Perspectives Pastors Podcast, Season 2, Episode 26: The Stories That Save Us – The Story of Cooperation
Mar 23, 2025
Summary
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.
Detail
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:
- The potential impact of a community-centered life
- The purpose of the miracle stories and how to interpret them when you have a scientific mindset
- The role of prophets as Divine perspective of human events
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:
- What do you think about the miracle stories in the Gospels?
- What is the difference between sharing a meal and feeding the thousands?
- What is the most impactful experience of cooperation that you’ve witnessed?
During this season of Lent, we have additional spiritual growth opportunities to help you explore The Stories that Save Us:
- Free Journal: Finding Your Stories of Faith – continue investigating each week’s scripture with guided prompts that help you uncover your personal faith stories.
- Book Study: Wholehearted Faith – Join the FUMCSD pastors in reading the stories of Rachel Held Evans as she wrestled with faith. Then join or host a watch party to hear Revs. Trudy, Hannah, and Brittany’s thoughts and hear the thoughts of those around you.
- Community Gathering: The Stories That Save Us – Live in San Diego? Join us in person to reflect on your Lent experience.
