Hyde Park United Methodist

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 tr...

The early church theologian Anselm defined God as “a being than which nothing greater can be conceived.” This central premise led to the classic “omni” qualities of God: Omnipresence (God is everywhere), omnipotence (God is all powerful), and omnipresent (God is all knowing). These qualities have occasionally been problematic for us due to the presence of suffering and evil in the world. By refram...

The dual nature of Jesus is central to Christian belief. We believe Jesus was 100% human and 100% divine. It is as difficult to understand this concept empirically (1+1=1) as it is to believe in the trinity (1+1+1=1). But claiming the full humanity and divinity of Jesus allows us to have a full relationship with God, who through Christ is both greater than us and is deeply connected to us.   HydeP...

The doctrine of the trinity is one of the most essential tenets of the Christian faith. It is also the hardest to explain and understand rationally. By claiming our belief in the triune God, we not only allow for the mystery of God’s nature and activity; we also discover how to fully live a trinitarian life, the way God intends.   HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps.com Reflection Questions: 1. What are the...

The arrival of the Holy Spirit not only birthed the church. It also inaugurated a new way of experiencing the power and presence of God, which is the very same way we can experience God today: invisible, but active, and very real. HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

Walking was the most common form of transport in both the Ancient Near East and the Greco-Roman World. Roads were important facets of the landscape; they enhanced travel, promoted safety and commerce, and improved connections between communities. Many biblical references use the image of a road or path as a metaphor for the faithful life. Discipleship is about taking the journey, one step at a tim...

Rivers and streams in the Bible symbolize places of refreshment and nourishment. Elijah was fed by a brook. Jesus was baptized in the river. The Israelites found hope when God parted the Jordan for them so they could enter the Promised Land. Psalm 1 describes the law of God, which enables a person to be planted like a tree in water. We all need times of encouragement that can come from meeting God...

The heavens declare the glory of God, says the Psalmist. Often throughout the Bible, the skies symbolized the promise and hope of God. The skies contained a rainbow that signified an end to the flood. The pillar of fire and cloud in the sky led the Israelites through the exodus. And in 1 Kings, Elijah instructed his servant to look into the skies for a sign of the end of the drought. That cloud, t...

The wilderness and desert are two of the most common natural landscapes in the Bible. Psalm 107 captures how the desert can be a place of loneliness, stress, and anxiety, which are common experiences for us today. But just as every biblical figure who entered the wilderness discovered, the desert is also a place to experience God’s presence in a new and profound way. HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps Refl...

Just as there are mountaintops in life, so there are valleys. The most famous reference to a valley in the Bible is in Psalm 23, where it depicts the long shadow of grief and loss. This service invites us to name our grief and loss, and points us toward healthy ways to process that grief and find hope. HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps Reflection Questions: 1. What valleys are you experiencing right now?...

Psalms 120-134 are often referred to as the “Psalms of Ascent,” which would have been uttered as the Israelites ascended the Temple Mount to experience the presence of God. The Bible is filled with “mountaintop moments,” when people experienced God personally and intimately. This service invites us to ask when we have had such moments in our lives, whether on a literal mountain or not. HydeParkUMC...

In Mark’s Easter gospel, the power of the resurrection through Christ can redeem the lingering guilt and shame of our yesterdays, the real time struggle and suffering of our present days, and the fear and anxiety of our tomorrows. God’s resurrection power is timeless, resilient, and always with us. HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps Reflection Questions: 1. What boulder-type burdens are you carrying today?...

 The story of Holy Week begins with shouts of Hosanna, but by week’s end, those shouts become cries to murder Jesus. Holy Week is an invitation for us to locate ourselves in the story, and ask, as the old hymn says, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps HydeParkUMC.org/Easter Reflection Questions: 1. For what reasons are you praying “Hosanna” today?   2. How might...

Jesus compared his imminent death on the cross to the burial of a seed, which is necessary in order for it to spring to new life. Likewise, once we are willing to have Jesus put to death the sin in our lives, we can be raised to new life in Christ. HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps Reflection Questions: 1. What is the most challenging aspect of these  words of Jesus  for you personally?   2. Who has model...

This all-too-familiar story from John 3 captures the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, who came to Jesus at night. It is in the midst of their conversation about being born again that Jesus says the iconic words of John 3:16. Just as Nicodemus came to Jesus in the dark, out of fear of his reputation and a sense of self-preservation, Jesus comes to meet us and shine the light of love and fo...

The synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) all place the turning of the tables in the Temple in the middle of Holy Week, after the triumphal entry in Jerusalem. John places the story much, much earlier, right at the outset of the ministry of Jesus. By doing this, John makes the overturning of the tables a preamble to all of Jesus’ miracles and teachings, as if to suggest that overturning our l...

The ministry of Jesus was full of reversals. Rather than feed our ego-driven, self-centered tendencies to focus on our own needs, he called us to lose ourselves, serve others, and give our lives for others. These reversals invert contemporary wisdom and right-size our lives for God. HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps Reflection Questions 1. How are you alike and unlike the life of Peter in the gospels?  2....

The story of the temptation of Jesus offers us a guide for how to deal with the temptations in our lives, and shift our orientation away from ourselves and toward the benefit of other people. HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps Reflection Questions 1. What lessons did you learn as a child regarding handling your emotions in a healthy way? 2. What emotions do you most struggle with channeling in a positive w...

In Mark’s gospel, the Transfiguration serves as the halfway point in the story of Jesus. It is a marked shift away from the miracles and teachings of Jesus to the journey of Jesus to the cross. Likewise, we need to make a similar shift in our discipleship, away from merely benefiting from Jesus and toward surrender to Jesus and the cross. HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps Reflection Questions: 1. Can you...

Perhaps the greatest cause of our loneliness and disconnectedness is the tense political and social climate. What if there was a way to bridge differences and have civil conversations about tough issues? What would that look like and could we model that new way of being? HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps 15 Practical Guidelines from Romans 12:9–21 1.Our love for each other will be genuine.  2.We will hate...

Being in a lasting, caring friendship is a true gift. Healthy friendships encourage us when we are down, tell us hard truths when we are reluctant to hear it, and help us be our best selves. HydeparkUMC.org/NextSteps Reflection Questions: 1. In what ways has your number of friends or closeness of friendships changed over the last several years?   2. Who are your close friends? How can you be a bet...

Even though families are comprised of a variety of types and dynamics, we were all born into one, and we know the kinds of strains, misgivings, and stress that families can bring us. This service will explore biblical insights in strengthening our marriages, our parenting, and our relationships with other family members. HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps Reflection Questions: 1. What is the best thing abo...

Baptism is the entry rite into Christian community. Our vows remind us that we are called to be part of the church, which Christ has opened to all people. HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps Reflection Questions: 1. What is your favorite memory of a baptism?   2. What do you think God is doing in a baptism?   3. What difference does baptism make for you, in how you think, act, and relate to others?

In Genesis, we discover that God’s creation of the first human being was incomplete until the creation of companionship. We are intrinsically wired to be in connection with other people. God said it was not good for us to be alone; in fact, we are not. HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps Reflection Questions: 1. Who is the person (or the people) in your life that make you feel ‘known’?   2. What is one thin...

Just as Anna and Simeon received the baby Jesus and gained new hope for the future, we are to take the gift of Christmas and carry it with us all year round.  HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps Reflection Questions: 1. How long do you tend to keep your Christmas decorations up in your house?   2. What memories do you have this past Christmas of different generations coming together?   3. How will you be a...