Munger Place Church - Dallas, Texas

How do we respond when we suffer tragedy we do not deserve? Welcome to the Book of Job. The problem of suffering is a fundamental human problem. We all have asked, ‘Why did God allow this?’ Or ‘Why has God not stopped this evil?”. The Book of Job is going to make a run at answering this question so jump in as we read this book through Lent. You will find the Bible does not back down from any hard...

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 J...

There are many themes in the Bible - on of them is ‘We are part of God’s Plan’. God could work without us or accomplish ends around us, but chooses to work with us. God hears our prayers and uses them as a part of a larger story as only God can. For Hannah, this brings a measure of comfort - God takes our petitions and uses them for a larger purpose. The Extra Mile: There is a similarity in the st...

One of the overlooked attributes of our ancestors is that they waited. Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, knew what it was to wait for the birth of a son. Israel knew what it was to wait for the coming of the Messiah. Although at times God moves in a rapid way (the miracles of Jesus) often God moves in time. This week, practice waiting - otherwise known as patience - and in patience we will fi...

Sometimes we do not find what we hope to find. We believe that something will make us happy only to discover it does not. We achieve a goal, and then find out our satisfaction is less than we thought. Israel did this too in that it became a nation, built and rebuilt Jerusalem - but it was not enough. They had to return to obedience to find joy. Nehemiah is about rediscovering joy through obedience...

We all want to improve this time of year. And the decisions we make now can help us make those improvements. One decision that may help us more than any other is the decision to be consistent. To be who we want to be, we need consistency” Extra Mile: Being consistent is always hard at first. This is why we rarely stick with our New Year’s resolutions. We try to be better about exercising or readin...

God loves us. The truth is God always has. Because of human decisions, though, there are times that come and we find ourselves a little lost, and we need to return to God’s love. The good news is God is willing to help. When we take a step towards the Lord, the Lord takes a step towards us . As 2024 begins, we should know that one step towards Jesus is not just one, but two, as God rushes to meet...

Jesus heals. In the miracle stories healing is a prevalent theme with many people who are in need healed by Jesus. In these stories we get a clue about Jesus. He has a heart for those caught in this dilemma of being less than whole and stuck with no apparent way to get better. Jesus was their only hope, and when we make a similar ask the promise Jesus makes is that He will be there. The Extra Mile...

Healing was a central part of the ministry of Jesus. Typically, it was believed in Jesus’ day that if someone was sick it was a sign of disfavor from God. Jesus reversed this. Needs that people have became a way for the glory and power of God to be revealed. Our weakness is not a sign that God has left us, rather it is an opportunity for God to work and meet our need. Extra Mile: It is notable tha...

Jesus loved a party and his miracle at the wedding Cana reveals some of who Jesus is. Jesus is a celebration and wants the joy of the Lord to be part of our lives. Faith always should lead us to joy and it is toward joy that Jesus wants to lead us. The Extra Mile: Water and wine are highly symbolic in the Bible. Go online and search ‘water’ in the Bible and then do the same with ‘wine’. In Biblica...

You and I should finish the same sentence Paul starts. “I have learned…”. What would you say? Experience is a teacher and in each chapter of life there are lessons we learn. Where are you now? As a student, young adult, parent, friend, grand-parent, and every other role we learn. In Philippians 4 Paul gives us his wisdom and the Church has cherished it ever since. The Extra Mile: The Apostle Paul...

Our decisions have an impact. The environment, our relationships, future generations are impacted by our stewardship of what we have been given. And while it may seem overwhelming - “Am I responsible for every single thing in all of creation?!?’ The answer is ‘Yes’. The hope the Bible has for us is that we will rise to the challenge rather than back away. The Extra Mile: The phrase Biblical commen...

It is an age old question - How much is enough? The world has an answer and it is this - You can never have enough. As Christians, however, we have to realize that blessings are meant to be shared. Maybe we should read the again - blessings are meant to be shared. Loving our neighbor in part means receiving when we are in need and giving when we experience prosperity. Spend some time today countin...

As Christians there is an important word we need to know. Then word is ‘No.’ Too often the world tries to sell us possessions we need or attitudes we need to have and the the truth is our answer should be ’No’. As Christians, we have to draw a line. Possessions are not crucial. As Jesus taught us, we a building a Kingdom on his values. Each of us has to be prepared to say ‘No’ and that is what Mun...

We listen to lots of people. Most of it, though, is inadvertent. We listen to music that happens to be playing, to television in the background, and other sources not necessarily of our choosing. The question today is - Who do you really listen to? Really? Who is it that you want to hear from? All of us have one voice that is above all voices. Jesus wants to be the one we hear, and the question is...

If you were to ask Jesus one question, what would it be? The possibilities are endless! In our Bible passage, though, an expert in the law asks the ultimate question - “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Before jumping to the end, what would you answer? What does it take to enter into heaven? Answer that and you will be immersed in the conversation Jesus has in Luke 10. The Extra Mile: The g...

It has been a tough week. Like many of you, I have been deeply disturbed by the violence in Israel and Gaza over the last week. A warning - this week’s message will not be rated ‘G’. We will discuss terrorism, violence, and what our Christian response to evil should be. Jesus instructed us to be a city on a hill (Matthew 5:14), an example, and as wise as a serpent and as innocent as a dove’ (Matth...

Last week, we talked about prevenient grace. This is the idea that God loves us even before we know it! One way that we celebrate that grace is by coming to the table of holy communion. But the only way to acknowledge God's grace for all people is if all people are welcome at the table. And at the end of the day, it's God's table, and God wants all at the feast!  Scripture: Luke 14:7-14 CEB Pastor...

Jonah is one of the most fascinating books of the Bible because its primary focus is how God is the Lord over all of us and God loves all of us. Our own lives, friends, families, acquaintances, colleagues, and even enemies are loved by the Lord. Now, that is not to say God loves everything we do, however, no action anyone undertakes can separate us from the love of God and therein lies the Gospel....

Houses are filled with memories - people, events,, places that are dear to us - things we remember. The Book of Exodus has been sharing with us a tremendous witness of God’s actions, miraculous events, and faithful heroes who answered God’s call. Why was the book written? In part so that we might remember. Our last week in Exodus is spent with the building of the Ark of the Covenant - and using th...

Faith is an anchor for us. It is a foundation, and because of that we want to turn our faith into something permanent. We build cathedrals to last centuries and sanctuaries to exist for long periods of time. Israel is going through this now in our Exodus passage. We know, of course, that nothing on Earth lasts forever and Israel will learn that lesson too. For now though, think about how we struct...

We have all been there. We are waiting, we are praying, and it takes too long. God does not always show on our timeline and we do what people have always done and take matters into our own hands. One of the greatest difficulties we have in faith is adapting to the timeline of the Lord. God is faithful, but there are times when we have to wait, and wait faithfully. Today’s Scripture is designed to...

Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

This is a hard passage - but God gets into our mix. It was true with Pharaoh and true with Jesus. Pharaoh was unwilling to let Israel go and then God through Moses took matters into divine hands. In a similar way, the crowds choose to crucify Jesus and then God took matters into divine hands again. Our choices matter, but there comes a time when God makes a decision to correct us if we persistentl...