The Preaching Moment
A moment each week when all is well for a mom and priest. The sermons of Mother Suzanne Weidner-Smith, Rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Alvin, Texas. The Rev. Suzanne Smith came to Grace, Alvin, first as Deacon-in-Charge in July 2018, after graduation from the Seminary of the Southwest with a Diploma in Anglican Studies in May 2018. She was ordained to the Episcopal Priesthood in January 2019, and since 2020, has been the Rector of Grace. After earning her Bachelor of Science degree at A&M in Corpus Christi, she went to Baylor University’s Truett Theological Seminary, where she earned a Master of Divinity degree, and was ordained a minister in the Baptist Church. In the first decade of her ministry, Suzanne was a practicing Hospice Chaplain, where she learned how to provide pastoral care at the bedside of patients transitioning from this world to the next. Listening to their stories, and telling stories of her own, she realized the power of sharing the Gospel in story form. Passionate about liturgy, she weaves scripture and story to communicate the Gospel today. Suzanne is the proud mother of Luke, Noah, and Andrew. Together, they enjoy Cub and Boy Scouts, soccer, and basketball.
Episodes
201 episodes
Blinded by the Light - March 15, 2026 - Community Missioner Ed Carrette Homilist
SummaryOn the fourth Sunday in Lent, Grace Community Missioner Ed Carrette explores the theme of spiritual awakening through Biblical stories of people "seeing the light," from the blind man healed by Jesus to Paul's conversion ex...
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Season 5
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Episode 17
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12:49
Come and See - March 8, 2026 - Mrs. Ginger Wolfe, IONA Seminary Postulant, Homilist
SummaryOn the third Sunday in Lent, IONA Postulant Ginger Wolfe explores the striking contrast between Nicodemus in John 3 and the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, highlighting how Jesus was tough with the educated, respecte...
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Season 5
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Episode 16
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12:16
The Second Sunday in Lent - March 1, 2026 - The Right Reverend C. Andrew Doyle, Episcopal Diocese of Texas
SummaryIn this Second Sunday of Lent sermon, Bishop Andy Doyle challenges the congregation to embrace the discomfort of true discipleship, using Nicodemus's nighttime visit to Jesus as an example of cautious faith. He emphasizes t...
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Season 5
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Episode 15
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14:31
The First Sunday in Lent - February 22, 2026
SummaryMother Suzanne explores how Jesus deliberately entered the Judean wilderness for 40 days of testing, following in the footsteps of Moses and Israel's 40-year journey. She encourages the congregation to embrace their own wil...
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Season 5
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Episode 14
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18:06
Ash Wednesday - February 18, 2026
SummaryMother Suzanne explains that Lent is not about punishment or self-denial for its own sake, but rather a season of preparation that helps us move closer to God by removing the distractions and masks that prevent us from seei...
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Season 5
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Episode 13
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18:16
Last Sunday after the Epiphany - Transfiguration Sunday - February 15, 2026
SummaryMother Suzanne explores the Transfiguration as a pivotal moment where Jesus, accompanied by Moses and Elijah, is transformed on a mountain before his disciples Peter, James, and John. She emphasizes that rather than trying ...
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Season 5
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Episode 12
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14:01
Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany - Scout Sunday - February 8, 2026
SummaryOn Scout Sunday, Mother Suzanne uses the beloved children's song "This Little Light of Mine" to illustrate Jesus's teaching about being salt and light from the Sermon on the Mount. She emphasizes that God works through simp...
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Season 5
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Episode 11
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16:11
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple - February 1, 2026
SummaryGrace's Community Missioner, Ed Carrette, preaches on the Presentation of Jesus, emphasizing that God is the "God of time" who continues to enter human history unexpectedly, just as Simeon and Anna encountered the divine in...
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Season 5
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Episode 10
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14:42
Third Sunday after the Epiphany - January 25, 2026
SummaryMother Suzanne reflects on Matthew 4 and how Jesus called ordinary fishermen to follow Him immediately, leaving everything behind to become "fishers of people." She emphasizes that God calls everyone—not just those in ordai...
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Season 5
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Episode 9
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12:51
Second Sunday after The Epiphany - January 18, 2026
SummaryIn this Epiphany sermon based on John 1:29-42, Suzanne explores how John the Baptist pointed to Jesus as "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." She shares a personal story about encountering pain at her son'...
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Season 5
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Episode 8
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17:02
The First Sunday after the Epiphany – The Baptism of our Lord - January 11, 2026
SummaryMother Suzanne reflects on the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord, which commemorates Jesus' baptism and our own initiation into Christ's body through water and the Holy Spirit. On this significant day Marking her seventh ann...
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Season 5
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Episode 7
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16:33
The Feast of the Epiphany and Baptism - January 4, 2026
SummaryMother Suzanne reflects on the Feast of Epiphany and the journey of the Magi, who were outsiders and stargazers who followed a star to worship the newborn King of the Jews. She draws parallels between the Magi's pilgrimage ...
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Season 5
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Episode 6
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10:22
First Sunday after Christmas Day - December 28, 2025 - Mrs. Ginger Wolfe, IONA Seminary Postulant, Homilist
SummaryMrs. Ginger Wolfe celebrates the incarnation, emphasizing how God chose to take on flesh and enter our dark world to show us how much He values creation and wants to be part of it. Through Jesus becoming flesh, we receive n...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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8:48
Christmas Eve - December 24, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne preaches that God's greatest surprise came not through worldly power like Caesar Augustus, but through the humble birth of baby Jesus announced first to lowly shepherds. She emphasizes that God works in unexp...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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15:45
The Fourth Sunday of Advent - December 21, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne explores Matthew's brief two-verse account of Jesus' birth, focusing on Joseph's perspective as the earthly father who, like Noah, demonstrated righteousness through silent obedience to God's plan. Despite th...
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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11:49
The Second Sunday of Advent - December 7, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne reflects on the second Sunday of Advent and the candle of peace, acknowledging how difficult it can be to slow down during this busy season. She focuses on John the Baptist's call to "bear fruits worthy of re...
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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15:05
The First Sunday of Advent - November 30, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne welcomes the congregation into the Advent season, explaining how this four-week period serves as a time of hopeful waiting and preparation for Christ's coming, rather than rushing straight into Christmas. She...
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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15:02
The Last Sunday after Pentecost, Christ the King Sunday - November 23, 2025
SummaryOn Christ the King Sunday, Mother Suzanne preached about how Grace Church tells an "alternative story" of second chances and redemption, just like Jesus offered to the criminal on the cross. She emphasized that the church t...
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Season 4
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Episode 47
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13:47
The Twenty-Third Sunday After Pentecost - November 16, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne teaches that when faced with apocalyptic passages describing wars, earthquakes, and persecutions, we shouldn't focus on doomsday preparation but rather see them as invitations to live with faith and hope in t...
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Season 4
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Episode 46
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12:37
The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost - November 9, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne tackles a challenging gospel passage where the Sadducees question Jesus about resurrection using a hypothetical scenario involving Levirate marriage, where seven brothers successively marry the same woman. Je...
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Season 4
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Episode 45
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14:42
All Saint’s Day - November 2, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne delivers a heartfelt All Saints Day sermon celebrating both the saints who have gone before and three individuals being baptized that day: baby Hailey, Anthony, and Calvin. She emphasizes that baptism is not ...
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Season 4
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Episode 44
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13:18
The Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost - October 26, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne preaches on the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector, emphasizing how Jesus turns expectations upside down by showing that the humble tax collector's prayer for mercy was more pleasing to God than the Ph...
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Season 4
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Episode 43
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16:17
The Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost - October 19, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne explores the parable of the persistent widow from the Gospel of Luke, emphasizing that continual prayer should be a way of life rather than a burdensome task. She teaches that prayer can take many forms - fro...
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Season 4
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Episode 42
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15:03
The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost - October 12, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne explores the story of the 10 lepers from Luke's Gospel, emphasizing how only one—a Samaritan outsider—returned to thank Jesus for his healing. She teaches that true salvation involves not just physical healin...
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Season 4
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Episode 41
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16:09
The Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost - October 5, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne teaches that faith isn't meant to be heroic or complicated, but instead consists of the ordinary, everyday actions we do consistently. Using Jesus's teaching about the mustard seed and mulberry tree, she expl...
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Season 4
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Episode 40
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15:22