Weekly News
April 10, 2026
Rev. Rebecca’s Note - Easter Is a Whole Season!
Important as Easter Sunday is to us, Jesus’ resurrection is so much more than a one-day thing. Liturgically it’s an entire season, a whole 50 days between Easter Sunday and Pentecost for us to spend time considering what Jesus and his resurrection - that is to say, that he was raised from the dead - means to us, the church, and the world at large.
When it comes to resurrection, what so many of us are familiar with are two things: what we have presented to us in the Gospels, and popular cultural representations of the meaning of resurrection, which is generally portrayed as some sort of literal/spiritual bodily resurrection until Jesus is swept up to heaven. From there a lot of us tend to be content to call the whole darn thing a mystery and leave it at that.
And yet this is one of those parts of Jesus’ life where the biblical telling of the story is such a weird departure from what we understand about biology and physics that leaving this crux of our faith solely to the realm of mystery does it and us a disservice, so let’s take a mini deeper dive into resurrection with our friends and colleagues who study the historical Jesus and related subjects. For each week of the Easter season we’ll explore a facet of this.
Our goal is not to prove or disprove anything; real faith isn’t built on who won this or that argument; it’s to present what we know of Jesus, especially with what’s in the Bible, literal facts, and what we can know and understand of the sociopolitical and religious environments of which he was a part, and in light of our previous and current understandings of these things, figure out what his resurrection means to us and our faith.
So for this week, let’s begin with some context around the idea of resurrection, particularly as it applies to Jesus. Stephen Patterson gives us some helpful information about how resurrection was seen in Jesus’ time. “...the fundamental existential concern [around resurrection] is always the same: what happens to just and righteous people done in by a world full of injustice? … Resurrection, as vindication, presupposes only that a righteous person has been killed in faithfulness to a divine cause. … Resurrection is the vindication of a life lost to the forces of injustice in the world. To the extent that Jesus’ followers embraced his life as God’s own work, the resurrection proclamation would have arisen quite naturally as the appropriate Jewish response to his untimely death.” (p 220)
As Patterson puts it, “The resurrection is an event that, for Christians, in reality did happen. But the reality in which one can speak of such things at all is not historical reality. Rather, it belongs to those realities we call the transcendent. The claim that God raised Jesus from the dead is not presented in the New Testament as a historical reality, but as a rupture in history. … The resurrection is presented as God’s breaking into history in order to redeem a life prematurely ended by historical forces and, in so doing, to redeem history itself from its demonic rebellion against the God made known in that gracious, gentle life.” (p 238)
What does your understanding of Jesus' resurrection mean for you and your faith?
Source:
Patterson, Stephen. The God of Jesus: The Historical Jesus and the Search for Meaning. Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 1998.
- Rev. Rebecca
Think+Pray+Act Launch and Rev. Rebecca Installation
Can you believe we’ve been meeting as a faith community for over a year now? And while we’re still new, now that we’re in our new space at 2725 S Jefferson Ave, it’s time to celebrate that we’re here and the pastoral leadership of Rev. Rebecca with our official church launch and installation of Rev. Rebecca as our pastor. Expect a Spirited time with some hilarity, profundity, and of course food and general festivity. If you can make it, please RSVP to [email protected]. Hope to see you on April 11, 12:30pm at 2725 S Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, MO 63118!
Even if you weren’t able to make it on Saturday, please fill out our survey on activities and times by this Friday, March 27 (https://forms.gle/JrLpi4wZvge3QcGF9) to help us set priorities and schedules for the rest of this year. Thanks!
The Board’s Note - Think+Pray+Act’s Monthly Fund Drive
Dear TPA Community,
We are a community of people who support the various aspects of the Think Pray Act’s mission and programs. We are an open and affirming faith community that strives to maintain open and free theological learning as an act toward justice. And during the coming year, we are excited to to roll out new programs and envision even more opportunities arising as we work within the local community and public theology community. After over a year or so of TPA running regularly, it’s time to start talking about monetary support.
As the moderator, I’m going to ask you several times this year to give to TPA’s general fund. While we have a new church start-up grant, it does not last forever, and we need income sources. If you can give one time or many, we appreciate your support.
Our monthly goal is to reach $1,000 incoming funds. We will be pursuing other means, including renting our space to local groups, passing a basket or the QR code during our times together, and for people to consider a monthly donation. A monthly donation, no matter how big or small, will help us maintain some stability. Having said that, be prepared for some activities and fundraising efforts (I am not a baker, so someone else can do the bake sale). We will try to keep it light-hearted and fun, because while it’s about paying the electric bill, it’s also about practicing who we are. In it, “We promise to love our neighbors, respect differences, and build authentic relationships by learning who we are, taking just action, and breaking bread together.” Thank you for being part of such an authentic and alternative new faith community!
With God’s grace and peace,
Regan
TPA Online - Drawing All Things to God in Easter
Our Online Spiritual Group, Drawing All Things to God: , will go on through the whole Easter season and beyond. You are welcome to join us anytime. We will have a brief spiritual practice and a video of the author reflecting on an idea for us to discuss and reflect upon together.
| Join us on Sunday Nights at 6 pm For the Online Spiritual Group about Drawing All Things to God Sign Up Here for the Link! |
There is so much we can say about Jesus - and much has been said about Jesus, who is the center of our Christian faith! But who is he, really, and what does he really mean to us? As we’re in the 50-day Easter season, in this series we consider who he is through video, discussion, and spiritual practices. See you online!
South City Youth Group Meeting
Think+Pray+Act is part of the South City Youth Group for grades 6-12 with Compton Heights Christian Church, St. John’s Episcopal Church, and Oak Hill Presbyterian Church! The youth group meets on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month - the next meeting is on April 19 from 5-6:30pm volunteering for Earth Day at McDonald Park!
What’s Next
| April 12-18 | Daily Bible Reading Samuel 9-10 - 21-22 |
| Sat, April 11, 5pm Schroer Commons, Eden Seminary 475 E Lockwood AveSt. Louis, MO 63119 Register at: https://www.mcustlouis.org | MCU Trivia Night Join us for an evening of Earth Day trivia fun! Show your support for environmental work in our community, have fun, and maybe learn a thing or two. |
| Sun, April 12, 6pm Online | T+P+A Online: Drawing All Things to God Exploring how Jesus’ teachings point us to connected ways of living in relationship to God, each other, and our embodied existence on earth. |
| Sun, Apr 19, 5-6:30pm Amen House4111 Connecticut St, StL 63116 | South City Youth Group meeting: Earth Day Volunteering at McDonald Park Middle schoolers and high schoolers are invited to work together to get McDonald Park ready for Earth Day! |
| Sun, April 19, 6pm Online | T+P+A Online: Drawing All Things to God Exploring how Jesus’ teachings point us to connected ways of living in relationship to God, each other, and our embodied existence on earth. |
| Sat, April 25, 12:30pm Think+Pray+Act2725 S Jefferson Ave, StL, 63118 | T+P+A Gathering: Easter: More Than a Day! Why is Easter a whole liturgical season and not just a day in the life of the church? We’ll delve into the meaning of this. |
| Sun, April 26, 6pm Online | T+P+A Online: Drawing All Things to God Exploring how Jesus’ teachings point us to connected ways of living in relationship to God, each other, and our embodied existence on earth. |
Welcome to Think+Pray+Act! We are an open and affirming faith community that strives to maintain open and free theological learning as an act toward justice. We welcome all spirit seekers into full participation in the life and membership of the community. We actively and faithfully accept as they are people of every race, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, ethnicity, relationship status, physical and mental ability, family type, and economic background.
We believe God calls us to do justice and love kindness, giving assistance and healing to others and the planet by following the teachings of Jesus. We promise to love our neighbors, respect differences, and build authentic relationships by learning who we are, taking just action, and breaking bread together. In our actions, God’s love moves and shines.
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2725 S Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, MO 63118
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