November 9, 2014

Twenty-second Sunday After Pentecost

The Gospel today speaks of the bridesmaids who were ready – who had filled their lamps with oil and of the ones who had not.   I find more questions than answers in reading this passage:

                           What does it mean to be ready?

                            What am I getting ready for?

                            To be in the presence of God?

                            How do I prepare myself to be in the presence of God?  

                            Where do I find this lamp oil?

November 2, 2014

The Feast of All Saints

Today we are celebrating All Saints Day. All Saints Day is a part of a sequence: of days — Halloween, All Saint’s Day, and All Souls Day – that mark a special time of year. It’s the season when we become acutely aware that our days are getting cooler and our nights are getting longer. We stand between summer and winter, light and dark, life and death, the ordinary world and the world of spirits. These days, Jan Richardson says, are:

A sacred space in the turning of the year—what Celtic folk have long called a thin place,  where past, present, and future intertwine, and the veil between worlds becomes  permeable.”

 October 26, 2014

Twentienth Sunday after Pentecost

READING

Art speaks to the senses in ways that are too complex and subtle to be able to fully define in words. We respond physically and emotionally to the colors, shapes, textures, rhythms, timbres, pitch, or other aspects of a painting, a song, a film in ways that are difficult to describe, but still very real.

Deborah Sokolove, Sanctifying Art

INTRODUCTION

When the Sacred Conversations on Race and Diversity Planning Group organized our first joint worship service last year, we focused on a social justice issue that both of our faith communities found pressing and ripe for multiracial, multicultural social action—the myriad injustices surrounding our system and practice of mass incarceration.  This year we decided that our communities shared something else in common, the creation and appreciation of art.  So we thought we would lift the theme of creativity’s role in our spiritual journey.

Ooctober 19, 2014

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Just a few minutes ago, we stood in a circle – so we could see each other – and celebrated recommitment as Seekers for the 39^th time. Recommitment to Seekers has happened on the third Sunday of October each year since 1976, as an opportunity to step into the circle of belonging, believing, knowing, that we are part of a living body of Christ.

 Most of us were not here in the beginning. Those who were have seen many changes. But at the core, there is still our call to be church.  And every year, we have a new understanding of what that means.

October 12, 2014

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

I want to start today by expressing our gratitude for all the ways that Seekers has supported our renewal efforts at The Potter’s House. At every step you have been with us, offering your wisdom and generosity. From bringing a reconciling spirit to the tough conversations at the Ecumenical Council, to offering guidance on how to provide for major renovations, to all the prayers and gifts given on our behalf, it is not hyperbole to say that this renewal would not be possible without you. As we prepare to re-open in the New Year, we give thanks to God for Seekers Church and the strong bond we feel with our sister community here on Carroll St. From all of us on Columbia Rd., thank you. We look forward to sharing more with you and doing some dreaming together in our discussion time following the service.