Whether you call them homilies, sermons, or talks, there’s a lot you can learn from the spiritual leaders in our community. While in a perfect world, you’d have time to listen to everyone, that simply isn’t possible for most with limited time to spare. To help, we’ve surfaced and summarized the teachings from the audio sermons of some of the most influential priests and pastors from around town and in the Christian sphere.

You can skip to a specific section by clicking the links below.

Jump to:

• Fr. Mike Schmitz
• Buckhead Church
• Cathedral of Christ the King
• Passion City Church
• Trinity Anglican Church
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Fr. Mike Schmitz

Fr. Mike begins by describing the universal human experience of absolute desperation. He highlights how people often exhaust every single option—whether dealing with severe physical pain, terminal diagnoses, or mental health struggles—only to find themselves in a worse, more hopeless position than before. Turning to the Gospel reading of the Canaanite woman pleading for her demon-tormented daughter, he illustrates how desperation stripped away all pretense, leaving her to approach the one person she knew could help: Jesus.

Addressing common misconceptions about prayer, Fr. Mike counters the idea that petitionary or intercessory prayer is an inferior or spiritually immature practice. While spending time with God in pure adoration is vital, bringing our needs and desires to Him is a profound exercise of living as a true son or daughter of God. Hiding our needs reflects a lack of vulnerability and trust, whereas asking God for what we want reveals a heart that trusts Him enough to be open about its deepest longings.

He then poses a crucial, probing question: Can God tell us “no,” and what do we do when He does? Fr. Mike warns against having a “mercenary heart”—a term drawn from a C.S. Lewis poem—where our allegiance and faith in God depend entirely on receiving what we want. When Jesus initially responds with a “no” to the Canaanite woman, she does not leave or abandon her faith; instead, she remains steadfastly present in His presence.

Ultimately, Fr. Mike explains that the secret to the Canaanite woman’s “great faith” lies in her total surrender and trust. When she remarks that even dogs eat the scraps from the master’s table, she expresses a willingness to humbly accept whatever God is willing to give. True faith is not giving up, but resolving to stay with the Lord in our lowest moments, telling Him what we need, and trusting Him enough to receive whatever He provides—even when the answer is “no.”

Listen to the full version here.

Buckhead Church

This service at Buckhead Church centers on the theme of Everyday Courage, focusing on the internal struggle to confront difficult emotions like fear. Lead pastor Matt Noblitt opened the service by welcoming the congregation and highlighting the community’s mission, followed by a moving segment where two congregants, Valeria and Anna, shared their personal journeys of faith and were baptized.

Senior pastor Andy Stanley delivered the main message, challenging the common human tendency to mislabel our fears as “complicated” situations. He emphasized that while we often camouflage our reluctance to act or forgive by calling it a complex circumstance, the root issue is frequently fear. By misdiagnosing this fear, we lose the ability to move forward, often letting it become the “boss” of our lives and relationships.

The core of the sermon focused specifically on the courage to forgive. Stanley argued that forgiveness is a courageous, intentional act that does not depend on the other person’s actions or worthiness. Drawing on the teachings of Jesus and the Apostle Paul, he explained that forgiving is about liberating oneself from bitterness and anger, allowing individuals to live independently of the person who hurt them, just as Christ forgave those who crucified him.

Concluding the service, Stanley provided a practical framework for the congregation to address their own resistance to forgiveness by asking what they have to fear and what they feel they are losing by letting go. The service ended with an invitation to stop letting fear dictate one’s life. Following the message, Matt Noblitt closed with announcements regarding upcoming parenting resources and children’s programs, encouraging the church community to apply the wisdom and courage gained from the teaching throughout the week.

Listen to the full version here.

Cathedral of Christ The King

In his homily delivered at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Monsignor Frank McNamee reflects on the gospel of the Canaanite woman, highlighting the often-overlooked virtue of boldness in prayer. He notes that believers frequently approach God with hesitation or a false humility, feeling unworthy or fearing that God is tired of listening to them. However, the Canaanite woman’s direct, unpolished cry for help—”Have pity on me”—dismantles this mindset, demonstrating that genuine faith begins with a humble recognition of complete dependence on God.

Expanding on the woman’s plea for her daughter, Msgr. McNamee emphasizes the profound power and necessity of intercessory prayer. When people ask for prayers, they entrust something sacred, trusting in God’s grace even when feeling helpless. Just as the Canaanite woman persistently interceded for someone unable to pray for themselves, the faithful and the broader parish community are called to bring the needs, burdens, and sufferings of others before Christ with confidence rather than remaining silent.

Transitioning to practical stewardship as a communal expression of care, Msgr. McNamee connects this spiritual responsibility to the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal. He gently reminds the congregation of their obligation to support the spiritual, social, and material needs of the universal Church, noting that as one of the fastest-growing archdioceses in the country, the local Church faces increasing demands to foster vocations and welcome hundreds of new Catholics into the faith each year.

Finally, he addresses the contrast between the woman’s persistent faith and the attitude of the disciples, who wanted to dismiss her as a nuisance. Calling the congregation to self-examination, he cautions against the temptation to exclude others or leave the work of supporting the Church to someone else. He concludes by urging parish families to approach both prayer and financial stewardship with transformative humility, recognizing the dignity of every person and actively participating in the Church’s ongoing mission.

Listen to the full version here.

Passion City Church

In his sermon titled “Resurrection: The Above and Beyond” delivered at Passion City Church, Pastor Louie Giglio opens by anchoring believers in the reality that the central theme of the Christian faith is resurrection. Drawing from Matthew 27–28, he recounts the crucifixion and burial of Jesus, emphasizing how Christ’s death shattered earthly expectations as the temple curtain tore, earthquakes shook the land, and tombs opened. Giglio emphasizes that believers are fundamentally “resurrection people” rather than merely churchgoers or spiritual individuals. He invites the congregation to recognize that the core of the Gospel centers on Christ defeating hell, death, and the grave to offer eternal life.

Expanding on the nature of resurrection, Giglio stresses that spiritual deadness was humanity’s most desperate condition prior to Christ. Referencing Ephesians 2, he explains that people do not simply need self-improvement programs, moral guidelines, or a new direction; rather, they need to be brought from death to life through God’s abundant mercy and grace. He illustrates this spiritual revival using an analogy of a dead car battery restored by a jump-starter, pointing out that God possesses the ultimate power to restore what is spiritually dead. Furthermore, he notes that believers carry their past trials and scars not as signs of defeat, but as living testimonies of God’s victory and grace.

Moving from past salvation to present dynamic faith, Giglio frames resurrection as both a daily expectation and an ultimate future destination. Because the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead resides within believers, daily prayers and expectations should reflect supernatural power and confidence rather than fear or hesitation. At the same time, resurrection offers the ultimate hope of dynamic transformation, where physical mortality will eventually be clothed in imperishable life at the final trumpet. This reality serves as a counterweight to worldly burdens, reassuring Christians of their ultimate victory over physical decay and death.

Finally, Giglio connects resurrection theology to practical kingdom investment and sacrificial stewardship. Highlighting Joseph of Arimathea—who used his position and open hands to offer his unused tomb for Jesus’ burial—he illustrates how believers can leverage their resources, influence, and lives for God’s purposes. Giving financial gifts or consecrating one’s life is framed as an opportunity to invest in someone else’s resurrection story, trusting God to work beyond human limitations. He concludes by calling the congregation to bring their lives, families, and needs before God in total trust, believing that Christ still has the power to bring dead situations back to life.

Listen to the full version here.

Trinity Anglican Church

Kris McDaniel begins his sermon on Matthew 14:22–33 by highlighting the importance of context, linking the story of Jesus walking on water directly to the preceding miracle of feeding the 5,000. He notes that the disciples carried twelve full baskets of left-over provisions down to the boat, serving as a tangible object lesson in rejecting scarcity. McDaniel emphasizes that Jesus deliberately takes our meager, seemingly insufficient resources—whether time, hope, or love—and demonstrates that he can work through them if we surrender what we have rather than hiding our limitations out of fear.

After the miracle, Jesus sends the disciples into a transitional, episodic period where they move away from his immediate physical presence. McDaniel explains that while the disciples had done nothing wrong, God sometimes invites believers into seasons where the felt awareness of His nearness wanes to catalyze growth and encourage stepping out in faith. Drawing a personal parallel to the bittersweet mix of joy and grief in letting his youngest son move to Austria, McDaniel points out that being “stuck in the middle”—too far from where you started and unable to see the way forward—is an essential, deeply human space where God exposes limitations to teach deeper trust.

When a storm arises, the disciples become so fixated on their overwhelming circumstances that they fail to recognize Jesus as he approaches them, initially mistaking him for a ghost. McDaniel observes that a lack of emotional or spiritual awareness does not mean God is absent; rather, hyper-vigilance and distress often blind us to His proximity. Quoting C.S. Lewis regarding pain as God’s megaphone, McDaniel shares from his own journey through burnout and loss, illustrating that while adverse circumstances demand our attention, focusing exclusively on the storm prevents us from hearing God’s persistent, reassuring voice calling us into deeper surrender.

Finally, McDaniel highlights Peter’s courageous response to step out of the boat into the storm. Although Peter falters and sinks once he shifts his focus back onto the wind, McDaniel underscores that Peter risked stepping out while the other eleven remained seated. Peter finds himself in “the middle of the middle,” but his willingness to risk leads directly to a moment of rescue and intimacy with Christ. Ultimately, the sermon serves as an encouragement to view life’s overwhelming storms not as evidence of God’s absence, but as invitations to slow down, exercise courage despite fear, and experience the safety of standing with Jesus amidst the waves.

Listen to the full version here.

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