Dear Hyde Park Family,
So, did you watch survive the first presidential debate?
People may have disagreements about political ideologies and policies, but perhaps we can all agree that this debate was the single worst political spectacle we have ever seen. For me, it was worse than appalling or exasperating. It was harmful. Harmful to a democracy that hinges on an engaged and informed electorate. Harmful to a society yearning for decency and dignity to bridge our ever-widening divides. Harmful to viewers like you and me who expect better from our leaders, especially President Trump, who appeared to me to be more intent on disrupting and instigating, rather than on earnest debate. And yes, it is also true that words like “shut up” are below the decorum this kind of event warrants.
We are a congregation of people whose views cover a wide political spectrum. Political homogeneity has never been – and never needs to be – a characteristic of the body of Christ. Disagreement can actually make us stronger, when engaged with empathy and civility. It is how we live out two of core values, to be warm-hearted and open-minded. So, in our unified desire for decency and holiness in our private lives and in the public sphere, I offer a few resources to guide our hearts and minds.
HOW TO HAVE A BETTER CONVERSATION
I commend to you an excellent Ted Talk by Celeste Headlee, a radio host with National Public Radio. We shared her “Ten Ways to Have a Better Conversation” [1] with a gathering of our church leaders back in 2018. I encouraged them to use these principles in our various meetings, as it offers helpful ways to have civil discourse with others:
- Don’t multitask.
- Don’t pontificate.
- Use open-ended questions.
- Go with the flow.
- If you don’t know, say that you don’t know.
- Don’t equate your experience with theirs.
- Try not to repeat yourself.
- Stay out of the weeds.
- Listen.
- Be brief.
BISHOP KEN CARTER, ON THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Our Bishop Ken Carter offers excellent guidance [2] for our interactions on social media, particularly in the way we identify and respond to “trolls,” who seem more intent on commandeering our posts and raising the temperature of the conversation. It is also a helpful way of naming how we are susceptible to being “trolls” ourselves.
VOTE!
Regardless of the incivility of our political leaders’ discourse, we have the ability to speak into the moment through the voice of our vote. Bishop Carter and the Florida Conference’s Task Force on Anti-Racism [3] is advancing an initiative called Faithful Voter, [4] which calls on people of faith to vote and to combat voter suppression, particularly for communities of color.
Regardless of your political convictions, and regardless of who you choose to vote for this November, let us each do our part to be the kinds of people that we long for our leaders to become.
Grace and Peace,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey deVega
Senior Pastor, Hyde Park United Methodist
Dear Hyde Park Family,
A modern-day parable of hope, straight out of recent news headlines:
- Last summer, a woman named Dr. Elaine Soloway harvested 111 dates from a date tree, then she sampled one. She said it had a “honey or caramel aftertaste.” Nothing really remarkable about that.
- Those dates that she picked? They came from a pollination that occurred six years ago between two date trees, a male and a female. Nothing remarkable about that, either.
- Those two date trees? One was named Methuselah, and the other Hannah. Why? Because they were each germinated from seeds that were lying dormant, discovered in part by an archaeologist named Yigal Yadin back in the 1960s. [1] Now it’s getting interesting.
- Those seeds? They were discovered in the Holy Land and were dated (no pun intended) back to between 35 B.C. and 65 A.D. Hmmm.
- So, imagine: These were 2,000-year-old date seeds, that were around at the time of Jesus, in the very land where Jesus walked, left to decompose for millennia, only to be rediscovered, germinated, and nurtured back to fruitfulness. But that’s still not the most remarkable thing.
Dr. Elaine Soloway? She works at the Areva Institute for Environmental Studies, which sits near the border of Israel and Jordan, along with students from different countries from throughout the Middle East. Picture young Jewish, Christian and Muslim students working together alongside Dr. Soloway and her colleagues to bring new life from the land, even from seeds that survived against the odds.
SEEDS OF HOPE
The Arava Institute reminds these students that there is much more to the land than the geo-political wars that are fought over the possession and control of its borders. When the land is viewed through the lens of environmental stewardship, people can come together, and the seeds of peace, beauty and hope that may have been lying dormant can be recovered, revived and rejuvenated.
Rabbi Michael M. Cohen, who teaches at the Arava Institute, put it this way: “Following the example of Muhammad, Muslims traditionally break their daily fast during Ramadan with a date. In the Jewish Torah, dates are considered one of the seven most important species of the Land of Israel. And Jesus was reportedly welcomed into Jerusalem with his supporters waving date palm branches.”
“Grown on this campus steeped in faith, the dates of Methuselah and Hannah, like all the great redemption stories, remind us that what today appears to be dead or beyond reach can in fact be revived to help create a better, more just, and redeemed tomorrow.” [2]
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
In all three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed, “the smallest of all seeds.” Yet, by God’s grace, and with enough attention, diligence and cooperation, that seed can bear fruit that will be a blessing for others.
These may be hard times. Hope can be hard to find, for many reasons, on many levels. But there are still seeds. Seeds of peace, justice, equality, joy and promise. They may be hidden under the surface, out of plain view. But if we keep digging, keep searching, keep believing, keep nurturing – and tear down the walls that would divide us so that we can work together – then new fruit can still be born, into a future that can be as sweet as honey and caramel.
So, don’t give up. Keep on digging. Together.
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey deVega
Senior Pastor, Hyde Park United Methodist
Dear Hyde Park Family,
This week’s special Midweek Message comes in the form of this video update from me!
Please watch the video below and go to hydeparkumc.org/innovations to find out more.
Grace and peace,
Magrey
The Rev. Magrey deVega
Senior Pastor, Hyde Park United Methodist
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
