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.
.wp-show-posts-columns#wpsp-4136 {margin-left: -2em; }.wp-show-posts-columns#wpsp-4136 .wp-show-posts-inner {margin: 0 0 2em 2em; } This sermon has three parts. First, I have a few words about the Hebrew Scriptures reading, the story of Moses and the burning bush. Then I want to share a recent dream of mine which focused this sermon for me. Finally, out of all of that, come words about authority, that is, “authority at the point of call,” within Seekers Church. Moses both hears God’s new call on his life and, with God’s “I will be with you”, is empowered to carry it out. He is given authority at his point of call. The full text of Madeline’s sermon is not available. Below are the highlights. Madeline spoke about growing in faith as reflected in growing in courage. Working from the courageous actions of the women in Moses’ early life, she asked the congregation in the sanctuary to break for a few moments into dyads and to share about a time when we had taken an action that we could not fail to take and yet remain true to ourselves. We were looking for situations in our pasts in which we could not fail to act or remain silent any longer. Then Madeline offered a second question: what is challenging us now? What challenge are we avoiding? What challenge or we living into? What is it that is calling us now? After a few more moments in the dyads, Madeline concluded with some sharing of her own about her faith/professional journey and her current work. Scripture readings Genesis 45:1-15 This morning, in place of our usual sermon offered by one or two people, we had a time of shared reflections on the scripture, illuminated by our theme “Wrestling with Faith”. Below is a sampling of the offered reflections. Street Sense offered the word this Sunday. Street Sense elevates voices on poverty issues and creates economic opportunities for people experiencing homelessness. With support from Roy Barber and Leslie Jacobson, a group of Street Sense vendors told their stories in song and spoken word. Street Sense is also a biweekly newspaper sold on the street by the vendors as a means of support. Matthew 14: 13-21 Our text for today begins with an odd sentence: “When Jesus heard this, he withdrew….” Jesus has just been told that his beloved cousin, John, has been beheaded as a favor to Herod’s wife. Stunned, Jesus gets into a boat, needing a deserted place where he can be alone. Imagine what that news would mean to you. How you might feel — and how welcome a needy crowd would be. Or picture yourself as a member of the crowd, following a beloved teacher on foot — in the wake of his grief and your fears about what this means for the reform movement which was beginning to form around them. This is NOT the mood we want to set for celebrating Emmy Lu’s 100th birthday, and yet I want to honor the discipline of dealing with the gospel text assigned for today. And death, whatever form it takes, will come to all of us. It’s certainly waiting in the wings as we celebrate Emmy Lu’s 100th birthday. “Authority at the Point of Call” by Ken Burton
Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost
September 3, 2023
“Growing in Faith and Courage” by Madeline Yates
Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost
August 27, 2023
“Wrestling with Faith” by Seekers Community
Twelth Sunday After Pentecost
August 20, 2023
Psalm 133
Romans 11:1‑2a, 29-32
Matthew 15:10-28“Street Sense” by Street Sense
Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost
August 13, 2023
“More Than Food” by Marjory Bankson
Tenth Sunday After Pentecost
August 6, 2023