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 Service in the Style of Taizé for Recommitment 2024
September 22, 2024
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
From time to time Seekers Church takes time out from its regular preaching schedule for a service of chant, prayer and reflection modeled on the worship of the Taizé Community in France. This Sunday was one such time. Repeating the chants together until they die away into the silence provides rest for our world-weary spirits as well as an opportunity for individual reflection on our faith journeys. As we joined in spirit with the monks at Taizé, we were nourished by their faithfulness as well as by their music. Our chants were accompanied and supported by Glen Yakushiji at the piano.
Wisdom by Jacqie Wallen
September 15, 2024
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
At the June Women’s Breakfast, we got to talking about artificial intelligence and I shared that I was using an artificial intelligence program, ChatGPT, to provide some ideas for parts of a mystery novel I was writing. In the process, I have become quite enamored of the app. Later someone at the breakfast mentioned that it was about time for me to give a sermon. Someone, I don’t remember who (maybe me?) put the two together and said, “What about using Chat GPT to write a sermon.” So, I thought I would, just for fun, try doing just that. I hope you enjoy this experiment in writing a sermon with AI. There’s a lot about Wisdom (with a capital W) in today’s lectionary readings. These were my instructions to ChatGPT: “Wisdom is portrayed as a woman in the New Testament and the Hebrew scriptures. Write a sermon about this that reflects a feminist point of view and include the idea of God, Wisdom, and the Word as feminine. Also include the idea of God as a mother.” I did a lot of editing of the AI text to make the sermon sound more like me and added some of my own reflections on mothers and the divine feminine as well as thoughts about recommitment since this is Recommitment Season, but most of the ideas in the following sermon were provided by ChatGPT.
I am Open, I am Opened by Kate Lasso
September 8, 2024
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
I am Open, I am Opened
It’s September, and we can feel the coolness of the coming Autumn season in the air this morning. I love the promise of change that I always sense as Autumn approaches. From Jeanne Marcus I understand you all are entering into a season of recommitment at Seekers, in a year with the theme of Being Opened.
I take note that the phrase is “Being Opened” (not “Being Open). However, I would like to add my perspective, which is that to really be opened and to take in that experience, consent is required. Whatever internal resistance that may be present must yield. We say “yes” somewhere along the way – for me, this is the essence of faith and committing to the inward work a spiritual journey.
“Why We Come to Church” by Patricia Nemore
September 1, 2024
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Albert Camus ends his essay, “The Myth of Sisyphus”, thus:
I leave Sisyphus at the foot of the mountain. One always finds one’s burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night-filled mountain, in itself, forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.
“Lord, to whom can we go?” by Erica lloyd
August 25, 2024
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Let’s pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts make us closer to whom you mean us to be. Amen
I will start with a confession that’s hopefully not going to make you too worried about the next 15 minutes: for months, I’ve been struggling because scripture has felt stale to me. I’d been growing impatient every time I cracked open the Bible, only to find the same old words and same old stories. Even worse, I had the same old reactions, as if I, too, was growing stale. In the midst of this struggle, I made the counter-intuitive decision to say yes when Deborah reached out to see if I would preach, in the hopes that forcing myself to engage would bring some life back into my relationship with scripture. I chose today because three years ago this gospel reading really touched a nerve. A crowd of Jesus’ followers, once hopeful, become befuddled, distressed, and ultimately disenchanted with him. As they drift away one by one, Jesus turns to his disciples: “Do you also wish to go away?” He asks.