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Hyde Park pastor prepares message on troubles facing mankind

 
Published Nov. 28, 2014

For the Rev. Roger Scholtz, interim pastor at Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa, the meaning of the holidays stretches beyond live nativities and sparkling lights.

Scholtz, who came to the church from South Africa, says the story of Jesus Christ's birth offers unyielding hope to a troubled world.

Beginning Sunday, Scholtz will offer "Take Heart," a four-week Advent worship series focused on the major issues mankind faces today. Scholtz will offer a Christ-centered world view on subjects ranging from Ebola to school shootings at 8:30, 9:30 and 11 a.m. services.

I spoke to Scholtz about the series and his take on the holidays.

What subjects will you cover during the "Take Heart" sermon series?

Hope in a world of disease is the first topic. I will talk about the continued spread of HIV/AIDS, the hysteria around Ebola, the prevalence of cancer and the conspiracy of silence around depression. All are clear indications of the deep need for real and robust hope in the face of disease.

On Dec. 7, I will address peace in a world of violence. The recent shooting at FSU is just the latest in a long list of tragic incidents in this gun-crazed culture. In the light of these violent realities, the promise of peace is not just a naive and wishful fantasy.

The third week will be about joy in a world of inequality. The commercialization of Christmas makes all of us susceptible to the material excesses of this season. It's easy to spend too much, eat and drink too much, and generally consume too much at this time of year, which invariably leaves us feeling empty and dissatisfied, especially when we remember the many people, both locally and around the world, who have only a fraction of what we do. In contrast to this, the gift of true joy is offered to all who are willing to let go of the clutter of the season.

On Dec. 21, the message will be love in a world of brokenness. For many, Christmas can be an emotionally charged time as they are confronted with the painful truth of broken relationships, broken promises and broken dreams in their lives. Finding the courage to risk loving again can bring healing and wholeness.

Why is it important to remind people of the hope Jesus brings during the season?

It is so easy to get overwhelmed, distracted and thoroughly exhausted in the rush of the Christmas season. Every year we promise ourselves that this year it's going to be different, but we find ourselves tripping up over the same old habits and patterns again and again. If we really paid attention, we'd recognize that this is a clear indication of our need for help, not just for this time of year but for the entirety of our lives. The hope that Jesus brings is the promise of the help we most need.

In your experiences around the world what has struck you most about the potential healing power of Jesus?

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No matter who we are, where we come from or what we do, from a high-powered corporate executive in Tampa to a grandmother in an informal settlement in South Africa trying to provide for her hungry grandchildren, all of us share a deep need for our intrinsic humanity to be recognized and expressed. The great gift of Jesus is that he has shown us what it means to be fully human, to be fully alive.

How have your personal life experiences shaped your faith?

While every life experience has faith-shaping potential, I'd say that it's been my experiences of failure, disappointment and injustice that have taught me most about the unconditional love of God and what it means to be held in that love. When the hard knocks of life, for example, the painful divorce I went through some years back, expose our attachment to incidental ideas of who we are, the gracious invitation is extended for us to be reminded of our deepest identity as beloved children made in the image of God.

What advice do you offer those in difficult times this holiday season?

I'd simply want to acknowledge that difficult times are especially difficult at this time of year, precisely because the prevailing culture places such a high premium on being upbeat and happy, and also because the pain of loss is felt more keenly in this season. I'd encourage them to find some way in which they could offer themselves in meaningful service to someone else. That might be the very last thing that they feel like doing, but something begins to happen when we see that our individual stories, with all their pain and struggle, are part of a bigger story. Service to others can help us to see that. Churches and charitable organizations, like Metropolitan Ministries, can be helpful places to offer such service. I'd encourage them to open themselves this season to the response of faith. Attend a church service. Speak to someone they trust about God. Let their prayers and the cries of their hearts pour out to God. And listen. Really listen. For hidden in a baby's cry from a stable in Bethlehem that continues to echo across the ages is the greatest news ever told: "You are not alone."