Hyde Park United Methodist
Episodes
872 episodes
When the Box Doesn't Fit Anymore | Beyond the Sermon
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 be...
A Time For Wisdom: Part 1, JOB // Pastor Magrey deVega // September 13, 2026
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 ...
Well Rounded: Part 5 // Pastor Magrey deVega // September 6, 2026
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 ca...
Giving is More Than Money | Beyond the Sermon
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 b...
Well Rounded: Part 4 // Pastor Magrey deVega // August 30, 2026
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...
You Have More Power Than You Think | Beyond the Sermon
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 ...
Well Rounded: Part 3 // Pastor Magrey deVega // August 23, 2026
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 inte...
Can Faith Make Room for Questions? | Beyond the Sermon
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...
Well Rounded: Part 2 // Pastor Justin LaRosa //August 16, 2026
John Wesley wrote a book called Primitive Physick, or an Easy and Natural method of Curing Most Diseases. It included his cures for 40 different ailments. While parts of it are devoid of modern medical wisdom, it does reinforce ideas that we kn...
Faith in the Body We Have | Beyond the Sermon
This week Mat sits down with Justin LaRosa for a deeply personal conversation about faith, health, and our bodies. Justin had already planned this sermon on caring for the body when he was diagnosed with cancer, giving his words about health an...
Well Rounded: Week One // Pastor Sally Campbell-Evans // August 9, 2026
In his sermon “On Family Religion,” Wesley said this about the education of children: “Instruct them early in the morning. Speak to them plainly. Observe the few ideas they have and graft what you say upon them. Teach them frequently. Persevere...
What Will Our Kids Believe? | Beyond the Sermon
In week one of Well Rounded, Mat sits down with Sally Campbell-Evans to talk about what it means to keep growing in faith—and what that growth looks like when we're raising the next generation. Drawing from Proverbs and John Wesley’s understand...
Holy Struggle: Part 4 // Pastor Magrey deVega // August 2, 2026
Hosea 12:1-4 gives us insight into this famous story of Jacob wrestling with God. Jacob not only fought with the angel; he also wept as he entreated God. This gives us permission to feel our emotions, even amid the toughest, most existential st...
Your Struggle Has Purpose | Beyond the Sermon
This week Mat and Magrey wrap up the Holy Struggle series by exploring Jacob's famous wrestling match and the life-changing name he receives afterward. Together they discuss why struggle is a normal part of faith, how our deepest growth often b...
Holy Struggle: Part 3 // Pastor Magrey deVega // July 26, 2026
Jacob fell in love with Rachel, but he was tricked into marrying Leah instead, and he had to work seven more years for Laban before he earned the right to marry Rachel. The context of this story may seem antiquated to our modern sensibilities, ...
When Love Meets Reality | Beyond the Sermon
This week Sally Campbell-Evans joins Magrey Devega for a special episode of Beyond the Sermon as they unpack one of the Bible's strangest family stories. Together they explore the surprising lesson hidden within Jacob, Leah, and Rachel—that eve...
Holy Struggle: Part 2 // Pastor Bernie Lieving // July 19, 2026
The vision of a gateway to Heaven at Penuel is an important moment in Jacob’s life, and it invites us to think about the “thin spaces” in our lives where we feel close to God. His statement, “Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place, an...
The Places Heaven Feels Close | Beyond the Sermon
This week Mat sits down with Pastor Bernie Lieving to explore Jacob's famous dream of the ladder to heaven and the powerful reminder that God is always moving toward us. They unpack the idea of "thin places"—moments when God's presence feels es...
The Bible Doesn't Hide Our Flaws | Beyond the Sermon
This week Mat and Magrey kick off our new series Holy Struggle by exploring one of the Bible's most fascinating—and flawed—characters: Jacob. Together they discuss why Scripture refuses to hide the failures of its heroes, what Jacob and Esau's ...
Holy Struggle: Part 1 // Pastor Magrey deVega // July 12, 2026
The story of Jacob and Esau is a classic tale of sibling rivalry. From the time they were in their womb, they grappled with each other, a foreshadowing of Jacob’s manipulative nature and Esau’s eventually being tricked out of the birthright. It...
Faith250: Part 4 // Pastor Magrey deVega // July 5, 2026
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” This declaration points to the soul of our country, and each word can be dissected and examined for its inherent value. The truth of our equality is both shared and self...
America Is Still Becoming | Beyond the Sermon
This week Mat and Magrey wrap up the Faith250 series by exploring the enduring promise of America's founding ideals. They discuss why Magrey changed his sermon at the last minute, how the Beatitudes connect with the pursuit of happiness, and wh...
Faith250: Part 3 // Pastor Magrey deVega // June 28, 2026
This iconic song is a hymn of celebration of the beauty and grandeur of our country, and echoes the majesty of the psalmist, who attributes the beauty of nature to the artistry and provision of God. Indeed, the splendor of this country is all a...
Can A Nation Change? | Beyond the Sermon
This week Mat and Magrey discuss why growth often begins in life's most difficult moments. Drawing on themes from America the Beautiful, they explore how faith, conversation, and community can change us over time—and how those same values can h...
Why the Best Days Aren't Behind Us | Beyond the Sermon
This week Mat and Magrey wrestle with some of the hardest questions in our shared story. They talk about Frederick Douglass' challenge to the church, what it means to acknowledge privilege and hear experiences different from our own, and why bo...