Hyde Park United Methodist

Like the fig tree, you are worthy. You’re not a lost cause. You’re not a waste of resources. You deserve to be nurtured. Your fruit will come. Like the gardener, you are invited to see others with audacious hope and budding potential. The lesson of the fig tree invites us to unpack the source of our worth in a system and society that often measures worthiness by commerce, production, output, success, status, achievement, ethnicity, and/or gender identity. We might ask, “Can the fig tree have worth even if it never produces any figs?” What does that mean for us if the answer is “yes”?

God is our refuge. There is nothing that can separate you from God, or could keep God from gathering you in, protecting you fiercely. Jesus’ lament for Jerusalem is surprising given how he is treated by Jerusalem. And yet, no matter how much we try to separate ourselves from God, God will run to protect us. God’s love for us is fuller than we can imagine.

Even in the desert, Jesus expands our definitions of a full life. It’s not the life the Tempter presents: a life defined by excess power, control, or reign. Excess is not abundance, but there is more. There is a fuller life we are called to live. Even in the midst of struggle, oppressive forces, hardship, and grief—God’s promises spill over, like the bounty of the first fruits from the ground. Even in the desert, you are called to the riverside to be washed by grace.

As we bring our series on Nehemiah to a close, we are honored to have award-winning author and expert in religious studies, Diana Butler Bass join us. Diana reflects on resiliency through the lens of gratitude—her latest book is “Grateful: The Subversive Practice of Giving Thanks”—and how gratitude can flow out of a resilient life. 

In the pivotal eighth chapter of Nehemiah, we come to realize that the rebuilding of the bricks and mortar of the wall was not the only renovation project God intended for the people. In fact, it was not the most important one. God was more interested in a rebuilding of the hearts of the people, and a renewed commitment to faithfulness and integrity. The reformer Ezra stood at the WaterGate and began to read to the people the law of Moses, the sacred scripture of their ancestors, and called them to repentance. We cannot have a resilient faith without a diligent and daily reading of the scriptures. Nor is it good enough to just read the scriptures for our own comfort. We also need to open ourselves up to the potential of the scriptures to convict us, to correct us, and to reorient us toward God’s purposes. 

The third chapter of Nehemiah is tempting to gloss over and read quickly. On the surface, it reads like a trivial listing of random names who contributed various parts to rebuilding the wall. But the list also underscores a crucial principle in developing and maintaining resilience: none of us can do it alone. We need the companionship and partnership of others in the journey. In modern terms of spiritual practices, we need to be part of a supportive, faithful small group of Christians with whom we can learn, pray, study, and do life together. And when each of us do our part and remain committed in small groups, the body of Christ can accomplish far more than we can as individuals. 

Few characters in the Bible fit the role of antagonist quite like Sanballat and Tobiah. Shortly after Nehemiah and the people began construction on the wall, these two showed up to mock, criticize, and undermine their work. They ramped up their criticism in chapter 4, leading Nehemiah to double-down on his determination to inspire the people and get the job done. He offered this prayer to God in 4:4-5: “Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders.”When we are committed to doing what is right and living lives of integrity, opposition is bound to rise up. But God can help that criticism become fuel for us to remain steadfast and even more determined to stay true to God. 

Much of Nehemiah’s prayer constitutes much of what one would expect: petition, confession, praise. But then there is this. At the end of the prayer, something happens to Nehemiah. God does something within his heart and his spirit to give him the courage to do something about the situation. The result of the prayer is that Nehemiah heard this message from God: “You, Nehemiah, are the answer to your own prayer.” God will give you the opportunity and the courage, and even the words to do something about your prayer concern.Prayer can not only give us comfort and help us stand firm amid crisis. God can also use our prayers to prepare us to be part of the solution, and make a difference for others. 

Perhaps the most famous verse in Philippians is from 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” The broader context is important to remember. Paul is not talking about doing something superhuman or in the realm of comic book superheroes. He is talking about living a faithful life despite the pressures and adversity of life. It begins with contentment, an acknowledgement that God has already and will always supply him with everything he needs. And just like God has demonstrated numerous times in the Bible, God gives us just enough to take one more step and go one more day, even when we feel like we can’t. No adversity is greater than God’s ability to provide for us.  

Paul’s most vivid and encouraging word in Philippians is in verses 13 and 14: “Brothers and sisters, I myself don’t think I’ve reached it, but I do this one thing: I forget about the things behind me and reach out for the things ahead of me. The goal I pursue is the prize of God’s upward call in Christ Jesus.” The Bible sometimes uses the metaphor of a race to depict the spiritual life (Hebrews 12), but none is more vibrant than this one. We can imagine the spiritual life as a marathon, replete with hills and potholes and inclement conditions. But Paul calls us to “press on” and not give up. The source of that endurance comes from an “upward call,” which is to say that we should keep our head up and our eyes fixed on Jesus, who enables us to move on, one step at a time. 

In this famous Christ hymn of the early church, Paul encourages us to have the mind of Jesus Christ. It is in the kenosis (self-emptying) of Jesus that he shows us that the way to true life is not through selfish ambition and rising to greatness, but through service, humility, and obedience. That can be a gateway to joy, as we are liberated from the needs of self and freed to love God and others. (thus fulfilling the great commandment). The central part of this text is verses 3 and 4. They are both necessary. It begins with the mindset of being selfless; it is expressed by assuming the best in others. 

Paul begins with this encouragement in verse 6: “the one who started a good work in you will stay with you to complete the job by the day of Christ Jesus.” For Paul, joy comes from the acknowledgment that since the beginning, God has been working in our lives, and will be relentless and reliable in working in us through every challenge of life. God is not only with us along the way, but is ahead of us at the finish line to see us through to the end. 

Jeff Morton (Seminary Student and Chaplain at Tampa General Hospital) considers what our lives would look like if we re-gifted more often in our lives—specifically regifting forgiveness, encouragement, kindness, and presence.

Everything has a beginning. And returning to explore those beginnings can help us understand what we are meant to be doing in the present. Tonight, we return to the beginning of the Christian story—the birth of Jesus—and discovered what it means to be full of grace and truth.

In one wonderful, glory-filled instant, the shepherds went from lowly, overlooked citizens to ambassadors of good news and great joy. The Christmas story from Luke 2 reminds us that God sees more in us than we might see in ourselves, and empowers us to make a big difference for the kingdom. How might we as a church communicate the good news of Jesus? How might we reach out in invitation and love to those we know, to experience the love of God born at Christmas?

Step into Mary's story through this dramatic reflection on the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus. From the appearance of the angel Gabriel to sitting alone after Jesus' death and resurrection, reflect with us on the meaning of Jesus' life through the eyes of his mother's love.

The story of Zechariah—and his song in Luke 1:67-80—pray for a coming time of peace, when God will send a savior to the Israelites. This Christmas season it can be hard to feel at peace with all the to-dos and the busyness that comes with the season. Find out ways to discover peace this season.

John the Baptist arrives in the Christmas story as one of the most unexpected guests. He's a nomad—a wandering prophet—telling people to repent and to straighten out their paths. It's bizarre! But what might this have to teach us about how to structure our preparation for the birth of Jesus this Advent? What can we learn from John about confession and about repentance? And how can that make Christmas more meaningful?

The opening of Paul’s letter to the church in Collossae offers a grand, sweeping vision of the majesty and supremacy of Jesus Christ. It is a comprehensive view of Christ’s lordship, encompassing not just the personal, but the communal and cosmic as well. On this Christ the King Sunday, we acknowledge that Jesus seeks to be lord of more than just our individual lives, but also seeks to right the systemic injustices of our community, heal the broken divisions within the body of Christ, and offer salvation and grace to the whole world. The title of the sermon “Christ at the Center” echoes the first and foremost core value of our church, and reminds us that if Christ is not at the center of our lives, then nothing else matters.

We know these are tough times for a lot of people. Many families are living with economic uncertainty. Affordable housing is hard to come by, and the “poor we have always among us,” as Jesus said. But such times are not new to the people of God, who throughout history have been called to focus less on their own needs and more on making an impact through their generosity and love. This Sunday is Commitment Sunday, in which we give in gratitude for God’s goodness and in celebration of the impact of this church. But most importantly, it is a commitment to living beyond focusing on our own needs, so that we can be the hope that God is calling us to give to the world.