Hyde Park United Methodist

One of Ecclesiastes recurring themes is that we do not control the future, and all we have is the power to savor the present moment. The invitation to “eat, drink, and be merry” is not tantamount to gluttony, but is a reminder to relish the here and now. There is wisdom to that kind of mindfulness, even though it is elusive to apply. And in the end, Ecclesiastes affirms a truth that is underscored throughout the rest of the Scriptures: The only thing that matters is fearing God and keeping God’s commandments. That can bring purpose and direction to life.   Reflection Questions:1. How do you respond when life feels unfair or doesn't make sense?2. What is one thing in your life that you need to stop trying to control, and where can you focus your energy instead?3. Where are you finding joy in your everyday life, even amid challenges or uncertainty?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

This week on Beyond the Sermon, Michael Dougherty sits down with Sally Campbell-Evans to explore the book of Ecclesiastes and the surprising truth that joy and suffering can coexist. They discuss finding God in the middle of life’s hardest moments, why “everything happens for a reason” doesn’t always help, and how simple practices like prayer, gratitude, and sharing life with others can help us notice the joy that’s still there.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

For all its perceptions as being too nihilistic and depressing, Ecclesiastes can actually be liberating. It frees us from a kind of “toxic positivity” that would have us believe that everything is okay, and that everything is going to be alright. That may often be the case, but it is the journey – full of highs and lows, ups and downs – that is a realistic experience in life. Like the rest of wisdom literature, Ecclesiastes gives us permission to ask hard questions about life, without fear of judgment, knowing that this kind of honest inquiry is a gateway to true, life-giving wisdom.   Reflection Questions:1. Where is life inviting you to hold hardship and hope together?2. What daily rhythms help you remain grounded when life feels uncertain?3. What might be dying and being born in your life at the same time?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

In this episode of Beyond the Sermon, Mat Hotho and Pastor Magrey deVega explore the surprising hope hidden in Ecclesiastes. They discuss how life can hold grief and hope, endings and beginnings, all at once, and how paying attention to our own experiences can help us find wisdom in the complexity of life. Magrey also shares the story behind his upcoming book, "A Time for Wisdom: Finding Hope in Ecclesiastes".Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

In the end, Proverbs provides a full collection of maxims, many of which can be directly applied to our lives. The result is wisdom that is both understood and embodied, so that we become living lessons that others can learn from.Reflection questions:1. What's a short saying you live by right now? What happened that made you need it?2. Proverbs 22:6 says a child raised the right way won't depart from it. Where did you depart from how you were raised? What did you carry with you anyway?3. Jesus answered "Who is my neighbor?" with a story, not a list. Where are you tempted to sort people into black-and-white boxes? What would staying soft look like there this week?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

In this episode of Beyond the Sermon, Mat Hotho is joined by his wife, Reverend Emily Hotho, to explore Proverbs 31 and what it means to live with wisdom in our everyday lives. Together, they unpack the idea of a “woman of valor,” challenge the pressure to live up to impossible expectations, and reflect on how faithfulness in the small things can make a meaningful difference. They also share the story behind Emily’s well-worn Bible and what it means to let scripture encounter the world.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

The book of Proverbs is filled with easily portable and memorable ideas. At first glance, they might seem too trite to be helpful, much like we take fortune cookies with a grain of salt. But collectively, they point to how the ancient Israelites saw the world, and how we can be faithful in asking hard questions about life. Is there really a cause-and-effect relationship between our actions and the blessings and curses that happen? Where can we find wisdom that is reliable, and truth that lasts? Reflection Questions:1. Where might humility and curiosity open you to wisdom you need today?2. Who are the wise people in your life whose guidance you need to hear?3. Where is God inviting you to move, wait, or trust?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

In this episode of Beyond the Sermon, Mat and Pastor Magrey deVega put the Book of Proverbs to the test with a little “Proverbs Roulette.” They randomly select passages and try to make sense of what these ancient sayings can teach us about honesty, relationships, suffering, our words, and everyday life. Along the way, they unpack some unexpected proverbs, surprising interpretations, and a few moments where the wisdom isn’t quite as straightforward as it seems.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

In this episode of Beyond the Sermon, Mat sits down with Pastor Magrey deVega to unpack the second half of Job and the questions it raises about suffering, God’s power, free will, and what it means to trust a bigger picture we can’t always see. They also explore why wisdom often comes with time and experience, and how the wisdom literature invites us to step back and see the human story from a wider perspective.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

Job suffers and serves as a spokesperson for all humanity. He interrogates God, an act which itself can be a hopeful reminder that God encourages and allows that kind of intimate relationship. The result, in a way, is that Job puts God on “trial,” asking God for justification for all the harshness of life. And then in chapter 28, there is a “verdict” of sorts: the only source for wisdom to help navigate such difficult questions is the “fear of the Lord.” We may not receive all the answers we are seeking, but the solution remains clear: Continue to lean on God and trust, even despite the evidence.   Reflection Questions:1. What suffering has expanded your capacity for faith, love, or trust?2. Where are you being invited to surrender control and trust God’s larger picture?3. How might you lean into God amid today’s uncertainty?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

The sufferings of Job are legendary, but the hardest part of his story to comprehend is the source and conditions of that suffering. Does God really conduct such bargaining with suffering? That kind of level playing field between good and evil is certainly problematic, but it gives us insight into the way our ancient spiritual ancestors viewed the world at the time. How do we wrestle with questions of theodicy today? Why do good people suffer? What is the relationship between God and suffering? And what is our responsibility?   Reflection Questions:1. What disruption has challenged the theological container you inherited?2. Where might God be inviting your faith to grow through difficult questions?3. What would it mean to hold onto faith without holding onto easy answers?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

This week Mat and Magrey kick off A Time For Wisdom by diving into the book of Job and what happens when the answers we've relied on no longer make sense. They talk about faith, doubt, unfairness, and the possibility that questioning what we believe can actually make room for something deeper and more expansive. Along the way, they explore why these ancient wisdom texts still speak so directly to the human experience today.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

This week Mat and Magrey wrap up Well Rounded by talking about money, work, rest, and what it really means to give. From John Wesley’s approach to stewardship to Paul’s call to generosity, they explore why giving isn’t about getting something back — it’s about recognizing what we’ve been given and choosing how we use it. Because generosity isn’t just about money. It’s about the way we give our time, our work, our gifts, and ourselves to God and to others.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

Structured similarly to the Three Simple Rules, Wesley had three simple rules regarding money: “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can. It echoes his famous maxim, “Do all the good “Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.” Wesley saw money for its potential to do good and entreated Methodists to treat it as such. He saw far too often its dangers, often through the example of his own father, when the power of money went unheeded and used for selfish gain.   Reflection Questions: 1. How might your work become an act of prayer?2. What would it mean to earn and save with generosity in mind?3. What are you being called to give more freely?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

In the final week of Well Rounded, Decker sits down with Pastor Magrey deVega to unpack John Wesley’s Three Simple Rules: do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God. Their conversation explores how daily practices can become part of who we are, why we have more agency than we sometimes realize, and how small choices can add value to the people and world around us. Along the way, they talk about habits, neuroplasticity, judgment, free will, and what it really means to become the kind of person we want to be.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

One of the most famous Wesleyan formulations is his “Three Simple Rules,” which are easy to remember but challenging to apply in every aspect of life: Do No Harm, Do Good, and Stay in Love with God (or, more formally, observe all the ordinances and commands of God.) In many ways, this is an extension of the teachings of Jesus, both in the Great Commandment and Golden Rule, as well as the Rule of St. Benedict, which has been influential on generations of Christians throughout history.Reflection Questions:1. Whom might you be called to stop fearing by choosing not to harm?2. How can you add value and make God’s love real today?3. What spiritual rhythm helps you stay in love with God?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

This week Mat and Magrey talk about what happens when faith and science seem to collide—and why they don't have to. Drawing from Magrey’s own experience of having his fundamentalist understanding of faith challenged by science, they explore the danger of certainty, the value of curiosity, and how both faith and science can invite us into a deeper sense of wonder. They also talk about how social media can reward oversimplified answers, why thoughtful faith takes time and community, and how we can make room for questions without losing our faith. Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

Given that reason is a part of our Wesleyan Quadrilateral, it should be no surprise to hear that Wesley believed that science and faith could be in productive dialogue with each other. He posited numerous ideas about science and was keenly interested in the writings of natural philosophers of his time. For us as United Methodists, we should remember that science is not incompatible with our faith, and we can learn and even embrace science as a valid encounter with truth.Reflection Questions: 1. Where do you encounter God in the wonder of creation?2. How can your faith shape the way you use science and technology?3. What is one way you can practice greater stewardship of God’s creation?Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

This week Mat sits down with Justin LaRosa for a deeply personal conversation about faith, health, and our bodies. Justin had already planned this sermon on caring for the body when he was diagnosed with cancer, giving his words about health and vulnerability a meaning he could never have anticipated. They talk about what it means to care for our bodies, listen to what they’re telling us, and hold both our physical health and our faith with honesty and grace.Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

John Wesley wrote a book called Primitive Physick, or an Easy and Natural method of Curing Most Diseases. It included his cures for 40 different ailments. While parts of it are devoid of modern medical wisdom, it does reinforce ideas that we know to be true: the importance of a healthy diet, exercise, and maintenance of good daily rhythms.   Reflection Questions:1. Paul reframes the question from "How do I feel about my body?" to "How does God see my body?” Where in your life is the old question still running the show, and what would change today if you actually believed the new one?2. Wesley didn't chase health because he worshiped the body. He chased it because a well-stewarded body freed him to love God and serve his neighbor. What's one way your care of your body is currently shaping your capacity to show up for other people?3. What scar are you still hiding, and who might God be inviting to speak a truer word over it? Or who might you be called to speak that word to?Find out more