Hyde Park United Methodist 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.

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Reflection 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/NextSteps

Reflection 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.

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Reflection 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/NextSteps

Reflection 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?”

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Reflection 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/NextSteps

Reflection 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?