The Preaching Moment

The Reverend Suzanne Weidner-Smith
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Christianity
  • Weekly

The Preaching Moment Podcast shares the weekly sermons of The Rev. Suzanne Weidner-Smith, Rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Alvin, Texas—a church where faith is lived out in real, tangible ways. At Grace, worship doesn’t end at the church doors. Each week, hundreds of families are served through a drive-through food distribution; homebound seniors receive not just groceries but also companionship; and neighbors experiencing homelessness are welcomed with hot meals, clean clothes, and dignity. What began as meeting physical hunger has grown into something deeper: a ministry of presence, relationship, and hope. Mother Suzanne’s preaching is shaped by this reality. Drawing from scripture, story, and her years as a hospice chaplain, she speaks to a faith that meets people where they are—in uncertainty, in struggle, and in everyday life. Her sermons are grounded, compassionate, and rooted in the belief that the Gospel is not just something we hear, but something we live. These are sermons from a community becoming a sanctuary—where compassion is practiced, stories are honored, and the good news of Jesus is made real, week after week. Put faith into action — support Grace’s food ministries. If The Preaching Moment speaks to you, you can help Grace Episcopal Church put that faith into action. Listener support benefits Grace’s food ministries by helping provide food for hundreds of families each week, groceries for homebound seniors, and food for hungry neighbors. Click “Support the Show” to help us feed our neighbors with love, dignity, and grace.

  1. Oct 14

    Is The Lord Among Us, Or Not? - Community Missioner Ed Carrette's Homily for the Eighteent Sunday After Pentecost - September 27, 2026

    Summary Drawing on Exodus 17:1–7, Philippians 2:1–13, and Matthew 21:23–32, Grace Community Missioner Ed Carrette explores the timeless question the Israelites cried out in the wilderness: "Is the Lord among us or not?" His answer is a resounding yes — but God's presence is most often made visible not through dramatic explanation, but through ordinary people loving one another with extraordinary faithfulness. Like the first son in Jesus' parable who said no and then changed his mind, we are reminded that yesterday's failure does not have to determine today's choice, because God is still at work in us, still calling us into the vineyard. THE GOSPEL                                                                                                                                              Matthew 21:23-32 When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.”  Support the show

    Is The Lord Among Us, Or Not? - Community Missioner Ed Carrette's Homily for the Eighteent Sunday After Pentecost - September 27, 2026

  2. Oct 14

    The Economy of Grace: When God's Generosity Defies Our Logic - Mother Nan Doerr's Sermon for the Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost - September 20, 2026

    SummaryMother Nan Doerr draws a vivid connection between the struggles of the Israelites in Exodus, the day laborers in Jesus's parable, and the very real hardships people face today — from natural disasters to economic uncertainty. Through the parable of the vineyard workers in Matthew, she reminds us that God's economy operates by a different logic entirely. In the kingdom of heaven, it is never too late to believe, and every soul who accepts Christ receives the same gift: life eternal. A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew                              Matthew 20:1-16 Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”  Support the show

    The Economy of Grace: When God's Generosity Defies Our Logic - Mother Nan Doerr's Sermon for the Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost - September 20, 2026

  3. Oct 14

    Whose Ledger Are You Still Keeping? - Community Missioner Ed Carrette's Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 13, 2026

    Summary In this sermon, Grace Community Missioner Ed Carrette unpacks Jesus' parable of the unforgiving servant to show that forgiveness isn't about keeping score — it's about living inside God's economy of radical, unearned grace. Drawing on the liberation of Israel in Exodus and Paul's words to the Romans, Ed reminds us that God has already welcomed us — all of us — not because we've earned it, but because that is simply who God is. The invitation, then, is to stop clutching other people's debts and start living like people who know their own have been erased. A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew                              Matthew 18:21-35 Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”  Support the show

    Whose Ledger Are You Still Keeping? - Community Missioner Ed Carrette's Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 13, 2026

  4. Oct 14

    Breathe in God, Breathe Out Grace - The Rev. Mike Stone's Sermon for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost - August 30, 2026

    Summary In this sermon, The Rev. Mike Stone explores the profound significance of God's personal name revealed to Moses in Exodus — a name that sounds like breath itself — and what that means for how we see one another. Because every living person breathes God's holy name, our neighbors, our enemies, and even those who frustrate us are all animated by the same Holy Spirit. The call, then, is not to fix the world or defeat our adversaries, but to go where God sends us, trusting that God will go with us. A reading from the Book of Exodus                                                                                                  Exodus 3:1-15 Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.” But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I am has sent me to you.’“ God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever,   and this my title for all generations. Artwork: Sixth-century mosaic of Moses at the Burning Bush, Saint Catherine’s Monastery at Mount Sinai Support the show

    Breathe in God, Breathe Out Grace - The Rev. Mike Stone's Sermon for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost - August 30, 2026

  5. Sep 12

    Known by Name, Given the Keys - Sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost,

    SummaryMother Suzanne draws from the gospel of Matthew to explore the deep, God-given longing within each of us to be truly known. Just as Peter's bold declaration of Jesus as Messiah unlocked a hinge moment in salvation history, our own willingness to be seen and known — by God and by one another — empowers us to live with purpose and intention. Through baptism and the Eucharist, we are given nothing less than the keys to the kingdom, and Mother Suzanne calls us to get busy and do something with them. THE GOSPEL  Matthew 16:13‐20 When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah. Support the show

    Known by Name, Given the Keys - Sermon for the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost,

  6. Sep 5

    Even the Crumbs - Sermon for the Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost - August 16, 2026

    SummaryMother Suzanne draws on the story of the persistent Canaanite woman in Matthew's Gospel to remind us that prayer matters and that God hears the cries of those who refuse to give up. Like this bold mother who pressed through rejection and insult for the sake of her daughter, we are invited to bring our needs before Jesus with courage and faith. No matter how much of an outsider we may feel, there is a place at the table for each of us. A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew                              Matthew 15:10-28 Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.” Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed instantly.  Support the show

    Even the Crumbs - Sermon for the Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost - August 16, 2026

  7. Aug 22

    When the Stormy Waters Come - Sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, August 9, 2026

    Summary In this sermon, Mother Suzanne reflects on the story of Peter walking on water, drawing a powerful parallel between Peter's sinking and our own moments of desperation and doubt. Just as Jesus reached out his hand to Peter without hesitation, God is quietly and faithfully present with us in every storm we face. Mother Suzanne reminds us not to lose heart, for it is precisely in the most desperate moments that we are most open to receiving God's saving grace. THE GOSPEL                                                                                                                                              Matthew 14:22-33 Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”  Support the show

    When the Stormy Waters Come - Sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, August 9, 2026

  8. Aug 4

    You Give Them Something to Eat - Community Missioner Ed Carrette's Homily for Call To Feed The Hungry Sunday, 10th Sunday after Pentecost

    Summary Community Missioner Ed Carrette draws on the Feeding of the Five Thousand in Matthew 14 to remind Grace Episcopal Church that Christ's compassion is never merely a feeling — it always becomes action. Through the stories of real families served at their weekly food distribution, Ed calls the congregation to see that their Thursday morning ministry is a living continuation of that ancient miracle. Responding to Christ's command — "You give them something to eat" — is not optional for his disciples; it is the very heart of faithful living. A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew                                             Matthew 14:13-21 Jesus withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Support the show

    You Give Them Something to Eat - Community Missioner Ed Carrette's Homily for Call To Feed The Hungry Sunday, 10th Sunday after Pentecost
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About

The Preaching Moment Podcast shares the weekly sermons of The Rev. Suzanne Weidner-Smith, Rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Alvin, Texas—a church where faith is lived out in real, tangible ways. At Grace, worship doesn’t end at the church doors. Each week, hundreds of families are served through a drive-through food distribution; homebound seniors receive not just groceries but also companionship; and neighbors experiencing homelessness are welcomed with hot meals, clean clothes, and dignity. What began as meeting physical hunger has grown into something deeper: a ministry of presence, relationship, and hope. Mother Suzanne’s preaching is shaped by this reality. Drawing from scripture, story, and her years as a hospice chaplain, she speaks to a faith that meets people where they are—in uncertainty, in struggle, and in everyday life. Her sermons are grounded, compassionate, and rooted in the belief that the Gospel is not just something we hear, but something we live. These are sermons from a community becoming a sanctuary—where compassion is practiced, stories are honored, and the good news of Jesus is made real, week after week. Put faith into action — support Grace’s food ministries. If The Preaching Moment speaks to you, you can help Grace Episcopal Church put that faith into action. Listener support benefits Grace’s food ministries by helping provide food for hundreds of families each week, groceries for homebound seniors, and food for hungry neighbors. Click “Support the Show” to help us feed our neighbors with love, dignity, and grace.

Information

  • Creator
    The Reverend Suzanne Weidner-Smith
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    225
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Preaching Moment
  • Show Website
    The Preaching Moment