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
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Fr. Mike Schmitz

Father Mike Schmitz’s homily, “Mini-Mediators,” explores the four fundamental aspects of the Gospel message: God’s inherent goodness and creation of humanity in His image, humanity’s subsequent disruption of this relationship through sin, Jesus’s role as the bridge between God and us, and our invitation to respond in faith for a new life. He illustrates these points with the example of a couple who thoughtfully selected their wedding readings to convey this profound message to their attendees.

Father Mike underscores the divine will for universal salvation and the singular mediation of Jesus between God and humanity. He posits that, as Christians, we are called to serve as “mini-mediators.” We are entrusted with the Gospel and the abundant grace of God’s kingdom. Our responsibility is two-fold: not to squander the gifts Jesus has bestowed upon us, and crucially, not to let the transformative work of Jesus conclude with us.

He delineates two key functions for these “mini-mediators”: prayer and witnessing. Drawing inspiration from St. Paul’s letter to Timothy, Father Mike advocates for prayer for all people, suggesting four categories for our intercession: individuals of influence, those within our close circles, those we find most challenging to pray for, and anyone we encounter in our daily lives. He emphasizes that even a brief, heartfelt prayer for these individuals is meaningful.

Ultimately, Father Mike highlights the critical importance of sharing the Gospel narrative without prejudice, recognizing that God desires all people to discover salvation. He shares compelling anecdotes, such as the story of a man presenting a Bible to Ozzy Osbourne and James Taylor’s eagerness to discuss faith after decades, to underscore the numerous missed opportunities we have to share our beliefs. He concludes by urging listeners to seize everyday moments, even a simple question like “How was your weekend?”, as an occasion to be a “mini-mediator” and convey the good news.

Listen to the full version here.

Buckhead Church

Joel Thomas’s sermon, “Declaring Your Dependence on God,” addresses the universal experience of waiting and the inherent discomfort, powerlessness, and discontentment it often brings. He explains that our human inclination to believe we control outcomes through cause and effect can lead to deep frustration when our efforts don’t yield immediate results. This can spiral into a “danger zone” of discouragement, disillusionment, and defeat, prompting actions we may later regret.

Thomas introduces the powerful example of the Apostle Paul, who, despite being imprisoned and facing death, discovered a “secret” to contentment. This wasn’t about being happy with his dire circumstances but an internal transformation that allowed him to remain peaceful regardless of external conditions, a profound defiance of the typical cause-and-effect thinking.

The core of Paul’s “secret,” Thomas clarifies, is not a magical ability to achieve anything, but the strength to endure all things through Christ by “declaring dependence on God.” This daily discipline involves bringing both our desires and our gratitude to God. He emphasizes that gratitude and anxiety cannot coexist, and recognizing our constant dependence on God—whether in abundance or in need—is the true antidote to discontentment and feelings of powerlessness.

In conclusion, Thomas assures that God has unique and good plans for each person, and that declaring dependence on Him leads to a peace that surpasses understanding, guarding our hearts and minds from destructive emotions. He highlights a scientific study illustrating how the awareness of being cared for can dramatically increase endurance in difficult times, underscoring that embracing God’s “peace-filled dependence” is ultimately “worth the wait,” cultivating profound closeness, confidence, and trust in Him.

Listen to the full version here.

Cathedral of Christ The King

Father Juan Carlos’s homily on the parable of the dishonest steward begins by acknowledging the perplexing nature of the story, where a fired manager is praised by his master for his cleverness in reducing debts. Father Juan Carlos clarifies that Jesus is not condoning dishonesty. Instead, the parable is a lesson on how we should use the gifts and opportunities entrusted to us by God. The manager’s determination, foresight, and resourcefulness, though misdirected, are qualities Jesus wants us to apply to serving God’s kingdom and pursuing eternal life, a purpose far greater than earthly wealth and power.

He explains that the phrase “make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth” is a reminder that earthly possessions are temporary. Their true value is realized only when they are used for the purpose of love, justice, and mercy. The central message of the homily is that we cannot live divided lives, serving both God and money. A true disciple manages everything with faithfulness, knowing that all of our gifts and resources ultimately belong to God and are meant to be used for the good of others.

To put this teaching into practice, Father Juan Carlos provides two simple and practical actions. The first is to use ordinary moments in our lives to get closer to God. He suggests praying the rosary or listening to a Catholic podcast while stuck in traffic, transforming a mundane experience into an opportunity for prayer. The second action is to be a faithful caretaker by generously sharing with those in need, reminding the congregation that by serving the poor, we are serving Christ himself.

Father Juan Carlos concludes his homily with a prayer to the Blessed Mother, asking for her intercession. He prays that we may be faithful and honest caretakers, using every gift and opportunity God gives us to serve Him by serving our brothers and sisters in need.

Listen to the full version here.

Passion City Church

Louie Giglio’s sermon, “Alarmed, Determined,” draws lessons from the desperate situation of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20, where vast armies were coming against Judah. Giglio emphasizes that Jehoshaphat’s story is in scripture not just for information, but so that we can learn how to respond when faced with overwhelming circumstances. He first establishes Jehoshaphat’s character as someone who generally followed God, yet also made a significant misstep by allying himself with the wicked King Ahab. Giglio subtly warns listeners against making similar “unholy” alliances in their own lives, highlighting that God is ultimately the one who comes through.

When Jehoshaphat heard of the approaching armies, he was “alarmed,” a natural human reaction. However, his alarm was immediately followed by a “determined comma”: he “resolved to inquire of the Lord and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.” This “backwards thinking” demonstrates a reliance on God rather than worldly strategies. In his powerful prayer, Jehoshaphat acknowledged God’s sovereignty and their own powerlessness, declaring, “We do not know what to do but our eyes are on you.” Giglio points out that while Jehoshaphat claimed not to know what to do, his actions of seeking God through fasting and prayer showed that he did know the right course of action.

Heaven answered Jehoshaphat’s desperate plea through the prophet Jehaziel, who declared, “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle is not yours but God’s.” In response, Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah bowed down in worship. The next morning, instead of sending their army first, they sent a worship team ahead, singing, “Give thanks to the Lord for his love endures forever.” As they began to sing and praise, God set ambushes among their enemies, causing them to turn on each other, resulting in Judah finding only dead bodies and abundant plunder.

Giglio concludes by urging listeners to replace fear with faith, not by masking fear or trying to muster up internal courage, but by trusting God. He encourages us to “name our places” of past divine intervention, creating “garages of blessing” or “cubicles of Baraka” – places where God came through for us. By remembering these moments, we can quickly turn to God when new alarms sound, knowing that He will fight for us and His love endures forever. He emphasizes that when desperate times inevitably come, we should be human and be alarmed, but quickly run to “Baraka” and call on heaven, putting praise out front, because God comes through.

Listen to the full version here.

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