Munger Place Church - Dallas, Texas

In Philippians 2:5-11 Paul attempts to describe Jesus. Give it a try yourself and you will see that it’s is a daunting task. As Paul takes this on he lands on a virtue - humility. Jesus is many things, and among the characteristics of what he is Paul tells us Jesus is…..humble. It’s astonishing. Jesus is all powerful, all knowing, and yet these attributes of his are used to serve us all. Jesus is...

The opening of John 8 is one of the most dramatic confrontations in the Gospels. A woman is caught in adultery - note, the sexism of the time excuses the partner - and according to the law of the time the woman should be killed. In typical Jesus style, Jesus confronts the crows and saves the life of the woman. For Jesus, forgiveness is more powerful than rules and it is forgiveness that Jesus offe...

There comes a time to do what is right. In the latter half of the Old Testament we encounter the writings of the Prophets. Among their concerns is - justice. Like few other authors, the prophets are concerned about the widow and the orphan, the poor and the lost, those in need and those who are searching. Amos 5:11-15 reminds of this - the call to do what is right by helping those in need and we w...

The Bible is a great book for many reasons, one of which that it speaks to us about living in faith on good days and in tough ones. Eventually, faith gets tested. Over the course of life will come a day where it seems like everything has gone wrong, evil and sin will rise, and we wonder ‘How am I going to deal with this?’ The good news is faith wins and the strength faith is forms the heart of Mun...

When reading 1 Samuel 1:19 -22 we have to ask a question - Did Israel get this right? Israel asks for a King so that they can be ‘like other nations’. Israel, however, was chosen by God to be a Kingdom of Priests and a nation to the nations. Is there a great risk then in being just like everybody else? As Christians we are called to be different - a light to the nations. Ask yourself - am I trying...

Every one of us has felt uncertain about the future at one point or another. What do we do when we experience this? Is the answer to just have more faith? While our scripture for this week does discuss a need for faith, it shows us something much more important than just more faith. Scripture: Matthew 14:22 -33 Pastor: Rev. Sean McDonald

We have reached the end of Acts. Through our reading, we have learned some critical things that can help us as a church as we experience new beginnings. But in the last two verses, we receive the fourth step in our Blueprint. While all of our steps are important, if we don’t follow this last step, we might as well not have a blueprint at all! Scripture: Acts 28:30-31 Pastor: Rev. Sean McDonald

Even to this day, the Church faces A LOT of challenges. And when adversity strikes, it can be easy to do what is best for us as individuals. However, that is not what it means to be the Church. This week we will see what Paul and Silas do when they find themselves in a scary situation. Instead of pointing to themselves and doing what’s best  for them, they take another approach. Scripture: Acts 16...

The Church from its beginning has been a place that meets needs. If you are hungry, thirsty, in need of help in another form, or simply searching, the Church is the place to become a part of and get what you need. It is an expansive calling. The truth is, however there is nothing like the Church. Only the Church is called to work and help everyone who enters our doors. It is what makes us unique a...

The book of Acts doesn’t just show us the start of a church, it shows us the start of THE Church. For that reason, it provides a great blueprint for us as we step into this new beginning for Munger. Over the next few weeks we will dive into Acts together to identify historic truths about what it means to be the Church. This week we will pick up directly after Pentecost. When the Holy Spirit moves...

This week we are wrapping up our series CoMission. What we see in our scripture is probably the most important thing we need to realize about our mission as a Church. In fact, it is so important, that it is exactly what Jesus did during his mission on earth. If we can follow that same model, then we will begin to truly make a difference in our community. Scripture: John 1:1-5 Pastor : Rev. Sean Mc...

This is an exciting time of the year. Student’s are graduating, changing grades, going off the college, and summer is starting! But this time of year can also be scary because it is a time of change. And when we are faced with change, sometimes all we want to do is stay where we are comfortable. But what does God call us to do? How does God call us to handle times like these? Scripture: Matthew 17...

Message: The message of Corinthians is church is family. We are to love each other, endure each other, and celebrate each other. Family will do all these and more. Today, pray for your church family. Everything that a good family does church is intended to do. We are to love our church and do so well. Extra Mile: Take a look at Acts 15, it is a compromise. James, the half-brother of Jesus, steps f...

This week we are looking at a classic story from scripture. The Good Samaritan is a story that tells us who our neighbor is. We are tempted to label this as a story that teaches us that everyone is our neighbor. However, that’s not really what Jesus says. So who then does Jesus say our neighbor is? Extra Mile: Jesus puts the legal expert through a mental exercise in order to show him who his neigh...

Message: The Christian life is about you, and it’s not about you. All of us need Jesus - we need the forgiveness and life he offers us. Once we are saved by Jesus, though, a change happens. Our lives are to be lived for others. In our Scripture today, Jesus starts a new age. It is an age where believers focus less on ourselves and more on showing and telling the life of Jesus to others. The Extra...

God helps those who can’t help themselves. That includes each and every one of us, but this can sometimes be hard to admit. We like to be in control and feel like we can change even the worst of our situations, but when we come to grips with the fact that we can’t help ourselves into heaven we actually begin to have a deeper relationship with God. This week, be vulnerable with God. Maybe this is c...

The Bible is our sacred book. Within it are countless truths we hold dear. God creates. God loves us. Jesus is the Son of God. The Bible also records failings and ideas that did not work. King David shattered the 10 Commandments. Leviticus offers sacrifices and laws that we do not follow any longer. The Bible has to be interpreted - and that is our theme this Sunday at Munger. The Extra Mile: Whil...

Message: They are simple phrases. They sound Christian―like something you might find in the Bible. We’ve all heard these words - passed down over generations. Maybe we’ve said them. They capture some element of truth, yet they miss the point in important ways. We'll spend some time together to search for the whole truth by comparing common Christian clichés with the wisdom found in Scripture. Scri...

The Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak on Sunday when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 Suddenly a strong earthquake struck, and the Lord’s angel came down from heaven. He rolled away the stone and sat on it. The angel looked as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards shook from fear and fell down, as though they were dead. The angel sa...

The Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak on Sunday when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 Suddenly a strong earthquake struck, and the Lord’s angel came down from heaven. He rolled away the stone and sat on it. The angel looked as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards shook from fear and fell down, as though they were dead. The angel sa...

It is Palm Sunday where we remember Jesus entering Jerusalem as the start of Holy Week. The crowds expected Jesus to start a revolution, but it did not happen the way many thought it would. Think back. Has Jesus ever answered a prayer in a different way than you asked? It is a hard question. God’s plan, however, is often different than our own and Holy Week is a story along those lines. The Extra...

As the Book of Job closes, God appears to Job and speaks to job from a whirlwind. The words God speaks are one of power. Where was Job when the universe was created? By what power has Job created anything at all? As creations of the Lord, we have to know our limits. We can know in go much, but ultimately we are called to have faith in that the Lord will lead us to all that is good. The Extra Mile:...

In our Bible passage today, Jesus is the same and also entirely different. Luke 24:36 -49 is a resurrection appearance of Jesus. He died, and now is raised. He is the same and also completely different. When reading this passage notice Jesus accepts his change. He is different now, and is setting the example for who we can be. To really change, you and I ultimately are called to accept the person...

Job and his friends are asking the question that many of ask at some point in our lives; why do bad things happen to good people? Job’s friends are convinced he is suffering because he has done something to deserve it. But in our scripture for this week, Job provides another perspective that can completely change the way we approach our struggles. Extra Mile: This scripture comes to us in the midd...

Lament acknowledges the reality of the situation. It opens us up to pain. It revises our assumptions of the world and it helps us to reconstruct our relationship to who/what we have lost. Lament has its crucial place in worship and produces the fruit of hope in a future in which lament will have no place. God may be light, but His best work is always done in the dark. Scripture: Job 7:1-11 Pastor:...