Christ is risen.

Mark's Gospel leaves a bit of work for us to make sense of the meaning of Easter Sunday. However, with an open heart and mind, there is definitely an invitation there for us.

If you'd like to share your reflections on this Easter Sunday text, or any of the Holy Week texts read this week, reach out to Phil. He'd love to discuss over a cup of coffee, or video chat if you're not in Dallas. You can email him at [email protected].

A blessed Easter Sunday. 

Today is Holy Saturday. Interestingly, the Gospel of Mark says nothing about Holy Saturday. So what is there to reflect on? The omission itself. 

Rev. Phil Dieke shares how he has come to understand the role of sabbath in the midst of Holy Week.

As always, if you want to share your reflections on Holy Week, or discuss Phil's reflections, you can email him at [email protected]

This week's sermon began with Rev. Mitchell Boone discuss the elephant in the room. If you have not heard Mitchell has been reappointed to First UMC Dallas. His final Sunday at White Rock UMC will be June 5th. 

After sharing his excitment for this incredible opportunity, and his great sadness leaving White Rock, we turned to our Palm Sunday text: Luke 19:29-40. Mitchell shared his disdain for parades in relation to the celebratory parade Jesus received coming into Jerusalem. Jesus's parade is opposite Jerusalem from Rome's militaristic parade entering the city to ensure there are no uprising during the Passover holiday. 

In the midst of the parades there is expectation, both good and fearful. And, as we know, the shouts of "Hosanna" quickly turn to shouts of "crucify him."

Holy Friday is also called "Good Friday," but why Good? The events of Holy Friday seem to be anything but good. Today's reflection looks at a bit of the history behind this name, potential other names, then turns to the full text of Holy Friday in the Gospel according to Mark. In this reflection you are invited to be the interpreter, the one offering your own interpretation and reflection.

Phil makes an invitation to email him if you wish to discuss your reflection of the text, have questions about Mark's theological telling of the events of Holy Friday, or if you need space to process all this. Again, you can email Phil at [email protected].

Blessings to you all on this Holy Friday.

Our Holy Thursday reflection comes from Mark 14:17-25. May today's reflection prepare you for a Maundy Thursday worship experience, if you are able to attend one, and may it invite you into remembrance and connection with God and all creation, especially each time you eat.

A couple notes from Phil:

The Gospel according to Mark doesn't give us a significant amount of content regarding Holy Wednesday, nonetheless the content we have is quite significant. Rev. Phil Dieke offers his reflections on Mark 14:1-11, specifically what it has to teach us about discipleship, leadership, and the importance of women in this Holy Week journey.

If you have questions or wish to discuss today's reflection, you can email Phil at [email protected].

The Gospel according to Mark dedicates a significant amount of time to the events that took place on Tuesday of Holy Week. Today's reflection focuses specifically on the parable Jesus tells in Mark 12:1-12. As you hear the text and reflect on it's layers of meaning, allow the parable to act as a mirror for you today as you continue this journey through Holy Week.

If you have questions about today's text or wish to discuss it further email Phil at [email protected]

In this week's episode of The Day After Sunday, Mitchell joins Rebecca and Phil to discuss Palm Sunday, the conclusion of Chapter 2: We Are Who We Are, and the elephant in the room... Mitchell's appointment to First UMC Dallas. Palm Sunday worship included kids waving palms, a wide variety of lovely music, and Mitchell sharing his disdain for parades. This worship gathering begin our transition from Chapter 2 to Chapter 3. In Chapter 3 we will be exploring Divine Love and Holy Persistence, and though Chapter 3 doesn't officially begin until next Sunday, the journey through Holy Week preps us for this new chapter.

As mentioned in this episode, we hope you'll join us for all our Holy Week opportunities. Phil will be releasing daily reflections here on the podcast channel. We will also have a Maundy Thursday service at 7:00pm CDT, Good Friday services at 12:00pm and 7:00pm CDT, Easter Sunrise service at 7:00am CDT in the Garden and Easter Worship at 10:50am CDT. All service will be live in person and streaming online with the exception of Easter Sunrise, it will not be streaming. 

Also note, this is the second to last episode before we take a break. Be sure to join us next week for the season finale!

Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday. Sure, you've probably heard of these days, but what about the rest of the days of Holy Week? What takes place on those days?

Join Rev. Phil Dieke for a daily reflection highlighting aspects of each day of Holy Week, beginning here with Holy Monday. The passages for this week will be taken from the Gospel according to Mark. Today's text is Mark 11:12-19. Questions to consider:

If you have questions or want to discuss today's reflect, email Phil at [email protected].

Rev. Mitchell Boone and Rev. Phil Dieke are joined by Dr. Donna Bowman, author of "Being Human: Becoming the Best Bag of Bones You Can Be." 

This Tiny Desk conversation kicked off Chapter 2 of the year-long series "Unfold," at White Rock UMC. In this Chapter, entitled "We Are Who We Are," White Rock is exploring what it means to be human, what is human nature, and is that nature good, bad, or neutral?

In a world filled with conversations about evil, sin, and the "brokenness" of the world, this conversation offers an alternative perspective and an invitation toward healing the wounds of the world, rather than fixing something that is broken.

If you have questions for Tiny Desk Theology, email Phil Dieke ([email protected]). We'd love for you to be a part of the conversation.