Perspectives: First Church San Diego Pastors Podcast

Join Rev. Brittany and Rev. Hannah as they wrap up the multi-episode conversation on The Stories That Save Us, which has highlighted some favorite stories from the Gospel. This week, the female pastors of the First United Methodist Church of San Diego are focusing on The Story of Forgiveness, leaning into John 8:2-11, the story of the woman caught in the sin of adultery.

The pastors speculate the public stoning was a scheme to trap Jesus in a theological battle. After all, why only accuse the woman and not the man? Unfortunately, that trap makes the unnamed woman the front and center of the story, making her an immoral scapegoat to publicly catch Jesus. And it’s been used by Christians for centuries as justification to put others down.

But Jesus gives us the blueprint on how to navigate public shaming and judgment of others through verbal and non-verbal engagement and de-escalation.

Listen in as the pastors discuss how to navigate sin, condemnation, and forgiveness in a way that’s life giving and can lead us and others toward a new future with a clean slate.

We invite you to continue the conversation with friends and family, joining our in-person Convergence discussion group, or visiting our Patreon community where you can unlock more content and inspiration while engaging in online discussion. Here are some questions for you to ponder, as you continue to explore The Story of Forgiveness:

We’ll be taking a short break next week as we celebrate Easter (The Story of Hope!) but will be back with a new conversation series on Sunday, April 27.

Join Rev. Brittany and Rev. Hannah as they wrap up the multi-episode conversation on The Stories That Save Us, which has highlighted some favorite stories from the Gospel. This week, the female pastors of the First United Methodist Church of San Diego are focusing on The Story of Forgiveness, leaning into John 8:2-11, the story of the woman caught in the sin of adultery.

The pastors speculate the public stoning was a scheme to trap Jesus in a theological battle. After all, why only accuse the woman and not the man? Unfortunately, that trap makes the unnamed woman the front and center of the story, making her an immoral scapegoat to publicly catch Jesus. And it’s been used by Christians for centuries as justification to put others down.

But Jesus gives us the blueprint on how to navigate public shaming and judgment of others through verbal and non-verbal engagement and de-escalation.

Listen in as the pastors discuss how to navigate sin, condemnation, and forgiveness in a way that’s life giving and can lead us and others toward a new future with a clean slate.

We invite you to continue the conversation with friends and family, joining our in-person Convergence discussion group, or visiting our Patreon community where you can unlock more content and inspiration while engaging in online discussion. Here are some questions for you to ponder, as you continue to explore The Story of Forgiveness:

We’ll be taking a short break next week as we celebrate Easter (The Story of Hope!) but will be back with a new conversation series on Sunday, April 27.

This week, the female pastors of First United Methodist Church of San Diego look at the well-known story of the prodigal son from Luke 15:11-32 (also known as the forgotten son) who returns home after dishonoring his father, family, and cultural practices. Rev. Hannah views the parable as a story of repentance. But Rev. Trudy brings forth commentary from Dr. Amy Jill Levine that points in another direction.

Regardless of how you view the son, the female pastors agree that the highlight of the story is the unequivocal love brought forth by the father, and a demonstration of undeserving grace.

Some Christians try to rename the story “the loving father story” but when you look closely at all three of the primary characters – there are major flaws and brokenness in them all: the resentment of the older brother, the flippancy and extravagance of the younger brother, and the aloofness of the father. And we leave with the story unresolved – much like the struggles in our own lives, providing us an invitation to figure out how to end our story and estrangements.

We invite you to continue the conversation with friends and family, joining our in-person Convergence discussion group, or visiting our Patreon community where you can unlock more content and inspiration while engaging in online discussion. Here are some questions for you to ponder, as you continue to explore The Story of Love:

During this season of Lent, we have additional spiritual growth opportunities to help you explore The Stories that Save Us:

This week, the female pastors of First United Methodist Church of San Diego look at the well-known story of the prodigal son from Luke 15:11-32 (also known as the forgotten son) who returns home after dishonoring his father, family, and cultural practices. Rev. Hannah views the parable as a story of repentance. But Rev. Trudy brings forth commentary from Dr. Amy Jill Levine that points in another direction.

Regardless of how you view the son, the female pastors agree that the highlight of the story is the unequivocal love brought forth by the father, and a demonstration of undeserving grace.

Some Christians try to rename the story “the loving father story” but when you look closely at all three of the primary characters – there are major flaws and brokenness in them all: the resentment of the older brother, the flippancy and extravagance of the younger brother, and the aloofness of the father. And we leave with the story unresolved – much like the struggles in our own lives, providing us an invitation to figure out how to end our story and estrangements.

We invite you to continue the conversation with friends and family, joining our in-person Convergence discussion group, or visiting our Patreon community where you can unlock more content and inspiration while engaging in online discussion. Here are some questions for you to ponder, as you continue to explore The Story of Love:

During this season of Lent, we have additional spiritual growth opportunities to help you explore The Stories that Save Us:

During this week’s Perspectives Pastors Podcast, Rev. Hannah and Rev. Brittany focus on the Story of Tranquility, as inspired by Matthew 8:23-27, the story of Jesus calming the storm – giving orders to the winds and the lake. It’s part of the multi-episode conversation the female pastors of First United Methodist Church have been having about The Stories That Save Us.

Through this digital Bible study, the two reverends give their perspective on how they would act if they were in the storm with Jesus and explain what they think this miracle story represents. They discuss:

We invite you to continue the conversation with friends and family, joining our in-person Convergence discussion group, or visiting our Patreon community where you can unlock more content and inspiration while engaging in online discussion. Here are some questions for you to ponder, as you continue to explore The Story of Tranquility:

During this season of Lent, we have additional spiritual growth opportunities to help you explore The Stories that Save Us:

During this week’s Perspectives Pastors Podcast, Rev. Hannah and Rev. Brittany focus on the Story of Tranquility, as inspired by Matthew 8:23-27, the story of Jesus calming the storm – giving orders to the winds and the lake. It’s part of the multi-episode conversation the female pastors of First United Methodist Church have been having about The Stories That Save Us.

Through this digital Bible study, the two reverends give their perspective on how they would act if they were in the storm with Jesus and explain what they think this miracle story represents. They discuss:

We invite you to continue the conversation with friends and family, joining our in-person Convergence discussion group, or visiting our Patreon community where you can unlock more content and inspiration while engaging in online discussion. Here are some questions for you to ponder, as you continue to explore The Story of Tranquility:

During this season of Lent, we have additional spiritual growth opportunities to help you explore The Stories that Save Us:

In this episode of Perspectives Pastors Podcast, the female pastors of the First United Methodist Church of San Diego continue their exploration of The Stories That Save Us – some of the favorite stories of the gospels. Today’s conversation is about The Story of Cooperation – inspired by the story of feeding of the multitude, the only miracle story that appears in all four gospels.

Rev. Trudy and Rev. Hannah look at the version that appears in the Gospel of John 6:1-14 (CEB) and the disciples’ initial dismissal of available contributions, stating the available food won’t be nearly enough to feed the crowd. But through Jesus’ love, leadership, and compassion, the assembled community bands together in cooperation to feed each other – an action that goes against our selfish nature.

Through this digital Bible study, the two female pastors discuss:

We invite you to continue the conversation with friends and family, joining our in-person Convergence discussion group, or visiting our Patreon community where you can unlock more content and inspiration while engaging in online discussion. Here are some questions for you to ponder, as you continue to explore The Story of Cooperation:

During this season of Lent, we have additional spiritual growth opportunities to help you explore The Stories that Save Us:

In this episode of Perspectives Pastors Podcast, the female pastors of the First United Methodist Church of San Diego continue their exploration of The Stories That Save Us – some of the favorite stories of the gospels. Today’s conversation is about The Story of Cooperation – inspired by the story of feeding of the multitude, the only miracle story that appears in all four gospels.

Rev. Trudy and Rev. Hannah look at the version that appears in the Gospel of John 6:1-14 (CEB) and the disciples’ initial dismissal of available contributions, stating the available food won’t be nearly enough to feed the crowd. But through Jesus’ love, leadership, and compassion, the assembled community bands together in cooperation to feed each other – an action that goes against our selfish nature.

Through this digital Bible study, the two female pastors discuss:

We invite you to continue the conversation with friends and family, joining our in-person Convergence discussion group, or visiting our Patreon community where you can unlock more content and inspiration while engaging in online discussion. Here are some questions for you to ponder, as you continue to explore The Story of Cooperation:

During this season of Lent, we have additional spiritual growth opportunities to help you explore The Stories that Save Us:

In this episode of Perspectives Pastors Podcast, Rev. Trudy and Rev. Brittany dive into Mark 2:1-12 – the story of the four men who bring a paralytic to Jesus … by lowering him through a roof. It’s a bold move that requires physical strength, courage, and strategic thinking. And the result is healing and a release from condemnation.

It’s a story of advocacy that the female pastors believe everyone can apply to their faith stories today.  to our spiritual stories today. They look at the story from multiple angles, talking about:

We invite you to continue the conversation with friends and family, joining our in-person Convergence discussion group, or visiting our Patreon community where you can unlock more content and inspiration while engaging in online discussion (head over to patreon.com/fumcsd to learn more!). Here are some questions for you to ponder, as you continue to explore The Story of Advocates:

During this season of Lent, we have additional spiritual growth opportunities to help you explore The Stories that Save Us:

In this episode of Perspectives Pastors Podcast, Rev. Trudy and Rev. Brittany dive into Mark 2:1-12 – the story of the four men who bring a paralytic to Jesus … by lowering him through a roof. It’s a bold move that requires physical strength, courage, and strategic thinking. And the result is healing and a release from condemnation.

It’s a story of advocacy that the female pastors believe everyone can apply to their faith stories today.  to our spiritual stories today. They look at the story from multiple angles, talking about:

We invite you to continue the conversation with friends and family, joining our in-person Convergence discussion group, or visiting our Patreon community where you can unlock more content and inspiration while engaging in online discussion (head over to patreon.com/fumcsd to learn more!). Here are some questions for you to ponder, as you continue to explore The Story of Advocates:

During this season of Lent, we have additional spiritual growth opportunities to help you explore The Stories that Save Us: