Munger Place Church - Dallas, Texas

Our passage this week is commonly referred to as ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ - there is a stairway Jacob sees in a dream by which angels are ascending and descending between Heaven and Earth. Another way to think of Jacob’s vision is like a bridge in that Earth and Heaven are connected and the Lord freely moves between both. Jacob’s dream calls us to be aware that Heaven and Earth are linked, and our prayers...

Faith takes a willingness to sacrifice and tough questions need answers. This is what we learn from Abraham when he is willing to offer even his son at God’s command. As we look at our life and faith we might ask - What are we willing to do for the Lord? What has our faith cost us? What are the sacrifices we make in obedience to God’s call. These are tough questions, but like all questions faith g...

God delivers. God promised Abraham and Sarah an heir who would be biologically connected to each of them. In our passage, God sets a timeline in place by which this promises will be fulfilled. Genesis is continuing to tell a story of how God is faithful. In matters sweeping and small, the Lord is faithful and this is an attribute of God we can trust. Scripture: Genesis 18:9-15 Pastor: Rev. Andy Ni...

We have all heard the expression, ‘Don’t sweat the small stuff’. Well….that might work for some of us but I have learned the hard way that someone better - the angels are in the details! In our Bible passage today Abram is beginning to worry about who will continue his family line. He wants an heir. God assures Abram that the Lord has this covered in another reminder that God offers both sweeping...

‘Covenant’ is a weighty word in Scripture. It simply means a substantial agreement, but it is not an agreement of equals. God initiates covenants, and the interesting thing about them is that even though God holds all the power the covenants are generous towards us. God wants us to thrive and the covenants between God and humanity set the context for us to do exactly that - thrive. Scripture: Gene...

Dominion, we’ve got it. As the Lord created human beings, the Lord also gave human beings authority over creation. The earth, sky, waters, animals, plants are all ours to care for all over the earth! This means that the closet we need to clean out, the unwatered plant, the junk drawer, the Christmas decorations we still have out (no!) are to be tended to because they are part of creation! Come to...

Do you remember jumping off the diving board for the first time? The first day at a new school? Maybe the first day of a new job after a promotion? That’s Joshua rolled into one! A new leader, a new time - and God gives Joshua the call to enter the promised land. Joshua, in response to God’s call steps forward in faith, and in doing so gives us an example on how to do the same. Scripture: Joshua 3...

Jesus told stories, quite a few! As we start 2023 this Sunday we are in Luke 13:6-9 where Jesus tells a story about a fig tree that had not produced figs for three years and the owner wants to cut it down. The gardener intercedes, however, and promises to care for the tree for another year and see what happens. In 2023, the story asks us this - will this be the year where something you have wanted...

Merry Christmas! Every now and then someone does something that compels a response - a musician’s performance will cause a standing ovation or an athlete will make such a play as to make us cheer! Christmas is that moment where God’s action brings about the greatest reaction from us. We can’t help it! Jesus is a gift so beautiful and perfect the world cannot help but praise! This Christmas, join t...

Scripture: Luke 2:1-12 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

Tradition, at this time of year, is at its best. As Christmas approaches, many of us are preparing to celebrate family and all the celebrations that come with Christmas. A suggestion? Throw yourself into them all and make Munger a strong part :) Our ancestors celebrated this time of year and those who come after us will continue our traditions into the future. Let’s celebrate them well! Scripture:...

We all have sayings we like. It may be from Scripture or a word of wisdom from our parents, or even popular culture. From time to time I find myself quoting Yoda from Star Wars, ‘Do or do not. There is no try’. Of all our sources of course, Jesus is the greatest, and in our Scripture this week (Matthew 5:43-48) Jesus takes the greatest teachings of the Old Testament and expands their truth. Jesus...

At our house we have an ‘Alexa’. She is capable of a great many things from reading Bible verses to knowing when the Cowboys play. Alexa can also tell me when a package is on the way, invoking a common theme of Advent - waiting for something to arrive. Towards the end of Isaiah, the prophet looks forward, “One is coming” and He will change us and the world forever, and right now we are waiting for...

The Kings of Israel opened up their schedules to administer justice for the public - a sort of ancient Israel version of The People’s Court. King Solomon is asked to decide which of two prostitutes is the true mother of the baby. Solomon’s method (I will let you read for yourself) forces a decision and the difference is that the true mother sacrifices her own interest for the interest of the baby....

A faithful man who loved the Lord and a man also with a tragic flaw who disobeyed - this is David. He was capable of great faithfulness and also was ambushed by great pride. In his example we learn much. We are capable of both faith and disobedience and it is important we know the difference. Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

What makes for a good leader? With Election Day this week, the question is in the air. Saul is the first King of Israel. From Samuel we know that he was tall and handsome. He would also have some military success against the Philistines in the chapters ahead. The Bible is offering the question - What is the difference between political success and advancing the Kingdom of God? A worldly kingdom an...

We all make bad choices - the question is ‘Why???’ One answer to this question is - security. We believe that we are safer if we are in control. In our Bible passage Israel asks for a king ‘like other nations’ thinking that a person just like them will provide better leadership than the Lord. The choice turns out to be disastrous. The Kings of Israel are a mixed bag to say the least, and the truth...

The truth is - we want to win. Remember any team that you were on - do you ever go into a competition or step onto a field wanting to lose? For almost all of us, the answer is ‘no’. We want to win. The Apostle Paul tapped into this nature of ours when writing 1 Corinthians and he encourages the church to be like a team and when we compete, compete to win. That is what following Jesus takes. We are...

The song I Know You’re Out There Somewhere by the Moody Blues is a typical searching for love kind of song. Looking to find love, the lyrics offer an optimistic view that we will all find the love we are searching for in life and we know love when we find it. Love, however, also surprises. Jonah discovers the love of God he is looking for only to find it takes a different course that what he expec...

We often think of people as hard-hearted or soft-hearted. What is the difference? In the Bible, Pharaoh is described in the Book of Exodus as hard-hearted in his contests with Moses and Israel. Egypt is defeated and Israel escapes. In Jonah, however, the citizens of Nineveh are soft-hearted. They repent. They change. God relents, In your mind, what is the difference between an Egypt and a Nineveh...

Scripture: Jonah 3:6-10 We often think of people as hard-hearted or soft-hearted. What is the difference? In the Bible, Pharaoh is described in the Book of Exodus as hard-hearted in his contests with Moses and Israel. Egypt is defeated and Israel escapes. In Jonah, however, the citizens of Nineveh are soft-hearted. They repent. They change. God relents, In your mind, what is the difference between...

Jonah is a story we think we know. As a child, MAYBE, we heard of Jonah being swallowed by a whale only to be burped out on a beach later. The truth is the deepest meanings (no pun intended) of Jonah have little to do with the large fish. Jonah is a story about providence, holiness, repentance, and loving our enemy. Come meet this prophet with a message that goes beyond what we think we know. Scri...

We all know what what it is like to make a decision in the moment. Do I go left or right? Do I speed up or slow down? Making a decision in the moment is tough because it means we have a very short period of time in which to make a call that matters. The thief on the cross that asks Jesus to remember him makes a great call in a moment of crisis. Would you do the same? Let’s talk about what it takes...

Deborah and I are fans of the Netflix series Stranger Things. In fact, I bought Deborah a stuffed animal version of one of the monsters in the show! If unfamiliar with it, Stranger Things the series is about two worlds - ours and demonic underworld that is trying to break in. While an imperfect comparison, Jesus brought a Kingdom that is trying to break into our world, but in order for that to hap...

Jesus delighted in turning images upside down. A widow was coming to make her offering at the Temple in Jerusalem. Her offering is meager, certainly nothing compared to the grandeur and size of the stones that formed the walls of the Temple. And yet, one of these lasted the test of time and one did not, and the survivor was the widow. She is remembered for her faith, while a building which became...