Munger Place Church - Dallas, Texas

Easter is one of those situations where the truth is right in front of us, but we just keep missing it. What was it that the angels said? “Don’t you remember what he told you? Weren’t you listening?”   Scripture: Luke 24:1-8 John 16:33

If you squeeze a lemon, you get lemonade. What about you? What does pressure reveal about your soul? When Jesus entered Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday, his followers couldn’t help themselves: they had to shout and praise. What about you? What does your ability (or inability) to praise God say about the state of your soul? Scripture: Luke 19:29-40 Zechariah 9:9-10 Psalm 118:26 Psalm 96:12-13 Isaiah 44:23 Isaiah 55:12 Quotations: “Then all the Jews together greeted [him] with one voice and surrounded him… [then] he gave his hand to the high priest and, with the Jews running beside him, entered the city. Then he went up to the temple where he sacrificed to God under the direction of the high priest.” -Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews “Praise is inner health made audible.” -C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms

On the night before his death, Jesus shared a Passover meal with 12 of his closest friends at followers. During the meal, Jesus shares the secret for how to be the greatest. But his insight leaves us wondering: Why would anyone ever do this? Guest Preacher: Hannah Buchanan

Why did Judas do it? We’re continuing our series “The Last Week” this Sunday with a look at Judas Iscariot. He was handpicked by Jesus to be one of the Twelve. He was an eyewitness to the ministry and miracles of Jesus. But he intentionally betrayed his friend and deliberately led Jesus’s murderers to Jesus. Why?

For much of his ministry, Jesus has tried to keep a low profile, avoiding attention and conflict as much as possible. But in the last week of his life, however, he sets out to deliberately provoke the religious authorities in Jerusalem, and he is never more provocative than when he tells the Parable of the Wicked Tenants, a parable that is equally explosive and offensive.

On the occasion of the 100th birthday of Highland Park United Methodist Church (Munger's parent congregation), HP senior minister, Rev. Paul Rasmussen, shares a vision for the future.

You wouldn’t register for a marathon, buy new shoes, get all the gear, attach your race number to your shirt, and show up on race morning expecting to do well if you hadn’t done any training, and yet that’s exactly what we do when it comes to marriage. No wonder so many of our marriages fail. Weddings don’t work. Thank God there is another way…. Scripture: 1 Corinthians 13 References: Mitsuo Fuchida  

The human body thrives in difficulty and discomfort. Too much comfort, too much food, too much ease makes us weak. The human souls also needs difficulty and discomfort to thrive. And this is exactly why the 40 days of Lent matter. Scripture: Luke 4:1-2 References: Richard Wurmbrand, "Tortured for Christ" www.persecution.com

Daniel is faithful in all he undertakes, and his faithfulness causes others to give him more responsibility. But at the same time Daniel is so faithful that he’s willing to lose all that he has been given to maintain his integrity. Daniel, in other words, has what he has because he is faithful, and because he’s faithful, he’s willing to lose what he has if that’s what faithfulness requires. To put it another way, Daniel is prepared for lions. Scripture: Daniel 6 References: Tortured for Christ, by Richard Wurmbrand www.persecution.com  

Difficulty and conflict are guaranteed. Jesus tells his followers to be different—to be like salt. But be prepared: if you are different, you will face difficulty and conflict because you are different. In Babylon, we are constantly being asked to bow to false idols, and if we refuse—if we insist on being different, it will make things difficult for us. Even with that threat, though, it is still possible to be faithful and actually thrive in Babylon…. Scripture: Daniel 3:1-28  

We are an advanced society and we have lots of technology, but there are some things we don’t know, and some things we will NEVER know, unless someone tells us. For example: Does suffering have a redemptive purpose? What is the good life? These are the sorts of questions that can only be answered through divine revelation. Fortunately, as Daniel tells the Babylonian king in this week’s passage, God has made certain mysteries known to us through the scriptures. Scripture: Daniel 2:1-2a, 10-19, 27-35, 46-49  

Everybody knows things need to be different, but nobody wants to BE different.But if God’s people aren’t any different, what good are they? Jesus calls his followers the “salt of the earth.” Salt is meant to preserve and to add flavor. But, if salt loses its saltiness, it’s useless. (Matthew 5:13). Daniel knew that being different in the small things would set him up to be used by God in a big way. It’s no different for us today. In fact, there are 4 areas specifically in which I think God’s people need to be different in our place and time. Be warned: you won’t want to hear them.—Andrew ForrestToday’s scripture:Matthew 5:13Daniel 1:1-21References:Lumbersexual (look it up)Aesop’s fable of the Wind and the SunLe Chambon-sur-LignonAndré Trocmé

Babylon is Plan B. Plan B is when life isn't what you've want; it's a diagnosis or divorce you didn't ask for; it's unemployment; it's when life doesn't go according to plan. Whether you're in Plan B as the new year begins, or whether you'll find yourself there at some point in 2016, either way, Plan B is where we often are. Daniel and his friends found themselves in the ultimate Plan B in Babylon: deported from their homeland, forced to serve a foreign king and a foreign God. And yet Daniel and his friends learned to thrive in Babylon. As we begin 2016 and our Daniel series, Andrew gives us 3 steps to put us in the position to thrive and Babylon as he reminds us that our Plan B is still part of God's Plan A.

For the church in the Middle East today, persecution is not ancient history, but everyday reality. And while we take seriously the external threats the church faces (and while we desperately pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters), there is one threat that is even more dangerous for the church in general (and for Munger Place Church specifically), than persecution and terrorism: the most dangerous threat we face is the danger from falsehood and deceit. Falsehood and deceit are deadly for the church, as the strange story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) shows.