Hyde Park United Methodist

Job suffers and serves as a spokesperson for all humanity. He interrogates God, an act which itself can be a hopeful reminder that God encourages and allows that kind of intimate relationship. The result, in a way, is that Job puts God on “trial,” asking God for justification for all the harshness of life. And then in chapter 28, there is a “verdict” of sorts: the only source for wisdom to help navigate such difficult questions is the “fear of the Lord.” We may not receive all the answers we are seeking, but the solution remains clear: Continue to lean on God and trust, even despite the evidence.   

Reflection Questions:
1. What suffering has expanded your capacity for faith, love, or trust?
2. Where are you being invited to surrender control and trust God’s larger picture?
3. How might you lean into God amid today’s uncertainty?

Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

In this episode of Beyond the Sermon, Mat sits down with Pastor Magrey deVega to unpack the second half of Job and the questions it raises about suffering, God’s power, free will, and what it means to trust a bigger picture we can’t always see. They also explore why wisdom often comes with time and experience, and how the wisdom literature invites us to step back and see the human story from a wider perspective.

Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

This week Mat and Magrey kick off A Time For Wisdom by diving into the book of Job and what happens when the answers we've relied on no longer make sense. They talk about faith, doubt, unfairness, and the possibility that questioning what we believe can actually make room for something deeper and more expansive. Along the way, they explore why these ancient wisdom texts still speak so directly to the human experience today.

Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

The sufferings of Job are legendary, but the hardest part of his story to comprehend is the source and conditions of that suffering. Does God really conduct such bargaining with suffering? That kind of level playing field between good and evil is certainly problematic, but it gives us insight into the way our ancient spiritual ancestors viewed the world at the time. How do we wrestle with questions of theodicy today? Why do good people suffer? What is the relationship between God and suffering? And what is our responsibility?   

Reflection Questions:
1. What disruption has challenged the theological container you inherited?
2. Where might God be inviting your faith to grow through difficult questions?
3. What would it mean to hold onto faith without holding onto easy answers?

Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

Structured similarly to the Three Simple Rules, Wesley had three simple rules regarding money: “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can. It echoes his famous maxim, “Do all the good “Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.” Wesley saw money for its potential to do good and entreated Methodists to treat it as such. He saw far too often its dangers, often through the example of his own father, when the power of money went unheeded and used for selfish gain.   

Reflection Questions: 
1. How might your work become an act of prayer?
2. What would it mean to earn and save with generosity in mind?
3. What are you being called to give more freely?

Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

This week Mat and Magrey wrap up Well Rounded by talking about money, work, rest, and what it really means to give. From John Wesley’s approach to stewardship to Paul’s call to generosity, they explore why giving isn’t about getting something back — it’s about recognizing what we’ve been given and choosing how we use it. Because generosity isn’t just about money. It’s about the way we give our time, our work, our gifts, and ourselves to God and to others.

Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

One of the most famous Wesleyan formulations is his “Three Simple Rules,” which are easy to remember but challenging to apply in every aspect of life: Do No Harm, Do Good, and Stay in Love with God (or, more formally, observe all the ordinances and commands of God.) In many ways, this is an extension of the teachings of Jesus, both in the Great Commandment and Golden Rule, as well as the Rule of St. Benedict, which has been influential on generations of Christians throughout history.

Reflection Questions:
1. Whom might you be called to stop fearing by choosing not to harm?
2. How can you add value and make God’s love real today?
3. What spiritual rhythm helps you stay in love with God?

Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

In the final week of Well Rounded, Decker sits down with Pastor Magrey deVega to unpack John Wesley’s Three Simple Rules: do no harm, do good, and stay in love with God. Their conversation explores how daily practices can become part of who we are, why we have more agency than we sometimes realize, and how small choices can add value to the people and world around us. Along the way, they talk about habits, neuroplasticity, judgment, free will, and what it really means to become the kind of person we want to be.

Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

Given that reason is a part of our Wesleyan Quadrilateral, it should be no surprise to hear that Wesley believed that science and faith could be in productive dialogue with each other. He posited numerous ideas about science and was keenly interested in the writings of natural philosophers of his time. For us as United Methodists, we should remember that science is not incompatible with our faith, and we can learn and even embrace science as a valid encounter with truth.

Reflection Questions: 

1. Where do you encounter God in the wonder of creation?
2. How can your faith shape the way you use science and technology?
3. What is one way you can practice greater stewardship of God’s creation?

Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps

This week Mat and Magrey talk about what happens when faith and science seem to collide—and why they don't have to. Drawing from Magrey’s own experience of having his fundamentalist understanding of faith challenged by science, they explore the danger of certainty, the value of curiosity, and how both faith and science can invite us into a deeper sense of wonder. They also talk about how social media can reward oversimplified answers, why thoughtful faith takes time and community, and how we can make room for questions without losing our faith. 

Find out more at HydeParkUMC.org/NextSteps