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 this homily for the Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Father Mike Schmitz discusses the spiritual danger of complaint, addressing how easily we can fall into a chronic habit of focusing on the negative. He points out that human beings often default to noticing what is wrong—both within themselves and in the surrounding world—rather than approaching life with gratitude.
Father Mike explains that this subtle spiritual blind spot can corrupt our perspective, turning our inner dialogue into a constant stream of dissatisfaction. Instead of recognizing the countless gifts and blessings provided by God, we tend to fixate on our frustrations, perceived injustices, and daily inconveniences.
To combat this tendency, the homily invites believers to intentionally rise above a complaining mindset and cultivate a spirit of wonder and praise. Father Mike challenges his listeners to shift their baseline attitude from criticism to thanksgiving, allowing God’s grace to transform how they experience everyday reality.
Ultimately, the message calls for a deliberate change of heart, urging individuals to surrender their negativity and embrace a posture of joy and awe before the Lord.
Listen to the full version here.
Buckhead Church
In Part 3 of the “Mind Games” series titled “Living Freely,” Joel Thomas addresses how lasting personal transformation requires individuals to stop drifting passively toward familiar destructive patterns and instead deliberately pursue what is true. Building on the core premise of the series—that changing what happens on the inside has the power to alter everything on the outside—the message highlights how internal thought loops and mental strongholds often keep people spiritually and emotionally trapped.
The teaching explores the subtle ways unexamined habits of the mind dictate daily behavior, often steering people away from peace and toward anxiety or self-protection. Thomas emphasizes that true freedom is not merely about breaking bad habits or trying harder through sheer willpower, but involves a fundamental shift in perspective. By recognizing the internal narratives and deceptive mind games that dictate reactions, believers can begin to untangle themselves from cycles of frustration and regret.
A major focus of the message centers on the discipline of mental renewal, urging listeners to actively replace toxic or defeatist thinking with spiritual truth. Rather than letting past failures or current circumstances dictate emotional well-being, the speaker challenges the congregation to anchor their minds in reality as God defines it. This intentional mental pivot acts as a crucial barrier against emotional turbulence, creating space for clarity, resilience, and spiritual health to take root.
The sermon concludes with a practical call to action, encouraging listeners to take immediate, deliberate steps toward emotional and spiritual liberation. Thomas reminds the audience that walking in freedom is an ongoing daily choice rather than a one-time event, prompting them to surrender their internal struggles to God. The message wraps up with a challenge to leave behind the mental baggage of the past and step fully into the freedom available through a renewed mind.
Listen to the full version here.
Cathedral of Christ The King
Monsignor McNamee begins his homily with a lighthearted humorous story about a man named Patty who stubbornly insisted on joining the parish choir despite not being able to sing. When confronted by the priest about numerous complaints from parishioners and the choir director, Patty famously deflected by reminding him that many more people frequently complain about the priest’s preaching. Using this playful anecdote, Monsignor McNamee transitions into the reality of their growing parish community, noting that with growth come increasing opportunities and pressing needs for active involvement.
Highlighting the vibrant life of the parish, he points out the continuous expansion of the Parish School of Religion, the Sunday night teen program, middle school ministries, and the RCIA/OCIA process—which recently welcomed over 160 new Catholics and features 40 catechumans preparing for baptism. He issues a warm pastoral invitation for parishioners to step forward and serve as catechists, youth core members, and sponsors for those journeying into the faith. Emphasizing that being a sponsor is a reciprocal blessing, he notes that walking with inquirers ultimately deepens one’s own understanding and appreciation of Catholic teachings.
Reflecting on the day’s Gospel reading regarding the two sons in the vineyard, Monsignor McNamee focuses on the first son who initially refused his father’s command but later changed his mind and went to work. He stresses that this narrative illustrates the profound reality of conversion and reminds the congregation that an initial “no” to God does not have to be our final answer. Mistakes, serious sins, and moments of wandering do not disqualify anyone from God’s mercy, because our past failures are never greater than His capacity to forgive and call us back.
Finally, Monsignor McNamee encourages those who may have drifted away from the sacraments, prayer, or confession to realize that God is never surprised by human weakness and is always ready to offer a fresh start. Urging the faithful to take a small initial step—whether through a sincere prayer, returning to Sunday mass, or seeking reconciliation—he calls on everyone to let their time, talents, and entire lives echo a resounding “yes” to God’s ongoing invitation.
Listen to the full version here.
Passion City Church
In this sermon titled “I am CHOSEN for a Purpose,” Louie Giglio explores the believer’s new identity in Christ, focusing on the powerful label of being “chosen” rather than defined by past mistakes, worldly labels, or failures. Grounded in Ephesians 1 and 4, he explains that just as an athlete’s identity transforms immediately upon being traded to a new team, a Christian’s positional reality changes the moment they are joined to Christ, requiring them to put off their old way of living and step into a new, transformed life.
Giglio addresses the concept of predestination and divine choice, reassuring the congregation that being chosen by God before the foundation of the world is an expression of His deep desire and love, rather than a reflection of human performance. He emphasizes that anyone can know they are chosen by responding to God’s love, repenting of their sins, and placing their faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, which shifts them from a place of insignificance to being valued members of God’s family.
Beyond personal worth, Giglio stresses that being chosen brings a profound sense of calling and responsibility, comparing believers to players who are drafted not just to wear a jersey, but to actively give everything to the mission of the team. Referencing John 15 and the conversion of the Apostle Paul in Acts 9, he notes that God appoints believers to bear lasting fruit and to serve as His chosen instruments to proclaim the name of Jesus to those around them.
Finally, the message challenges listeners to reject self-doubt, shame, and the negative narratives of their past, urging them to embrace their divine worth. Whether their mission field is a corporate office, a neighborhood, or daily interactions, Giglio encourages the faithful to live out their purpose boldly, treating others with grace and letting their entire lives point directly to Jesus.
Listen to the full version here.
Trinity Anglican Church
In this sermon from Philippians 2, Pastor Kris McDaniel addresses the inevitability of relational friction and conflict within the church, reminding believers that even the earliest Christian communities struggled to get along. Challenging the modern cultural tendency toward tribalism and easy disconnection, he emphasizes that real relationships require intentional work, humility, and the willingness to move toward discomfort rather than fleeing at the first sign of tension.
Examining the high Christology of Philippians, McDaniel highlights how Jesus embodied both humility—by emptying Himself and trusting God with outcomes—and empowered authority. He explains that being like Christ in relationships means avoiding the extremes of being a passive doormat or an aggressive truth-teller, instead holding truth and love in creative tension. True spiritual maturity involves learning to communicate honestly without fighting to secure personal leverage or power.
McDaniel clarifies that Paul’s famous instruction to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” is not given in isolation, but is deeply connected to navigating relational conflict and working through community disruption. He notes that this process requires personal agency, resilience, and the willingness to show up repeatedly in uncertainty. God supplies the grace, empowering both our will to choose and our work to heal broken connections.
Ultimately, the message calls believers to move from relational rupture to repair, viewing these intentional steps toward reconciliation as a way to bring glory to God. Urging the congregation to identify where they need to press in rather than retreat, McDaniel challenges them to embrace emotional and spiritual growth so they can model a radically different, grace-filled way of relating in a fractured world.
Listen to the full version here.
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