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Monthly Archives

March 2022

2022-04-03 Hybrid Worship

By Intersections, Newsletters, Sermons

Rejoice! COVID-19 Restrictions Lifted!

Masks, facial coverings, and social distancing are no longer required to participate in worship services at the Red Brick Church, or in our offices and meeting rooms in Price Hall.

Now, let’s get together better and show God’s love to greater Cape May!

We are ready for you inside our historic, beautiful Red Brick Church or join us on YouTube Live!

Please download or view the Worship Guide that includes our worship and music previews, Scripture readings, prayers, community news, and much more! Click the link below.

Get Your Worship Guide (click here) with Scripture readings, music, and prayers. See our worship preview, below!

 

Worship Preview- Be a part of our dynamic community!

Gathering At the Lord’s Table

All are welcomed to Jesus’ table. Our in-person worshippers will be provided pre-packaged communion cups, which on-line worshippers may request by contacting the office. Or, choose the bread you prefer. For the cup, you may use grape juice or wine, or water, remembering that Christ is the Living Water for all.

Worship Preview

Everyone likes pleasant aromas. We like to smell good. We buy air fresheners for our cars, put them in shoes, and spray our pets. While some struggle with perfume allergies, consider how much money we spend on fragrances. According to recent data collected by Statista Research, almost 6 million Americans spent $300 or more to smell good last year. That’s a lot of perfume! We spend even more to make our homes smell good! The U.S. air freshener market exceeds $2 billion.

We have all seen the Febreze commercial where they blindfold people and lead them into disgusting, smelly places treated with Febreze. They ask them to say what they smell, which is nothing! Amazing! No matter what your house smells like the right product will not only neutralize the smell, but it will cover it right up, too.

In our Gospel reading, we will join Jesus at a party held in his honor at the home of his best friend, Lazarus. We can imagine how wonderful that meal may have smelled. Spices, oils, the savory food everyone enjoyed. Who doesn’t like the aroma of a great meal being prepared in the kitchen?!

While the meal was underway, out of nowhere, an alternate aroma filled the noses of the party-goers. “What’s that smell?” Turns out, Lazarus’s sister Mary spilled a strong, sweet-smelling perfume on Jesus’ feet wiping them with her hair as an expression of love and gratitude. Shocked, many criticized the extravagant waste of money the perfume represented. But Jesus praised her, reminding all of us that love, generosity, and kindness have an aroma all their own.

This week, we consider what spiritual aromas we represent to our family, friends, and community. Don’t Febreze away the good scents in your life Everywhere we go, people should breathe in the exquisite fragrance of Christ in us! Find out how to “Aromify Your Life In Christ.” Because of Christ in us, we give off a sweet scent rising to God!

Music Preview

Something Beautiful, sung today by Rev Larry Moyer, is a beautiful reminder by Bill and Gloria Gaither about how God can take all our dreams and hopes, which have crumbled into ashes, and turn them into something even better and more beautiful.

Gloria Gaither shares that the story came from their oldest child, Suzanne. One day she was painting and spilled some paint. Vigilantly she tried to clean up the mess. She told Gloria, “Oh, Mommy,” she sobbed, “I tried to make you something beautiful but look! I dropped some paint.” She heaved and caught her breath. “I tried to fix it, but it got worse and now just look!” The idea formed about how God can transform our lives and hearts from our messes.

Following the message, we will enjoy the music video Build My Life, singing of the love of Jesus and the firm foundation we have in His love. In uncertain times this rings especially true, for when we build our lives on Him and fill ourselves with His love, we will never be shaken. 

Our Communion video hymn is Blessed Jesus, Living Bread, and please sing along. Our sending hymn is The Lord Went to a Dinner to the tune of O Jesus, I Have Promised. 

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“…That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:18).

Whatever your religious affiliation, or none at all, we all hear Jesus say, “Come to me all who are overburdened, and find rest for your soul!” Everyone is welcomed at Cold Spring Church. Yes, everyone!

Enjoy sitting with others from greater Cape May as we worship together. We simplified our service and made it even easier to participate, with our Worship Guide and lyric videos displayed on a large screen.

Worship anytime on YouTube Live!
(click here)

No internet? No problem! If you don’t have internet access, just use our call-in number from your phone: +1 (929) 205-6099. Enter Meeting ID: 882-3154-2428 Password: 1714.

Physical distancing and masks are NOT required!

You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime. Feel free to share photos or text friends about what you are learning! Subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Energize your life and discover the amazing love of Jesus! This week is the perfect time to join us in person for worship. Enjoy live music and solo, lyric videos, and a message of hope from God’s word.

We are excited to welcome to worship all who are able and comfortable in-person in our historic Red Brick Church on Sundays at 10:30 AM.

2022-03-27 Hybrid Worship

By Intersections, Newsletters, Sermons

Rejoice! COVID-19 Restrictions Lifted!

Masks, facial coverings, and social distancing are no longer required to participate in worship services at the Red Brick Church, or in our offices and meting rooms in Price Hall.

Thank you for your diligence in following our safety protocols and requirements during the pandemic. It’s been a long wait for case counts and infection rates to decline, and vaccination rates to rise.

Now, let’s get together better and show God’s love to greater Cape May!

We are ready for you inside our historic, beautiful Red Brick Church or join us on YouTube Live!

Please download or view the Worship Guide that includes our worship and music previews, Scripture readings, prayers, community news, and much more! Click the link below.

Get Your Worship Guide (click here) with Scripture readings, music, and prayers. See our worship preview, below!

 

Worship Preview- Be a part of our dynamic community!

Worship Preview

Of all the stories Jesus told, one of our favorites is found in Luke 15, usually titled, The Prodigal Son. But Jesus’ narrative is far more than a story about one son. Taken in context as a script, Luke 15 is perhaps the first trilogy in the Bible. It includes strong characters, dramatic conflicts, and remarkable, even surprising resolutions. Did you realize that the term prodigal is not even in the biblical story? Why do we so readily condemn the younger son’s reckless, risky choices (not what prodigal means, anyway), forgetting entirely about the older son (he’s in the story, too)? This week, we will reconsider our assumptions about who the true prodigal was and our own tendencies to prematurely judge others. Powerfully reconnect to the power of God’s grace and extravagance in our lives.

Music Preview

Forgive Our Sins As We Forgive will be sung by Barbara Cain with Jayne McDonough at the piano. This hymn was written in June 1966 and printed soon afterward in the parish magazine of St. Mary’s Church, Bromley, Kent. The idea of the hymn had occurred to Miss Herklots when she was digging out weeds in her nephew’s garden. She reasoned that their deep roots obstructed the growth of the flowers near them. The roots reminded her of bitterness and resentment that can hinder our growth in grace.

“But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more” (Romans 5:20). These powerful words from the Apostle Paul are the springboard for the song His Mercy is More, our music video following the message. Co-writers Matt Boswell and Matt Papa use this Gospel concept to highlight the grace and mercy of our God that is always more! Greater than all our sins.

We conclude our worship experience singing The Love of Christ Jesus is Urging Us On. Sung to the tune of How Firm a Foundation, this hymn was written 10 years ago by Carolyn Gillette after hearing a sermon while attending a Bible conference. Faith is not just about believing; it’s about doing and showing God’s love.

“…That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:18).

Whatever your religious affiliation, or none at all, we all hear Jesus say, “Come to me all who are overburdened, and find rest for your soul!” Everyone is welcomed at Cold Spring Church. Yes, everyone!

Enjoy sitting with others from greater Cape May as we worship together. We simplified our service and made it even easier to participate, with our Worship Guide and lyric videos displayed on a large screen.

Worship anytime on YouTube Live!
(click here)

No internet? No problem! If you don’t have internet access, just use our call-in number from your phone: +1 (929) 205-6099. Enter Meeting ID: 882-3154-2428 Password: 1714.

Physical distancing and masks are NOT required!

You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime. Feel free to share photos or text friends about what you are learning! Subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Energize your life and discover the amazing love of Jesus! This week is the perfect time to join us in person for worship. Enjoy live music and solo, lyric videos, and a message of hope from God’s word.

We are excited to welcome to worship all who are able and comfortable in-person in our historic Red Brick Church on Sundays at 10:30 AM.

2022-03-20 Hybrid Worship

By Intersections, Newsletters, Sermons

Rejoice! COVID-19 Restrictions Lifted!

Masks, facial coverings, and social distancing are no longer required to participate in worship services at the Red Brick Church, or in our offices and meting rooms in Price Hall.

The Cold Spring Presbyterian Church session unanimously lifted our COVID-19 restrictions following the recommendations of the CDC and New Jersey health officials, in consultation with the Presbytery for Southern New Jersey. Come and worship, mask-free!

Thank you for your diligence in following our safety protocols and requirements during the pandemic. It’s been a long wait for case counts and infection rates to decline, and vaccination rates to rise.

Now, let’s get together better and show God’s love to greater Cape May!

We are ready for you inside our historic, beautiful Red Brick Church or join us on YouTube Live!

Please download or view the Worship Guide that includes our worship and music previews, Scripture readings, prayers, community news, and much more! Click the link below.

Get Your Worship Guide (click here) with Scripture readings, music, and prayers. See our worship preview, below!

 

Worship Preview- REsources foryour Lenten Adventure!

Everyone loves a good origin story, especially if it’s about food! While most of us grew up with Fig Newtons, did you know that it was the fig’s abundant vitamins that motivated a Philadelphia baker in 1851 to make a fig pastry? The first machine to produce enough fig pastries for wide distribution was invented in Newton, Massachusetts. To this day, Fig Newtons ranks among the most popular food treats! But more than just a delicious and nutritious snack, the fig tree is a frequent metaphor used in the Bible.

Figs feature first in the Garden in Eden. Could the tree planted in the middle of the Garden be a fig tree? Adam and Eve made coverings by sewing fig leaves together. In the Book of the Judges, there is even a story about a talking fig tree! (9:10-11). Fig trees were a sign of security and prosperity, too. Judgment was also represented by the fig tree, and a fig tree without fruit was compared to God’s people when they went their own way.

This week’s Gospel reading from Luke 13 features the fig tree that Jesus used in a parable to teach his followers about what it means to be his disciple. In the story, a particular fig tree Jesus passed by was not producing the expected fruit. But, instead of destroying the barren fig tree, the owner agreed to intervene and allow the fig tree to have one more year to produce fruit.

What intervention gave the fig tree (and us) hope to again produce good fruit? We will find out in the message this week, The Hopeful Fig Tree* (Fig Newton discipleship).

Music Preview

My Hope is Built on Nothing Less will be sung by Beverly Mate. This hymn reflects Jesus’ imagery that those who believe in him and act on that belief are like someone who builds a house on a rock. 

Following the message, our music video echos the beginning of our Old Testament reading from Isaiah 55:1-7. All Who Are Thirsty reminds us of the deep hunger and thirst for spiritual meaning in our lives. Filling that void, we would never be satisfied. But Jesus gives us the answer. Come Lord Jesus come! Come to Jesus, drink of him, believe in him, and he will satisfy us through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

We close our worship singing Hear the Good News of Salvation. This text was written by John B. Renville, the first Native American Dakota to be ordained to the Presbyterian ministry,. It was published in the Dakota hymnal he edited.

“…That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:18).

Whatever your religious affiliation, or none at all, we all hear Jesus say, “Come to me all who are overburdened, and find rest for your soul!” Everyone is welcomed at Cold Spring Church. Yes, everyone!

Enjoy sitting with others from greater Cape May as we worship together. We simplified our service and made it even easier to participate, with our Worship Guide and lyric videos displayed on a large screen.

Worship anytime on YouTube Live!
(click here)

No internet? No problem! If you don’t have internet access, just use our call-in number from your phone: +1 (929) 205-6099. Enter Meeting ID: 882-3154-2428 Password: 1714.

Physical distancing and masks are NOT required!

You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime. Feel free to share photos or text friends about what you are learning! Subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Energize your life and discover the amazing love of Jesus! This week is the perfect time to join us in person for worship. Enjoy live music and solo, lyric videos, and a message of hope from God’s word.

We are excited to welcome to worship all who are able and comfortable in-person in our historic Red Brick Church on Sundays at 10:30 AM.

2022-03-13 Hybrid Worship

By Intersections, Newsletters, Sermons

March 13, 2022:

Rejoice! COVID-19 Restrictions Lifted!

Masks, facial coverings, and social distancing are no longer required to participate in worship services at the Red Brick Church, or in our offices and meting rooms in Price Hall.

The Cold Spring Presbyterian Church session unanimously lifted our COVID-19 restrictions following the recommendations of the CDC and New Jersey health officials, in consultation with the Presbytery for Southern New Jersey. Come and worship, mask-free!

Thank you for your diligence in following our safety protocols and requirements during the pandemic. It’s been a long wait for case counts and infection rates to decline, and vaccination rates to rise.

Now, let’s get together better and show God’s love to greater Cape May!

We are ready for you inside our historic, beautiful Red Brick Church or join us on YouTube Live!

Please download or view the Worship Guide that includes our worship and music previews, Scripture readings, prayers, community news, and much more! Click the link below.

Get Your Worship Guide (click here) with Scripture readings, music, and prayers. See our worship preview, below!

 

Worship Preview- You’re invited to our Lenten Adventure!

A Lenten Gift for you

We are providing a special 2022 Lent Devotional Guide for you, your friends, family, and neighbors to use. Download the guide from our website, and share the love and light of Jesus, and the devotional, with others as we begin our journey! A limited number of printed copies are available in the Narthex.

Worship Preview

Whew! At last. We can finally remove the protective coverings from our faces. Masks kept us safe for almost two years of the pandemic. Thank God that scientists and health workers did not give up on developing protective vaccines, creating treatments, and urging all of us to do our part in keeping others safe. We owe a debt of gratitude to those who stayed with it. We stuck with safety protocols that brought us to this time. We remove our masks and joyfully return to Sunday worship in the Red Brick Church with cautious optimism. Come, and celebrate! But wait, there’s more!

We can grow weary in doing good. We are fatigued by the pandemic, wars, injustice of every kind, struggling to make ends meet as we try our best to hold things together. We have good news for you! This week see God’s staying power at work in the life of Abram, who was exhausted and desperate for something better. You will want to hear the pastor’s message about one of the most dramatic and shocking episodes recorded in the Bible! Be as astounded as Abram when he realized that God does not walk away. God does not leave the room. God keeps promises. No matter what!

Music Preview

As our Lenten adventure continues, we will enjoy the Rev. Larry Moyer singing “Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days,” written by English hymn writer Claudia Frances Hernaman. It is about the temptation of Jesus found in three Gospels. First published in 1873 in “The Child’s Book of Praise,” hymnals did not include it until 1964. By the 1970s, it became a popular hymn in most congregations in the United States.

Following the message, we will enjoy the music video “Pass the Promise,” a new anthem we hope everyone finds easy to sing. In 2020, musicians Keith and Kristyn Getty traced their journey back to Northern Ireland and the Scots-Irish-American roots of their hymn writing. That experience shaped the direction of their recent album, “Confessio—Irish American Roots,” which includes “Pass the Promise.” 

We conclude worship singing the first verse of “Be Still My Soul,” adding additional lyrics written by the Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette in response to the crisis in Ukraine. The song affirms our promise to love God and others as “We Pray for Peace.”

“…That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:18).

Whatever your religious affiliation, or none at all, we all hear Jesus say, “Come to me all who are overburdened, and find rest for your soul!” Everyone is welcomed at Cold Spring Church. Yes, everyone!

Enjoy sitting with others from greater Cape May as we worship together. We simplified our service and made it even easier to participate, with our Worship Guide and lyric videos displayed on a large screen.

Worship anytime on YouTube Live!
(click here)

No internet? No problem! If you don’t have internet access, just use our call-in number from your phone: +1 (929) 205-6099. Enter Meeting ID: 882-3154-2428 Password: 1714.

Physical distancing and masks are NOT required!

You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime. Feel free to share photos or text friends about what you are learning! Subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Energize your life and discover the amazing love of Jesus! This week is the perfect time to join us in person for worship. Enjoy live music and solo, lyric videos, and a message of hope from God’s word.

We are excited to welcome to worship all who are able and comfortable in-person in our historic Red Brick Church on Sundays at 10:30 AM.

2022-03-06 Hybrid Worship

By Intersections, Newsletters, Sermons

We are ready for you inside our historic, beautiful Red Brick Church or join us on YouTube Live!

Please download or view the Worship Guide that includes our worship and music previews, Scripture readings, prayers, community news, and much more! Click the link below.

Get Your Worship Guide (click here) with Scripture readings, music, and prayers. See our worship preview, below!

Whatever your religious affiliation, or none at all, we all hear Jesus say, “Come to me all who are overburdened, and find rest for your soul!” Everyone is welcomed at Cold Spring Church. Yes, everyone!

Enjoy sitting with others from greater Cape May as we worship together. We simplified our service and made it even easier to participate, with our Worship Guide and lyric videos displayed on a large screen.

Worship anytime on YouTube Live!
(click here)

No internet? No problem! If you don’t have internet access, just use our call-in number from your phone: +1 (929) 205-6099. Enter Meeting ID: 882-3154-2428 Password: 1714.

 

Worship Preview- You’re invited to the Lord’s Table as our Lenten Adventure begins!

A Lenten Gift for you

We are providing a special 2022 Lent Devotional Guide for you, your friends, family, and neighbors to use. Download the guide from our website, and share the love and light of Jesus, and the devotional, with others as we begin our journey! A limited number of printed copies are available in the Narthex.

Gathering At the Lord’s Table 

Our in-person worshippers will be provided pre-packaged communion cups, which on-line worshippers may request by contacting the office. Or, you choose the bread. For the cup, you may use grape juice or wine, or water, remembering that Christ is the Living Water for all.

Worship Preview

Why do so many Biblical heroes end up in the wilderness? While humanity started in a garden, Adam and Eve ended up in the wild. Jacob, Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist, and the Apostle Paul, to name a few, all had wilderness experiences, too. Oh, and of course, Jesus! Our Lenten Adventure begins with Jesus, where the wild things are. Yikes! But we will discover that God is present with us. Even when our happy plans are encroached upon by unexpected perils. Though our resources run out and unexpected obstacles make the way unbearable, God provides a way where there is no way. Do you ever feel you’re in the wilderness? Sure, we all do, at least from time to time. This Sunday, find wilderness tools for the Lenten Adventure. There is a place for you here! Let’s begin together. Welcome to your Lenten Adventure at Cold Spring Church.

Music Preview

Our worship experience this week features a solo by Beverly Mate titled “Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song.” Initially written in French, this text reflects the ministry of a religious community, the Little Sisters of Jesus, who work with people on the margins of society. This hymn is also loved by the Ark (L’Arche) communities who minister to differently-abled adults.

We will enjoy “As The Deer,” written in 1981, one of the most popular songs in the contemporary Christian musical (CCM) genre written by Martin J. Nystrom, a native of Seattle, Washington. After paraphrasing the first verse of Psalm 42, the song reflects on this passage, continuing in the first-person perspective of the psalm, inviting all of us to affirm: You alone are my heart’s desire, and I long to worship you.

As we celebrate around the Lord’s Table, we will sing “Blessed Jesus, Living Bread.” Our worship concludes with the Gospel reading set to the tune, “Lead On O King Eternal,” with the lyrics to the Carolyn Gillette hymn, “O Lord, the Spirit Led You.”

“…That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Eph. 3:18).

Physical distancing and masks are required, even for fully vaccinated worshippers. Thank you for helping us all stay safe.

You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime. Once you and your family are ready for worship at home, share the picture with us by posting to Facebook #ColdSpringChurch or Instagram #coldspringchurchnj. If you’re in the sanctuary, feel free to share photos or text friends about what you are learning! Subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Energize your life and discover the amazing love of Jesus! This week is the perfect time to join us in person for worship. Enjoy live music and solo, lyric videos, and a message of hope from God’s word.

We are excited to welcome to worship all who are able and comfortable in-person in our historic Red Brick Church on Sundays at 10:30 AM. Your safety, health, and wellness are our top priority. Following the guidance from the CDC and health officials, we have implemented safety protocols and designed an approximately forty-minute worship experience that will be spiritually energizing and safe for you, your family, and other worshippers.