Hyde Park United Methodist
Episodes
862 episodes
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...
Faith250: Part 2 // Pastor Magrey deVega // June 21, 2026
This piece by Frederick Douglass, one of the great writers and orators in our history, reminds us that the work of addressing slavery and racism must be a shared and ongoing project. There cannot be a moment when we feel like we have conquered ...
Faith250: Part 1// Pastor Magrey deVega // June 14, 2026
This poem by Emma Lazarus is one of the most important in our history, not only for its appearance on the Statue of Liberty, but also for the value that it conveys in welcoming the immigrant. For as is often said, other than indigenous people i...
When Faith Shapes a Nation | Beyond the Sermon
This week Mat and Magrey kick off our new series, Faith250: Our Nation’s Founding Documents, by exploring the relationship between faith, freedom, and the values that shape us as a community. They reflect on what it means to pursue a more perfe...
Something Worth Sharing: Part 3 // Pastor Sally Campbell-Evans // June 7, 2026
This classic passage from Acts depicts the early church acting in outward generosity, to meet the needs of people in their community. This is the church at its healthiest and best, and it is part of our DNA. When we function in this way, not on...
The Church At Its Best | Beyond The Sermon
This week Mat Hotho sits down with Pastor Sally Campbell-Evans to explore the picture of community found in Acts 4. Together, they discuss why people often remember how the church made them feel more than what it said, the challenge of acceptin...
Something Worth Sharing: Part 2 // Pastor Magrey deVega // May 31, 2026
Peter’s first sermon on Pentecost Day gets a lot of attention, but we often forget his second sermon, the one recorded in the very next chapter. Peter and John are walking through the portico of the Temple when they encounter a man unable to wa...
What Witness Really Means | Beyond the Sermon
This week Mat Hotho and Pastor Magrey deVega sit down to unpack what it really means to be a “witness” — and why sharing your story doesn’t have to look loud, confrontational, or perfect. From bracelets and spiritual practices to invitation, vu...
Something Worth Sharing: Part 1 // Pastor Magrey deVega // May 24, 2026
Prior to Jesus’ ascension, he told the disciples that they would be his witnesses throughout the ends of the earth. On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit descended to empower them – and us – to be just that. In Peter’s stirring sermon, he declare...
Everyone Finds Faith Differently | Beyond the Sermon
This week on Beyond the Sermon, Mat Hotho sits down with Youth Sunday preacher Grace Bennett to talk about fairness, faith, and what it’s like seeing Bible stories through fresh eyes. From school pressures and ChatGPT shortcuts to helping frien...
On The Edge: Part 6 // Grace Bennett // May 17, 2026
In the ascension of Jesus, the disciples went from Jesus being by their side all the time to being on their own. That shift forced them to go from looking up to looking out, from focusing on the presence of Jesus with them to focusing on the wo...