Munger Place Church - Dallas, Texas

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

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 that the healing in Mark 1:21-28 that the demons recognize exactly who Jesus is. While the disciples and others will recognize Jesus slowly the demons get it right straight away. Why is this? Perhaps because evil has the most to lose? Jesus ands the Gospel destroy the evil within us and the Gospels work to make this point from the start. Scripture: Mark 1:21-28 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 Biblical cultures both are metaphors for what God is able to do in our lives. For example, God’s forgiveness is like the cleansing power of water. Take a look at other passages in Scripture with these words and see what they come to represent in the Bible. Scripture: John 2:1-10 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 learned the virtues he teaches the hard way in certain cases. Paul was an educated Rabbi, taught by one of the most famous Rabbis, Gamaliel, who is mentioned in Acts 22:3. Because of his education Paul would have had an exposure to the moral guidance of the Bible. He also learned from his experience which included being imprisoned, beaten, shipwrecked and more. Between education and life Paul learned which is also true for us. Scripture: I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and

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 commentaries will use often about this passage is that we are ‘created co-creators. What this means is that we are obviously created by God, but we also have the ability to created and to give order to the world. While not as powerful as God’s ability, a certain power is given to us and we are to put our creative abilities to work. Scripture: Genesis 1:26-28 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 counting your blessings and then praying about how they could be shared The Extra Mile: In the days of Jesus poverty was the norm. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray saying ‘give us this day our daily bread’, he meant it. When Jesus walked among us, poverty and hunger were normal and praying for what you needed was the only hope you had. This is still true in parts of our population and world, but it may not be true for you. As we read today’s scripture there is a challenge - to read it as the original hearers of Jesus would and maybe less so with the abundance of our world. Scripture: Luke 12;13-15 Pastor: Rev. Andy N

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 Munger is talking about this week. Scripture: Romans 12:1-2 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 - is he the one? Scripture: John 7:45-52 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 gospel passage today sets up the story of the Good Samaritan. In other words, we have a passage where one person should know the answer to their question - an expert in the law should know. In the verses that follow, however, a Samaritan - the outsider - is the one who knows what it is to do the right thing. Think about it in your own life. How many times do we know what it is to do the right thing, but we ignore it? This is the question Luke 10 forces us to ask. Scripture: Luke 10:25-28

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’ (Matthew 10:16). This Sunday, Munger will explore the meaning of both and how we navigate our world while staying faithful to the Gospel. Scripture: Amos 5:18-24 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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: Rev. Sean McDonald

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. Scripture: Jonah 4 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 the Ark we will talk about at Munger the power of remembering who we are. Scripture: Exodus 37:1-9 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 structure faith that lasts and what are you ‘building’ that symbolizes the strength of faith. Scripture: Exodus 26:1-6 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 teach us the importance of faithful waiting. The Extra Mile: Last week we focused on the 10 Commandments, where Commandment #1 is “No other gods, only me.” - Exodus 20:3. God simply has to come first. To those who are believers this seems obvious, but there is a lot of competition for our priorities. Our first thought, our best efforts, the use of our talents and gifts - God insists on coming first. This week ask, “What comes first?”. Making sure God is there is a pathway to blessing today and the days to come. Scripture: Exodus 32:1-4 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon

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 persistently head the wrong way. Scripture: Exodus 11:4-8 Pastor: Rev. Andy Nixon