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
In his homily titled “Who Do You Say?” for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Mike Schmitz begins by challenging modern culture’s tendency to demand that everyone have and share an opinion on everything. Drawing from the Gospel of Matthew (Chapter 16), he explains that while most daily opinions are unnecessary, every believer will face their own “Caesarea Philippi”—a critical moment where they must directly answer Jesus’ question: “But who do you say that I am?” He illustrates this with the story of Mother Miriam as a young diner waitress, who boldly declared her love for Jesus in front of her coworkers, transforming her workplace by publicly answering who Christ was to her.
Fr. Mike highlights how easily people fall into a diluted, reduced view of God rather than accepting Him as He truly is. Citing sociologist Christian Smith’s study on American youth culture, he explains that society across generations has largely embraced a pseudo-religion known as “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” This distorted belief system falsely frames God as a distant figure who simply wants people to be nice, prioritizes self-happiness, functions like an “on-call ATM” or therapist during crises, and automatically grants general entry into heaven to all “good people.”
Addressing how this shift occurred, Fr. Mike notes that generations of parents passed down their own personal preferences rather than authentic Christian faith, often remaking Jesus in their own image. He shares how listeners of his Bible in a Year podcast frequently express shock or discomfort when reading Scripture in its entirety because they encounter the real God instead of their sanitized version of Him. He emphasizes the foundational spiritual truth: God has the right to reveal Himself to us long before we have the right to form an opinion about Him.
To illustrate the transformative power of allowing God to reveal Himself, Fr. Mike shares the story of an incarcerated Catholic man named Tim. Tim challenged a fellow inmate convicted of violent crimes to spend an hour a day for 30 days in front of the Eucharist asking Jesus to reveal His heart. On day 27, the man broke down in tears after experiencing Christ’s true presence, which led to his conversion. Fr. Mike concludes by urging everyone to read Scripture and spend time in Eucharistic Adoration so that when their own “Caesarea Philippi” arrives, they can profess who Jesus truly is rather than their own crafted opinion.
Listen to the full version here.
Buckhead Church
Andy Stanley focuses on the quiet, internal courage required to take responsibility for our own role in broken or toxic relationships. He begins by highlighting how fear often lurks beneath our hesitation to act, speak up, or make necessary relational shifts. While people frequently dismiss their reluctance as “it’s complicated,” Stanley asserts that complexity is merely an observation rather than a valid excuse. True progress only begins when individuals properly diagnose their underlying fears and step up to be the hero of their own stories instead of remaining passive victims.
Building on the concept of forgiveness, Stanley explains that the primary reason many people struggle to let go of past hurts is an unwillingness to admit their own contribution to the situation. Except in cases of childhood abuse or trauma where the victim is entirely blameless, adult conflicts rarely involve one completely faultless party. Placing 100% of the blame on someone else shields us from confronting difficult self-truths, but it ultimately locks us in a cycle of bitterness and unhealed resentment. Forgiveness remains out of reach as long as we use the other person’s wrongdoings to avoid looking in the mirror.
To illustrate this dynamic, Stanley examines Jesus’s teaching from the Sermon on the Mount regarding the “speck” and the “plank.” He explains that pointing out someone else’s minor or major flaw while ignoring our own role is hypocritical and leads to compounded resentment. By asking tough questions—such as whether we ignored early warning signs, gave in to impulse, or chose not to see what was inconvenient—we begin to dismantle our personal defenses. Shifting focus from their large role to our small role requires immense courage because it forces us to leave the comfortable cocoon of our excuses, but it is the necessary path toward true emotional and spiritual freedom.
Stanley challenges listeners to pray a courageous prayer asking God to expose any personal blind spots or “planks” in their eyes. He notes that perpetually angry or bitter people are often unknowingly angry with themselves for things they have never owned or forgiven. Fearing the long-term consequences of holding onto resentment should outweigh the temporary discomfort of admitting our own mistakes. Ultimately, acknowledging the truth about our own actions—however small our slice of the blame pie may be—serves as the liberating catalyst that allows us to forgive ourselves, extend grace to others, and move forward.
Listen to the full version here.
Cathedral of Christ The King
In his homily at the Cathedral of Christ the King for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Fr. Jacob Butz opens by contrasting classic American Dream success stories—such as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller overcoming poverty to gain wealth and fame—with the story of a young boy from Chicago named Robert Prevost. Instead of striving for fame, honor, and fortune, Prevost turned his back on worldly enticements and took public religious vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. In a divine irony, by choosing selflessness over worldly glory, he now leads the global Catholic Church as Pope Leo XIV.
Fr. Butz ties this reflection to the day’s readings, highlighting how humanity intrinsically needs leaders who guide without seeking self-aggrandizement. In the first reading from Isaiah, God chooses Eliakim to lead as a protective father figure, while in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus establishes the papacy by giving St. Peter the keys to the kingdom, calling him to be the first Holy Father. The papacy serves as a vital, visible image of Christ on earth—showing believers what it looks like to shepherd others through humble service.
While acknowledging that ordinary Christians are not called to be the Pope, Fr. Butz emphasizes that everyone is called to lead like Christ in their daily environments, whether in families, workplaces, classrooms, or sports teams. True Christian leadership mirrors Jesus, who, despite possessing all power as King of Kings, chose to wash feet and serve humanity. Authority and positions of influence are given to believers as opportunities to embody this same servant-hearted posture rather than to promote themselves.
In conclusion, Fr. Butz clarifies that ambition, drive, and zeal are not inherently bad, but need to be reoriented toward God’s kingdom. Rather than striving to climb higher for personal status, believers are invited to climb higher toward God; instead of acquiring wealth for self-gain, they should seek to win souls for Christ; and rather than making a name for themselves on earth, they should strive to become saints in heaven. Redefining success through the lens of humility and service allows God to use our lives for a purpose far greater than ourselves.
Listen to the full version here.
Passion City Church
Dan Watson opens by illustrating how people often respond to invitations, contrasting trivial human RSVPs with God’s ultimate invitation to humanity. Grounding his message in Isaiah 30:15—where God tells the people of Judah that their salvation lies in repentance and rest, and their strength in quietness and trust—Watson addresses how easy it is to become like Judah: religiously professing faith while secretly refusing God’s posture of dependence and looking elsewhere for security.
Watson unpacks the biblical meaning of repentance as shuv (turning back to God) and warns against seeking self-preservation in modern-day “Egypts.” Just as Judah turned to Egypt’s horses and military might out of fear of Assyria, believers today often run to career, money, control, or self-reliance to solve their problems. He emphasizes that something does not have to be inherently sinful to become an idol; when good things take the place of trusting God, they replace true dependence on Him, prompting God’s call to turn away from self-sufficiency and return home.
Addressing the call to “rest,” Watson distinguishes between worldly relaxation (such as a spa day that leaves the mind racing with anxiety) and true biblical rest, which involves trusting God with what lies beyond human control. Using the visual analogy of sitting in a chair without nervously holding up one’s own weight, he reminds the congregation that rest is an act of faith declaring we are not defined by our productivity. The problem or trial may remain unchanged, but believers can experience genuine peace because God is in control and does not require human striving to carry the world.
Finally, Watson highlights the necessity of “quietness and trust” as the true source of spiritual strength. In a hyper-connected, noisy world filled with competing opinions, fear, and ambition, God often speaks in a subtle whisper, requiring believers to quiet their hearts to hear His voice. Watson closes by pointing to Jesus in Gethsemane, who modeled absolute surrender by praying “not my will, but yours be done.” He challenges listeners to move beyond passive religious routine and actively accept God’s invitation by daily laying down self-control, resting in Christ’s finished work on the cross, and surrendering their lives to Him.
Listen to the full version here.
Trinity Anglican Church
In her sermon delivered at Trinity Anglican Church, Pastoral Resident Savannah Keough explores Matthew 16:13–20, focusing on Jesus’ question to his disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” She contrasts the public view of Jesus as a prophet—acknowledging his divine authority but stopping short of his true identity—with Peter’s direct confession that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Keough highlights that Peter’s revelation was a gift from God rather than a product of intellectual study. Through a playful story about her three-year-old niece learning to jump into a lake, she illustrates how God responds with grace and blessing even when believers, like Peter, have incomplete understanding and make mistakes along the way.
Building on Peter’s confession, Keough examines what it means that Christ builds his church upon this foundational truth. She emphasizes that Peter was not chosen because he was superior or flawless; in fact, Matthew places this story directly between two of Peter’s notable failures. Instead, Peter was simply the first to step forward in faith. Keough asserts that the church is constructed out of flawed individuals—describing the community as consisting fundamentally of “forgiven sinners” who continually rely on God’s grace. From Peter to the other apostles and throughout church history, every believer serves as a living stone expanding God’s kingdom on earth.
Addressing the congregation directly, Keough introduces the metaphor of “benching oneself,” sharing a personal story from her freshman year of college when self-doubt kept her sitting on the sidelines during a kickball game. She challenges listeners who attend church regularly yet refrain from getting involved because they feel inadequate, uneducated in scripture, or weighed down by past mistakes. Keough frames participation not as a burden of perfection, but as a joyful invitation. By drawing on Anglican theology, she reminds the congregation that every believer’s true ordination into ministry happens at baptism, meaning that the daily work of love, service, and outreach naturally belongs to the entire body of Christ rather than just ordained clergy.
Finally, Keough reflects on why Jesus commanded his disciples to keep his identity as the Messiah a secret at that moment. Citing biblical scholarship, she explains that until the cross and resurrection occurred, the disciples could not fully comprehend the self-sacrificing, eternal nature of Jesus’s mission. His goal was not merely temporary political relief, but total redemption and victory over sin and death. She concludes with an invitation for everyone to step off the bench and participate actively in the kingdom of God. Pointing to her own role as a pastoral resident who is given space to explore and exercise her spiritual gifts, she encourages the congregation to bring their hesitations to God, step onto the field in faith, and live out their baptismal calling in their daily lives.
Listen to the full version here.
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