Sinopsis
Sermons and talks from Hyde Park United Methodist. Making God's Love Real. Find out more at hydeparkumc.org
Episodios
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Christ at the Center: Part 1 // Pastor Magrey deVega // October 5, 2025
06/10/2025 Duración: 16minWhat if the balance between extremes leads to growth? The via media, or “way through the center,” is a key part of Wesleyan belief, guiding us to take the best of both extremes and create a dynamic, living center.Reflection Questions:1. In what ways are you concerned about polarization today?2. What value do you find in the via media, the way of the center?3. How might you practice listening and empathy with those who disagree with you?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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Christ at the Center of Chaos | Beyond the Sermon
06/10/2025 Duración: 11minThis week on Beyond the Sermon, Pastor Magrey deVega and Mat Hotho unpack how faith can guide us through a world of deep division. Drawing from Paul’s words to the Corinthians, they explore what it means to seek unity in a polarized time—not by watering down convictions, but by finding the best in one another’s perspectives. From the Methodist idea of the “via media,” or middle way, to the wisdom of Wesley’s three simple rules, they reflect on how love, empathy, and curiosity can help us stay centered when everything else feels split apart.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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Use What God Has Given You | Beyond the Sermon
29/09/2025 Duración: 12minThis week on Beyond the Sermon, Rev. Bernie Leving and Mat Hotho wrap up our series on the church’s vision statement by exploring what it means to live out our God-given gifts. From music and art to cooking, quilting, and even writing notes of encouragement, Bernie shares how ordinary talents become extraordinary when they’re used in service to others. Along the way, he reflects on his own top spiritual gifts—healing, teaching, and faith—and how they’ve shaped his journey from a teenager saying “yes” to God to a lifetime of caring for people. Together, Bernie and Mat consider how we discover our gifts, what holds us back from using them, and the joy that comes when we lean into the unique callings God has placed on each of our lives.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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Life as God Intends: Part 4 // Rev. Bernie Leiving // September 28, 2025
29/09/2025 Duración: 13minWhat if our gifts are meant to make a difference? Each of us is given a unique set of skills and abilities by God to impact the world around us. Each of us is gifted with a unique set of skills and abilities that God wants us to use to make a difference. Reflection Questions:1. What specific God-given skills, abilities, gifts and talents entrusted to you to use in your life?2. What "what ifs" or fears might be stopping you from stepping into greater faithfulness with your gifts? 3. What action might you take this week to put your "talents" to work for the Lord and His Kingdom? Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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Life as God Intends: Part 3 // Pastor Magrey deVega // September 21, 2025
22/09/2025 Duración: 16minThere is a hidden treasure within each of us, which is the image of God with which we have been created. Our work is to participate in God’s transformation, in which we reveal the fullness of Jesus to others. Reflection Questions:1. In what ways do you experience creation “groaning” right now?2. How is God transforming you to be more like Jesus? How will you participate in that transformation?3. How will you maintain courage and strength to keep pushing through the labor pains of the world?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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Grounded in Hope When Creation Groans | Beyond the Sermon
22/09/2025 Duración: 12minThis week on Beyond the Sermon, Pastor Magrey and Mat dig into Romans 8 — one of Paul’s most famous and vivid passages. Paul describes creation “groaning like childbirth,” a picture that captures both the pain of the present and the hope of what’s to come. Together, they explore how this chapter acts as a hinge in Romans: shifting from heavy theology to a vision of new life, resilience, and community.From midwives of hope to modern struggles, they reflect on what it means to live faithfully when the world never seems perfect, and how values like integrity, courage, and humility can ground us no matter the season.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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Is Being Present Enough? | Beyond the Sermon
15/09/2025 Duración: 11minThis week on Beyond the Sermon, Justin and Savanna talk about what it means to feel lost—and how God’s grace often shows up in those moments through the presence of others. Justin shares stories from the Portico community and from his own life, reminding us that sometimes the most powerful thing we can offer isn’t the “right words” but simply showing up with humility and compassion. Together, they reflect on how presence, accountability, and community help us notice when someone is struggling, and how God can even use our own scars to bring healing to others.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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Life As God Intends: Part 1 // Rev. Dr. Mandy McDow // September 7, 2025
08/09/2025 Duración: 17minThis week we welcome Rev. Dr. Mandy McDow, senior pastor of First UMC Los Angeles, for a fresh take on the Sermon on the Mount. Known for her humor, honesty, and fearless preaching, Mandy brings us into Jesus’ challenging words: “Do not worry.”With stories that will make you laugh and truths that will make you think, she helps us discover how faith and courage can free us from anxiety — and open us to the Kingdom of God here and now.Reflection Questions:1. In what ways are you carrying worry right now?2. How can your faith in God provide you stability amid your worry?3. How has this church helped you live your life as God intends?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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God's Word on Worry | Beyond the Sermon
08/09/2025 Duración: 13minThis week on Beyond the Sermon, Pastor Magrey welcomes Rev. Dr. Mandy McDow from Los Angeles First UMC. Together they explore Jesus’ words about worry—why it’s such a universal part of being human, how it shows up in our daily lives, and what faith offers us in response. Drawing on Mandy’s unique ministry in downtown LA and her own reflections, they talk about how trust, integrity, and community become anchors when life feels uncertain. With stories that move from family life to church in a parking lot, this conversation reminds us that even in seasons of anxiety, God’s presence is steady and we are never alone.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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Learning from Creation | Beyond the Sermon
01/09/2025 Duración: 15minThis week on Beyond the Sermon, Pastor Magrey and Mat reflect on what it really means to care for creation. Starting with Genesis, they unpack how a single word has shaped the way people think about our relationship with the world — sometimes for worse, but also for better when understood through the lens of stewardship and compassion. From vineyards and backyard lawns to hurricanes and baptism, the conversation weaves together metaphors, word studies, and stories that reveal how creation’s beauty points us back to God.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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The Call to Care: Part 4, Caring for Creation // Pastor Magrey deVega // August 31, 2025
01/09/2025 Duración: 17minWhat if creation itself could remind us of God’s presence? In the midst of personal suffering, Job discovered that God’s power and presence are revealed in creation. Even in our own struggles, we can find God in the wonder of the world around us, drawing closer to Him by caring for it.Reflection Questions:1. In what way do creation and nature teach you about God?2. How does creation help you remember that you are not helpless or alone?3. What steps will you take to care for creation?
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Why Self-Care Is Spiritual Care | Beyond the Sermon
25/08/2025 Duración: 13minThis week on Beyond the Sermon, Pastor Magrey deVega and Savanna Beasley dig into what it really means to practice self-care as people of faith. From routines and resilience to releasing control, they share honest reflections on the tug-of-war between structure and surrender.Together they explore how caring for our bodies, our emotions, and even our 3 a.m. selves can help us grow closer to God. It’s a conversation about choosing rhythms that sustain us, embracing our humanity, and learning to love ourselves the way God already does.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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The Call to Care: Part 4, Caring for Ourselves // Pastor Magrey deVega // August 24, 2025
25/08/2025 Duración: 17minPastor Magrey deVega continues our Call to Care series with a message on one of the most overlooked forms of care: caring for yourself. Drawing from 3 John, he shows how true self-care is more than self-soothing—it’s building inner resilience by tending to your body, your soul, and your mind. What daily practices help you walk in truth, strengthen your spirit, and live with greater peace? We’d love to hear how you’re practicing self-care—and to walk that journey alongside you.Reflection Questions:1. What are your favorite practices for “self-soothing”?2. What practices help you build up inner resilience in your body, spirit, and mind?3. What new practice will you develop to care more holistically for yourself?Find out more and connect with us at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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The Call to Care: Part 2 // Pastor Sally Campbell-Evans // August 17, 2025
18/08/2025 Duración: 18minWhat if caring for the elderly is a mutual gift? Our older community members have wisdom from years of experience, while we can offer them energy, compassion, and companionship in return. Revering and caring for them benefits us all.Questions for Reflection: 1. The biblical mandate to care for others is very clear. In what ways do you enjoy helping care for others?2. When caring for others, especially older adults, what kind of support could benefit (or would have benefited) you in that endeavor? 3. How might God be inviting you to support our Older Adult care ministries at church?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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Caring Across the Years | Beyond the Sermon
18/08/2025 Duración: 03minThis week on Beyond the Sermon, Pastor Sally Campbell-Evans and Mat Hotho continue our series The Call to Care, reflecting on what it means to walk with people in every stage of life—especially as we age. With stories of prayer, community, and small acts of kindness, Sally shares how care isn’t just something we do, but a way of life that shapes who we are together.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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The Call to Care: Part 1 // Pastor Magrey deVegea // August 10, 2025
11/08/2025 Duración: 17minWhat if caring for our children is a responsibility for all of us? As the new school year begins, we’re reminded that it’s not just about teaching our children for their sake, but for the sake of all of us, as a church and society. Reflection Questions:1. How will you support and encourage professional educators in our society?2. In what ways are the parenting metaphors helpful or unhelpful?3. What work will you do to tend to your inner child?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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Full Circle Parenting | Beyond the Sermon
11/08/2025 Duración: 09minThis week on Beyond the Sermon, we’re kicking off our new series The Call to Care by talking about what it means to care for children — both the ones in our lives and the “inner child” we all carry. From the evolving roles of parenting to the deep work of understanding ourselves, we explore how the way we care changes as we grow. It’s about more than just raising kids — it’s about becoming the kind of people who can show up with love, wisdom, and compassion, no matter the season of life.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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Living Amen: Part 6, St. Francis Prayer // Rev. Bernie Leiving // August 3, 2025
04/08/2025 Duración: 16minWhat if we could be instruments of peace? St. Francis’ prayer reminds us that we are not powerless—our actions matter. It calls us to actively seek opportunities to sow peace and harmony in a world filled with discord and suffering.Questions for reflection:1. In what ways are you ready to say "yes" to what the Prayer of St. Francis calls you to be and to do?2. How might you become an "instrument of peace" with those with whom you live, work,and socialize?3. How might the Prayer of St. Francis lead you to a spiritual awakening?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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How Our Prayers Grow With Us | Beyond the Sermon
04/08/2025 Duración: 10minThis week on Beyond the Sermon, Decker Tallbacka sits down with Rev. Bernie Leiving to reflect on our “Living Amen” series — and on how prayer evolves over a lifetime.With over 65 years in ministry, Bernie shares how his understanding of prayer has deepened, from battlefield prayers to everyday gratitude. It’s a conversation about how prayer meets us where we are, changes with us, and reminds us we’re never alone.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps
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Living Amen: Part 4 // Pastor Magrey deVega // July 27, 2025
28/07/2025 Duración: 19minWhat if courage comes from knowing we're never alone? St. Patrick, a key figure in early Celtic Christianity, gave us a prayer that brings comfort and strength to those who feel lost, alone, or afraid.Reflection Questions:1. When have you prayed that God would protect you? What has been the result?2. What will you do to participate in God’s protection through integrity and courage?3. What difference will it make for you to see Christ in everyone you meet?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps