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This Week’s Worship Preview
Message Preview
Last week was Ascension Sunday when we recounted Jesus ascending into heaven. Before Jesus was out of sight, he gave the disciples a fantastic job to do. They were to be his witnesses to the entire world, but only after they received power from the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to wait for the promised Holy Spirit. And while Pentecost Sunday celebrates the receiving of the Spirit as the birthday of the Church, featuring the bold, powerful color red, Pentecost originated as a Jewish holiday.
One thousand six hundred years before Jesus, Moses instructed the people to present their first harvest to God to say thanks. In Hebrew, it is called Shavuot (rhymes with “oat”), meaning “weeks,”—and so it is known as the Feast of Weeks. The Feast of Weeks occurs fifty days after Passover on the Hebrew calendar. By the time of Jesus, the Feast of Weeks was called Pentecost, derived from the Greek word for “fifty.”
In Leviticus 23, we see the connection between Passover and the Feast of Weeks when the Lord spoke to Moses. “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, when you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath, the priest shall wave it.” (23:9-11). The flame never went out.
Jesus was our Passover sacrifice on the cross. Three days later, Jesus rose triumphant over death! But there’s so much more. Fifty days after Easter, Jesus gave the Holy Spirit that power-lifted the followers of Jesus. The Spirit uplifted an already special day and transformed it into Power-Up Sunday. You won’t want to miss Pastor Kevin’s message and learn how to practice Pentecost every day using the 5-fold Pentecost Power-Up and Power-Up Your Life!
Music Preview
Barbara Cain will sing “Come People of the Risen King.” This music calls the church, both young and old, to rejoice in the risen King. Following the message, we will be singing On Pentecost They Gathered. You may recognize this hymn tune from Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Elijah.” During communion, we will enjoy Blessed Jesus, Living Bread. You may listen or join in singing.
We will conclude worship with the hymn Every Time I Feel the Spirit, an African-American spiritual dating to before the US Civil War. Contemporary artists and gospel music groups have frequently recorded the song.
An escaped enslaved person from Maryland named “Aunt” Mary Dines reported the earliest known performance of the song. She served as President Abraham Lincoln’s private cook and prepared meals for displaced enslaved people at Camp Barker. President Lincoln often passed by the Camp into and out of Washington, D.C. During the Civil War (1861–1865), musical performances by the residents included “Every time I feel the Spirit,” a favorite of the Lincolns. According to Dines, the President was moved to tears and returned to hear more singing on another day. PENTECOST is the name of the tune chosen by the United Methodist Hymnal (1989) editors. The syncopated music we sing today from the Presbyterian hymnals (PCUSA) uses an arrangement by Joseph T. Jones (1902–1983) from Great Day: Negro Spirituals (1961), adapted by Melva Wilson Costen for The Presbyterian Hymnal (1990).
“…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!
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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 our historic Red Brick Church on Sundays at 10:30 AM.
