Hyde Park United Methodist

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.

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Reflection 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.

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Reflection 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.

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Reflection Questions
1. 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.

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Reflection Questions
1. 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.

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Reflection 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?

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15 Practical Guidelines from Romans 12:9–21
1.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 Hotho
mhotho@hydeparkumc.org

Reflection 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.

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Reflection 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.

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Reflection 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.

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Reflection 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.

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Reflection 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. 

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Reflection 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.

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Reflection Questions

1. 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. 

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Reflection 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. 

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Reflection 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?

Advent is a time of watching and waiting in expectation of the inbreaking of God’s power and love to be among us. We should not lose hope, and we should remain attentive and ready to respond.

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Reflection Questions 
- What are you waiting for, longing for, hoping for – deep in your heart – this Advent?

- Where do you see signs of ‘hope’ in the world? And how does that encourage you to share ‘hope’ with others?

- What Advent practices do you observe during this season? Or have you observed in the past?

Calling Jesus Lord is not just a statement we make; it is a life we choose to live. He is the pre-eminent expression of God’s full character and behavior. In him, we discover our truest purpose and meaning in life, and to him, we are called to be obedient and faithful.

The parable of the mustard seed is one of Jesus’ most famous and familiar parables. It reminds us that small acts of generosity, no matter how insignificant it seems, can be used by God to multiply into wider impact for a wide host of people. 

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Reflection Questions:
What new insights have you learned from the parable of the mustard seed?

What does the garden in the parable symbolize for you?

How have you experienced God’s love through the ministries of the church?

Our faithful generosity is a response to the generosity of God, who calls us to be responsible caretakers of all our resources. By saving, spending, and giving faithfully, we can create a storehouse of treasure that will be a solid foundation for the future of God’s kingdom, and help us “take hold of that which is truly life.” 

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Reflection Questions:
- What are your earliest memories related to money?
 
- When in your life have you felt truly and fully content?
 
- How will you be more generous in your time, your spirit, and your financial giving to the church?

We have been given an inheritance by God, which is the richness of grace and salvation, passed down through the generations. On this day when we celebrate the saints who have gone before us, we give thanks for their enduring example of faithfulness and generosity, and pledge to live out their legacy in our faithful giving. 

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Our generosity begins with the generosity of God, who calls us to be in a special relationship together, for the benefit of the world. This is the basis of the important biblical concept of covenant, seen most vividly in the call of Abraham. And just as Abraham gave a tenth of his belongings as a response to God’s covenant, we are called to be generous as a response to God’s goodness. 

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Reflection Questions:

1. How have you experienced God’s unconditional love for you? In what ways do you struggle with believing that?

2. How have you seen God loving all people through this church?

3. How will you respond with gratitude and generosity to God’s love in your life?