Seekers Together

11/25/2024

Help us keep our theater!

07/14/2021

I've been listening to Cass Elliott lately, and this would have been a great song for Seekers: https://youtu.be/gi2TWDTEDFA.

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music GroupNew World Coming · Cass ElliotMama's Big Ones℗ 1970 UMG Recordings, Inc.Released on: 1973-09-28Composer Lyricist...

08/01/2020

Greetings, all!

I hope this finds you all safe and doing your best to keep yourself and others safe!

Well, we tried meeting on Wednesdays on Zoom for Seekers. I think we had some good conversation, but we just aren't able to engage more than 1-2 people at this time. Given the lack of response to my request for suggestions of other evenings to meet, I don't believe there's enough interest to continue at this time. So I am discontinuing our Zoom Seekers meetings at this time. When/if it is safe to meet in person, perhaps we'll be able to continue then!

Peace,
Chris

07/28/2020

Seekers Together, July 29, 2020

Notes about the service:

Our Zoom service will include a creed, readings, discussion, prayer, and communion. You are invited to speak the Seekers’ Creed in unison, a volunteer may read the gospel, and we’ll speak together the alternate Lord’s Prayer. You are welcome to speak in the Prayer of Intercession when I say, “For what else shall we pray?” For the gathering on July 29, we’ll include a Seekers version of communion, so you can have bread and wine, cracker and juice, or whatever you have and wish to use. You’re also free to just listen to the communion portion without participating. You can print this sheet or rely on a powerpoint I will display onscreen.

When we share communion, we’ll use an English translation of the earliest Christian communion service we have access to, contained in a book we call the Didache, which means “teaching” in Greek. It does not use the same words of institution as traditional church services, and does not employ sacrificial language. It is most properly referred to as the Eucharist, which means “Thanksgiving” in Greek. No one is excluded from participating in this Eucharist! (In-person, we would sing, but that doesn’t seem to work so well over Zoom!)
Seekers’ Creed

I continually seek the one who has given me life,
And who teaches me to love
All humanity and all of creation,
And who makes me more who I ideally am.

I seek the one I have come to know through Jesus
And so many other prophets and witnesses;
I seek this one through the Bible,
and through so much other wisdom.

I seek a Spirit of love to fill me to overflowing
So that I can share that love with the world around me.
I seek the kin-dom, a transformed world,
In which we all live in forgiveness and love.

I seek to discover and grow in my beliefs,
whatever they may be,
And trust that I and the world around me
will be better for it. Amen.

Readings

From Buddhism
Because I see danger in the practice of miracles
I loathe and abhor and repudiate them. (Kevadddha Sutta)
Matthew 14:13-21
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." They replied, "We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish." And he said, "Bring them here to me." Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Silence and Discussion

Prayer of Intercession

Communion
One: Jesus was known for his open table fellowship, welcoming absolutely anyone to share a meal with him. All are welcome here at this, his table, wherever we may be.
One: First, concerning the cup:
We give you thanks, our Father
for the holy vine of your servant David
which you revealed to us through your servant Jesus.
All: To you is the glory forever.
One: And concerning the broken loaf:
We give you thanks, our Father,
for the life and knowledge
which you revealed to us through your servant Jesus.
All: To you is the glory forever.
One: Just as this broken loaf was scattered over the hill as grain,
and, having been gathered together, became one;
in like fashion, may your people be gathered together
from the ends of the earth into your kingdom.
All: Because yours is the glory and the power forever.

Each person takes the elements they have prepared. Each person may say, “Given in love for us,” then eat the bread (or whatever you have) and then the wine (or whatever you have).

One: Let us pray:
We give you thanks, holy One,
for your holy name,
which you enshrined in our hearts,
and for the knowledge and faith
which you revealed to us through your servant Jesus.
All: To you is the glory forever.
One: You, Loving One, gave us all things
for the sake of your name,
both food and drink you have given people for enjoyment
in order that they might give thanks;
to us, you have graciously bestowed
divinely-sent food and drink for life forever
through your servant Jesus.
Before all these things, we give you thanks
because you are powerful on our behalf.
All: To you is the glory forever.
One: Remember, all your people,
to save us from every evil
and to perfect us in your love
and to gather us together from the four winds
into your kingdom
which you have prepared for us,
All: because yours is the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Prayer
O Breathing Life, your Name shines everywhere!
Release a space to plant your Presence here.
Imagine your possibilities now.
Embody your desire in every light and form.
Grow through us this moment's bread and wisdom.
Untie the knots of failure binding us, as we release the strands we hold of others' faults.
Help us not forget our Source, Yet free us from not being in the Present.
From you arises every Vision, Power and Song from gathering to gathering.
Amen - May our future actions grow from here!

Go in the peace of the one who is love!

07/22/2020

The handout for Wed's service is copied below:

Seekers Together, July 22, 2020

Notes about the service:
Our Zoom service will include a creed, readings, discussion, prayer, and one song. Discussion does not have to be connected to the readings but may instead serve as a chance to catch up and process what’s going on in the world around us. As we always say, “it’s your time!” We will experiment to see what works in terms of my controlling the muting function so we don’t end up with a confusing jumble of sound. You are invited to speak the Seekers’ Creed in unison, a volunteer may read the gospel, and we’ll speak together the alternate Lord’s Prayer. This is indicated by placing these texts in bold print. You are welcome to speak in the Prayer of Intercession when I say, “For what else shall we pray?” We can sing “Jesus, Remember Me” again as we conclude. I am not including communion yet but we can discuss doing virtual communion in the future if people wish. You can print this sheet or rely on a powerpoint I will display onscreen.
Seekers’ Creed

I continually seek the one who has given me life,
And who teaches me to love
All humanity and all of creation,
And who makes me more who I ideally am.

I seek the one I have come to know through Jesus
And so many other prophets and witnesses;
I seek this one through the Bible,
and through so much other wisdom.

I seek a Spirit of love to fill me to overflowing
So that I can share that love with the world around me.
I seek the kin-dom, a transformed world,
In which we all live in forgiveness and love.

I seek to discover and grow in my beliefs,
whatever they may be,
And trust that I and the world around me
will be better for it. Amen.

Readings

From Zoroastrianism
Hear with your ears that which is the sovereign good;
With a clear mind look upon the two sides
Between which each man must choose for himself,
Watchful beforehand that the great test
May be accomplished in our favor.
Now at the beginning, the twin spirits have declared
Their nature, the better and the evil,
In thought and word and deed.
And between the two
The wise ones choose well,
Not the foolish. (Zend Avesta, Yasna 30: 2-3)

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52
[Jesus] put before [the crowds] another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”
“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Silence and Discussion

Prayer of Intercession

Prayer
O Breathing Life, your Name shines everywhere!
Release a space to plant your Presence here.
Imagine your possibilities now.
Embody your desire in every light and form.
Grow through us this moment's bread and wisdom.
Untie the knots of failure binding us, as we release the strands we hold of others' faults.
Help us not forget our Source, Yet free us from not being in the Present.
From you arises every Vision, Power and Song from gathering to gathering.
Amen - May our future actions grow from here!

Jesus, Remember Me

Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kin-dom,
Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kin-dom. (4X)

07/14/2020

Seekers is meeting on Zoom on July 15 at 7pm. Below is the invitation and what we'll use for the service:

Topic: Seekers Together
Time: Jul 15, 2020 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/99494744404?pwd=b0w2LzZENnBJRFRmMzM1T2ZpL0VnQT09

Meeting ID: 994 9474 4404
Password: 9rFVgB

Seekers Together, July 15, 2020

Notes about the service:
Our first Zoom service will include a creed, readings, discussion, prayer, and one song. Discussion does not have to be connected to the readings but may instead serve as a chance to catch up and process what’s going on in the world around us. As we always say, “it’s your time!” We will experiment to see what works in terms of my controlling the muting function so we don’t end up with a confusing jumble of sound. You are invited to speak the Seekers’ Creed in unison, a volunteer may read the gospel, and we’ll speak together the alternate Lord’s Prayer. This is indicated by placing these texts in bold print. You are welcome to speak in the Prayer of Intercession when I say, “For what else shall we pray?” We can sing “Jesus, Remember Me” as we conclude. I am not including communion but we can discuss doing virtual communion in the future if people wish. You can print this sheet or rely on a powerpoint I will attempt to display onscreen.
Seekers’ Creed

I continually seek the one who has given me life,
And who teaches me to love
All humanity and all of creation,
And who makes me more who I ideally am.

I seek the one I have come to know through Jesus
And so many other prophets and witnesses;
I seek this one through the Bible,
and through so much other wisdom.

I seek a Spirit of love to fill me to overflowing
So that I can share that love with the world around me.
I seek the kin-dom, a transformed world,
In which we all live in forgiveness and love.

I seek to discover and grow in my beliefs,
whatever they may be,
And trust that I and the world around me
will be better for it. Amen.

Readings

From Confucianism
Feng said, “Everyone who commits crime – stealing, dishonesty and treachery, murder, assault, and recklessness – these are abhorrent to everybody.”

The king answered, “Feng, such people are indeed abhorred, as well as those who do not respect his father with reverence. He breaks his father’s heart, and the father can no longer love his son, but hates him instead. Or the younger brother who does not consider the will of Heaven, and does not respect his elder brother; the elder brother who does not consider the sacrifices of his parents in raising him and treats his brother unkindly. If we who are responsible to govern do not treat such people, who continue to be wicked, as offenders, the laws given by Heaven will be thrown into chaos and destroyed. You must resolve to deal expeditiously with such people according to the penal code, punishing them severely, and showing no mercy.” (Book of History, 5.9)

[Explaining a basic teaching of Confucianism: The social system of Confucianism is seen as being the “Way of Heaven”, or the “Dao of Tian.” Confucius listed 5 relationships in the pattern of yin and yang and called for them to remain in balance, including the relationship of Father to Son and Elder Brother to Younger Brother. They are not equal but are intended to balance and thus assure harmony. Women are only mentioned in these relationships under the heading of Husband and Wife, with the husband clearly the dominant party.]

Matthew 13:24-30
[Jesus] put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ 28He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
Silence and Discussion

Prayer of Intercession

Prayer
O Breathing Life, your Name shines everywhere!
Release a space to plant your Presence here.
Imagine your possibilities now.
Embody your desire in every light and form.
Grow through us this moment's bread and wisdom.
Untie the knots of failure binding us, as we release the strands we hold of others' faults.
Help us not forget our Source, Yet free us from not being in the Present.
From you arises every Vision, Power and Song from gathering to gathering.
Amen - May our future actions grow from here!

Jesus, Remember Me

Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kin-dom,
Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kin-dom. (4X)

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07/08/2020

I intended to have in in-person gathering tonight at 7 at First, but when I found out that someone was not going to mask, I decided to cancel. This person is going to continue to have issues with masking, so we may have to look at other options if we're to meet at all. Any in-person gathering carries a level of risk and if we know to start with that anyone will be unmasked, the level of risk increases. In a time that US and NC COVID numbers are still rising out of control, I prefer to limit the risky situations in which I place myself or others. So with that in mind, please let me know if a Zoom meeting would work for you and if you would attend such a virtual gathering. It is possible that the alternative is to wait until there's a vaccine available and we all take it.

04/23/2020

Well, it's been a while since Seekers was able to meet. How are you all doing?

Given that this is likely to go on for quite a while, and we will likely have at least one more wave of the coronavirus, I'd like to offer to meet on Zoom. I'd be using the free version of Zoom which is limited to 40 minutes, so the time would have to be rather truncated. The two pieces I'd want to include would be reading/discussion and virtual communion. For virtual communion, each person would need to have their own elements (bread/wine/grape juice, but any solid and any liquid would do (crackers and coffee or whatever you have).

If we have enough people interested and able to do this, I would send a link to the Zoom room. I'm not sure but I think you can participate without a camera; we just wouldn't be able to see you. I could be wrong on that, though. I'd keep a close eye on the clock so we don't just get cut off when the 40 minutes are up.

So:
How are you doing?
Would you want to attempt a Zoom Seekers service?

Peace be with you all!

Chris

03/21/2020

Hi, all! Seekers is still in my heart and mind, but the best we can do right now is hold off until it's much safer. And I have a feeling this will be longer than most people think...

03/15/2020

I am putting our Seekers meetings on hold for the next few weeks. Please love your neighbors by not going near them without need!

02/04/2020

Remember Seekers Together Wed, Feb 5 at 7pm at First Lutheran!

There will be NO Seekers on Ash Wednesday, Feb 26, 2020.