What If God Is Calling Us to Speak? | Jeremiah 33, Crisis & Courage | Perspectives FUMCSD Pastors Podcast S4E4
Oct 11, 2026
Summary
When we're in the dark, God's word can still come to us … but it may be a hard, messy word. And sometimes, hearing that word means being willing to tell the truth about what we see around us, even if that hurts. In this episode of Perspectives, Revs. Trudy and Brittany turn to the prophet Jeremiah and ask what it means to listen for God when the message isn't easy, comforting, or what we want to hear.
Detail
When we're in the dark, God's word can still come to us … but it may be a hard, messy word. And sometimes, hearing that word means being willing to tell the truth about what we see around us, even if that hurts.
In this episode of Perspectives, Revs. Trudy and Brittany turn to the prophet Jeremiah and ask what it means to listen for God when the message isn't easy, comforting, or what we want to hear.
Jeremiah was called while he was young to deliver a difficult message to his people. His prophetic ministry involved truth-telling, resistance, suffering, and hope. And his story raises questions that still matter today.
In this conversation, the female pastors of First UMC San Diego explore:
- What young people can see and hear differently
- What it means to be called to speak a difficult truth
- Why churches sometimes avoid preaching from the prophets
- How Jeremiah 29:11is often taken out of its larger context
- Why using God as a scapegoat for suffering and injustice is dangerous
- How interpretations of scripture can be used to justify blame, exclusion, and Christian nationalism
- What “society is you” means for our agency and responsibility
- How prophets can take many forms, even outside of religious context
This episode wraps up our four-week series, “God Is Still Speaking: Listening in a Noisy World,” exploring what the voice of God might sound and look like in our lives today. Previous episodes explored God’s quiet nudges and whispers, dramatic interruptions and visions, and what we do when God seems silent.
Whether you're exploring progressive Christianity, deconstructing your faith, studying the Bible, pursuing justice, wrestling with theology, or simply asking honest questions about Scripture, we invite you to join the conversation.
Reflection Questions
- When life feels constricted, what can you do to look for something new emerging?
- Is God in any part of part bad news?
- What burns in your heart that you can’t keep to yourself?
Continue the Conversation
Connect with our faith community in person or online as you reflect on the themes of this episode:
- Convergence discussion group (Sundays at 12 PM)
- Join our Patreon community
Timestamps
00:00 God speaks in the darkness: Jeremiah's hard word
01:33 Jeremiah's call and the challenge of being young
06:52 “Society is you”: agency and responsibility
08:10 Jeremiah, the “weeping prophet,” and the cost of truth-telling
10:31 Why churches don't always preach the prophets
12:40 Jeremiah 29:11 and the problem with prosperity theology
16:27 When we use God as a scapegoat
17:08 Christian nationalism and the “chosen people”
24:38 Prophets today: paying attention to what is happening
28:48 Three questions for reflection
