What our communities need now more than ever is to experience the Greatest Story of all time in new authentic, relevant, and compelling ways that they can connect with. We…
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Our Easter celebration continues this week as we consider Jesus as the Rock for All… people, ages, situations, neighborhoods, and anyone, or anything else, that needs a solid foundation on which to build something of meaning, something that lasts. We live in an age that tends to slap a universal and derogatory label on an entire group with information generalized from random or isolated experiences. We call this stereotyping or profiling. You can probably think of many examples. Maybe you’ve been stereotyped. Go on Yahoo and do a search asking the open-ended question, “Why are Christians so . . ..” The search engine produced some startling responses: Why are Christians…
“so judgmental”
“so hateful”
“so fake”
“so afraid of Muslims”
“so mean”
“so intolerant”
“so annoying”
“so self-righteous”
“so unhappy”
Do see yourself and those around you embodying those attributes? Probably not! Is this how the world truly sees those who call themselves “Christian?” How do these opinions become generalized, that the some see us this way? Is the world becoming biased towards Christians? Maybe. But, in what ways have we done this to ourselves? It is true that Christians have done some very bad things. Its also true that millions of Christians face persecutions for their faith every day, with many losing their lives every year for following Jesus. This week, we Get Up and represent Jesus, each in our own unique ways. We will explore our own foundation on the Rock and how we can let Jesus shine through our lives every day. Let’s ensure that greater Cape May knows we stand on the Rock because where Jesus is present, life is at its best, for all. (Thanks to my colleague, Dr. Len Sweet, for the search term idea!)
Melissa and traveled to another part of the world and discovered a really cool place people lived long ago. Can you guess what part of the world it was in? Go ahead, guess! OK. Mexico. Not even close! Again? Somalia. Well, on this globe, the place I want to tell you about is within an “inch or two” of Somalia! Here is is. I’m talking about Turkey, the country, not the bird. In Turkey, Melissa and I learned that early followers of Jesus loved him very much, but not everybody else agreed with them. In fact, some of the countries leaders hated Jesus and chased the Christians into the mountains. They lived in carved out rooms like this… This is a carving from Turkey in Cappadocia representing the places Christians fled for safety. Sometimes, you may feel that others around you may treat you differently because of your faith in Jesus. Remember that no everyone had to agree and believe like you do! People have choice and God loves everyone, never giving up showing love to everyone. God has faith in you! Always. I’m glad you believe in Jesus, trust in him, and will remember that those early Christians believed in tough times, and didn’t stay in the mountains. Soon, they returned to their homes and lived as faithful followers of Jesus sharing the good news of God’s love.
Our Summer Scallop Dinner is now TOTALLY SOLD OUT!
We are grateful for your generous support of Cold Spring Presbyterian Church’s mission of serving the community!!
Pre-ordered TAKE-OUT meals may be picked up at 5:15 PM!
5:00 PM Saturday, June 29, 2019, featuring our pan-seared fresh scallops for only $15 ($8 child).
If you’d like to donate a gift basket or other item for our Silent Auction, please email Kevin Beare: hello@coldspringchurch.com.
Menu: Pan-seared fresh scallops OR Baked Chicken; potato, and vegetable. Dessert, Beverage, Coffee & Tea. (BYOB)
Donation: $15 adult, $8 child.
Purchase your Tickets online today, or complete the form in your worship bulletin, or in the church office. For more information, contact Chef Kevin Beare (609-350-0314).
The Presbyterian Woman’s Annual Strawberry Festival is Saturday, June 1, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. If you are Spring cleaning and have donations for our tables please bring them in! Our staff will show you where to leave them. We sincerely appreciate your help and support!
Your donations can be dropped off at Price Hall, Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Baked items can be dropped off in the Hall Friday afternoon (May 31), or in the morning before the Strawberry Festival. We cannot accept clothing or electronics.
Our annual Strawberry Festival will delight your entire family with arts and crafts, white elephant, linen, jewelry, baked goods and, of course, strawberries in addition to strawberry shortcake and a hot dog barbeque. You will not only enjoy great food and an amazing selection of must-have items, and community connections, but help support this major Presbyterian Women’s mission fundraising event.
Coffee had a nickname. The Devil’s drink! How did that happen?
About 900 AD, Ethiopian Cadi the goat herder, discovered his goats eating berries that made them go crazy from what we know to be caffein! He tried it and made a drink. Eventually, word of mouth taste tests promoted the drink to Yemen. 600 years passed and in 1511 it comes to Mecca 🕋. First is banned by the Muslim clerics because this unwanted innovation with unknown consequences and side effects kept drinkers congregating in coffee bars instead of the mosque! But eventually, the Chief Muslim cleric enjoyed it so much, he lifted the ban! A hundred years after that, coffee reaches the trade routes to Europe. By 1600, Europeans are loving coffee, but this drink innovation was hurting the pocketbooks of proprietors selling beer 🍺and wine 🍷. Foreign innovation from the competing Muslim Ottoman Empire brought on another ban.
Church leaders called it the Devil’s drink! Coffee houses threatened the beer houses.
One day, anti-coffee Bishops petitioned Pope Clement 8 to excommunicate anyone who drank the Devil’s Drink! But, when the Pope asked to taste it, he found it to be delicious!
Instead of banning coffee, the Pontiff blessed coffee and said it should be baptized as the new Christian drink!
We fear new things and we doubt that something we believe to be “new” can be true. There is an anxiety over loss. When we doubt, we are protecting ourselves from loss.
With everything new, we risk the future we had been planning.
While we celebrate Easter every year, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead means we can enjoy a resurrection-way of life every day. At Sunset Beach’s sunrise service, the message offered resources on what we do with fear. Fear is understandable. Even expected to be experienced from time to time. But what about Doubt? This week, bring your doubts, your struggles of faith as we look in on many women and men disciples who expressed their doubt. Jesus appeared in their midst! Where did Thomas put his doubt? Find out where to put your doubt this Sunday as we gather for the Second Sunday of Easter and hear a message from John 20:19-31. (Hint: Doubt is not lessoned by more facts, but with personal experience with the truth. Jesus is alive! Meet him and see!)
Do you have a nickname? Sure. Many of us do. Some are very complimentary. Others, not so much. But if a nickname may fit us initially, we can always change our nickname to describe the best of us. For example, do you remember the disciple’s name who doubted Jesus was alive after dying on the cross for us? Yes. Doubting Thomas. Actually, Doubting was not his first name! It was his nickname given by others describing his lack of faith. We doubt when we don’t fully believe, when we don’t yet understand something entirely. Like when our parents tell us not to eat too much sugar, Or to go to bed early. We say to ourselves, “That can’t be true! Its just too crazy!” So we can give nicknames to our parents. They are “out of it”, or “Mean” or “Don’t understand me.” But we figure out most of the time these nicknames, labels, don’t need to stick because people can grow and change. We grow. Our parents grow.
Doubting Thomas grew, too. He came to understand that Jesus was truly alive! Its unfortunate that through the centuries we have kept Thomas in the Doubting box. Instead, let’s start a new tradition. Thomas’s nickname is Believing Thomas. And that’s a great nickname for us, too.