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 Mistaken Identity, Fr. Mike Schmitz explores how our internal image of God fundamentally shapes our relationship and communication with Him. He begins with humorous anecdotes about mistaking one person for another to illustrate a deeper spiritual point: many Christians suffer from a case of mistaken identity regarding God. He challenges the congregation to consider who they think they are talking to during prayer and the Mass, noting that if we view God merely as a distant master or a counselor who needs our advice, our prayer becomes a rigid list of tasks or directions rather than a true relationship.
Fr. Mike highlights a critical distinction between Christianity and other faiths by focusing on the name Father. While other traditions may emphasize God’s majesty and power, Christianity reveals a God who is a dad—one who gets on the floor to play with His children and desires to be close to them. He contrasts the image of a master who only assigns tasks to his slaves with the Christian revelation of a Father who spent thirty years of the Incarnation simply living among us to show His love. This identity of God as a loving Father is the foundation of Christian prayer.
Moving from the image of play to the image of sacrifice, Fr. Mike explains that God’s love is not just about presence but about self-giving. Referring to the Lamb of God, he notes that John the Baptist was pointing to a God who walks among us to win our hearts by offering His own life. He uses the shortest verse in the Bible, Jesus wept, to show that God allows His heart to be broken by what breaks ours. Even though God is all-powerful, He makes Himself vulnerable to our pain, demonstrating that we are talking to a God who truly feels with us.
Finally, Fr. Mike addresses why we should tell God about our lives if He is already all-knowing. Using the analogy of a father who already knows the details of his son’s basketball game but still wants to hear the story from the boy’s own perspective, he explains that prayer is about giving God access to our hearts. He concludes by asking the poignant question: “How well would God know you if all he knew of you was what you told him in prayer?” He urges the faithful to move past mistaken identity and trust a Father who listens, loves, and deeply desires to hear their voices.
Listen to the full version here.
Buckhead Church
In his sermon “The Better Question,” Andy Stanley addresses the complexity of decision-making by challenging the traditional ways we evaluate our choices. He notes that most people ask, “Is there anything wrong with this?” or “How far can I go without crossing a line?” Stanley argues that these questions are fundamentally flawed because they seek to justify behaviors rather than lead us toward our best selves. By focusing on what is permissible rather than what is optimal, we often find ourselves drifting into regret or missed opportunities.
The core of Stanley’s message is the introduction of what he calls the “Greatest Decision Question Ever”: “In light of my past experience, my current circumstances, and my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do?” He breaks this down by explaining that our pasts should inform our choices to avoid repeating mistakes, our current state should keep us grounded in reality, and our future aspirations should dictate the path we take today. This shifts the focus from “Is it wrong?” to “Is it wise?”, a higher standard that bypasses legalism and targets the heart.
Stanley emphasizes that wisdom is not just for the big, life-altering moments but should be applied to the small, everyday decisions regarding time, money, and relationships. He points out that most people’s greatest regrets were preceded by a series of unwise decisions that didn’t necessarily feel “wrong” at the time. By asking the wisdom question, we build a “guardrail” that keeps us away from the edge of trouble. He encourages listeners to be brutally honest with themselves, noting that we are the easiest people to fool.
In conclusion, Stanley challenges the audience to apply this question to a specific area of their lives where they are currently feeling tension. He asserts that while the wise choice may be the most difficult or least popular one in the short term, it is the one that aligns with God’s best for our lives. By making wisdom the primary filter for our behavior, we protect our integrity and ensure that our current decisions don’t become future regrets. He reminds believers that following Jesus involves not just avoiding sin, but actively walking in the wisdom that God provides.
Listen to the full version here.
Cathedral of Christ The King
This homily was delivered by Monsignor Frank McNamee at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta on January 18, 2026, marking the 87th anniversary of the cathedral’s dedication. He begins with a lighthearted joke about an elderly couple and a helicopter ride to set a tone of reflection on the value of experiences and staying focused on what truly matters. Transitioning to the significance of the day, he invites the congregation to imagine what the cathedral walls would say if they could speak, recounting nearly nine decades of witness to both glorious celebrations and the quiet, poignant moments of individual struggle and prayer.
Monsignor McNamee provides a historical context for the cathedral, noting its consecration in 1937 during the Great Depression and its role as a sanctuary during World War II. He lists the staggering amount of social and technological change the world has seen since then—from the atomic bomb and civil rights to space exploration and instant global communication. Amidst this rapid evolution, he highlights the cathedral as a “mother church” where people come not just for answers, but to clarify their questions in the light of the Gospel and find strength in the community of faith.
A central theme of the homily is the “remarkable reality” that while the cathedral is a beautiful structure of stone and stained glass, the “living temples” of the people are even more significant. He explains that God’s majesty is so immense it exceeds human capacity to fully hold it, yet He chooses to meet His people in this specific place and dwell within them as individuals. This profound truth, he suggests, is something we can only begin to glimpse during “peak moments” when we leap beyond our own understanding to say “yes” to God’s presence.
In conclusion, Monsignor McNamee encourages the faithful to look back with thankful hearts on the personal milestones celebrated within those walls—baptisms, first communions, weddings, and funerals. He describes these sacraments and hours of silent adoration as moments where the “healing hand of God” has worked through their lives. He ends by challenging the community to embrace the mission of Christ in their small area of the world, seeing the cathedral and their gathering as a “foretaste” of the eternal life and the glory of heaven to come.
Listen to the full version here.
Passion City Church
In his sermon titled “Reset—Relinquishing Control to a Loving and Sovereign God,” Louie Giglio explores the necessity of a spiritual reboot by asking the fundamental question: “Who is my God and can I trust Him?” He uses the relatable analogy of background apps on a phone—notifications from Pizza Hut, news headlines, and social media—to illustrate the constant “noise” running in the background of our lives that drains our energy and distracts our focus. Giglio argues that to find true peace, we must identify these background stressors and intentionally reset our confidence in God rather than our own limited ability to manage the chaos.
Drawing from Psalm 46, Giglio provides a historical context by comparing modern headlines to a 2,700-year-old crisis: the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC. He recounts how King Hezekiah faced a seemingly impossible military threat but chose to “spread the letter” of his enemies before God in the temple rather than panic. By examining this biblical account, Giglio demonstrates that a “reset” is not just a modern self-help concept but a historical reality where people of faith chose worship and confidence in God’s word even as an army barreled toward their walls.
The heart of the message centers on the command to “be still and know that I am God,” which Giglio explains is better translated as “cease striving” or “let go.” He emphasizes that God often provides for His people in ways they cannot see, such as the actual underground tunnel Hezekiah dug to bring water into the city during the siege—a feat of engineering that wasn’t rediscovered by historians for centuries. This “hidden” provision serves as a reminder that God is working in the background of our lives even when the external circumstances look bleak or barren.
Finally, Giglio challenges the congregation to relinquish specific “apps” running in their own minds, such as fear, the need for control, bitterness, and overthinking. Using a personal story of witnessing the Northern Lights in Alaska, he describes how the sheer majesty of God’s creation can “blanket” a person in a peace that surpasses understanding. He concludes by urging believers to align their lives with the certainty that God will ultimately be exalted among the nations, inviting them to find rest in the fortress of the God of Jacob.
Listen to the full version here.
Trinity Anglican Church
In his sermon “Look and Behold,” Pastor Brad Mauldin explores the profound implications of John the Baptist’s declaration of Jesus as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Mauldin emphasizes that Jesus’ authority is not limited to a specific group or era but extends over the entire “cosmos,” meaning every part of creation and every hidden corner of our personal lives is within his redemptive reach. He challenges the congregation to consider if they have placed artificial limits on what they believe Jesus can heal or restore, urging them to trust that the “Ruler of the Cosmos” is interested in even the most dead or hopeless areas of their existence.
The sermon highlights the dynamic, collaborative nature of discipleship, illustrating how the first disciples approached Jesus with curiosity, commitment, and courage. Mauldin points out that while the disciples were looking for a Messiah, the Messiah was also actively looking for them. This relationship is not one of passive observation but active participation; Jesus honors human agency by inviting us to “come and see” and participate in our own spiritual formation. Mauldin notes that this collaborative spirit naturally leads to a generative life, where knowing Jesus inevitably results in inviting others into that same life-giving friendship.
A central theme of the message is the transformation of identity, exemplified by Jesus giving Simon the new name “Peter.” Mauldin explains that in the ancient world, a name was synonymous with identity, and receiving a new one from Jesus was an act of grace, not a reward for performance. He reminds the listeners that their true identity—their “belovedness”—is a gift from God that cannot be earned or lost through comparison or achievement. This new identity serves as the foundation for how believers interact with the world, moving from a place of being fully known and fully loved by the King of Kings.
In conclusion, Mauldin ties these spiritual truths to the practical life of the church, specifically through the upcoming “Alpha” program and a focus on communal unity. He encourages the congregation to move beyond their comfort zones to be “the light” for others, mirroring how John the Baptist pointed away from himself toward Christ. By participating in the sacraments and engaging in the mission of the church, believers live out their new identity. He ends with a call to prayer and reflection, inviting everyone to the “table” to experience the healing and restorative power of a God who knows them by name and desires to walk with them.
Listen to the full version here.
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