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 Schmitz begins by explaining a series of four Sundays that follow Easter Sunday. These Sundays are unique because they each have their own theme. The theme for the next four weeks is the theme of gift and mystery.
He talks about a passage in the Acts of the Apostles where the apostles ask Jesus if he is going to restore the kingdom to Israel. Jesus responds by saying that he will not restore the kingdom, but instead, the apostles will receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a gift from God that will give the apostles the power to be witnesses for Jesus.
Fr. Mike reflects on what it means to receive a gift from God. He says that gifts from God are not meant to make us better than other people. Instead, they are meant to be used to serve others.
Listen to the full version here.
Buckhead Church
What Our World Needs Now
Joel Thomas starts the sermon with greetings and announcements. Then he dives into the sermon by asking people to reflect on their own experiences and realize that God has always been with them. People tend to make bad decisions because they don’t know what is truly good. The speaker uses the story of Adam and Eve as an example to illustrate this point. People are not good at deciding what’s good or bad.
Joel Thomas then introduces Jesus as the good shepherd who can lead people to what is good. Jesus is the one who can help people find true goodness. The speaker ends the sermon with a prayer for those who are lost and confused and a hope that they will choose to follow Jesus.
Listen to the full version here.
Cathedral of Christ The King
​​The homily celebrates the Ascension of the Lord and Mother’s Day. The Ascension of the Lord is a celebration of Jesus entering into Divine Glory. Fr. Juan Carlos compares this to how mothers show love and care for their children. This love is a reflection of God’s love. Mothers make many sacrifices for their children and continue to love them even when they make mistakes. Fr. Juan Carlos asks the congregation to pray for mothers, both those who are living and those who have died.
The homily also talks about how the Ascension of the Lord does not mean Jesus is leaving us. He is still present in the world through the sacraments, God’s word, and the Church. In the same way, mothers continue to be present in their children’s lives even when they are grown.
Listen to the full version here.
Passion City Church
Brittany Jones opens the sermon with a story about her daughter Addie learning to trust herself on a scooter. She relates this story to the idea that trusting God can be scary, but that God will not fail us.
Brittany then dives into scripture, referencing Matthew 6:25-34. She points out the tension we can feel when facing lack or discouragement, and that God’s refusals can be merciful. She uses a quote from Elizabeth Elliot to illustrate this point: “God never withholds from his child that which his love and his wisdom call good. God’s refusals are always merciful—severe mercies at times—but mercies all the same. God never denies us our hearts’ desire except to give us something better.”
In the sermon, Brittany also talks about how God is a King who can handle our worry and anxiety. She references 1 Peter 5:7 and Philippians 4:6-7 to support this idea. She also says that God desires our freedom from striving and anxiety.
Listen to the full version here.
Trinity Anglican Church
Kris McDaniel talks about how the Holy Spirit is a beautiful and elusive part of God and gives us power. The Holy Spirit is also a Comforter and a guide. The speaker warns against the dangers of chasing after a charismatic version of the Holy Spirit and emphasizes the importance of cultivating curiosity and slowing down to notice the Holy Spirit working in our lives.
Kris also talks about the importance of waiting on God. We are not good at waiting in our fast-paced world, but the speaker argues that it is in the waiting that God does most of his work. The speaker gives an example from his own life of a time when he was in a difficult place and had to wait on God to work in his life.
Listen to the full version here.
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