Christianity
**Hyde Park United Methodist**

Sermons and talks from Hyde Park United Methodist. Making God’s Love Real. Find out more at hydeparkumc.org

Latest Episodes:

Songs For the Waiting, Part 3 // The Rev. Magrey deVega // December 11, 2022 Dec 12, 2022

Show notes

In our 3rd week of Advent, we discover something a bit...odd. This weeks' song, along with our scripture reading, have a common theme. God is relaying instructions for how to conduct a celebration for an event that hasn't even happened yet. As with the first set of instructions given to the Israelites for Passover, Advent is a time of preparing and focusing on something that is yet to come: The coming of Jesus into our lives.

Songs For the Waiting, Part 2 // The Rev. Justin LaRosa // December 4, 2022 Dec 05, 2022

Show notes

“But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact pleases You.”

- Thomas Merton
In the 2nd week of our advent series, we discuss the song "I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light." How does one exactly become a Child of the Light and what does that mean for us and how we effect those around us? The world we live in is filled with suffering, despair, and darkness. But just as Jesus came to Earth to be a light to the world, so to can we who the love of God to others.

Songs For the Waiting, Part 1 // The Rev. Magrey deVega // November 27, 2022 Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

During Advent we are so fixated on the Christmas Carols and texts that we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about Advent Carols and how powerful their meanings can be. "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" is such a remarkable and classic hymn that dates back over 1000 years. But what you may not know is the hidden meaning placed cleverly amongst the words. This hidden meaning is a wonderful reminder of what the real reason for the season is.

Living With Gratitude, Part 4 // The Rev. Magrey deVega // November 20, 2022 Nov 21, 2022

Show notes

Gratitude on a communal level means joining our resources to meet the greatest needs of our community and world. Diana Butler Bass describes this fourth quadrant in this way: “If you emphasize we and ethics, you might define gratitude as social responsibility that demands action through public commitments to charity, stewardship, volunteerism, and social institutions. You believe that gratitude is an essential foundation of civic life, taking pride in doing good."

Living With Gratitude, Part 3 // The Rev. Magrey deVega // November 13, 2022 Nov 14, 2022

Show notes

Living with Gratitude means orienting our individual actions toward the benefit of others, including the surrender of our personal finances to God. Gratitude is not just an emotional attenuation of the heart. It has an impact on our actions and ethical choices. Diana Butler Bass called this third quadrant the “Personal/Ethical, and described it in this way: “If you emphasize me and ethics, you might experience gratitude as a moral or ritual response to a favor extended to you. Returning dinner invitations, writing thank-you notes, and repaying personal obligations come naturally. You think of gratitude in terms of individual responsibility and reciprocity.”

Living With Gratitude, Part 2 // The Rev. Sally Campbell-Evans // November 6, 2022 Nov 07, 2022

Show notes

On this Sunday we join with Christians around the world in a public act of corporate, emotional gratitude, as we honor the saints who have gone before us. By honoring them, we see our own place in the grand march of history and the ongoing work of God. That recognition is a humbling motivation for us to turn in our estimates of giving and contribute to the unfolding story of God’s love.
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Living With Gratitude, Part 1 // The Rev. Justin LaRosa // October 30, 2022 Oct 31, 2022

Show notes

Living with Gratitude means opening our heart to wonder, awe, and an awareness of God’s blessings in our lives, both great and small. Diana Butler Bass describes this first quadrant of gratitude as Personal/Emotional: “If you emphasize me and emotions, you are probably attuned to the inner dimensions of awe, surprise, and appreciation and have strong feelings when someone helps you, serves you, or gives you a gift. You define gratitude in terms of delight, joy, or surprise.”

The Art of Hearing Gods Voice, Part 7 // The Rev. Dr. Martyn Atkins // October 23, 2022 Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

Matthew 28 contains the words of the Great Commission, the iconic final command of Jesus to the disciples. His charge to “go into all the world” to make disciples makes it a fitting text for our annual Missions Celebration Sunday. As we celebrate our partnerships with missions agencies locally around the world, this text begs the question: is there more to engaging in missions than simply supporting efforts from a distance? Was Jesus also calling us to make missions a way of being, a way of life? Those are the compelling questions that our guest preacher Rev. Dr. Martyn Atkins will explore with us. He has 40 years of experience in British Methodism and is a leader in the Fresh Expressions movement and the World Methodist Council. He is currently serving Lighthouse UMC in Boca Grande, which was severely impacted by Hurricane Ian. We welcome him this Sunday and are honored by his insights and wisdom.

The Art of Hearing God's Voice, Part 6 // The Rev. Magrey deVega // October 16, 2022 Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

Neurologically speaking, our brains do not shut down when we go to sleep, and our subconscious kicks into gear with processing the flurry of information that we wrestle with during our waking hours. Is it possible that God speaks to us through our subconscious? On this Sunday, we’ll look at various scientific and psychological studies about dreaming, and learn how to put our dreams into context. Yes, it is possible that God speaks to us through our dreams, but interpreting them requires intentionality and care, just like everything else related to listening for God’s voice.

The Art of Hearing Gods Voice, Part 5 // The Rev. Sally Campbell-Evans // October 9, 2022 Oct 10, 2022

Show notes

We can all admit that we don’t like to wait. Time moves sometimes like an Arctic glacier. The second hand on the clock seems to tick every five minutes. It’s like someone pressed the giant pause button in the sky. Or even in reverse. We are the cyber-speed, hyper-drive generation. We like our internet connectivity to be fiber optic, our exercise regimen to be done in minutes rather than months, our meals to be ready at a moment’s notice, and our online orders to be delivered when the website promises. We don’t like to wait. For the doctor, for the traffic, for our dinner, for the mail carrier … or for God.

But as part of this series on the art of hearing God’s voice, we should acknowledge and affirm that waiting - as hard as it may be - is an essential part of trusting in and following Jesus. But with that challenge comes good news. The prophet Isaiah promises that waiting on the Lord renews our strength, enabling us to fly like an eagle, and run and walk the journey of life for the long haul.

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“But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact pleases You.”

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