The Preaching Moment

The Reverend Suzanne Weidner-Smith
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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.

  1. 6d ago

    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.

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

  2. 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.

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

  3. 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.”

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

  4. 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.

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

  5. Aug 4

    It Refuses to Stay Put - Community Missioner Ed Carrette's Homily for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

    Summary Community Missioner Ed Carrette draws on Jesus' parables of the mustard seed and yeast to remind us that the Kingdom of Heaven often begins in the most quiet, unassuming places — yet refuses to stay contained. Just as a tiny seed becomes a sheltering shrub, the ordinary acts of feeding neighbors, stocking pantries, and delivering groceries are precisely how God's Kingdom takes root and grows. Trusting in Romans 8:28, Ed calls us to join what God is already doing, even in seasons of uncertainty. A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew                               Matthew 13:31-33,44-52 Jesus put before the crowds another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

    It Refuses to Stay Put - Community Missioner Ed Carrette's Homily for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

  6. Aug 4

    God's Still Working On Me: Amazing Grace in an Imperfect World - Mother Nan Doerr's Sermon for the Eighth Sunday After Pentecost

    SummaryMother Nan Doerr draws on the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares to reveal that God's kingdom operates by a grace far deeper than human judgment can fathom. She explores the parable on three levels — the world, the church, and the individual soul — showing that God allows good and evil to grow together until the end of the age. The resounding message is one of hope: God is still working on each of us, and he will never leave us. A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew                               Matthew 13:24-30,36-43 Jesus put before the crowd another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”

    God's Still Working On Me: Amazing Grace in an Imperfect World - Mother Nan Doerr's Sermon for the Eighth Sunday After Pentecost

  7. Aug 4

    Fling the Seeds of the Kingdom - Community Missioner Ed Carrette's Homily for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

    Summary Community Missioner Ed Carrette draws on the Parable of the Sower to invite us not only to cultivate receptive hearts but to sow the word of God freely and fearlessly wherever we go. Grounded in the assurance of Romans 8:1 — that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" — Ed reminds us that this parable is not a verdict on our failures, but an invitation to trust the Sower and join in the sowing. Like Grace Church's Thursday food ministry, we are called to fling seeds of hope, dignity, and compassion without worrying about where they land, because the harvest belongs to God. A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew                 Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!” “Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

    Fling the Seeds of the Kingdom - Community Missioner Ed Carrette's Homily for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

  8. Aug 4

    Be Still And Know That You Are Loved: Identity, Rest, and Reconciliation - Mother Nan Doerr's Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

    SummaryMother Nan Doerr draws on Matthew's invitation — "Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest" — to remind us that Jesus calls us into partnership with him, sharing the weight of whatever burdens we carry. Like two oxen yoked together, we are not meant to shoulder life's struggles alone, but to trust God to bear the greater portion of the load. Through prayer, stillness, and a willingness to return to God, we find the rest and renewal that only he can give. A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew                               Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Jesus said to the crowd, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;  we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  Artwork:  The Burden, Honore Daumier (1853)

    Be Still And Know That You Are Loved: Identity, Rest, and Reconciliation - Mother Nan Doerr's Sermon for the Sixth 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.

Information

  • Creator
    The Reverend Suzanne Weidner-Smith
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    221
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Preaching Moment
  • Show Website
    The Preaching Moment

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