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.
A Sermon by Jim Dickerson
May 1, 2016 Sixth Sunday of Easter INTRODUCTION Jim Dickerson, the founder of Manna, Inc., a nonprofit deveoper of quality. affordable housing the the District of Columbia and also the founder and pastor of New Community Church, offered a sermon which focused in particular on the work of Manna in the Anacostia area. The full text is not available.
“A New Commandment: Love One Another” by Peter Bankson
April 24, 2016
Fifth Sunday of Easter
INTRODUCTION
Our theme this Easter season has been “Transforming Faith.” The ambiguity was intentional. Often, as we are on the Way with Christ, we are transformed by faith: we trust what is beyond “proof” and find our way to some deeper understanding. But there are times when, as a small part of the Body of Christ, we discover that love changes the faith that guides us and those around us. This growth is often challenging and uncomfortable, requiring some deep letting go. Most of us have examples of love changing or enlarging our faith, examples that come quickly to mind – our efforts to be creative and inclusive … racial reconciliation … peacemaking.
“The Lord Is Our Shepherd (Psalm 23)” by David Parker
April 17, 2016
Fourth Sunday of Easter
1 [[A Psalm of David.]] The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
I. Introduction:
Like many others, this beloved Psalm bears the simple titled, A Psalm of David. There is no concrete timeline or timeframe of when David wrote Psalm 23. However, there are two different accounts on it’s significance: (1) most account it to be a Psalm of David’s maturity, but with vivid remembrance of his youth as a shepherd; or (2) others account it to be a Psalm of reflection, written while David was living with Barzillai in Gilead when he fled from his son Absalom – who was trying to become king.
“Appreciating the Close Followers of Jesus” by Pat Conover
April 10, 2016
Third Sunday of Easter
I try to take preaching with reference to the lectionary readings seriously even though that sometimes isn’t closely related to my sermon theme. My compromise today is to point out two things about the lectionary readings before getting down to the body of my sermon which has a slight relationship to the reading from the gospel attributed to John.
Psalm 30, verse three, in the New Revised Standard Version reads: “O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from those gone down to the pit.” I’m not sympathetic to the theology of Psalm 30 but I am interested that the author refers to Sheol as a metaphor for recovering vitality and engagement in life. Sheol was understood to be an underworld, like the Greek Hades and the Babylonian Aralu, an underworld inhabited after death by both good and bad people. Sheol is a place of stillness and darkness cut off from the Presence of God. The metaphorical contrast is Heaven as a place of light and living in harmony with the Presence of God.
“Doubt” by Ken Burton
April 3, 2016
Second Sunday of Easter
Scripture
Acts 5: 27-32
Psalm 118
Revelation 1:4-8
John 20:19-31
Good morning! The Revised Common Lectionary readings for today are, for the most part, strong, unambiguous affirmations of faith, which seems appropriate for the Sunday following the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.
Because it is the Easter Season, we have a reading from Acts in lieu of one from the Hebrew Scriptures. This Sunday’s passage is the courageous response of the apostles to the very true accusation from the Temple authorities that they were out there teaching in Jesus’ name despite being firmly told by the authorities not to do so. But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority,” knowing full well that this kind of arrogant, in-your-face response raised the possibility that they would soon meet the same fate as Jesus. That this in fact did not happen until many years later and in a different setting does not lessen the risk of faith that the Apostles took that day in Jerusalem.