This Sunday’s Worship: September 29
(Sunday, September 29th At 11 AM, Hybrid Worship: In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture: Acts 2:1-4 and Acts 2:43-47
Sermon: You Know It’s The Holy Spirit When, led by Rev. Mark Harper
“The true power of the Holy Spirit is to yield power and thus demonstrate the gospel in unexpected ways, such as by raising up the powerless and voiceless.” -Soong-Chan Rah
This Sunday’s Worship: September 22
(Sunday, September 22nd At 11 AM, Hybrid Worship: In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture: James 3:13-18 and Mark 9:30-41
Sermon: Loving Our Way Out of Control, led by Rev. Mark Harper
“Nationalism is power hunger tempered by self-deception.”
-George Orwell, Notes on Nationalism
Worship Video and Audio, September 8 and 15
Links to the video and audio files of the online worship service held on Sunday, September 8 and 15, 2024, at the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church, are now available.
Photo by Katherine Conrad on Unsplash.
This Sunday’s Worship: September 15
(Sunday, September 15th At 11 AM, Hybrid Worship: In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture: Mark 24:13-21 and Acts 1:1-8
Sermon: Beyond Borders, led by Rev. Mark Harper
“Although nations may serve God’s purposes in history, the church which identifies the sovereignty of any one nation or any one way of life with the cause of God denies the Lordship of Christ and betrays its calling.” -The Confession of 1967 (PCUSA)
This Sunday’s Worship: September 8
(Sunday, September 8th At 11 AM, Hybrid Worship: In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture:Mark 1:16-20 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 27-31, 13:1-3
Sermon: Testimonies from Servant Leaders, led by Rev. Mark Harper
“The triune God gives to the congregation all the gifts of the gospel necessary to being the Church … In the life of the congregation, individual believers are equipped for the ministry of witness to the love and grace of God in and for the world. The congregation reaches out to people, communities, and the world to share the good news of Jesus Christ, to gather for worship, to offer care and nurture to God’s children, to speak for social justice and righteousness, to bear witness to the truth and to the reign of God that is coming into the world.” -Book Of Order of the PCUSA, G-1.01
Photo by Katherine Conrad on Unsplash
Adult Ed Series on Reparations in September
On Sunday mornings September 15 and 22 (with the possibility of extending a third week to September 29 if more time is needed) starting at 9:30 AM, we will be reading and discussing the September 2024 special edition of The Presbyterian Outlook magazine on reparations.
Worship Video and Audio, September 1
Links to the video and audio files of the online worship service held on Sunday, September 1, 2024, at the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church, are now available.
This Sunday’s Worship: September 1
(Sunday, September 1st At 10 AM, Hybrid Communion Worship: In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture: James 1:17-27 and Mark 7:1-2,5-8,14-23
Sermon: The Cult of Innocence by Pastor Mark Harper
“While we are made in the likeness of God, we are not God. We do not possess the authority to create truth – only to reflect it. God does not authorize us to dominate our neighbors. To do so is to dominate the image of God, to enact violence against God, to declare war on God. To be re-humanized is to stand down in the fight against God for supremacy.” -Lisa Sharon Harper
Welcome Back Potluck, September 8
To celebrate the beginning of another program year at Takoma Park Presbyterian Church and the return of worship to the regular 11 AM starting time, there will be a Welcome Back Potluck Dinner on Sunday, September 11 starting after worship in the TPPC Assembly Room.
Worship Video and Audio, August 25
Links to the video and audio files of the online worship service held on Sunday, August 25, 2024, at the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church, are now available.
Additional materials (slides, videos) related to the sermon are also available.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash.
Video and Audio Files for August 4th and 18th
Links to the video and audio of the worship services held on August 4th and 18th at TPPC are now available on the TPPC website.
Note that the recording for the service for August 11th had no sound track, so I have not made it available.
This Sunday’s Worship: August 25
(Sunday, August 4th At 10 AM, Hybrid Communion Worship: In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture: 11 Kings 8:1,7,10,22-23,41-43 and Ephesians 6:10-20
Sermon: Faith and Wonder by Peter Lukehart
“I believe the world will be saved by beauty.” - Fyodor Dostoevsky (and quoted often by Dorothy Day)
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
No Weekly Worship Blog Posts for the Next Two Weeks
There will be no worship blog post for the next two weeks. Worship blogs will resume for the service on Sunday, August 25.
This Sunday’s Worship: August 4
(Sunday, August 4th At 10 AM, Hybrid Communion Worship: In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:17-22,27-29 and Exodus 16:2-4,9-15
Sermon: What is It? by Pastor Mark Harper
“I will tell you something about stories … they aren’t entertainment. Don’t be fooled. They are all we have, you see, all we have to fight off illness and death.” -Leslie Marmon Silko
This Sunday’s Worship: July 28
(Sunday, July 28th At 10 AM, Hybrid Worship: In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture: Psalm 27:1-6 and Psalm 27:1-6
Sermon: There will be a hymn sing this Sunday.
“When spoken words are impossible or inadequate vessels, singing is a superpower, resonating through the body, shifting the atmosphere, and communicating beyond words … The power of singing and collaborative resistance are superpowers that we, in the 21st century, would do well to remember as we pursue the full realization of freedom and justice for all.” - Rev. Dr. Donna Cox
Photo by Josep Molina Secall on Unsplash
This Sunday’s Worship: July 21
(Sunday, July 21st At 10 AM, Hybrid Worship: In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture: Ephesians 2:11-22 and Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
Sermon: Fringe People by Pastor Mark Harper
“Right at the depth of the human condition lies the longing for a presence, the silent desire for a communion. Let us never forget that this simple desire for God is already the beginning of faith.” -Brother Roger of Taize
Photo by Guillaume QL on Unsplash
Worship Video and Audio, July 14
Links to the video and audio files of the online worship service held on Sunday, July 14, 2024, at the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church, are now available.
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash
This Sunday’s Worship: July 14
(Sunday, July 14th At 10 AM, Hybrid Worship: In-Person and Live-Streamed On Zoom)
Scripture: Psalm 85:8-13 and Mark 6:14-29
Sermon: Trapped by Pastor Mark Harper
“Well, it seems like I’ve fallen in your trap again;
And it seems like I’ll be wearing the same old pains;
But good must conquer evil and truth will set me free;
So you see that somewhere I have found the key;
Yes, you see that somewhere I have found the key.”
-Jimmy Cliff
Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash
Congregational Meeting Set for July 14
The Session has called a Congregational Meeting for Sunday, July 14, immediately following worship, for the sole purpose of electing The Session has called a Congregational Meeting for Sunday, July 14, immediately following worship, for the sole purpose of electing new officers.
Worship Video and Audio, July 7
Links to the video and audio files of the online worship service held on Sunday, July 7, 2024, at the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church, are now available.