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.
“Confession and Assurance” by Ken Burton
July 9, 2017
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Scripture: Romans 7:15-25a
I’m not much of a fan of the Apostle Paul, so I appreciate his comment in First Corinthians that it’s following Christ that matters, not following Paul. From my modern perspective, I find Paul’s acceptance of slavery as a social institution and his devaluing of women totally unacceptable and inconsistent with the apostle’s teaching regarding God’s abiding love for all. But, despite those reservations, I have chosen this morning to work with the passage from Romans 7 which is today’s epistle lection. I have made that choice for several reasons. First, it is one of a handful of texts from the Pauline epistles where the apostle uses the first person singular and thus appears to be speaking about his own spiritual condition. Second, the passage has a universal quality about it, addressing the human condition generally even as it is cast in the first person. And finally, and perhaps most important, the passage speaks to me. It feels directly relevant to where I am right now on my own journey.
“Is it Still Good?” by Deborah Sokolove
July 2, 2017
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Scripture: Jeremiah 28:5-9
There is a lot of prophesying going on these days. Turn on the TV or the radio or read Facebook or your email, and people will tell you that the current President will or won’t be impeached; there will or won’t be widespread destruction from climate change; there will or won’t be war with North Korea or Russia or some other country; millions will or will not lose their access to health care; this or that bill will or won’t be enacted by Congress; this or that law will or will not be struck down by the Supreme Court; and on and on and on. Some mornings when I read the newspaper there are more articles about what might happen than any actual news about what has already happened.
Who should we believe? Whose voices should we listen to? How do we know who is a false prophet, and who is speaking the true Word of God?
New Story Leadership – 2017
June 25, 2017
Third 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 twelve 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.
“Joyful Noise” by Katie Fisher and John Morris
June 18, 2018
Second Sunday after Pentecost
Psalm 100
Make a joyful noise to God, all the Earth.
Worship the Holy One with gladness;
come into her presence with singing.
Know that the Holy One is God.
It is she that made us, and we are hers;
we are her people, and the sheep of her pasture.
Enter her gates with thanksgiving, and her courts with praise.
Give thanks to her, bless her name.
For the Holy One is good;
her love endures forever, and her faithfulness to all generations.
Katie:
Some of you know that John and I have been making joyful noise—that is, music—together for many years, and we recently wrapped up our seventh album, which we call The Last Giraffe. Though our music is out in the world, for sale and streaming, and we sell a song or an album here and there, I guess it is mostly a labor of love. We funded a portion of this new CD with a Growing Edge grant. We are grateful for the support and want to share a couple of songs and a taste of their genesis with you. Thanks also to Jesse for joining us on one today and for workshopping these songs in the songwriters group we are all part of.
To me the key phrase of psalm 100 is right at the beginning: “all the Earth.”
“Creation and Dominion – God’s Good Story” by Margreta Silverstone
June 11, 2018
Trinity Sunday (First Sunday after Pentecost)
I hope, in this sermon,
- to give a bit more detail to a peace and justice prayer I provided some weeks ago.
- to connect to the Hebrew scriptures in a way that may be meaningful for others.
- to give a bit more voice to how I have found my way into the Eyes to See mission group.
I won’t be explicitly referencing Trinity concepts, although for some that is the central view of the Lectionary readings for today.
I won’t be focusing on gender views of the Trinity but do recommend you read Deborah’s sermon from three years ago. Working with the same texts, Deborah worked with our gender perceptions of God and you may want to reacquaint yourself with that sermon and its relevance today. And, if you haven’t thought about doing this before, you can find years of sermons on the Seekers website. Because we follow the lectionary readings that repeat every three years, you can read a number of sermons inspired by these texts.