Over this holiday weekend, my wife and I took our kids to a parade. There was nothing particularly spectacular about this parade, but there was one major thing that caught my eye. A local grocery store in our area (Dorthy Lane Market), had about 40 people in the parade, all in formation, doing a routine with umbrellas. The umbrella is almost like a Dorthy lane signature item (they are the only grocery store that will walk you to your car in the rain). As I watched them move and dance to the music, I thought about how great the exposure of this was to the hundreds, possibly thousands of people who watched the parade, and then I had to make a parallel; what can the church learn from this?

It hardly ever seems as if we are willing to make an impact where it matters most (with the people). Just because of the showing of this market, I am sure that many customers not only felt proud of their connection with this store, but potential customers now desired to come to the store. What does the body of Christ do in the marketplace that creates a desire in the sinner to come to the kingdom? What public display or showing of unity have we done that persuades the conversion from the store of the enemy to the store of the Lord?