2020-08-16 Worship Online

Worship Guide (v1) for August 16, 2020

Readings August 16, 2020

Children’s Worship Ages 4-7 for August 16, 2020

Children’s Worship Ages 8-12 for August 16, 2020

This week is the perfect time to join in our worship online. We simplified our online service and made it even easier to participate, and viewing does not require a Facebook account! Join the video stream on Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/coldspringchurch) or, if you don’t have internet access, use our New call in number: +1 (929) 205-6099. Enter Meeting ID: 875 2479 7260.

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, share the picture with us by posting to Facebook #ColdSpringChurch or Instagram #coldspringchurchnj. You may want to subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Worship and Message theme:

A horizontal view of the Cape May NJ lighthouse against a deep blue sky and fluffy white clouds.

Joy is this week’s worship theme. Through the weariness, uncertainty, and pain in our COVID-19 world, and ordinary life experiences, we can receive Jesus’ joy! From the joy of a family reunion when Joseph greeted his long lost brothers as told in Genesis, to our Psalm reading about unity, and the Gospel that captures the joy when Jesus heals the sick daughter of an uninvited lunchtime guest, there is joy in God’s presence. Joy was Jesus’ focus as he endured the cross. Joy is our experience as we trust in God. Without joy, we lack strength to live the abundant life. If you don’t have joy, Jesus will meet you right where you are and lift you up. Without joy in Christ, whether in-person, online, or out in the world, the church is empty of spiritual life. Discover joy this week as we worship online.

Restricted In-Person Worship To Resume September 20:

We anticipate that a restricted 30-minute in-person worship will resume on September 20. We are designing a hybrid worship experience to enjoy either online or in-person, whichever venue you feel most comfortable in. For the safety of our in-person worshippers, mask or face coverings and physical distancing protocols will be followed. Also, for the safety of everyone, there will be no congregational singing. Our online participants can enjoy the live 30-minute service that begins at 10:40 AM, preceded and followed by several music videos with lyrics. More details will follow.

Music Preview:

Our worship begins with Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee, a resounding tune based on Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. One morning, casually sitting down to breakfast, hymn writer Henry Van Dyke handed a text to the president of Williams College and said, “Here is a hymn for you. The Berkshire Mountains were my inspiration. It must be sung to Beethoven’s ‘Hymn to Joy.’” Our second selection is The Blessing inspired by the priestly blessing found in Numbers 6:23-27. This song has been sung online simultaneously with the aim of spreading hope and encouragement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020-08-09 Worship Online

Worship Guide (v1) for August 9, 2020

Readings August 9, 2020

Children’s Worship Ages 4-7 for August 9, 2020

Children’s Worship Ages 8-12 for August 9, 2020

This week is the perfect time to join in our worship online. We simplified our online service and made it even easier to participate, and viewing does not require a Facebook account! Join the video stream on Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/coldspringchurch) or, if you don’t have internet access, use our New call in number: +1 (929) 205-6099. Enter Meeting ID: 875 2479 7260.

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, share the picture with us by posting to Facebook #ColdSpringChurch or Instagram #coldspringchurchnj. You may want to subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Worship and Message theme:

What kinds of storms do you face? Recently, Tropical Storm Isaias devastated parts of our region. Tragic explosions rocked Beirut. COVID-19 deaths and cases are rising. Storms are dangerous. We always ask God to calm the storms. There are other storms we face, too. Emotional storms. Economic storms. Spiritual storms. Storms can also look like chaos, confusion, and complexity. Though God does not calm every storm, Jesus can calm us in every storm. This week, who will you invite into your “boat” when you’re stuck in the storms you face? Find out how Jesus is ready to enter the boat of your life, your family, your community, your church, and future. It’s time to experience calm in the storm.

Music Preview:

Worship begins with a powerful hymn of praise titled Raise A Hallelujah, a song of prayer for all those affected by COVID-19. It was written by Jonathan & Melissa Helser in 2013 as they prayed for a friend’s critically ill child. Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) is a 2013 song by Australian worship group, Hillsong United that tells the story of today’s Gospel lesson. Oceans was the #1 Christian song of the last decade on the Billboard music Hot Christian Songs Chart. We close the service with a well-loved Fanny Crosby hymn written in 1872, To God Be The Glory, first Introduced at a London Crusade in 1954 by Billy Graham.

2020-08-02 Worship Online

Worship Guide (v1) for August 2, 2020

Readings August 2, 2020

Children’s Worship Ages 4-7 for August 2, 2020

Children’s Worship Ages 8-12 for August 2, 2020

This week is the perfect time to join in our worship online. We simplified our online service and made it even easier to participate, and viewing does not require a Facebook account! Join the video stream on Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/coldspringchurch) or, if you don’t have internet access, use our New call in number: +1 (929) 205-6099. Enter Meeting ID: 875 2479 7260.

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, share the picture with us by posting to Facebook #ColdSpringChurch or Instagram #coldspringchurchnj. You may want to subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Worship and Message theme:

Hello.

Thank you for taking time to read this edition of Connections! You will find useful resources for Sunday’s worship online as we give thanks for God’s abundant blessings in our COVID-19 pandemic world. Our text this week recalls the only miracle of Jesus that is included in all four Gospels when a huge crowd was extravagantly fed. Does God meet your needs? Are you experiencing Jesus’ compassion? What do you have to offer Jesus for him to bless and use to feed others? Maybe you’re experiencing compassion fatigue. As God meets our needs, there’s even more God wants to do!

Music Preview:

We will enjoy new Countdown music titled Praise Is Rising. Worship begins with a traditional hymn, I Stand Amazed, How Marvelous, followed by a favorite, I Need Thee Every Hour. We return to our communion hymn, All Who Are Thirsty as we gather at the Lord’s Table. Worship Online concludes with the priestly blessing found in Numbers 6:23-27 put to music in the The Blessing. This song has been sung online simultaneously with the aim of spreading hope and encouragement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Worship Guide (v1) for July 26, 2020

Readings July 26, 2020

Notes to Share for July 26, 2020

Children’s Worship Ages 4-7 for July 26, 2020

Children’s Worship Ages 8-12 for July 26, 2020

This week is the perfect time to join in our worship online. We simplified our online service and made it even easier to participate, and viewing does not require a Facebook account! Join the video stream on Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/coldspringchurch) or, if you don’t have internet access, use our New call in number: +1 (929) 205-6099. Enter Meeting ID: 875 2479 7260.

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, share the picture with us by posting to Facebook #ColdSpringChurch or Instagram #coldspringchurchnj. You may want to subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Message Preview:

Hello.

When have you felt God’s love even in the midst of a really difficult time? How was God’s love made real to you? Like archeologists of the holy, this week’s Scripture readings from Matthew 13 and Romans 8 will help us excavate our spiritual landscapes for things of worth and resources that help us re-discover God’s presence in our COVID-19 experience. 

God’s mercies are new every morning, even COVID-19 mornings. We can re-discover what is truly valuable: people, relationships, creation, beauty, mercy, truth, kindness, joy, love, faith. All things, God says, work together for the good. “That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good” (Romans 8:28). What good can possibly come from something so atrocious and painful as a world pandemic? We can re-discover that God is in the business of turning sadness to joy. We can re-discover spiritual wellness, and the intersection of faith and science. We can re-discover that church is not an indoor place but an outdoor activity of God’s people. We can re-discover Jesus’ (and our) ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing. We can re-discover the mandate of caring for others. We can re-discover home.

I hope to see you Sunday for Worship Online when we Re-Discover God’s Goodness in a COVID-19 World.

Pastor Kevin

Music Preview:

Our worship includes our weekly musical selections offered by Jayne McDonough at our grand piano and a beautiful solo by the Rev. Larry Moyer. We will also enjoy two other inspiring hymns, Graves Into Gardens, and It Is Well With My Soul (When Peace Like A River).

In March 2020, artists Brandon Lake, Chris Brown, Steven Furtick, and Tiffany Hammer of Elevation Music wrote Graves Into Gardens in response to our COVID-19 pandemic world that is causing unimaginable pain, anxiety, and fear with its spiritual, emotional, physical, financial, and social traumas. God accepts and loves us just as we are and delivers treasures of resources to discover. Let’s sing the fantastic news that God turns our graves into gardens, bones into armies, and overwhelming seas into highways of hope. Only God can do that!

Our second hymn, It Is Well With My Soul (When Peace Like A River) offers comfort when things go horribly wrong. In 1873, Horatio Spafford sent his wife and four daughters on a ship to a vacation in France, planning to join them later. Tragically, of his family, only his wife survived. Taking the next boat over, as he passed the spot where the ship went down, he began to write, “When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll,” drawing comfort and assurance from Christ in times of physical and spiritual crisis, offering us hope today. His friend Philip Bliss composed the tune that will lift our spirits.

Last Week’s Service July 12,2020

Worship Guide (v1) for July 19, 2020

Readings July 19, 2020

Notes to Share for July 19, 2020

Children’s Worship Ages 4-7 for July 19, 2020

Children’s Worship Ages 8-12 for July 19, 2020

This week is the perfect time to join in our worship online. We simplified our online service and made it even easier to participate, and viewing does not require a Facebook account! Join the video stream on Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/coldspringchurch) or, if you don’t have internet access, use our New call in number: +1 (929) 205-6099. Enter Meeting ID: 875 2479 7260.

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, share the picture with us by posting to Facebook #ColdSpringChurch or Instagram #coldspringchurchnj. You may want to subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Hello friends,

Last week, we re-discovered the joy of planting seeds. We were delighted that many shared photos of their outside and countertop gardens from herbs to vegetables to beautiful flowers. One person shared their garden of garlic! Remember, the joy is in the planting!

But, we can become impatient and disappointed when we don’t see growth or an immediate return on our planting effortss. We think its our God-given job to judge whether what we see is a weed or plant. Unilaterally we emotionally, spiritually, physically, or metaphorically take out, prune, sort, even burn what we’ve judged unworthy. Even though it seems counter-intuitive to let everything in the garden grow up together, there will be a harvest. Its not our garden. Its God’s garden and God does the sorting.

In a culture in which we constantly accuse, condemn, complain, sort and label, value or discard, Jesus’ message is radical (literally, down to the roots). What is that person wearing? What accent do they have? When with that person shape up? What is the color of their skin? What kind of house do they live in? What are they driving and what does their bumper sticker say? What church do they attend or not? What news network do they watch? So by our “weeding” we bluntly tell God, “I’m going to pull up the weeds. You’re welcome!” Its God’s garden and God does the sorting.

Our assessments and assumptions are often completely wrong and when we act on them, they are often utterly destructive to the entire ecosystem and will alienate us from one another and at worst kill each other.

This week, let’s agree to stop pulling weeds. Let’s take joy in planting seeds that will grow and nurture others. Its God’s garden. Enjoy!

Sincerely,

Pastor Kevin

Last Week’s Service July 05,2020

Worship Guide (v1) for July 12, 2020

Readings July 12, 2020

Notes to Share for July 12, 2020

Children’s Worship Ages 4-7 for July 12, 2020

Children’s Worship Ages 8-12 for July 12, 2020

This week is the perfect time to join in our worship online. We simplified our online service and made it even easier to participate, and viewing does not require a Facebook account! Join the video stream on Facebook Live (www.facebook.com/coldspringchurch) or, if you don’t have internet access, use our New call in number: +1 (929) 205-6099. Enter Meeting ID: 875 2479 7260.

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, share the picture with us by posting to Facebook #ColdSpringChurch or Instagram #coldspringchurchnj. You may want to subscribe to our weekly Connections email newsletter. Sign up here!

Hi friends,

Thank you for taking a few minutes to read this week’s issue of Connections. As loving, thoughtful neighbors, we continue safe physical distancing, wear our masks, and wash our hands. My message this week is about the Great Gospel Give-Away. We find Jesus in a boat telling a huge beach crowd the story of the sower of the seeds. Jesus reminds us not to worry about the harvest we see around us, and not be picky and only plant seeds of hope where we think the receiver is worthy. The rocks and thorns and birds, the weather, the natural disasters, the convergence of historical events, COVID-19, are out of our control. We must not hoard the blessings but cheerfully give to all. Everywhere. Thank you for being a Good News-sower. Let’s keep sowing, regardless of all the circumstances inhospitable to the harvest. God gives the increase. Keep sowing! Give the Good News Gospel away!

Sincerely,

Pastor Kevin