As Jesus Taught Us to Pray

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

Faith and Politics … Again

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

A Community of Love and Forgiveness

Three Things to Remember

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

Midweek Message: A New View

Dear Hyde Park Family,

For today’s Midweek Message, I’m delighted to hand the message over to our Executive Director Peggy Hisey, who has an exciting report to share with us. Peggy came to us at the beginning of the year, with none of us knowing then what kind of year this would be. Because of her leadership, a talented staff, and an amazing congregation of faithful people like you, there is much to celebrate!

Magrey

A New View

I can still see it. That big green machine disking up the field. The rich aroma of the earth rises to greet me. My skin prickles with goosebumps as I watch the trees shedding their thick coat as their leaves make a leisurely descent all around me. I have so many wonderful memories of living in central Illinois. The change in season was one of them. My favorite season by far was fall. We lived on three acres out in the country, giving me a front row seat to the seasons as well as the fall harvest.

I would watch the corn grow every summer as each stalk strained to flourish within its tiny piece of earth. Some days it seemed like it grew right before my very eyes. Eventually those stalks would wither and turn brown. The ears that once stood proudly would eventually fall over as if sleeping and weary. That’s when the hustle and bustle of the harvest started. The farmers would travel up and down the rows, making sure to gather all they had grown. Their energy was palpable.

This fall I have a new view, and I feel a different kind of energy, but just as palpable. One that comes from bearing the fruits of the harvest. I have seen that the workers in the fields for Christ have been tilling the land and planting seeds. Those seeds that have grown and are now being harvested.

I had the joy of gathering information for Hyde Park’s Annual Report this year. I didn’t realize it as I was gathering each piece, but I was harvesting the work you have been doing throughout the year. Thanks to your faithfulness in giving, praying and serving, we are seeing yields that we have not experienced for years! Our Annual Report summarizes the results of these activities. Of special note:

• 68 New Members welcomed in 2020!
• Nearly 890 people are involved in small groups and 89 are new participants this year!
• We baptized 29 children and adults!
• Our online Facebook group has grown by more than 700 members!
• We reached people on six continents with the gospel message!
• We provided more than 42,000 meals!

Fall brings all kinds of energy, and all kinds of things for which we are grateful. This year I am thankful for so many things. You, my Hyde Park family, are at the top of the list. I look forward to working beside you to continue the cycle of growing and harvesting in the name of Christ.

I pray you feel the gratitude as I do when I see all that has been accomplished and all that is possible with God, and that you will share this generosity as you complete and return your Estimate of Giving card this Sunday.
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9

Serving Him with you,

Peggy Hisey
Executive Director, Hyde Park United Methodist

Midweek Message: What is Still True … Again

Dear Hyde Park family,

“We are now in the wake of one of the most captivating, bewildering presidential elections of our lifetime.”

That was the opening sentence of my Midweek Message from Nov. 10, 2016, following the election of President Donald Trump four years ago. I re-read that message this past week, and in the wake of the election of President-elect Joe Biden, I discovered that much of what I wrote then is just as relevant and important to remember now.

Here again is a reprise of that message, which was titled “What is Still True.” I simply swapped the name of Donald Trump with that of Joe Biden, and I think you’ll discover that its five truths are just as timely for us today.

I acknowledge that the responses to Mr. Biden’s election are varied in this congregation, and it is not my intention to wade into partisan conversations during this tender time in our democracy. What interests me is answering a question that can bring healing across the divides: “If so much of what we thought we knew about this election has been disproven, what can we claim as factual?

Put more simply, “What is still true?” So, here are a few thoughts, by no means comprehensive:

1. What is still true is that democracy worked. In what was the highest voter turnout in history, millions of people cast their ballot, participating in a free and open exercise of their right to vote. Next January, we presume there will once again be a peaceful transition of power that will be the envy of many nations in the world. Regardless of how you feel (and are still feeling) about the result, we can still marvel at the democratic process.

2. What is still true is that we will pray for President-Elect Biden. Just as every other president has warranted the prayers of God’s people, we can pray for our new president and all of our leaders. The prayer that I was determined to pray before Tuesday, even before the results were clear, is just as important now: “Lord, may all our elected leaders exercise a wisdom that comes from humility, and pursue a justice that is governed by love.”

3. What is still true is that we need to be agents of peace, healing and reconciliation. What is still true is that this election has caused harm. There is nothing more important to debate at this time than what needs to be done for all of us to seek the welfare of our common citizenry, and to translate those intentions into actions of justice, love and peace.

4. What is still true is that we don’t know how to talk across our differences. As much as social media has brought us together, it has made us forget how to live together. It is too easy to assign whatever voice, tone, and intention we choose to someone’s Facebook comment, tweet or email. It is much harder to look someone eye to eye, over a cup of coffee, in order to see the image of God within them. And as much as 24-hour news keeps us constantly wired to what is happening, it has fostered a red vs. blue tribalism fueled by contentious surrogates and talking heads. We have forgotten how to talk, how to listen, and how to respond.

5. What’s still true is the mission of this church. As “strangers and aliens” in this land, we remember that our primary citizenship is to the Kingdom of God, which crosses political boundaries and transcends tribalism. Nothing from last Tuesday’s election changes what is at the core of this church’s mission. We will continue to make God’s love real through expressions of warm-heartedness (an embrace of a diversity of people) and open-mindedness (an embrace of a diversity of perspectives). Anyone disillusioned by the unpredictability of life will find in this place the steady reliability of the one thing that is ultimately always true: the faithful love and sovereign grace of God, given to us in Jesus Christ. And at the end of the day, and now more than ever, it is still good to be the church.

In addition, my Facebook devotional last Monday offered some fuller thoughts on the election, which you can view here. I reflected on the role and limits of our political leaders from a faith perspective, and offered ways for us to pray for President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris, through the lens of Micah 6:8.

And don’t forget to join us this Sunday, as we explore a powerful story from Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth, as part of our “Step into This Story” worship series. We will be inspired by the generosity of the early Christians, which will prompt us to prayerfully consider our estimates of giving for 2021, to be turned in Nov. 22.

Grace and peace,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey deVega, Senior Pastor
Hyde Park United Methodist

Midweek Message: “As the Votes are Being Counted”

Dear Hyde Park Family,

At the time of this writing, we are still waiting for vote tallies from the general election. As your thoughts race and your emotions run high, I offer you some pastoral words of guidance and comfort.

• Remember that the first thing God did to bring order out of chaos was to take a breath. (Genesis 1:2) Please do the same.
• Elections are eventually decided. But they are not finish lines. They are mere mile markers in the long, hard road of perfecting our union. Elections remind us how divided we are. But they do not tell us that we have to remain that way.
• Regardless of who you voted for, and for whatever issues led you to that vote, that work continues, and it is in our hands.
• We must continue the work of dismantling racism.
• Verify the validity of where you get your information. Follow news sources you trust, but don’t let it become a blind trust. And don’t post news on social media without fact checking first.
• Acknowledge your own implicit bias in the way you perceive reality.
• We grant great power to our elected leaders, but we do not give them all power. They cannot heal your broken relationships, or draw you closer to your loved ones and friends, or make you do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly. (Micah 6:8)
• We are called to live with the kind of civility and decency that we should expect of our elected leaders.
• Most importantly, remember that the kingdoms of this earth are ultimately inferior to the kingdom of God. (Revelation 11:15) Our primary allegiance is to God, not to our political systems, and we should not turn to them to bring us the kind of ultimate hope and security that only God can provide.

Take a moment to pray this Celtic benediction. My clergy colleague Steve Price shared it with our clergy covenant group following the election, and I find it to be very helpful.

O Sun behind all suns
O Soul within all souls
grant me the grace of the dawn’s glory
grant me the strength of the sun’s rays.
that I may be well in my own soul
and part of the world’s healing this day
that I may be well in my own soul
and part of the world’s healing this day.

Amen. May you be well in your soul, and be part of the world’s healing this day, and every day to come.

Grace and Peace,

Magrey

ONSITE WORSHIP BEGINS NOV. 29

Last Sunday, I announced the start of onsite worship on Sunday, Nov. 29. It will take place under the new ministry tent on the ministry office parking lot on the Hyde Park campus, in an outdoor setting that is currently safer than meeting indoors. It will be a 30-minute service featuring prayer, scripture reading, a sermon, and instrumental and vocal music. Stay tuned for more information over the weeks ahead.

Midweek Message: Our Amazing Ancestry

Two years ago, geneticist Yaniv Erlich announced a major breakthrough in genomic studies. His team at Columbia University set a record for the largest family tree ever created, made up of 13 million people, spanning 11 generations, going back 600 years. Using information from various online ancestry databases, they went through the painstaking process of looking for genetic links between people and generations all over the world. [1]

In an interview with The Atlantic, Erlich was asked about how all of us are related as human beings. He said the prominent theory is that all we have to do is go back 75 generations. And there, we will discover, as we pan the camera out to the highest and widest possible lens, that we are all related to one another. [2]

WHO ARE YOUR ANCESTORS?

If you’ve ever done genealogical work on your own family tree, you know how special it can be to discover stories about your ancestors. I remember learning about my dad’s father, Fernando deVega, who died when my father was young. He lived in a Filipino fishing village called Cavite, on the mouth of Manila Bay. He was a mapmaker by trade and was employed by the Filipino government to take boat trips along many of the Philippines 7,000 islands to map their coastlines. His work was foundational to modern Filipino mapmaking.

My mother’s father, Genaro Rojas, also made a living on the seas. He was a merchant, distributing commercial and retail goods on an island named Mindoro. He made a name for himself shipping Pepsi Cola products all throughout the country.

Both of my grandfathers were young adults during World War II, and they both helped the Allied forces defeat the Japanese. My paternal grandfather provided maps, and my maternal grandfather provided espionage and reconnaissance on the Japanese soldiers.

Stories like these make my DNA tingle, just as yours does when you hear about your ancestry.

ANCESTRY: OUR SPIRITUAL DNA

This week, we begin reading the book of Acts, which is the church’s family scrapbook. We will read about our earliest Christian ancestors, the first disciples, who took the message of Jesus Christ and started the first faith communities. We will hear stories of faithfulness and courage, as they expanded the reach of God’s love to wider and wider circles of people throughout the ancient near eastern world.

In learning about them, we will rediscover aspects about ourselves. We learn about our own calling and our own character. We remember that we are the product of past faithfulness, and we are responsible for transmitting that faith to those who follow us. Most of all, we remember that no matter what we face as a church, we are part of something bigger than ourselves.

Grace and Peace,

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey deVega
Senior Pastor, Hyde Park United Methodist

Three Simple Rules for Voting

Dear Hyde Park Family,

We are now nineteen days from the general election, and along with encouraging you to practice your civic duty to vote, I offer you some words of wisdom from John Wesley.

In October 1774, John Wesley was preaching in some small English towns near Bristol, where a contentious election for Parliament was underway. The chief candidates were Edmund Burke and Henry Cruger, who differed in their political ideologies, their positions on the American colonies, and their support from religious groups.

In his journal, Wesley called it “[one of the most] exciting elections Bristol has ever had.”

Sound at all familiar?

In the days leading up to the election, while in the town of Pill, he met with members of the local Methodist society, and offered this important guidance:

October 6, 1774. I met those of our society who had votes in the ensuing election, and advised them (1) to vote, without fee or reward, for the person they judged most worthy; (2) to speak no evil of the person they voted against; and (3) to take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side. [1]

That is such good advice. Vote for who you think is most worthy. Don’t speak evil of the other candidate. Show no animosity to those who voted differently.

246 years later, John Wesley’s advice is as helpful now as it was then. Regardless of how ugly and mean-spirited this or any election season becomes, we can model the kind of decency and civility that we expect of those who lead us.

Our own Florida Bishop Ken Carter also has wise words for us to consider, in his recent email to United Methodists in this Conference:

“We see each other as neighbors and not as political enemies. We are increasingly aware of the polarizing intent of social media platforms for economic gain, inciting fear, anxiety and violence. We are also aware of the danger of misinformation … We are disciples of one Lord, Jesus Christ and citizens of one nation, the United States of America.”

You can read the entirety of his excellent statement here.

THIS SUNDAY: “I AM”

We continue our journey through John’s gospel this Sunday by exploring one of its most unique features: the “I am” statements of Jesus. We’ll discover the many ways John describes the power and impact of Jesus in our lives, especially as the “vine” that connects us to each other.

See you Sunday, and don’t forget to vote!

Magrey

The Rev. Magrey deVega
Senior Pastor, Hyde Park United Methodist

BONUS FEATURE

Learn more about the Bristol Parliamentary election of 1774 here.

Midweek Message: What Do You Believe?

• I believe that the best way to double your money is to fold it and put it in your pocket. – “Patricia”
• I believe that a wise man does not play leapfrog with a unicorn. – “Anthony”
• I believe that creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. – “Jesse”
• I believe Michael Keaton was by far the best Batman. – “Aaron”

The Rev. Magrey deVega
Senior Pastor, Hyde Park United Methodist