Munger Place Church - Dallas, Texas

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 Mile: Each of the disciples is called to follow Jesus early in the Gospels. They answer and Jesus does what Jesus does. He teaches, heals, and shows the disciples what it is to be a believer. Each of the disciples, however, will abandon Jesus in the events leading up to the crucifixion. Matthew 28 the becomes, a second calling. The disciples are called to spread the Gospel and get a second chance to reclaim their role. Scripture: Matthew 28:16-20 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 centered around something specific that you are going through or maybe it is just needing help in general. Either way, open up your heart and pay attention to how you feel God responding. Scripture: Romans 5:1-8 CEB Pastor: Rev. Sean McDonald

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: While immensely important, the Bible is not the only source of faith. The tradition of the church, our thoughts, and experiences of the Holy Spirt all feed our faith. These three with the Bible form what is called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. Scripture, Tradition, Experience, and Reason all work together to illuminate our path. Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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. Scripture: We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 said to the women, “Don’t be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was nailed to a cross. He isn’t here! God has raised him to life, just as Jesus said he would. Come, see the place where his body was lying. Now hurry! Tell his disciples he has been raised to life and is on his way to Galilee. Go there, and you will see him. This is what I came to tell you.” The women were frightened and yet very happy, as they hurried from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and greeted them. They went near him, held on to his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid! Tell my followers to go to Galilee. They will see me there.” Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10 Pastor: Andy Nixon

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 said to the women, “Don’t be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was nailed to a cross. He isn’t here! God has raised him to life, just as Jesus said he would. Come, see the place where his body was lying. Now hurry! Tell his disciples he has been raised to life and is on his way to Galilee. Go there, and you will see him. This is what I came to tell you.” The women were frightened and yet very happy, as they hurried from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and greeted them. They went near him, held on to his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid! Tell my followers to go to Galilee. They will see me there.” Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10 Pastor: Rev. Sean McDonald

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 Mile: Do a little online digging into the Feast or Festival of Sheaves or Shelters. Jesus would have traveled to Jerusalem many times and presumably this festival would be one of those occasions. Jesus would have been a part of this, and our Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus entering Jerusalem on this festival day. Jesus was part of a tradition, and our Palm Sunday is an example of Jesus being a part of his heritage. Scripture: Luke 19:28-36 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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: An interesting part of Job is Job 42:7-9 where God rebukes Job’s friends. The friends have not been quite honest in that they have danced around Job’s suffering where Job has spoken honestly. For us today, God wants us to pray honestly to the Lord. If you feel it, say it. God listens to all prayers, but prefers one that is honest. Scripture: Job 42:4-6 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 Jesus is making us into and Jesus also encourages us to accept the change for the better. The Extra Mile: Spend some time this week thinking and praying about ‘change’. A better word may be ‘growth’ or ‘transformation’, but in the Gospels everyone changes ti some way. The disciples learn, the sick are healed, and we even learn more about Jesus as we read the Gospels and God’s plan is revealed. What next step in faith is God calling you to take? Step forward in faith, and grow. Scripture: Job 23:13-17 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 middle of Lent. A time when we intentionally reflect on our wrong doings. To this point, Job and his friends have done exactly that in an attempt to explain why Job is where he is. But what we learned this week is that doesn’t give them the answers they are looking for. So, as an added practice for us this Lent, let’s also reflect on where we have seen God during difficult times in our lives. What we will begin to realize is that even in the darkest of times, God was right by our side. Scripture: Job 21:7-9, 32-34 CEB Pastor: Rev. Sean McDonald

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: Ryan Waller

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 questions - rather it takes them on full force. The Extra Mile: The Book of Job begins with an almost courtroom like seen where the Lord and Satan have a conversation that ends with the Lord allowing Satan to do anything to Job except kill him. The Hebrew word for ‘Satan’ means ‘accuser’. ‘ This may help us to understand how evil works in our lives. Thoughts that accuse us of being unholy, unworthy, inadequate - this is a ploy of evil and it is to our benefit not to listen. Scripture: Job 1:9-12 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 Jesus is making us into and Jesus also encourages us to accept the change for the better. The Extra Mile: Spend some time this week thinking and praying about ‘change’. A better word may be ‘growth’ or ‘transformation’, but in the Gospels everyone changes ti some way. The disciples learn, the sick are healed, and we even learn more about Jesus as we read the Gospels and God’s plan is revealed. What next step in faith is God calling you to take? Step forward in faith, and grow. Scripture: Luke 24:36-49 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 stories of Zechariah (Luke 1) and the story of Hannah is Samuel 1. Take a look at both of these characters and see what you can find. Pastor: Rev. Edlen Cowley Scripture: 1 Samuel 24:1-22

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 find a Biblical virtue our grandparents knew well. The Extra Mile: Flashback to last week :) Nehemiah’s family was part of the people of Israel who were forcibly taken to Babylon. Babylon captured Jerusalem in 587 B.C. and Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem around 445. B.C. That means Nehemiah’s family live in Exile for 6 generations? Again, time to our ancestors was different than for us. What are we praying for that is generational rather than instant? Scripture: Luke 1:67-80 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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, and that is what Munger focuses on this week. The Extra Mile: The book of Nehemiah is about returning and rebuilding. Nehemiah, the person, took the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. The walls were destroyed in 587 B.C. and after a time of exile Israel returned and upon that return Nehemiah went to work. Do some digging into the person Nehemiah and you will find someone dedicated to rebuilding what was lost - a task we at times have to do as well. Scripture: Nehemiah 8:1-5 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 reading but then we mess up and we feel like it’s just another year of failing to reach our goals. But consistency doesn’t require perfection. This week, decide one area of your life you want to be more consistent in and try to follow through. But if you fall short, give yourself the grace to try again the next day. Because God has already extended that grace to you! Scripture: Daniel 6:10-17 CEB Pastor: Rev. Sean McDonald

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 us. The Extra Mile: The Bible often has built-in assumptions that we as modern readers might miss. One of these assumptions is the Bible is an “us” book. The Bible assumes community, and often times Scripture speaks in the plural, like “God is going to save God’s people”. Modern lives tend to be highly individual so ask yourself - What I am a part of that is an “us”? Marriage, teams, businesses, schools all are an us - church is too. This year maybe join a small group or a team at church and make church an us! Scripture: Isaiah 43:19-21

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: When Jesus heals, it is always a person who the culture of Jesus’s day would consider ‘unclean’. In Biblical times, if one was sick, injured, or deformed in some way it was believed to be because of a sin the person or a family member committed. In other words, illness was seen as punishment. Jesus breaks this idea. For Jesus, our weakness is a chance for God’s power to come forward. The healing miracles bring this idea to light - it is by helping us overcome our weakness that we experience the power of God. Scripture: Matthew 8:1-4 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon