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.

New Story Leadership – 2018

July 15, 2018

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

New Story Leadership is an organization that brings together Israeli and Palestinian young adults to work, live, and share their stories with one another and with faith communities. Participants in this summer’s program spoke at Seekers this morning during the time of sharing the Word. Two speakers from among the ten participants, one Israeli and one Palestinian, shared their experiences of growing up in the midst of the long-standing conflict. Each is committed to an ongoing project in support of peaceful sharing of the land they all call home.

“Our Weakness is God’s Strength” by M

July 8, 2018

The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

As a long time member of Seekers Church, I have become accustomed to the lectionary reading cycle. I had familiarity with the lectionary cycle from my previous church experience, but not from my growing up. When the readings repeat every three years, there is comfort in the rhythm. As I am not the same person that I was three years ago and the world is not the same experience as it was three years ago, there is opportunity for new insights.

It was fun to see what Seekers was addressing on these three year cycles. In 2015 around this time in cycle, Muriel brought the word and focused more on the structures of home and a group of Seekers were sharing about their experience in Guatemala. Six years ago, New Story Leadership shared their experience in building relationships between Palestinians and Israelis. Nine years ago, Marjory used these texts to speak about Seekers sense of being and really used the Mark 6 passage as the focal point.  All of which was a relief to review as my focus is not on these.

“Three Thoughts on Healing from Three Stories on Healing” by Erica Lloyd

July 1, 2018

The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

When I stood in this spot last summer, I shared the story of being broken down by the loss and suffering I had witnessed over the last 4 years living in Haiti. I preached about Jesus feeding the 5,000 even as he grieved the loss of John the Baptist, and I held onto that story as a beacon of hope as I navigated the somewhat foreign and often surprising process of healing.

My experience of healing was not one single thing – I started counseling, I read books about the problem of suffering, I learned to pray for healing in new ways with a group from my church in Haiti, and I studied scripture passages like the Gospel reading for today. And through all of these different experiences, I learned a few things about healing that I want to share with you this morning.

First, I came to see healing as an act of war.

“Human Beings Lonely Without God” by John Morris

June 24, 2018

The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

I’m going to take the theme of “Telling the Story” and relate it to some of my journey as a Christian and a writer.  I hope that you’ll be able to relate it to your own story-telling too, because I’ve never met a person who wasn’t, at heart, a story-teller.  That seems to be how human beings are made.  Certainly our Gospel reading this morning is a great story, and you can just imagine with what zeal and amazement the disciples must have told it to Jesus’ followers.  “Even the wind and waves obey him!”  And like so many good stories, this one points to something beyond the particulars of what happened. It means something, and is worth pondering and reconsidering.

Most of you know that I write fiction and poetry, and here I am, a grateful member of Seekers Church – yet I would be guarded, even reluctant, in describing my work as “Christian fiction” or “Christian poetry.”  Do you want to read some really bad poetry?  Google “Christian Poetry.”  There is something about an earnest desire to evangelize that appears to frazzle every bit of artistry and even good taste that a writer possesses.  I have tried hard not to be that kind of writer, and that kind of evangelist.  Still, though . . . I think an alert reader would be able to look at my stuff and have a pretty good guess that the writer must be a Christian of a certain type.

“Seeking the Face of God in the Infinite” by Rebecca Wheaton

June 16, 2018

The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

A simple definition if the word “to seek” may be: an attempt to find. But reading into more definitions, they begin to emphasize an “engaged longing” to find. Going yet a step further, I found that in seeking God, it is a longing to be in his presence. That we are to seek to find his “face”. I thought to myself, “there are as many different versions of seeking, and seeing, her “face” as there are beings that have ever lived, are living now and those that will come into this world. It is also important to point out that the message is to continually, constantly seek to he in her presence.

Today I would like to share with you how the divine light has guided me to search and seek out the face of God. How my parents’ infinite love and the guidance of my elders lead me to live among the Nicaraguan people. My journey is one of seeking to find God’s by seeing life through their eyes, and being in relationship with them.