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.
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- Fr. Mike Schmitz
- Buckhead Church
- Cathedral of Christ the King
- Passion City Church
- Trinity Anglican Church
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Fr. Mike Schmitz
This homily by Fr. Mike Schmitz emphasizes that life, much like the plots of the movies “Forest Gump” and “The Intern,” is not defined by singular, grand crises, but rather a series of crossroads. It draws a parallel to the season of Lent, which is described as a period of training (aestheticism) to become more like Jesus. This training involves navigating the continuous crossroads of daily life, and making choices that align with this goal.
The homily uses the story of Takashi Nagai, a Japanese Catholic, to illustrate how these crossroads shape one’s life. Nagai’s journey from atheism to faith was marked by pivotal moments, such as his mother’s death, encountering the writings of Blaise Pascal, and his experiences with a Catholic family. A significant turning point was his decision to attend Christmas mass, where he sensed God’s presence and was moved by the faith of the community. These moments, though seemingly small, led him to his conversion.
Nagai’s life continued to be defined by crossroads, including his service as a medic in Manchuria and his internal struggle between carnal desires and spiritual longing. Upon returning to Nagasaki, he faced a choice between two paths: one of worldly pleasures and another of faith and love, ultimately choosing the latter. This decision, like many others, did not yield immediate results, but it set him on a course toward becoming a new man.
The homily concludes by encouraging listeners to recognize that each moment presents a crossroad, an opportunity to choose a path that leads to Christ. Just as Abraham and Jesus resolutely set their faces towards their respective missions, believers are called to stand firm in their faith, trusting that even amid difficulties, these choices contribute to their transformation and can impact others. The story of Jinzaburo Morama and his persecutor’s son further illustrates the power of faith and forgiveness in the face of suffering, reinforcing the message that God uses every crossroad for good.
Listen to the full version here.
Buckhead Church
Deeper Wider
Joel Thomas’s sermon focuses on the concept of generosity, contrasting cultural and New Testament perspectives, and emphasizes maximizing generosity for a wider impact. The most relevant question related to generosity is whether individuals feel they have enough to be generous, given economic uncertainties and personal obligations. The primary obstacle to generosity is the feeling of not having enough, which stems from fear, appetite, and ego. These factors drive a desire for more, hindering contentment and making generosity difficult.
Joel Thomas references 1 Timothy 6, highlighting that true godliness with contentment is of great worth. Contentment, defined as a perfect condition needing no aid, is not about feeling but a choice. The Apostle Paul advises that having enough food and clothing should lead to contentment. Worry, driven by understandable concerns, leads to saving or spending, neither of which resolves the underlying issues of fear, appetite, and ego.
The sermon emphasizes that beneath fear, appetites, and ego lies a quest for security, satisfaction, and significance. People often believe that more money equals less worry, but this is a misconception. The love of money, not money itself, is the root of all kinds of evil, as it leads to the pursuit of things money was never intended to provide. The Apostle Paul urges the rich, which includes most people, to not be proud or trust in unreliable money, but in God.
The antidote to trusting in riches is to use money to do good, be rich in good works, and be generous. Generosity has neurological benefits, reducing stress and increasing happiness and a sense of purpose. The key question is who or what individuals are trusting for their needs, as wealth can become a substitute for God. Handling money is a faith decision, choosing between trusting in riches or the one who richly provides. The sermon concludes with a call to honesty and a challenge to discern what trusting God truly looks like in their lives.
Listen to the full version here.
Cathedral of Christ The King
This homily emphasizes the importance of pausing and reflecting on God’s presence in our lives, drawing a parallel to Jesus inviting Peter, James, and John to the mountain to pray. It highlights Jesus’ call for us to rediscover his true identity as the Son of God, as revealed in his Transfiguration. The homily connects the past, present, and future in the story of salvation, symbolized by the presence of Moses and Elijah.
Fr. Juan Carlos reiterates God’s invitation to listen to Jesus and trust in his word, which guides us on the path of salvation. He explains that understanding the Mystery requires walking Jesus’ Exodus, involving letting go of ego, refraining from judging others, and recognizing everyone as children of the same father.
The homily challenges the congregation to embrace three simple practices: daily prayer, practicing gratitude, and showing kindness. It encourages opening hearts to the mystery of Christ without fear, striving to become citizens of Heaven, where everyone is welcome.
In summary, Fr. Juan Carlos encourages listeners to pause, reflect, and rediscover Jesus’ identity, trust in his word, embrace simple practices, and open their hearts to Christ, striving to become citizens of Heaven.
Listen to the full version here.
Passion City Church
Breath on the Page
Brad Jones’s sermon emphasizes the importance of turning to God’s word, rather than away from it, and encourages believers to adopt an attitude like Simon Peter, recognizing that Jesus has the words of eternal life. He introduces a practical approach to studying God’s word, highlighting its miraculous, reliable, powerful, and worthwhile nature.
The core of Brad Jones’s sermon revolves around the inductive Bible study method, a tried-and-tested approach to understanding God’s word. The method begins with prayer, acknowledging the need for supernatural power to receive spiritual words. It progresses to reading the word with a plan, encouraging a flow to enhance understanding. Observation, the third step, involves closely examining the text, identifying key terms, and understanding the context, such as the recipients of the book of Colossians.
Interpretation, the fourth step, focuses on discerning the meaning of the text, emphasizing the importance of pulling God’s objective truth from it, rather than imposing personal viewpoints. The speaker uses Colossians 3:16 as an example, exploring different translations and delving into the original Greek word “logos” to enrich understanding. This step also highlights the role of believers as teachers and admonishers of the word, encouraging them to share and apply its teachings in their lives.
The final step, application, calls for living the word, allowing it to transform individuals into the image of Christ. It involves asking how the word works in one’s life, identifying actions to start or stop, and even memorizing scriptures for deeper meditation. The sermon concludes with a call to “buy truth and do not sell it,” urging believers to invest time and effort in God’s word, recognizing its worth and the value, benefit, and satisfaction it provides.
Listen to the full version here.
Trinity Anglican Church
Kris McDaniel’s sermon centers on Luke 13:31-35, focusing on Jesus’s journey to Jerusalem and his confrontation with Herod’s threat. The passage highlights Jesus’s unwavering mission despite danger, as he refers to Herod as a “fox,” signifying a petty ruler in contrast to Jesus’s divine authority as the “lion of Judah.” McDaniel emphasizes Jesus’s fearlessness, rooted in his knowledge of God’s love and his divine identity, as he presses forward to fulfill his purpose in Jerusalem, a mission of both healing and ultimate sacrifice.
McDaniel then transitions to the contemporary relevance of Jesus’s fearlessness, contrasting it with the myriad fears prevalent in today’s world, such as political instability, global conflicts, and personal anxieties. He underscores that, like Jesus, believers can find strength in their identity as beloved children of God and in their mission to embody God’s love. He connects Jesus’s mission of physical and spiritual healing to the church’s call to live out its core commitments: experiencing God’s love, inviting others to Christ, fostering personal restoration, building meaningful relationships, and participating in God’s kingdom work.
The sermon’s concluding section delves into the concept of lament, particularly Jesus’s lament over Jerusalem. McDaniel defines lament as holding grief before God without succumbing to bitterness or hopelessness, a practice essential for acknowledging the gap between God’s promises and lived realities. He highlights various forms of lament: for the consequences of a fallen world, for the tragic choices of others, for personal failings, and for missed opportunities. McDaniel illustrates these points with personal anecdotes, including his experiences as a medical missionary and the challenges of parenting.
McDaniel concludes by reflecting on the purpose of lament, drawing on insights from Nicholas Wolterstorff and Thomas Jefferson. He argues that lament allows for the honest expression of sorrow, facilitates empathy, and enables the release of injustices to God. He contrasts this with a modern tendency to avoid grief and seek control, emphasizing that lament ultimately transforms sorrow into hope and reaffirms trust in God’s ultimate justice and restoration. He connects this to Jesus’s own lament, which was, in essence, a lament for the limitations of humanity, and the choice to wait for a willing acceptance of his reign.
Listen to the full version here.
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