalks had their uniquely Sunday morning emptiness and quiet. And there ahead and off to my right a little, was the brick and glass of our building, with its iconic metallic signage: Seekers Church.  Something about the angle of the sun caught the storefront in a way that looked like a blessing.  

In that particular moment, it seemed as if I had somehow bracketed all that I believe I know about the church and the community behind the glass window, as if I didn’t have any idea about the actual life that happens here.

Listening for the Word of God

Deborah Sokolove Yakushiji

May 11, 2025

Fourth Sunday of Easter

 Outside, it’s Mothers’ Day. In here, it is the 4th Sunday of Easter, so this is not a Mothers’ Day sermon. It is an invitation to listen for the Word of God.

When I am serving as liturgist, I often invite us to listen for the Word of God as it comes to us in scripture. Sometimes, someone asks me why we continue to read passages that refer to situations that no longer apply or that seem to contradict what we understand as God’s desire for peace, love, and justice for all. Why, they ask, do we say “The Word of God” at the end of the Gospel reading, when one or more of the readings for the day are offensive to our current sensibilities?

Indeed, why do we read scripture aloud every Sunday? What is different about hearing these stories during worship in the midst of the congregation than when we read them silently to ourselves during our quiet times or at some other part of the day? How can we hear the Word of God in passages that confuse or offend us? Why don’t we just skip that parts that are problematic?

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