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
173 episodes
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
The Ninth Sunday after Pentecost - August 10, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne preaches on Jesus's words "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom," emphasizing that God desires to shower us with good things and the kingdom itself. Sh...
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Season 4
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Episode 33
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16:11
The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost - August 3, 2025 - Mr. Ed Carrette, Community Missioner, Homilist
SummaryGrace Community Missioner Ed Carrette explores Jesus's parable of the rich fool, emphasizing that the problem isn't wealth itself but greed and selfishness that lead us to forget God and neglect our neighbors. He challenges...
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Season 4
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Episode 32
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9:44
The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost - July 27, 2025 - Mr. Ed Carrette, Community Missioner, Homilist
SummaryGrace Community Missioner Ed Carrette explores the origins and meaning of the Lord's Prayer, emphasizing that it wasn't Jesus' personal prayer but rather a formula he taught his disciples when they asked to learn how to pra...
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Season 4
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Episode 31
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10:09
The Sixth Sunday After Pentecost - July 20, 2025 - The Reverend Nan Doerr, Celebrant
SummaryMother Nan Doerr explores the Gospel story of Mary and Martha, arguing that Jesus criticized Martha not for working, but for being distracted by anxiety and the need for perfection. She emphasizes that Jesus loves us as we ...
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Season 4
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Episode 30
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9:50
The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost - July 13, 2025 -Mr. John Lothrop, Lay Minister, St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church Guest Homilist
SummaryIn this sermon, Mr. John Lothrop explores the parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke's Gospel, examining the interaction between Jesus and the lawyer who asked about inheriting eternal life. Lothrop challenges us to reco...
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Season 4
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Episode 29
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14:16
The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost - July 6, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne reflects on Jesus sending out 72 disciples to proclaim the nearness of God's kingdom with simplicity and urgency, drawing parallels to her own small but mighty congregation at Grace Church. She connects thi...
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Season 4
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Episode 28
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17:47
The Third Sunday after Pentecost - June 29, 2025 - Mr. Ed Carrette, Homilist and Grace Community Missioner
SummaryCommunity Missioner Ed Carrette explores how Christian freedom differs from American cultural freedom, explaining that "for freedom, Christ has set us free" (Galatians 5:1) means liberation from the slavery of sin rather ...
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Season 4
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Episode 27
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7:56
The Second Sunday after Pentecost - June 22, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne examines Jesus's encounter with the Gerasene demoniac in "the land of the Gerasenes," highlighting how Jesus crosses boundaries to restore the identity of a man possessed by Legion. This Gospel story reveal...
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Season 4
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Episode 26
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16:50
The First Sunday After Pentecost: Trinity Sunday - June 15, 2025 - Mr. Eric Moen, Senior Engagement Officer, Episcopal Health Foundation, Guest Homilist
SummaryIn his sermon, Mr. Eric Moen weaves together a family story about his great-grandmother's unwavering service with three scripture readings that illuminate the Holy Spirit as our guide to truth. He reminds us that the Spir...
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Season 4
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Episode 25
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11:56
Pentecost Sunday Whitsunday - June 8, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne celebrates Pentecost as the transformative moment when the Holy Spirit empowered Jesus's fearful disciples to become bold leaders of the early church. She reminds us that when we "inhale God's own breath," ...
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Season 4
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Episode 24
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13:07
The Seventh Sunday Of Easter - June 1, 2025 - "that they may all be one"
SummaryIn this sermon on John 17, Mother Suzanne explores Jesus's high priestly prayer before his crucifixion, in which he repeatedly prays, "that they may all be one." She emphasizes that Christian unity isn't about agreeing on...
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Season 4
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Episode 23
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14:11
The Sixth Sunday of Easter - May 25, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne explores Jesus's encounter with the man who had been ill for 38 years at the pools of Bethesda, focusing on Jesus's direct question: "Do you want to be healed?" She challenges the congregation with this sam...
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Season 4
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Episode 22
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15:10
The Fifth Sunday Of Easter - May 18, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne reflects on Jesus's new commandment from John 13, where after washing his disciples' feet, Jesus commands them to love one another as he has loved them—through radical, self-giving service. She illustrates ...
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Season 4
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Episode 21
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14:52
The Fourth Sunday of Easter - May 11, 2025 - Sermon by The Rt. Rev. Hector Monterroso, Bishop Assistant - The Episcopal Diocese of Texas
SummaryIn his Mother's Day sermon, Bishop Hector Monterroso connects Jesus' words in John 10 about being the Good Shepherd with the unconditional love of mothers. Through personal stories of being lost as a child, Bishop Monterr...
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Season 4
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Episode 20
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11:31
The Third Sunday Of Easter - May 4, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne reflects on Jesus' post-resurrection appearance at the Sea of Tiberius (John 21:1-19), where he prepares breakfast for the disciples and restores Peter through three questions of love that parallel Peter's ...
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Season 4
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Episode 19
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15:53
The Second Sunday of Easter - April 27, 2025
SummaryGrace Community Missioner Ed Carrette explores Jesus's words from John 14:27, "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you," explaining that Christ's peace is not merely the absence of noise but His very presence with us—...
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Season 4
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Episode 18
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7:21
Easter Sunday with Baptism - April 20, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne's Easter sermon celebrates how Mary Magdalene, the first witness to Christ's resurrection, becomes the first apostle when Jesus calls her by name at the empty tomb. This resurrection power connects directly...
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Season 4
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Episode 17
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17:01
The Fourth Sunday in Lent - March 30, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne explores the parable of the Prodigal Son as a story of God's unabashed love and forgiveness, emphasizing that when something lost is found, heaven rejoices. She connects the father's compassionate we...
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Season 4
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Episode 16
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15:07
The Third Sunday in Lent - March 23, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne explores the Exodus passage of Moses and the burning bush, emphasizing God's promise, "I will be with you," when we face seemingly impossible challenges. Just as God revealed His name as "I AM WHO I AM" to ...
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Season 4
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Episode 15
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14:24
The Second Sunday In Lent - March 16, 2025
SummaryIn this homily, Grace Community Missioner Ed Carrette explores Jesus' metaphor of God as a mother hen gathering her brood under her wings, contrasting this image of vulnerable protection with the predatory "fox" of Herod. Throug...
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Season 4
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Episode 14
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12:54
The First Sunday in Lent - March 9, 2025
SummaryMother Suzanne invites her congregation to reframe Lent not as a time of deprivation but as a sacred wilderness journey where God provides and protects. She emphasizes that the same Spirit that led Jesus into the wilderne...
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Season 4
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Episode 13
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12:30