Munger Place Church - Dallas, Texas

What was it that the magi saw that made them leave Babylon and travel all those weeks across the desert to arrive in Bethlehem? It was the dragon that tried to eat Jesus… Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12 Revelation 12:1-12

Mattei Markwei was the dean of the theological college my dad taught at when we lived in Africa in the 1980s. This sermon is about what he used to say, which seems particularly relevant for me as I write this, considering how God has provided for me—both professionally and in my family—since last year’s Christmas Commitment Sunday, 12 months ago. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: 1 Kings 17:1-16, Daniel 10:19, Romans 8:31-38.

We’ve said that faith is more than merely assenting intellectually to the miraculous. And we’ve said that faith is not a magic get-out-of-trouble formula that we can sprinkle on our lives so as to avoid all problems. Faith is not about avoiding suffering, but about enduring suffering…with joy. How? Why? That’s our topic for this week as we look at one of the greatest stories—not only in the Bible—but in all of World Literature: the story of Joseph with the coat of many colors. What Joseph learns about faith is the key to choosing joy. Preacher: Andrew Forrest Scripture: Genesis 37-50 Romans 8:18, 28 Hebrews 12:1-2 Check Rodney and Emily’s story out here: http://www.mungerplace.org/about-us/stories/to-the-edge-rodney-and-emilys-story/

Sometimes the way we talk about faith seems to imply that as long as you have faith, everything will work out for you. So, in this way of thinking, whenever you are confronted with a bad situation, you need to have faith that the bad thing won’t happen. But this obviously isn’t true: bad things happen to people even when they are full of faith. (Jesus was crucified, after all.) So, what does it mean to have faith? What good is faith if bad things still happen? The answer: faith is actually MORE powerful than merely keeping you from harm. Faith is about the ability to face ANYTHING. With joy… Scripture: Hebrews 11:32-38

Faith is really about trusting that God knows more than you do, and acting accordingly.

When people in the modern world talk about “faith,” they tend to mean believing in things that don't have scientific evidence. But in the Bible, faith is a heck of a lot more than that. In the Bible, faith is practical…. --Andrew Forrest Hebrews 11:1-7; Genesis 6:9-22

Sometimes I wonder about the world my children will grow up in. Sometimes the world can seem overwhelmingly depressing. But when I read Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles in Babylon, written around 595 BC—in my opinion one of the most surprising passages in scripture—I find encouragement and strength. And an encouragement to be stubbornly hopeful in this broken world. What about you? Happy 7th Birthday, Munger! --Andrew Forrest Scripture: Jeremiah 29:1-7, 11

Dear Church, This is a difficult sermon for me to preach. It’s embarrassing, but I think I need to honest with you and confess. It may be that other folks will identify with what I’m going to say, or it may be that I’m the only one who needs to hear this... In any case, I know that these words apply to me and I know I NEED them. Your pastor, Andrew Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19

The letters of Paul were written 2,000 years ago, but they are still relevant for us, because people are the same everywhere. So, his words about speaking well of others apply to us, and they particularly apply to the world of social media. --Andrew Forrest Scripture: Ephesians 4:17-32 References: http://theweek.com/articles/695333/write-internet-im-sorry

If God is good, then why do the innocent suffer…? T wo weeks ago, I said (drawing on Proverbs) that if you want to have a good life, it’s simple: Act wisely, and everything will work out for you. Last week I said (drawing on Ecclesiastes) that it’s not that simple, because time, chance, and death are huge exceptions and problems in the system: It doesn’t always work out for the wise in the way that they hoped. So, here’s our question for this week as we wrap up our Good Life series: What kind of world are we living in? What kind of world is it in which neither good people nor bad people get what they deserve? What is God up to, anyway? When you think about it, there are few questions more important than these. --Andrew Forrest Scripture: Job 1:1-5 Job 2:11-13 Job 16:1-3 Job 31:35-37 Job 38:1-7, 16-18, 24 Job 39:1, 9-12, 19, 26-29, 40:15-16, 41:1-8

As I’ve watched and read media stories on America and race, I’ve been struck by the kinds of things I wasn’t hearing, things as a pastor I feel that our people need to hear.  Andrew Forrest Scripture: Genesis 1:26-27 Romans 3:23 John 15:13 References: -Down Syndrome Babies in Iceland: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/down-syndrome-iceland/ -Medgar Evers -Methodist pastors who wrote the letter: http://www.umc.org/news-and-media/mississippi-pastors-paid-price-for-segregation-challenge

The faithful decision is always the harder decision, and the consequences can be serious....