Hyde Park United Methodist

Latest Episodes:

Beyond the Sermon: Mahalia Jackson Jul 25, 2024

Show notes

Mat and Magrey have a discussion about how songs shape us, how they shaped the Bible, and how they continue to bring the biblical text alive today.

Voices of Inspiration, Part 4 // The Rev. Magrey deVega // July 21, 2024 Jul 22, 2024

Show notes

Mahalia Jackson was one of the greatest musical artists of her generation, not just for her beautiful music, but also for her inspirational witness. Her most iconic moments were in her singing of “His Eye is On the Sparrow,” based on the teaching of Jesus in Matthew, which inspired comfort and encouragement during the civil rights movement. Her encouragement for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to “tell them about the dream, Martin,” elicited the grand, sweeping conclusion to his famous speech in Washington, D.C.
HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
Reflection Questions:
1. What do you think makes singing such a powerful form of individual and communal expression?
2. What songs have been most inspiring to you throughout your life?
3. How familiar are you with the music of Mahalia Jackson? How might you listen to her music over the coming days?

Beyond the Sermon: Howard Thurman Jul 15, 2024

Show notes

Mat and Justin talk about the legacy of Howard Thurman and how we can direct our beliefs into actions for justice in the community.

Voices of Inspiration, Part 3 // The Rev. Justin LaRosa // July 14, 2024 Jul 15, 2024

Show notes

Howard Thurman was one of the greatest preachers, writers, and mystics of the 20th century. His book “Jesus and the Disinherited” was a landmark work that invited us to see Jesus on the side of the oppressed, and inspired us to work through non-violent means to bring justice and social change. Every day, Thurman read Psalm 139, as a source of strength and courage, and verses 13-18 capture the intimate relationship he sought to have with God.
HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
Reflection Questions:
1. What group or person is it most difficult for you? How might you practice seeing the divine in them?
2. How have you or will you build a relationship with the disinherited?
3. How can you dismantle discrimination? Specifically, what action will you take?

Beyond the Sermon: Mother Teresa Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

Mat and Magrey dive deeper into Mother Teresa's story, paying particular attention to her own struggles with doubt, faith, and God's perceived absence. We talk about what we can learn from that today and how we can manage our own anxieties and fears.
Resources:
"The Questions Jesus Asked"
Magrey deVega
https://a.co/d/05e3zfA1
"Come Be My Light"
Mother Teresa
https://a.co/d/02AQBil8

Voices of Inspiration, Part 2 // The Rev. Magrey deVega // July 7, 2024 Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

Mother Theresa of Calcutta was the greatest charitable force in our lifetimes. She inspired us to give of ourselves humbly and obediently for the sake of the poor and needy, regardless of the cost. Hers was a living embodiment of the psalmist’s words, to “raise the poor out of dust, and the needy out of the ash heap.” Her life and witness is captured in her quote, based on Psalm 113: “Joy is prayer; joy is strength: joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls.”
HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
Reflection Questions:
1. What is “Your Own Calcutta?” How will you practice and compassion and mercy to others?
2. In what ways can you be more persistent in doing the work Jesus calls you to do?
3. What lessons can you learn from Mother Teresa in how she named and dealt with doubt?

Beyond The Sermon: Dietrich Bonhoeffer Jul 01, 2024

Show notes

Mat and Magrey sit down to discuss the impact Dietrich Bonhoeffer had on Magrey's calling to ministry and the conflict between our inner and outer selves.

Voices of Inspiration, Part 1 // The Rev. Magrey deVega // June 30, 2024 Jul 01, 2024

Show notes

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of the most significant martyrs of the 20th century, whose courageous stance against the Hitler and Christian Nationalism continues to inspire us. In his famous book “The Cost of Discipleship,” he calls the church to remember that when God calls people to follow him, he “calls them to come and die.”
HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
Reflection Questions:
1. Who have been the significant “voices of inspiration” in your own spiritual journey?
2. What is something new you learned about the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer?
3. How will you follow Jesus more closely this week?

Hard to Believe, Part 5 // The Rev. Justin LaRosa // June 23, 2024 Jun 24, 2024

Show notes

Prayer is the lifeblood of the disciple of Jesus. In his final days with the disciples, Mark told the disciples in Mark that their faith would allow them to pray with such conviction and confidence that whatever they asked for would be granted to them by God. But that belief carries an important precaution. Prayer is not a cosmic vending machine, that demands God to act on our own terms. Prayer is an act of vulnerability and obedience, in which we declare our dependence on God, and our willingness to decenter our own needs and desires.
HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
Reflection Questions:
1. What is the mountain you’d like to move?
2. How has the power of prayer changed you? The world?
3. Who do you need to forgive?

Hard to Believe, Part 4 // The Rev. Magrey deVega // June 16, 2024 Jun 17, 2024

Show notes

For many, the existence of suffering and evil in the world is the greatest hurdle to full faith and belief in God. It seems irreconcilable that a God who is all-powerful and all-loving could allow the presence of pain and hardship. It is a dilemma that preacher and biblical scholar Tom Long called “the impossible chess match,” in which there is no clear and clean outcome. But faith allows us to trust where there are no easy answers, and follow God when we ask our hardest questions.
HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
Reflection Questions:
1. When have you wrestled with God’s relationship to human suffering?
2. What has given you strength during times of hardship? Where do you think God was?
3. How have you experienced God transforming your suffering into something positive?

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