Hyde Park United Methodist

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/NextStepsReflection Questions:1. What are your most vivid memories of being in a desert?2. Which of the four metaphors in Psalm 107 best describes what you are struggling with?3. Do you believe that God loves you? What difference does that make for you?

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/NextStepsReflection Questions:1. What valleys are you experiencing right now? 2. How will you shift from talking about God to connecting personally with God? 3. How will you remember that God is with you?

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/NextStepsReflection Questions:1. What are your most memorable “mountain top” moments? 2. How does an “uphill climb” and a “downhill descent” help you focus on God and slow your pace? 3. How will you let God help you keep your highs from getting too high, and your lows from getting too low?

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/NextStepsReflection Questions:1. What boulder-type burdens are you carrying today? 2. Where have you seen evidence of God’s love at work in your past? In your present? 3. In what way will you move forward and claim the new life God is preparing for your future?  

 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/NextStepsHydeParkUMC.org/EasterReflection Questions:1. For what reasons are you praying “Hosanna” today? 2. How might your daily prayer time include both verse 24 and 25 of Psalm 118? 3. How will you participate in the services and observances of Holy Week this week?

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/NextStepsReflection Questions:1. What is the most challenging aspect of these  words of Jesus  for you personally? 2. Who has modeled for you servanthood and self-sacrifice? 3. What are the “little deaths” that you are experiencing right now? How might they be the gateway to new life?

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 forgiveness.HydeParkUMC.org/NextStepsHydeParkUMC.org/EasterReflection Questions:1. What does being born from above or born again mean to you?2. In what ways do you recognize your need before God?3. What are your powerful takeaways from the text?

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 lives is an initial step toward discipleship.HydeParkUMC.org/NextStepsReflection Questions:1. For what reasons do you think Jesus would overturn tables today? 2. How do you think the vendors responded? The religious leaders? The disciples? 3. In what ways can you be a part of a faith community at its healthiest and best?

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/NextStepsReflection Questions1. How are you alike and unlike the life of Peter in the gospels? 2. In what ways does Jesus’ phrase “Take up your cross” make you feel unsettled, even challenged? 3. How will you be more intentional and diligent in your practical commitments to Jesus?  

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/NextStepsReflection Questions1. 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 way?3. How will you better integrate the fact that you are fully human, made in the image of God?

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/NextStepsReflection Questions:1. Can you remember a time when you were so overcome with beauty or joy that you were rendered speechless? What was that like?2. When was the last time you were “lost in wonder, love, and praise” of God because you felt the Lord's present so closely?3. What is pulling on your heart (or calling to you), as we begin this season of Lent?

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/NextSteps15 Practical Guidelines from Romans 12:9–211.Our love for each other will be genuine. 2.We will hate what is evil. 3.We will make goodness our bond. 4.The only competition between us will be to see who can show the other greater honor. 5.Together, we will put God first, even when we don’t feel like it. 6.We will be hopeful, not cynical. 7.We will be patient, even when our differences make things difficult.8.We will never stop praying for each other or for the world. 9.We pledge to be welcoming to strangers, people who are different from us. 10.We will not speak ill of each other; instead, we will speak words of blessing. 11.We will choose harmony with each other over arrogance. 12.We commit to being with those who are less fortunate, less privileged, and less powerful, so that we can learn humility ourselves. 13.We will not respond to evil by doing evil ourselves. We commit to the most noble actions and motivations. 14.We will have hearts of peace for each other, rather than revenge. 15.We will not overcome evil with evil, but by doing good. Mat Hothomhotho@hydeparkumc.orgReflection Questions:1. When have you had difficulty relating to a person based on partisan differences? 2. How can Christians be politically engaged, without devolving into polarizing partisanship? 3. What valuable insights have you gained about relationships throughout this worship series?

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/NextStepsReflection 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 better friend to them?   3. How will you practice constancy, carefulness, candor, and counsel in your friendships? 

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/NextStepsReflection Questions:1. What is the best thing about your family? What is the hardest thing about your family? 2. How will drawing closer to Jesus help each member of your family draw closer to each other? 3. How do you think stronger families can improve your community?

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/NextStepsReflection 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/NextStepsReflection Questions:1. Who is the person (or the people) in your life that make you feel ‘known’?  2. What is one thing you can do to help alleviate another person’s isolation and make them feel that they are ‘of worth’? 3. Name two things you can do to cultivate or nurture your primary relationships this week?

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/NextStepsReflection 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 bridge between generations this upcoming year?

We are all familiar with the Nativity story. We know of Mary and Joseph, of the shepherds and the angels. But what about the setting? The stable and the manager? We take a closer look at the setting of the Christmas story and what implications it has on our lives.HydeParkUMC.org/NextStepsReflection Questions1. What are your favorite images and scenes in the Christmas story? 2. How will you make room for Jesus to be born anew into your life? 3. How will you allow Jesus to work through you to impact the lives of others?

Advent is a time of anticipating joy, exemplified in the Magnificat of Mary. Her soul rejoiced at the prospect of the arrival of justice, equality, and liberation for all people. That vision should both encourage us and motivate us to offer joy to others. HydeParkUMC.org/ChristmasHydeParkUMC.org/NextStepsReflection Questions:1. When has fear ever blocked your sense of joy? 2. When have you experienced the joy of giving yourself in generosity to others? 3. What is God calling you to do, to move you from fear to joy by serving others?

Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of Jesus, foretold by John the Baptist, who called us to “make his paths straight.” This can serve as a metaphor for peace-building and peace-making, which is at the heart of our Advent preparations. We should strive to be agents of peace, in our relationships with others. HydeParkUMC.org/NextStepsHydeParkUMC.org/ChristmasReflection Questions:1. What “potholes” exist in your life that need to be filled by God? 2. How will you build bridges this week with people who are in a broken relationship with you? 3. How will you help remove barriers of injustice and inequity that prevent peace in our society?