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.
“For All the Saints….” by Marjory Zoet Bankson
4 November 2012
Twenty-third Sunday After Pentecost
Gospel Reading: John 11:32-44 … (Jesus) cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out! The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
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This week, we celebrate All Saints’ Day, which falls on November 1, and All Souls’ Day, which falls on November 2. The Feast of All Saints can be traced back to Pope Gregory III (circa 741), who dedicated an oratory in St. Peter’s for the relics of saints and martyrs. The Feast of All Souls developed during the Medieval period in connection with the dogmatic invention of purgatory. It was celebrated primarily in homes by lighting candles and leaving food for troubled souls or ancestral spirits who were, according to Catholic doctrine, awaiting entry into heaven.
“Called by God: Blind Bartemaeus Shows the Way” by Peter Bankson
28 October 2012
Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
Last week, for the 36th time, we made our annual commitment to Seekers Church. We spoke our commitment aloud; we stood up and came forward to sign the book; and after our time here in worship, many of us stayed together for a while to reflect on the experience. I was deeply moved to be part of this body as we made this commitment to be on the Way together.
“Trusting God Together” by Deborah Sokolove
21 October 2012
Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost
Today’s Hebrew Scripture reading comes near the end of the Book of Job. For nearly 37 chapters, Job has been in physical and spiritual anguish. He has lost his fortune, all of his children are dead, his wife is so wrapped up in her own grief and bitterness that she is unable to offer any comfort, and his friends keep telling him that he must have done something awful to deserve such punishment.
“Spiritual Responsibility” by Pat Conover
14 October 2012
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
The biblical passage I will work with today is our lectionary passage Mark 10:17-31. I will read it from the Scholar’s Translation. This is a recent original translation from the Greek, not a revision of the King James Bible like the Revised Standard Version or the New English Version. The translation is by a group of academic New Testament scholars not church scholars. Among other things, the group was interested in estimating which sayings of Jesus were likely from Jesus himself rather than from the gospel writers or editors. In doing this work they had the great advantage of access to the newly discovered Gospel of Thomas, parts of which are as early, or earlier, than the gospels that made it into the Bible. Two of the sayings found in this passage are also in Thomas and that means they were preserved by two quite different early Christian groups. That means they were likely not added by the gospel writers or editors. Now for the text.
“A Handcart Commitment” by David Lloyd
7 October 2012
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
For those of you who are new to Seekers Church, the scriptures you just heard are from the Revised Common Lectionary, which is used by many churches throughout numerous denominations in the U.S. From time to time I think that the compilers of the Revised Common Lectionary have a weird way of looking at faith. Today’s lections pair the beginning of the story of Job’s sufferings with the epistle to the Hebrews, which emphasizes the divine nature of Jesus and his suffering on our behalf. That pairing makes sense. But these are paired with Mark’s account of a question posed to Jesus to test him, namely whether it was lawful for Jews to divorce. Then the lection includes Jesus chiding his disciples for hindering children from coming to him. One could almost think that the compilers are trying to equate marriage and parenthood with suffering. I dare not make eye contact with Sharon, my wife of 41 years and mother of our two daughters, as I say this!