White Rock UMC

In week two of our series, "Grounded: Recognizing Everyday Holiness," Rev. Mitchell Boone looked at the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:21-29, specifically identifying what it means to build on a foundation of rock, rather than on sand (on sand... not in sand, as he alludes to in the sermon). This text, and Mitchell's sermon, is an invitation for self-reflection and examination. What does it mean for us to not only hear the words of Jesus, but also act on them. 

To help with this reflection, Mitchell offered four questions to ask yourself:

May these be questions that help you analyze and solidify your foundation.

You can watch this week's sermon on our YouTube Channel here:

We kicked off a new series on Sunday, "Grounded: Recognizing Everyday Holiness." Rev. Mitchell Boone kicked off this series by preaching on Exodus 3:1-6, the story of Moses and the burning bush. Mitchell acknowledges the struggles we find ourselves in given the ongoing of this pandemic. In the midst of those struggles he invites us to "look up" and be aware of the holiness in front of us.

You can watch all our sermons on our YouTube Channel here:

Rev. Josh Esparza wrapped up "Evidence: A Series on Faith that Bears Fruit," looking at James 2:14-26. Even if you don't have this text memorized you have surely heard it, and the debate that has emerged from it. Are we justified by our faith or by our works? Josh enters this debate, playing on James reference to Rahab (see Joshua 2) and a look at individual agency - a question that has risen to the top of conversation in the state of Texas given the passing of SB8.   

Toward the end of his sermon, Josh references the Social Principles of the United Methodist Church. You can find all the Social Principles, including what the church says about abortion, here.

You can watch this sermon on our YouTube Channel here:

Rev. Phil Dieke continued our series "Evidence: A Series on Faith that Bears Fruit," preaching on Matthew 25:31-46, often referred to as the Sheep and the Goats, or the Judgment of the Nations. Phil invited us to not only consider this passage as a parable, but how it plays a parabolic role in the overall story of Matthew's Gospel. Jesus call to mercy, and judgment based on mercy, is a critical turning point in the Gospel (and the debate between faith vs. works), but it is not the end of the story. Instead, it points us to the culmination of the story. 

Let us know your thoughts on this week's text.  

The parable he tells at the beginning is from Peter Rollin's book "The Orthodox Heretic."

You can watch this week's sermon on our YouTube Channel here:

Rev. Mitchell Boone kicked off "Evidence: A Series on Faith that Bears Fruit," by looking at the Fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5. Mitchell invites us to look at the fruit of our relationships, to examine how we behave and the implications that has on our relationships.   The Fruits of the Spirit may be all too familiar, something that is even trigging because you were forced to remember these as a kid. 

How do you find value in the Fruits of the Spirit? What do they have to offer you today?

You can watch this sermon on our YouTube Channel here:

Katilin Roberson, the Dallas & Fort Worth Development Associate for Refugee Services of Texas (RST), joined us to discuss the work of RST. She gives a bit of the history of their work, shares what is happening with the Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) for those in Afghanistan, and how we can get involved in the work of RST. 

RST is hosting trainings for new volunteers. If you are interested in joining their work you can create a volunteer profile on their webpage and sign up for a training. You can also make donations or buy supplies off their Amazon wish list. Find more details here:

And if your curious what the UMC says about refugees, this is the statement from the Social Principles:

Back to School... no matter if you're a student, the parent of a student, a teacher, or have no affiliation with school anymore, there is something about back to school that says Fall is here. As we move into another school year, it may not be the school year we were hoping for. Maybe not the school year we were expecting. As we enter this now third school year affected by Covid-19, this school year may bring with it a sense of disappointment. Rev. Mitchell Boone invites us to consider our disappointment in light of all taking place world-wide, in our communities, our homes, and our own bodies. As he states, "Disappointment is what it means to be in community," because "I will let you down." 

Mitchell used the Walk to Emmaus text in Luke 24:13-35 to discuss this idea of disappointment. Disappointment, it turns out, may have something to offer us, indeed it may be part of our Long Walk Home. 

Let us know where you are disappointed. And as you work through your disappointment, where you are finding hope. Email us at [email protected].

If you'd like to watch this week's sermon you can find it here:

We wrapped our series "Grappling with God: Untangling Tough Scriptures" by wrestling with 1 Timothy 2:11-15. Rev. Josh Esparza invited us to be aware of the places in scripture we choose to highlight and those we choose to ignore, and ponder why we do so. He highlighted how this specific text has been used to oppress women and continues to benefit patriarchy within the church and society. He also, quite powerfully, invites men to repent of said patriarchy and offers an apology to women for all the ways this text, the Bible, and religion has been used to make them feel lesser, and has prevented them from leadership they so often deserve.

This was a powerful ending to an intense series. Thank you for wrestling with us. We would love to hear your thoughts on this sermon, and the series as a whole. Let us know by email us at [email protected].

In week 4 of our series Grappling with God, Rev. Mitchell Boone took on apocalyptic literature in the Bible. So often these texts are used to create fear, even manipulate people. Mitchell assures us that despite the vivid and wild language, there is indeed hope and that hope is in the rule and reign of God in the here and now.   

This week's text is Daniel 7:1-8. Read along as we seek to meet Jesus in the difficult places!

You can watch this week's sermon on our YouTube Channel here:

Money is a topic that often makes us uncomfortable in church. The scripture Rev. Mitchell Boone worked to untangle on Sunday only complicates this more. Luke 16:1-13 is a difficult parable followed by four differing interpretations.The parable invites us to consider shrewdness and dishonest wealth. Not things you often associate with Jesus or the Gospel. And yet, as we embrace this difficult text we are forced to ask difficult questions about money, and specifically our relationship with money. 

This series is an invitation to grapple with God as we continue to wrestle with scripture. You are welcome to join us as we wrestle together as a community!

Check out the video version of this sermon on our YouTube channel: