Cold Spring Church
780 Seashore Road
Cold Spring, NJ 08204 USA
609-884-4065
“Make your motions and cast your votes, but God has the final say”(Proverbs 16:33, MSG).
Who will you vote for on election day? Voting has become one of the most polarizing issues in the country. We are often quick to describe our opinion on an issue by criticizing or dismissing others who express alternate views. There are over 71,000 registered voters in Cape May County, and ballots cast totaled 59%. Voting is an essential opportunity for every eligible citizen to participate in civic conversation.
The Gallup Pole folks say that year in and year out, we vote when the issues matter to us. What matters to you?
When we vote for the candidates of our choice, we are making a statement about ourselves.
“My vote doesn’t matter!” is a myth because it denies the value we place on ourselves, and intrinsically possess. If we choose not to vote and not participate in the structures of government whether at City Hall or the local church, we make a statement about how much we value our own ideas. Your ideas matter!
Those who refuse to accept the responsibility to be involved implicitly cast a vote about their own self-worth by their silence in the election process. Make every effort to participate.
The implication of our form of government (United States as well as Presbyterian) is that we all have something to offer. We may not all be as loud or (better) articulate as the next person, but let’s not forget that we are all created to be communicators of ideas, and creators of possibilities. That’s what Cold Spring Presbyterian Church represents to. The greater Cape May community, possibilities that are empowered by the Spirit as we follow Jesus Christ.
According to Peter Block writing about building thriving neighborhoods, “the core question is this: What is the means through which those of us who care about the whole community can create a future for ourselves that is not just an improvement, but one of a different nature from what we now have?” (Peter Block, Community, 2008, p 33).
Our ideas and perspectives are full of value! We are created in the image of God. We can choose to be creative in expressing our own uniqueness at home, and the office, at church, in the community, when we participate with others. We make a positive statement that we are important, our community is important, and we have something to say when we vote. Over the past few years more and more of us are volunteering, offering gifts, getting involved in ways that matter to them, and the community is noticing. More and more people are finding resources they really want from our community of faith. Thank you for participating in God’s mission to Energize Spirits and Transform Lives!
What you think about yourself is the bottom line. “Will you be at the polls Tuesday?” And after Election Day, how will you get more involved to be an even greater blessing to others around you?!
Pay attention to the issues and the candidates who are vying for political leadership. Take time for living the life Jesus invites us all to enjoy by gettin involved in any way you can. Vote for yourself, then for the candidates of your choice. Let others know you take your ideas seriously. I do.
Pastor Kevin
A Service of Witness to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and A Celebration of the Life of Robert E. Rhoads, 1949 – 2019
The Rev. Dr. Kevin Yoho, Officiant, Transformation Pastor
Prelude: Ms. Jayne McDonough, organist
Welcome Rev. Dr. Kevin Yoho
Gathering Music: Offered by Damien and Nathan Cwik
The Times They Are a Changing (Bob Dylan)
That’s Just the Way It Is (Bruce Hornsby)
Scripture Readings: Ecclesiastes 3:1-4, Isaiah 40:28-31
Music: Amazing Grace Offered by the Grandchildren
Accompanied by Randy Wehry
Remembrances
The Lord’s Prayer: (debts/debtors)
* Congregational Singing: #341 (blue) Blessed Assurance, Accompanied by Randy Wehry
Scripture Readings: Psalm 23, John 14:1-6
Music: Rock of Ages Randy Wehry
Scripture Readings: Isaiah 64:8, Ephesians 2:8-10
Music: How Great Thou Art Randy Wehry
Meditation- The Singer and the Song, Pastor Kevin
Psalm 98:1, 4, 8; Luke 18:39-41
* Congregational Singing: #223 (red) It Is Well With My Soul, Accompanied by Randy Wehry
Prayer and Benediction
Postlude: Ms. Jayne McDonough, organist
At the conclusion of this service, you are invited to the committal service in Cold Spring Cemetery, and luncheon following at West Cape May Fire Hall, 732 Broadway, Cape May, NJ 08204
Thank you for being a neighbor! The fifteen minutes it takes to enjoy this message may forever change the way you look at our shore visitors! What makes a good neighbor? Are you one!? What kind of neighbor are you? Let’s consider the new neighbors we will welcome to our worship, our streets and neighborhoods, our beaches, this Summer!
Four Summer Conversations:
- Have you always lived here in Cape May? Awesome. If so, you’re a Remainer. How did you decide to stay in this neighborhood? Did you stay because of work? Maybe a family fishing business? Landscaping? Farming? Have you briefly lived in any other places? What keeps you here?
- Were you born somewhere else? Super. You’re a Relocator. Where did you move from? Did you move from an urban area? (Perhaps Philadelphia?) Or, did you move here from a Suburban, or Rural community? Why did you choose to move to this neighborhood?
- Or, maybe, you were born here, but moved away, but moved back later in life. That makes you a Returner. How old were you when you left our neighborhood the first time? Where did you first move to and why? What caused you to move back to this neighborhood? Before coming back, where did you move from? Would you characterize where you moved from as Suburban? Rural? Urban?
- Are you a seasonal visitor? Then you’re a Retreater, someone who is vacationing on a seasonal retreat for a day, weekend, week, or all Summer long. How did you choose Cape May as a place of retreat? Have you vacationed here before, or is this your first time? What are your lasting Cape May memories you take home to share?
Let’s create welcoming conversations at the shore this Summer. Engage people you meet with an open and inquisitive spirit. Have fun by discovering whether those you meet are a Remainer, Relocator, Returner, or Retreater. And this Sunday, find out something really amazing about Lydia, who most mistakenly regarded as the first European believer in Jesus. She wasn’t from Europe! With the Apostle Paul, we can become a strategic neighbor and improve our cultural humility as he did when he had Conversations At the Shore.
Memorial Day reminds us of the women and men who loved this country so much, that they did whatever it took to keep us safe, but sadly for them and their families, gave their lives for our freedoms. One day, Jesus told the people who followed him how to be a good friend: (John 15:13-15 The Message (MSG))
“Put your life on the line for your friends. …I’ve named you friends…”
What does it take to be a best friend? Honesty. Acceptance. Caring. Trustful. Loyal. Right!
What do you look for in a friend? Same qualities. Correct. God is amazing in blessing us with friends. Whether we have one, or ten, God did not put us on the plant to be alone. We have parents, grandparents, great-grand parents. The list goes on and on.
Jesus is our friend. But even cooler, he calls us friends. That means we can be honest with Jesus. Know he accepts us. He cares for us. He can be trusted with anything. And everything! Jesus will never desert us. He is loyal. And remember, Jesus gave his life he loved us so much, so we could live an abundant life following him, and joy now, and in the life to come.
Let’s give God thanks for women and men who protect our freedoms, and for Jesus who gave himself to give us life everlasting, who calls us to be a friend to other’s too.
Memorial Service May 23, 2019 • 11:00 AM
Rev. Dr. Kevin Yoho, pastor
Ms. Carol Obligado, organist
Ms. Barbara Cain, soloist
A Service of Witness to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and
A Celebration of the Life of Betsy Crosby
March 14, 1927 to May 3, 2019
Prelude:
Gathering and Welcome
Music: Precious Lord, Take My Hand Scripture Readings:
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
Isaiah 40:28-31
John 14:1-6
Psalm 23 (responsive reading)
Hymn #280 (blue) Amazing Grace
Remembrances
The Lord’s Prayer: (debts/debtors)
Meditation- The Giver’s Joy 2 Corinthians 9:6-7
* Hymn #525- (blue) Here I Am, Lord
Prayer and Benediction
Postlude:
Experience our Historic Ancestors Walk and discover for yourself why stories from the past can create a new future of possibilities for you and your family!
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We do like thinking that life is simple. We often prefer thinking Binary. Off/On. Good/Bad. Right/Wrong. Sacred/Secular. Rich/Poor, Republican/Democrat. American/Foreigner. Male/Female. Believer/Atheist. Light/Dark.
Even as small children, we looked at life through safe/danger absolutes. Consider the things that go bump in the night. That is what scares us when we are children. And the same panic can continue as a fear factor throughout our adult lives. It is the same fear that makes possible all those awful “teenage slasher” movies, zombie stalker sagas, and all the ghost stories you ever heard around a campfire. Our childhood insecurities, and the need for us to somehow divide the world into a “safe” (day) and a “scary” (night), is a way to manage the chaos and unexpected outcomes that are part of daily living. We can tell out kids, there is nothing “bad” out there at night that is not present in the day. God created the world and said it was all good. The world of day and the world of night are the same world. The world created by the divine does not know the difference between night and day. God’s presence is always and everywhere, even when the world looks dark and scary, not just when the world looks sunny and bright.
The amazingly diverse world and God’s abiding presence is behind the text in this week’s reading from Acts. Peter, who had already been preaching to the Gentiles about Jesus, is criticized by those who believe in Jesus as the Christ, but still cling to their unique Jewish identity (Kosher/Unholy). One of the hardest things for some of the earliest disciples of Jesus to learn was that our identity does not come from family or ancestry, gender or race, or the foods we eat, but from our relationship with Christ. It is still one of the hardest things disciples of Jesus are still trying to get right: Having the capacity to see the spectrum, the continuum of life experience that reflects the range of God’s beautiful creation.
A continuum of choices applies to our diets, as well. For example, many years ago I decided a great way to become healthier was to adjust my diet to reduce carbohydrates. Even without carbs, there are so many choices that contribute to my wellness. (Recently, I became aware of a very useful chart for those following a Keto lifestyle at Ketogenic Supplemental Reviews. It shows the incredible range of food choices that optimize the low-carbohydrate diet.)
In the first century “binary” world of good/bad, kosher/forbidden food choices, Jesus spoke of whole life wellness and a continuum of choices. To dine with someone with a different background was to suggest that there was also a spiritual union as well. For a Jew in the First Century, to dine with a Gentile suggested that you approved and participated in their pagan practices. Eating with outsiders was not just a breach of protocol, it was a break with hundreds of years of tradition. That is, until Jesus shows us the depth of God’s Table of abundance. Are you hungry for some new spiritual food? You will want to join us on Sunday as we consider Jesus’ New Whole World Diet.
How do you make decisions? Make choices? Do you like hamburgers? Well, if you liked hamburgers, it would be pretty simple to choose a hamburger is the choices were, 1. You want a hot dog?, or 2. You want a hamburger? Which would you choose? Sure, if you liked hamburgers, you’d just pick that! But Melissa and I went to Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar on our trip to Florida. You don’t just say, Give me a Hamburger. Oh no! You have choices. (See the list!) It was exhausting going through all those choices. Just the cheese list alone was huge. Which would you have chosen?: Classic American, Cream cheese, house-made American, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Pimento Cheese, Swiss, White Cheddar, Blue Cheese, Brie, Feta, Fresh mozzarella, or Fried mozzarella?
Each day can look pretty complicated. We get up and have lots of choices to make. So let’s make it simple. When you get up in the morning say, “Good morning God! Let’s enjoy the day together with Jesus!” Can you say that with me? While too many choices can be overwhelming, let’s begin our day with a simple… “Good morning God. Let’s enjoy the day together, in Jesus name.” Amen. And see what happens next!
Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart. (Psalm 32:11)
Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright. (Psalm 33:1)
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For You will judge the peoples with uprightness and guide the nations on the earth. (Psalm 67:4)
Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. (Psalm 100:1–2)
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4)
A Service of Witness to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and A Celebration of the Life of Betsy Crosby will be held in the Red Brick Church on May 23, 2019, 11:00 AM. The community is invited to attend. A luncheon will be provided in Price Hall following the service. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die (John 11:25-26).
