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.
“Here I Am” by Sandra Miller
January 14, 2018
Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Kate Cudlipp and I shared the practice of beginning our sermons with a portion from Psalm 19, and by continuing the practice I like to think that Kate is whispering over my shoulder, I am here, and her gift to us of “we’re all in this together.” So I pray:
Let the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
find favor in your Heart
O my Beloved, my strength and
my joy!
Amen
A side note before I begin. There is a fair amount of reference to God as He, but only in quoted passages. Personally, I have no image for God beyond a poor attempt to describe the Holy One as the Great Mystery beyond my comprehension.
“Hope is Born” by Elizabeth Gelfeld
January 7, 2018
First Sunday after the Epiphany
What a fantastic story! A baby has been born in Bethlehem. Then some wise men from the East arrive in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising.” Herod, who is king of the Jews, feels threatened and asks his advisors where the prophets say the Messiah will be born. They tell him, in Bethlehem. Herod calls for the wise men, in secret, and, after questioning them as to the exact time of the star’s appearance, tells them to go to Bethlehem and bring back word of the child’s whereabouts. They leave Jerusalem, and now that star, which they had seen rising, is right there, moving ahead of them, then stopping over a house. The wise men, overcome with joy, enter the house and kneel down before the child. Then they offer him valuable gifts from their treasure chests.
A Sermon for Christmastide by Emmy Lu Daly
December 31, 2017
Christmastide
Sing: “Holy spirit come, make my eyes to see, make my ears to hear, make my mouth to speak.
Make my heart to sing and my hands to reach out and touch the world with Your love”.
This is a favorite song in the L’Arche Community and it is sung at the opening of prayer night every other Tuesday evening. Many people who are not directly involved in L’Arche, join us because it is always inspiring. Seekers Church has been a generous supporter of L’Arche for many years and I want to thank the community for that faithful support.
“Why the Chimes Rang” by David Lloyd
December 24, 2017
Christmas Eve
Tonight we gather here once again for our Seekers Christmas Eve potluck dinner and ceremony of lessons and carols,a tradition of Seekers Church for many years — long enough that our daughters, the Ogle boys, the seat girls, and the Dongo kids have all read various parts of the lessons when they were in our Sunday School. And now almost all of them are adults!
“Do Not Be Afraid, for Nothing is Impossible with God” by Deborah Sokolove
December 24, 2017
Fourth Sunday of Advent
slide 1: Unknown (Novgorod school), Annunciation, 12th century, tempera on panel Russian
Just a few days ago the winter solstice brought us the shortest day and longest night of the year. This morning, our part of the world has just begun to tilt towards the sun. We have gained one more minute of daylight since the solstice.
slide 2: Simone Martini, The Angel and the Annunciation, 1333, tempera on panel, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
Tonight we will celebrate the coming of Christ into the world, 2000 years ago as a helpless infant, and at the end of time when God will dwell among us again. In that new heaven and new earth, we are told, God will wipe away every tear; and death, mourning, crying, and pain will be no more. But right now it is still Advent, the time of waiting.
slide 3: Merode Altarpiece Robert Campin and workshop, 1427, Oil on oak panel Central panel 64 x 63 cm each wing 65 x 27cm
Waiting is hard. This has been a hard year for those of us who care about peace and justice in this here-and-now world. And even though it will be Christmas, when we wake up on Monday morning, nothing in this here-and-now world will have changed. The earth will still be trapping greenhouse gases, the glaciers will still be shrinking, the coastal waters rising. The Dreamers and their families will still be in danger of being deported. The safety net for poor people will continue to be shredded. People in positions of power will still act as though no one else matters. And people’s lives will continue to be shattered by violence, by famine, by drought and storm and earthquake and flood. And yet, the angel says, Do not be afraid.