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
194 episodes
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
The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 28, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne preaches on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus from Luke's gospel, emphasizing that Lazarus is the only character given a name in all of Jesus' parables, with his name meaning "God has helped you." She t...
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Season 4
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Episode 40
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16:51
The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 21, 2025 - Mrs. Ginger Wolfe, IONA Seminary Postulant, Homilist
SummaryMrs. Ginger Wolfe explores the parable from Luke about a manager facing termination who shrewdly forgives debts to secure his future relationships. She challenges the congregation to apply the same strategic thinking and re...
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Season 4
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Episode 39
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8:16
The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost - September 14, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne preaches on the parables of the lost from Luke 15, organizing her sermon into two parts: addressing loss without finding (in light of difficult national events) and the joy of finding what was lost. She empha...
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Season 4
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Episode 38
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13:48
The Thirteenth Sunday After Pentecost - September 7, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne addresses Jesus' extreme words in Luke 14 about discipleship, where he calls followers to "hate" family and give up possessions. She explains that Jesus uses hyperbolic language to emphasize that following hi...
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Season 4
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Episode 37
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14:35
The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost - August 31, 2025
Summary Mother Suzanne explores Jesus' teaching on table manners from Luke's Gospel, where Jesus instructs guests to take the lowest place and hosts to invite the poor rather than those who can repay them. She connects this lesson to Gra...
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Season 4
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Episode 36
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15:32
The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost - August 24, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne preaches on Luke's story of Jesus healing a woman who had been bent over for 18 years, emphasizing how Jesus saw her when others overlooked her and called her "daughter of Abraham." She challenges the congreg...
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Season 4
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Episode 35
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16:57
The Tenth Sunday After Pentecost - August 17, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne tackles a difficult Gospel passage where Jesus speaks of bringing fire to earth and potential family division, acknowledging that many preachers would skip this harsh text. She explains that Jesus, like Old T...
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Season 4
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Episode 34
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14:48