Dear Hyde Park Family,
Do you remember where you were on Monday, Sept. 10, 2001?
No? Me neither.
The day was largely forgettable, and the news headlines were mostly unremarkable. Michael Jackson rang the opening bell on Wall Street. Disgraced Senator Gary Condit was being investigated for the disappearance of Chandra Levy. The New York Yankees placed outfielder Paul O’Neill on the disabled list.
Then came Tuesday. And we all remember where we were that morning.
I was an associate pastor here at Hyde Park. I remember being with the staff in our regular prayer time in the Chapel when the second plane hit, and as reports rolled in about crashes in Pennsylvania and at the Pentagon. Later that night, the Chapel was filled with parishioners, including many of you, straining to find the words and prayers to lift up amid an unspeakable national tragedy.
THE TWO TIMES JESUS WEPT
The following Sunday, Sept. 16, I was in that same Chapel preaching on the two times in the gospels where Jesus wept: John 11:28-37, in which Jesus wept over the death of Lazarus, and Luke 19:41-44, in which Jesus wept over the city of Jerusalem. It was a reminder that God weeps with us in our grief, and weeps for us over injustice. In my sermon, I said:
Friends, God weeps today because we do not live in a place remotely close to the kind of place God is working to create. This world does not exist according to the kingdom values of peace, equality, justice, compassion and love. The people of this world have busied themselves with building up their political, economic and military machines. Nations have risen against nation, becoming guilty of that very thing for which Jesus wept outside Jerusalem: “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.”
REMEMBERING 9/11
Tomorrow will be another anniversary of 9/11. It will be set in the context of a global pandemic, and many other reminders of how difficult, unsettling and broken our world continues to be. As you find the words to offer your own prayers and remembrance of this day, here is a poem by Wendell Berry that I often read on 9/11:
“Now You Know the Worst”
by Wendell Berry
Now you know the worst
we humans have to know
about ourselves, and I am sorry,
for I know that you will be afraid.
To those of our bodies given
without pity to be burned, I know
there is no answer
but loving one another,
even our enemies, and this is hard.
But remember:
when a man of war becomes a man of peace,
he gives a light, divine
though it is also human.
When a man of peace is killed
by a man of war, he gives a light.
You do not have to walk in darkness.
If you will have the courage for love,
you may walk in light. It will be
the light of those who have suffered
for peace. It will be
your light.
May God grant each of us a light, divine. May we do the hard work of loving each other, even our enemies. And may we have the courage to walk in darkness, in the light of those who have suffered for peace.
Grace and Peace,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey deVega
Senior Pastor, Hyde Park United Methodist
Dear Hyde Park Family,
Okay, 2020. Let’s recap what you’ve brought us so far, shall we?
- A global pandemic has infected over 25 million people and killed nearly 900,000 around the world.
- We’ve had a series of jarring reminders of the ongoing presence of systemic racism in this country, and our streets and airwaves have been filled with cries for justice.
- The Summer Olympics in Tokyo were postponed until next year, the first time the games have been delayed since World War II.
- “Murder Hornets” arrived in the Pacific Northwest.
- Swarms of locusts have plagued parts of East Africa, India, Pakistan and Yemen.
- The waters of the Nahal Alexander River in Israel turned blood red; so did a river in Jasper, Indiana.
- Two tropical storm systems entered the Gulf of Mexico at nearly the same time and both hit the Texas/Louisiana coastline.
- Scientists have detected an asteroid heading toward the earth that has a 0.41% chance of hitting our planet the day before the general election.
- And oh, yeah. It’s a presidential election year.
It’s almost as if the script for 2020 was being written by The National Enquirer.
It is no surprise that with this flurry of unbelievable news stories, there has been quite a rise in the number of people predicting that these are signs of the end times. A Lifeway Research survey last April of pastors of evangelical churches found that a whopping 97% of them believed that such occurrences were proof that the end was near, and evidence that the return of Jesus was imminent.
Now, I’m not one to interpret today’s current events in this way. But I can understand a person’s need to make some sense of what is happening, and I can even commend a person for wanting to anchor that meaning biblically, even if I disagree with their interpretation.
I’m simply reminded that in Matthew’s gospel, which is our latest stop in our journey through the Bible, Jesus said, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36)
So, what do we make of the events of 2020? Literally, God only knows!
The question of Jesus’ return was clearly on the minds of many in the early church, and as the gospels and epistles were written and circulated, many of them had their own unique take on how to understand and anticipate the signs of the end times.
This Sunday, we will take a deeper dive into how Matthew answered that question, based on the chapter 25 and the story of the sheep and the goats. We will discover what a unique and timely response he has for any of us who are longing for Jesus to return, and what to make of such an unusual and unsettling year as this one.
And join us for communion this Sunday! For those who are local in the area, we invite you to drive to the campus after the 9:30 and 11 a.m. services, or you can gather your own bread and grape juice to be part of the communion liturgy online.
See you Sunday!
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey deVega
Senior Pastor, Hyde Park United Methodist
Dear Hyde Park Family,
First, I invite you to pause for a moment and offer this prayer with me, for the people of Texas, Louisiana and all those affected by Hurricane Laura:
God of Power and Provision, our hearts are joined in prayer for the people facing the ferocity of this hurricane. Preserve their lives and fill them with courage. When the storm subsides, may all necessary provisions and restoration of electricity be swift in their arrival. Protect the first responders, power technicians and relief workers. And raise us up as your church, to respond to the needs in any way we can help. We remember the words of your Son Jesus, who spoke into the storm, “Peace, be still.” In his name, we pray. Amen.
THE ARRIVAL OF JESUS
Well, finally. After more than 23,000 Old Testament verses, 242 daily readings, and some long months through the prophets, we finally get to the New Testament this Sunday, as part of our Bible Project 2020.
I commend all of you who have been on this journey so far. We have had more than 40 small groups continuing to meet faithfully every week and reflect on the readings, even during the pandemic. Many of you have shared that those weekly Bible studies have been a vital lifeline, keeping you connected with others. We have 2,875 active listeners and 118,000 downloads of the podcast. And week after week, we have marveled at how these Scriptures have been providing us just the right words of wisdom, encouragement and challenge at just the right time.
If you haven’t kept up with the readings, or have not joined the journey yet, now would be a great time to jump on board! Visit the Bible Project 2020 web page for the daily readings and devotional entries starting with Matthew this Sunday. If you would like to join a small group, please complete this form and someone will contact you. And if you are on Facebook, join our online group and interact with nearly 400 folks on the journey.
COMMUNION OFFERED BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 6
We are also excited to announce that with the arrival of the New Testament, it is timely to resume a monthly observance of communion. Like much that we are doing as a church, we balance our desire for connection with the need to ensure everyone’s safety. So, communion will look a little different, while retaining the core of its meaning and tradition.
During the online services on September 6, clergy will lead the communion liturgy as part of the broadcast. For those of you who live outside the Tampa Bay area, or who choose not to come to campus, please have bread and grape juice ready to be blessed as you watch the service.
For those who are local and able and willing to drive, we invite you to come to the campus at the conclusion of either the 9:30 or 11 a.m. services. When you arrive, come to the large Magnolia parking lot, where you will remain in your car as staff direct you where to drive. More information and a traffic pattern map are at hydeparkumc.org/communion to prepare you for your arrival.
Pastors will come to you with consecrated elements, served through your car window in a non-contact and sanitary manner. We encourage you and your family to wear masks, as we work together to create a safe environment for all. We look forward to seeing and celebrating with you on September 6!
Come, Lord Jesus!
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey deVega
Senior Pastor, Hyde Park United Methodist
Dear Hyde Park Family,
This Sunday our journey through the Bible makes a familiar stop at the story of Jonah. It’s a fun story that many of us have known since childhood, and has an endearing, “Aesop’s fable” kind of quality to it. It’s no wonder when the producers of the Veggie Tales decided to create their first full-length animated feature, this is the story they chose.
But make no mistake. Despite its light-hearted, whimsical qualities, the story of Jonah packs a whale of a punch. At its heart is condemnation of Jonah’s narrow view of God’s grace, and his even narrower view of who can receive it. He was unable to let go of his own prejudices and resentments against the Ninevites, a nation of people he was dead-set on hating.
Jonah’s hatred for those who were different from him and his finite view of God remind us that prejudice is a theological issue. If you have a limited view of God, you have a limited view of God’s love, and you therefore have a limited capacity to love other people.
It’s why Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the great leader in the fight against apartheid, has called racism the “ultimate blasphemy.” In a 2002 address to the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachussetts, the retired archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa said:
“Racism is the ultimate blasphemy, because it could make a child of God doubt that she or he was a child of God. Racism is never benign and conventional and acceptable, for it is racism that resulted in the awfulness of lynchings and the excesses of slavery; it spawned the Holocaust and apartheid and was responsible for ethnic cleansing. People of faith cannot be neutral on this issue. To stand on the sidelines is to be disobedient to the God who said we are created, all of us, in this God’s image.” [1]
What you believe about someone who is different from you is predicated by who you believe God is. If you believe in a God who is big enough to imprint God’s image on all of creation and call each of us as God’s children, then you must believe its corollary proposition, which is that we must love everyone.
Join us this Sunday as we do a deeper dive into the story of Jonah. We will discover some of its distinguishing features and find good news for some of the toughest questions we are facing today. We are just two Sundays away from beginning the New Testament on August 30! Let’s finish the Old Testament strong!
Grace and Peace,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey deVega
Senior Pastor, Hyde Park United Methodist
PURCHASE OF WOMEN’S CLINIC PROPERTY COMPLETE
After several online meetings and a called church conference that resulted in a vote to purchase the former Hyde Park Women’s Center, we have successfully acquired the property. Our thanks to the hard work and leadership from our Board of Trustees, the Committee on Finance, the Debt and Property Implementation Team, and Steve Gardner, Lay Delegate to the Annual Conference. Next steps include taking control of the property, petitioning the city to vacate the alley on the property and determining whether to use or demolish the existing structure. Our Board of Trustees will lead this effort. If you would like to make a special donation toward the purchase of the property, please complete this form. | More Information
