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; } It is the prophetic task of progressive Christians, particularly those of us who have the good fortune to live in the United States, to care enough about the United States and the world to claim our full agency as citizens. Every time I think of a pilgrimage, I end up asking myself questions. Will the steps I take expand my traditions? Religious and family traditions come to mind, but I would also extend the question to rituals, habits, and routines. Can spiritual experiences alter or interrupt any or all these activities that can be so automatic we don’t even think about them? I asked myself these questions when Teresa and I walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain back in 2019. The question of spirit over tradition accompanied me throughout the 520-mile walk. Summer July 31, 2022 With my time today, I’d like to tell you about my trip to New Mexico this spring. I graduated with my Master’s degree in May, and applied for a Growing Edge Fund grant to help me achieve some specific spiritual and creative goals through a trip to Santa Fe NM. When I applied for the Growing Edge Fund Grant, I said this in my application: “If I have four souls (intellectual, social, spiritual, and creative), the last two years have starved the spiritual and creative souls while the intellectual and social souls have feasted.” I felt like I needed to put these parts of myself back in balance after such a whirlwind of the last two years between grad school, running a business remotely and settling into a new city, before I jumped into entering a new career, which was sure to be its own whirlwind. In this moment of uncomfortable transition between grad school and career, I saw an opportunity to see who I am when no job title defined me, and I wanted to take a moment to explore that through creativity, solitude, and retreat in nature. The creative objective of this trip was… “Teach us to pray,” the disciples said, “the way John taught his disciples.” As Luke tells the story, Jesus then gave them the right words to use, and many Christians have prayed the Lord’s prayer on autopilot ever since. In the language of King James, it’s “Our Father, who art in heaven….” Didn’t they already know how to pray? We know they’ve been praying to heal the sick, cast out demons and preach the nearness of God’s realm, so why this poignant new request – teach us to pray? Our theme for this Pentecost season is “Wisdom is Calling.” The reflection question has been “Who are you listening to?” Good question! To which I might add… and how are you listening? When I looked at the scriptures for this week, they felt really relevant to where we are as a community. I knew I’d offered the Word on them before and wanted to offer something different. While I was wandering around in my head looking for a metaphor to help focus my thoughts, I heard something unexpected that woke me up to a new possibility. Sitting on the back porch with Marjory over a late supper after the Celebration Circle meeting last Wednesday, I heard the insistent call of a cicada! First one of the year! Right outside in the catalpa tree! Piercing and insistent. A cicada! Could that, somehow, be wisdom calling?“Progressive Christian Engagement of War and Politics” by Pat Conover
Summer
August 14, 2022
“Pilgrimage as a Spiritual Path” by Will Ramsey
Summer
August 7, 2022
“Delight in How it Changes” by Ellie Benedict
“Teach Us to Pray” Marjory Bankson
Summer
July 24, 2022
“The DNA of Call” by Peter Bankson
Trinity
July 17, 2022