Local community radio station, WMNF, reported on this year’s Homeless Memorial held at The Portico on Jan. 25. After setting the scene, reporter Daniel Figeroa IV described the reading of the names of 112 men and women who died on the streets of Tampa in 2020. He interviewed Officer Daniel McDonald, Tampa Police Department, who recognized some of the names as they were read. McDonald interacted with many on the streets, providing resources and assistance. The story then focused on Esau “EJ” Coney, known to many for his involvement at The Portico. For more, visit WMNF’s website and play their story.
Dear Hyde Park Family,
Matthew’s version of the Lord’s prayer is longer than Luke’s version, and in my sermon we will discover why the words and phrases that Matthew adds are so significant. Matthew’s version not only takes longer to say; it requires contemplation and reflection. Luke’s version focuses on the verbs, the requests made of God. Matthew’s focuses on reorienting us toward God.
So, to prepare for this Sunday, I invite you to pray the Lord’s prayer, slowly, line by line, reflecting on each phrase. You might use the following as a guide, which I will use to conclude the sermon:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name
Remind me that I am not to pray “My Father,” but “Our Father.” For you do not just belong to me or people who are like me. Remind me that you are bigger than any barrier that divides me from others. And you alone deserve my praise, beyond political ideology or tribal identity.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven
Amid the brokenness, evil, and injustice in this world, I desperately seek a glimpse of your kingdom: your kingdom of love, in which voices of prejudice are silenced; your kingdom of grace, in which racist hearts are transformed; your kingdom of peace, in which violent actions are overcome with non-violence. Remind me of how the story of your love ends, how there will be no more mourning or sadness, when people from all over the world will gather to worship you. Now help us see that reality now on earth, as you have promised it would be.
Give us this day our daily bread
I need the sustenance that both comforts and strengthens me today. Grant me the bread that consoles my sadness and quells my fears for this country and its future. Grant me the bread that firms my resolve to resist evil and injustice. Remind me that there are many around me who hunger for the same, and grant me the opportunity to feed them that which I have received from you.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us
Convict me of my own prejudice, prompt me toward confession, and lead me in the tough work of reconciliation. Teach me how to forgive, especially when retribution seems more rewarding. Help me, in the words of Richard Rohr, to overcome the bad with the practice of the better. And may that work begin within my own heart, in the way I see others.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
Tempt me only to do good and to seek justice, when I am reluctant or fearful. Lure me away from temptations that cause more harm and do not lead to peace. And silence all voices within me but your own, that I may know the difference between the two. May my every action and thought be governed by love, and not driven by my sinful instincts.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever
God, help me to hope. Remind me to seek the glorious eternal in the brokenness of the temporal. Focus my eyes on your power and glory, that I might believe in the strength of your grace, even when adversity afflicts us. Remind me that my primary citizenship is in your kingdom, which is greater than any tribe, higher than any flag, and most deserving of my allegiance.
And let all God’s people say,
Amen.
Grace and Peace,
Magrey
Dear Hyde Park Family,
At noon today, Joe Biden will be inaugurated as our 46th president. To mark this occasion and to invite you into a spirit of prayerful reflection, the rest of today’s Midweek Message is a near-exact reprint of my message four years ago, essentially just swapping the name of Donald Trump for Joe Biden.
From the Midweek Message, Jan. 19, 2017:
I recognize that this particular inauguration is greeted by a country that is deeply polarized, and a Hyde Park congregation that represents the wide spectrum of political and ideological convictions. It might therefore seem foolhardy for me to attempt to address the relationship between faith and politics, at a time when discussing both seems hopelessly toxic. In the words of Linus Van Pelt to his friend Charlie Brown, “There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.”
That’s good advice, especially for a preacher like me who ought to remember that he has no formal training in political, economic, or sociological theories that would warrant more credibility in this discussion. But what I am is a trained theologian and a student of the Bible, called to speak into the moment as part of the same spiritual lineage as biblical prophets and priests.
But first, let me speak as a mere citizen of this country. Starting today, Joe Biden will be our next President. To question his legitimacy in office would be to undermine the tenets of our free democracy, and would be a sore reflection of those who questioned the legitimacy of his predecessor. Now is not the time for name-calling or wishing the new President failure. I, for one, hope he makes good on promises to expand economic prosperity for the most vulnerable, to increase access to health care for all people, and to do everything to “promote the general welfare,” as it says in our Constitution’s Preamble. Hoping for the failure of a political party at the expense of the wellbeing of the country is, in my view, unpatriotic and antithetical to responsible citizenship. With you, I am called to pray for this president, just as we have been called to pray for past presidents.
Now, as a minister and resident theologian of this congregation, the inevitable question is whether a preacher or church ought to have a voice in matters of politics and public policy. There are some who believe that the separation of church and state means that preachers should not talk about politics, that faith and politics should have nothing to do with each other. They might assert that Jesus’ teachings dwelt entirely in the realm of the spiritual and personal, rather than with the political.
However, I am reminded that to interpret the life and teachings of Jesus as completely apolitical would be a misunderstanding of the world in which he lived, and the context that shaped him and the earliest Christians. Jesus was immersed in the complicated political structures of his day. He was surrounded by the dichotomy of haves and have-nots. He ministered to people who were marginalized by society. Jesus’ every word and action were performed in a grand political matrix of Roman and Jewish relations. To claim the incarnation is to believe that Jesus experienced all the complexity of being human in the world, including the political. Yes, it is true that Jesus did not march into Jerusalem with an army to overthrow Rome, which is an argument many make in trying to domesticate Jesus from his political context. But that’s a different argument altogether.
1. Indeed, the church and political power should never mix. Those two have always been disastrous bedmates. The Crusades, the Inquisition, the support of slavery, and the subjugation of women are just a few examples of how a fusion between the church and political power only winds up corrupting both and enhancing neither.
2. Neither should religion and partisan politics mix. Nowhere do we get the sense that Jesus would have been a Democrat or a Republican. The point of the gospels is not to bow allegiance toward one political party over the other, for to squeeze such a political endorsement out of Jesus would be a gross profaning of the Scriptures. In the words of a popular bumper sticker advanced years ago by the Christian group Sojourners, “God is not a Republican or a Democrat.”
3. But with those caveats in mind, the biblical witness is consistently clear: we are not only permitted, but encouraged, to have a voice in political matters. Some of the Bible’s strongest and clearest indictments came from prophets who spoke out against people who were abusing their political power for personal privilege. Nathan confronted King David. Elijah took on Ahab and Jezebel. Jesus questioned Pilate about truth. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., the church is neither the master nor the servant of the state, but the “conscience” of the state.
What does that mean? It means being unafraid to speak biblical and kingdom truth to earthly powers, whether they be presidents, governors, mayors, or any other institution of government. It means advocating positions that are not exclusively or even primarily partisan in nature, but rooted in the Bible’s vision for God’s kingdom on earth.
- It means taking seriously biblical mandates like Micah 6:8, to promote justice, mercy, and humility throughout our community.
- It means building societies that reflect Jesus’ command in Luke 10:27 to love God and our neighbor.
- It means advocating for the welfare of the hungry, the naked, the poor, and the imprisoned. (Matthew 25:35-40)
- It means viewing the Beatitudes as more than just about personal relationships, but also creating societies where the poor, the meek, the mourning, and the persecuted are blessed, where those seeking justice are satisfied, and where peacemaking is a shared virtue. (Matthew 5:3-11)
- It means shaping a culture where we draw the circle of inclusion wider, to be a living fulfillment of Paul’s reminder that in Christ, there is no “Jew or Gentile, slave or free, for we are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)
- In short, in the words of Michael Slaughter of Ginghamsburg UMC, it means being political without being partisan.
Ultimately, it means becoming a church community that offers an alternate vision of the brokenness of this deeply divided and anxious world. A community of hope that fosters mutual commitment to Christ, an openness to diversity, a respect for one another’s human dignity, and an embodiment of the values of God’s kingdom for all people. In short, it is a community that receives God’s love and makes it real.
Frankly, I am not as much troubled and fearful about this country’s future, as I am more energized by the necessity of the church. Now, as ever, it is good to be the church. And we are each a vital part of it.
So, let us pray for President Biden. But more importantly, let us be the church God has called us to be.
Grace and Peace,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey deVega
Senior Pastor, Hyde Park United Methodist
Dear Hyde Park Family,
The last time this church did an in-depth worship series on the Sermon on the Mount was February 2002, in the wake of 9/11. Reading through the Beatitudes during that time took on unique meaning in the context of the greatest act of foreign terrorism on American soil.
Now, nearly 20 years later, we find ourselves going through the Sermon on the Mount again, this time in the context of one of the greatest acts of domestic terrorism in our lifetimes.
Like 9/11, it is the images, not just the horrific act itself, that will forever be seared into our collective memory.
- The image of a noose being hung and a Confederate flag being paraded into the Capitol Building, ghastly gestures of white pride and white supremacy.
- The image of a man wearing a Camp Auschwitz sweatshirt, a dreadful allusion to the anti-Semitism that fueled atrocities by the Nazis.
- The image of people flashing an “OK” hand gesture, an adopted symbol of white power often used by radical, alt-right hate groups.
- The image of the black and green Kekistan flag, another symbol of far-right white nationalist groups patterned after Nazi Germany.
- The numerous images of crosses, Christian flags and Christian fish symbols, reminding us of the danger of fusing extremist ideology with civil religion.
These are deeply troubling images. And as much as we would want to say, “This is not who we are!” we share a gnawing sense that, in fact, we are a broken people, in which a frightening number of us are driven by racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia and hatred. And while I recognize that not all who attended the D.C. event can be characterized in this way, events like 9/11/01 and 1/6/21 raise a mirror to our soul as a country, and we are rightfully horrified by what we see.
In contrast, the Sermon on the Mount raises a different kind of mirror, one that envisions not who we are, but who we can become by the power and grace of God. It is an ethic built on reversals, which invert our sinful tendencies and transform them into the way of love, non-violence, forgiveness and holiness. Its words come to us at just the right time.
A COMMUNITY OF LOVE AND FORGIVENESS
No one confronted the scourge of racism with the the power of love and nonviolence more than Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose life and witness we commemorate this Monday. It is poignant liturgical and civic harmony that the observance of MLK Day occurs a week after Baptism of the Lord Sunday. This juxtaposition reminds us that living into the legacy of Dr. King is one way to fulfill our second baptismal vow, to “resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.”
It is also the third baptismal vow that takes on unique significance for us this year, and is the context for a special journey that Bishop Ken Carter invites all Florida United Methodists to take over the next month:
“Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the Church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations and races?”
These five underlined words constitute the key words for a 31-day journey titled “A Community of Love and Forgiveness,” which takes us from MLK Day to Ash Wednesday. Each day, a lay or clergy person from across the Florida Conference has written a beautiful devotional entry, reflecting on what this vow means to them.
I invite you to join me, Bishop Ken Carter, and Florida United Methodists in reading these daily entries. The devotional can be found here, and the document includes videos of the authors reading their entries, embedded in the .pdf itself.
This journey will move us along the road toward Christian maturity and discipleship, strengthen our understanding of grace and our commitment to Christ, and remind us of our calling to be a community of love and forgiveness, which Christ has opened to all people, without exclusion.
Grace and peace,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey deVega
Senior Pastor, Hyde Park United Methodist
NEW MUSIC MONDAY
Abby Ebersole crafted a beautiful song, “No Longer Silent,” that speaks to the challenge for all of us to resist evil, injustice and oppression. Abby and Mike Tworoger, of our worship and tech teams, perform the song in video that will be released Monday.
Dear Hyde Park Family,
A PASTORAL WORD
Before I get to the heart of today’s Midweek Message, I offer a pastoral word in response to the violence we witnessed in the United States Capitol Building yesterday. It was deeply disturbing to our ideals as Americans. It was a reminder of how far we have descended as a society down a death spiral of incivility. It was a demonstration of how broken we are as a people, and our inability to agree on common truth and see past our differences. Let us be in prayer, that we may have finally reached the bottom of our depravity and our racial divide, so that we can begin the work of restoring a peace with justice, and a love for all people.
If you would like to view my pastoral response shared on the church Facebook page last night, click here.
REMEMBRANCE OF BAPTISM
This Sunday is one of my favorite days of the Christian year, as we join with Christians around the world in remembering our baptism. I invite you to have some kind of container of water with you as you join us online, and those worshiping in person under the ministry tent will have a chance to remember their baptism around the Courtyard fountain.
To prepare for this service, I invite you to remember three timely words that come from Matthew’s version of the story of Jesus’ baptism, in Matthew 3:13-17. In the early days of Christian history, the act of baptism was always preceded by a period of lengthy instruction called “catechesis.” The baptismal candidate would learn the essence of the faith and gain a fuller of understanding of what it means to profess their faith in Jesus.
Matthew’s version contains the closest thing to catechesis prior to Jesus’ baptism, as it contains a conversation between Jesus and John. The story teaches us three important lessons that we can remember through our own baptism.
1. You are not God.
When Jesus requests a baptism from John, the first thing John did was exhibit profound humility. He said, “No, Jesus. I’m the one who needs to be baptized by you, not the other way around.” John got it right, of course, and it’s a reminder that despite our talents, initiative, and privilege, we are not God. We should always assume a posture of surrender and service to God, rather than expecting God to serve us.
2. You are enough.
In case we take the first reminder too far, and see ourselves as too unworthy to be of any useful purpose to God, Jesus speaks the second lesson: “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus was essentially telling John that God has indeed given him all that he needs to be his truest self and to fulfill God’s purposes in the world. You may be so fixated on all that you feel is wrong or shameful in your life, but God sees something in you that you do not see. You are enough. God has given you all you need.
3. You are beloved.
The final reminder may be the most important one of them all. As Jesus was emerging from the water, the heavens opened, the spirit descended like a dove, and the voice of God said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” That word beloved comes from the Greek word agape, or unconditional love. Friends, no matter what is happening in your life, no matter what fear, grief, or isolation you may be experiencing, remember this: You are not just loved, you are beloved. Really, really loved. By a God who created you, claimed you, and saved you in Christ.
That is the power of remembering our baptism, it challenges us and comforts us with these three lessons:
1. You are not God.
2. You are enough.
3. You are beloved.
Join me this Sunday as we remember our baptism, with great gratitude.
Grace and Peace,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey deVega
Senior Pastor, Hyde Park United Methodist
Congregational Care Ministries
At Hyde Park United Methodist, we are honored to walk beside you through life’s experiences and celebrations, such as births, baptisms, weddings and funerals.
We offer guidance through:
- Prayer
- Hospital visits
- Support groups
- Pastoral counseling
To request prayer support, please complete our Prayer Requests and Praises form.
For guidance on types of prayer, please download our booklet on the topic, “Methods of Prayer.”
Subscribe to Newsletters: Click Here
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eHyde Park — A weekly summary of what’s happening and how you can get involved — including this Sunday’s worship schedule.
- Family Ministries — A weekly newsletter that combines latest news, events and content from our Children’s Ministries and Youth Ministries.
- Midweek Message — Inspiring words from senior pastor the Rev. Magrey deVega, delivered every Thursday to your inbox.
- The Portico News — Message from Justin LaRosa delivered every Friday. Includes groups, events and updates from The Portico and Portico Cafe.
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Questions? Contact Us
Email us at info@hydeparkumc.org or telephone at 813.253.5388.
eNewsletter Archive
View past editions of eHyde Park, Magrey’s Midweek Message and the Family eNews (Children and Youth):
Uncertainty of Worry
In the moment when we are worried, the best thing to do is STOP whatever we are doing. Then, take 1-5 minutes to pray, breathe deeply, take a walk or whatever you need to stop worrying. Need a reminder of this on-the-go? Use our printable Worry Less – Live More card!
Scriptures to turn to when we are worried and anxious
- Remember Jesus told us not to worry (Matthew 6:25-34)
- Remember just as God was with the Israelites when they left Egypt, God is with you (Exodus 13:17-22)
- “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…you are with me,” (Psalm 23:1-6)
- “The Lord is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1-14)
- “I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” (Psalm 34:1-22)
- Remember Paul said “do not be anxious about anything,” (Philippians 4:4-7)
- Remember Jesus said God is always with us through the Holy Spirit (John 14:26-27)
- “So do not fear, for I am with you,” (Isaiah 41:8-10)
United Methodist Church resources for dealing with worry and anxiety
- Four Things You Can Do When You Are Anxious by the Rev. Jack Shitama
- Throw Your Anxiety to God by the Rev. Martha Epstein
- Living in the Moment by Senior Pastor, the Rev. Magrey deVega
Uncertainty of Surrender
Scriptures to turn to when seeking Christ or surrendering to Christ
- Remember nothing, even our fear of surrender, can seperate us from Christ’s love (Romans 8:38-39)
- We do what we do in the Christian life for Christ and through Christ, not ourselves (2 Corinthians 4:1-15)
- When we surrender to Christ, there is so much more to gain than lose. As Jesus said, “ For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23-25)
- Look at the story of Paul and Ananias: neither wanted to surrender to God’s plan for them, but their lives were changed for the better when they did! (Acts 9:1-19)
- Paul seemingly “had it all together” but gained so much more by surrendering to Christ (Philippians 3:1-11)
- When the Ethiopian Eunuch sought God, Philip was sent to help him find God (Acts 8:26-40)
- Before we surrender to Christ, before we are even born, God already knows and loves us (Psalm 139:1-18)
United Methodist Church resources for seeking or surrendering to God
- United Methodist Beliefs: Prevenient Grace
- Discovering God’s will: John Wesley’s difficult decision
- Holy Spirit moments: Learning from Wesley at Aldersgate
Bible Verses to Read When You Are:
Trying to Be a Good Parent
Concerned With the State of the World
Grieving the Loss of a Loved One
Concerned About the Planet
Trying to Know God’s Will
Repairing a Broken Relationship
Feeling Too Busy and Overwhelmed
Trying to Make a Career Decision
Desiring to Be More Faithful to God
Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) meets 9:30-11 a.m. or 6:30-8:30 p.m. (for working moms) the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month (during the school year). All moms with children age 5 and under and those moms who are pregnant. Wesley Center, 3rd floor, Rooms 308-309
