It doesn't get better than this: seeing a bunch of delighted children's faces, eyes dancing, hands waving, laughter rolling as they pointed to the 3 church floats in Takoma Park's 4th of July Parade.
The Fish, the Gingerbread House, and Bob (the bobbing bird), made their debut at Baltimore's Kinetic Sculpture Race each of the last 3 years. And the float creators (who are members & friends of the church) shared them for the parade.
So our church won the top prize in the 4th of July Parade with the floats!
Do you see all the signs of grace?
Church members & friends designed the floats.
Recyclable materials made them.
Our neighborhood (PEN) help build it.
Lots of people helped pull, push, walk and pedal them.
The signs we carried in the parade spelled it out:
"Worship the Lord with Gladness!"
"Takoma Park Presbyterian Church: A Church for All People."
"Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord."
All of these are signs of grace…and show the power of whimsy.
A people filled with God create.
A people filled with God laugh.
A people filled with God play.
A people filled with God invite lots of others to play, too.
Is church allowed to be this fun??
"Joy is the surest sign of the presence of God." (Teilhard deChardin)
Maybe this is what Jesus meant when he said: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Mark Greiner
Takoma Park Presbyterian Church
Webmaster : Brian C. Monsell