Six Sermons

By: Asa Merritt

Narrated by: Stephanie Hsu, Full Cast

Length: 3 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

As the tight-knit Trinity Grace Church mourns the loss of their beloved pastor, his chosen successor, Alexis, bears the weight of a hidden truth: Pastor Will took his own life.

In the stormy weeks that follow, Alexis is tasked with nothing short of restoring her congregation’s faith—even as her own is secretly crumbling.

Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once) brings fire and vulnerability to the role of Alexis, a young pastor forced to confront her biggest fears while trying to solve the mystery that keeps her up at night: Why’d you do it, Will?

As hopeful as it is heartbreaking, Six Sermons will transport you to summer in Ohio, where the cicadas are loud, tensions are high, and gossip is fierce. Whether you’ve ever been in a church or not, you’ll be rooting for Alexis to win over the doubters and conquer her own demons. Listen closely.

Please note: This program contains mature language and themes, including a discussion of suicide. Listener discretion is advised.

©2023 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2023 Audible Originals, LLC

This book is about pain and loss

When a small church community suffers because someone they loved and trusted dies due to suicide. The loss causes everyone to question what they all think they know about each other and even their faith. This was hard to listen to but also a blessing
You'll be glad you listen ❤️

Good Narration -- Story Didn't Delve Deep Enough

The voice acting was absolutely top notch! Believable performances by clear, crisp, engaging, pleasant voices.

The story should have worked and I'm still processing why it didn't, for me at least. I never connected with the main character (or any of the other characters). The bulk of a serious piece on mental health has to take place inside one or more characters' heads. But most of this book was from an "outside the character" perspective. I don't understand what drove and motivated them. For Christians, suicide carries deep religious implications and consequences. It's not done lightly. A suicidal pastor would have to jump over more hurdles than the average person to get to where they actually complete suicide. I just didn't see the characters struggling. I know that these "included with Audible Plus originals" have to be on the short side. But I think this was too big of a story to try to tackle in so short a time.

I found myself kind of going in and out of the story -- in terms of paying attention. It didn't keep me interested, despite the great narration. I never totally lost interest. I just couldn't stay engaged throughout the whole thing. It's a piece I might come back to another time. A serious piece like this should leave me with plenty to think about and process. But all I'm left to process are the motives of the characters. I would read (or listen to) this author again. But I don't think they hit a home run with this particular piece.

Simply beautiful -

You know how sometimes you encounter just what you need at just the time you need it?

This was most definitely that.

Told with honesty and directness - even in the uncomfortable parts - this is a story that resonates. Beautifully written. Purposefully acted. Fully received.

Character driven narrative

I absolutely loved Six Sermons. It’s brings up lots of complicated issues with tenderness and care, and everything is rooted in very believable and interesting characters. Recommended to everyone in my family, from my evangelical mother to my atheist brother!

Thank you.

Thank you thank you. So accurate and realistic. I’m a retired female pastor and found the portrayals of clergy and congregation both true to form. Handling the grief after suicide is particularly difficult so I appreciated the book digging in to the complexity of the loss, and the importance of community to healing.

An incredible story, a must listen!

Wow!! I was blown away by this story. The performance from the actors is next level, and the creative sound mixing brings you right to summertime in Ohio. I especially loved the cicadas. This story about a church community struggling with grief and trying to find answers to the unknowable is so heart wrenching and lovely. I was captivated in the first few minutes and the story only gets better with each chapter. Some of the last scenes even gave me the chills. Do yourself a favor and give this one a listen!

Great audio story!

I liked the realism of feelings and hope. This is not a fairy tale. Just a story of love, hope, and acceptance.

Fantastic!

This takes difficult subjects and walks through them with vulnerability, grace and dignity. With a touch of laughter thrown in too. Well done!

Grief isn’t easy

As someone who works in ministry this story was very relatable. Often people don’t think about pastors, leaders, or other “church folk” dealing with the struggles of life, but we do. This story is one of not only struggle, but of hope and support. When we loose someone to suicide it is easy to want to cover it up. I appreciate that the main theme in this is about looking loss straight on and feeling grief. It’s a great story of community and how we can come together, even in grief, and face life’s challenges together. Mental health is just as important as physical health, even for ministry leaders. Thank you Asa for an amazing story!

Heart warming

Thank you for this beautiful story. This tackled a difficult subject with humor and grace.