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.

“It is written…” by Marjory Bankson

13 March 201111 lent cover front page thumbnail

The First Sunday in Lent

Why doesn’t Lent include the six Sundays before Easter? Because in the ancient church calendar, Sabbath always celebrates the resurrection. Even if Lent was traditionally a time of penance and sacrifice, Sundays remind us that Jesus’ crucifixion is not the end of the story. “From dust he was made, and to dust he returned.” God’s creation story continues in and through the Risen Christ, among us here and now. So, on this first Sunday of Lent, we read the story in Matthew of how the Spirit led Jesus into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. That tells us that this forty-day period has a holy purpose. There’s something important about this contest between Jesus and Satan. Matthew’s saying “Listen up!”

 

“Epiphanies and Foolish Hope” by Peter Bankson

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Transfiguration

Thinking about this in a season of “foolish hope” has led me to three ideas I want to explore this morning:

  • The Gospel lesson for this week offers us a big Epiphany and some ideas about how to respond:fear not, but keep praying.
  • Most epiphanies are small enough to overlook or treat like problems to be solved rather than mysteries to be loved.
  • Receiving an epiphany may take some time, and Lent is a fine time to start.

 

“The Lilies of the Field: Creating an Elder-Friendly Community” by Jacqie Wallen

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8th Sunday of Epiphany

 

Call me a Marxist, but I have always loved Karl Marx’s slogan:  “From each according to his ability and to each according to his need”.  Or, to update it: “From each according to his or her ability and to each according to his or her need” (You can call me a Marxist but I for heaven’s sake, don’t call me politically incorrect!)  Marx’s slogan seems to me to be a good basis for a just and merciful society.

“We’re in it Together” by Kate Cudlipp

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7th Sunday after Epiphany

 

We’ve been reading in the reflection paragraph for the last eight weeks, “In terms of the world’s sanity, Jesus is crazy as a coot, and anybody who thinks we can follow him without being a little crazy too is laboring less under a cross than under a delusion.”

Two Christmas Stories” by Pat Conover

13 February 2011

6th Sunday after Epiphany foolish hope thumbnail

 

This sermon grows out of a pet peeve of mine, the mixing together of the two Christmas stories in Matthew and Luke.  So I’m going to take out my irritation on you.  If I’m successful you will all end up feeling irritated.

 

Maybe if you hear the two stories separately you will actually feel thankful and instead of feeling irritated you will happily never mush them together again.  After all, both are interesting stories, just different stories.