Sermons

The First Sunday in Lent

Last time I offered the Word here, on the first Sunday of September, we were almost six months into the Coronavirus pandemic, praying to discover some secret that would bring a quick end to the anger and the isolation.

And here we are, six months later, scanning the horizons of our experience, looking for signs of grace that will companion us through the rest of this dark winter of the soul as we learn some painful lessons about how to change our ways of learning to live with isolation and anger. We need to regain our balance and find a new equilibrium, a new solid rock on which to stand while we help our planet heal in ways that will sustain and support a vital, just and peaceful future.

February 14, 2021

The Feast of the Transfiguration

Roy Barber and Elese Sizemore spoke about the history of Bokamoso and the project’s relationship with Seekers. The following is a transcript of their remarks.

Roy began: Thank you, I welcome the opportunity to talk about this group. I guess I’ve been committed to them for about 25 years, through Seekers support.

February 7, 2021

The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

The following is a transcript of Larry’s spoken words as recorded on video. The transcriber apologizes for any errors.

Okay, good morning.

As a young boy, I remember seeing my beloved grandmother kneel down, join her hands, close her eyes and pray. It was a silent prayer. I didn’t know what she was saying or thinking. But I knew who she was praying to her love of God, and of her children and her grandchildren was evident in her daily life.

I remember many years ago, working in a tobacco barn. My grandmother looked at me and she gave me the most amazing smile. To my surprise, she was able to save enough money to buy herself a set of dentures. She proudly showed them off to me that day.

Although not a regular churchgoer, she was dedicated to Billy Graham, through radio and television. Just as I saw her kneel down to pray, I also watched her put money in an envelope and mail it to his organization. She believed in him and trusted his word. More importantly, you know, she was an amazing woman. And she taught  me to skill and finesse of flipping a pancake without making a mess. I took me a while to get that. Her full name was Helen Sims Rawlings. She passed away on April 8, 1986. You know, I love her and I miss her and I send her this prayer.

January 31, 2021

The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

Our theme for this season here at Seekers is “Radiant Hope.”  In our Gospel reading this morning, Jesus went to a synagogue in Capernaum, did some teaching, and removed an unclean spirit from a man, restoring him to health.

What’s the hope in this passage?  At first glance, I’d say the hope is this: if you’re unhealthy & happen to go to the right synagogue at the right time, God will heal you.

But I want to dig deeper than that.  To do so, I need to look at these events in their context.  This gospel passage is from the first chapter of Mark. Mark was the first gospel to have been written, and it presents today’s story as the first public appearance in Jesus’s ministry.

January 24, 2021

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany

I’m going to be preaching a sermon that I’ll bet is similar to the ones being preached in thousands of pulpits across the United States this morning.  Not only do we Christians have a common lectionary, we all lived through the same week, we share a national story that pulls us all along in its wake, and what happened on January 20^th can’t be neglected, at least not by me.  How well I remember the heavy feeling of doom that seemed to descend on me on January 20^th, 2017.  It felt like the clouds would never break – and indeed, it has been a long long four years.  But to everything there is a season, and now the moment of jubilee, however temporary, has come.

And if anyone among us isn’t rejoicing at the inauguration of this particular president, surely we can all, Democrat or Republican, conservative or progressive, celebrate that the transfer of power was safe, secure, and part of an unbroken chain of such democratic moments stretching back to 1796.  So, can I get a HALLELUJAH!?  Hallelujah!