St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church - Elizabeth, NJ

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    • Rev. Canon Andy J. Moore
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    • Make a Gift
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    • Gallery >
      • May 7 Covid-19 Testing
      • 25 Years of Priesthood Gala >
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        • 25 Years of Priesthood Gala
      • Harvest Sunday
      • Sunday School Father's Day 19
      • Men's Club Community Flea Mkt
      • Community Christmas Party
      • Thankgiving Baskets
      • Celebration for High School Gradates
      • Homecoming 2018 >
        • Homecoming
      • Music in the Garden
      • Mother's Day 2018
      • Mother's Day 2018
      • Sunday School Youth Sunday
      • Maundy Thursday
      • Christmas Mass St. Elizabeth's
      • Christmas Eve Mass
      • Christmas Eve Mass
      • Christmas Eve Mass
      • Community Christmas Party
      • Frist Presbyterian
      • Feast of All Saints
      • Sanctuary Sunday 2017
      • International Food Festival
  • Get Involved
    • Sunday School >
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      • Black History - MLK
      • Sunday School Black History
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  • Hall Rental
  • Calendar
    • News & Events >
      • Bishop Curry Easter 2022
      • Bishop Chip Heart of The Matter
      • Bishop Curry Address the Nation 1/6
      • Bishop Curry Christmas Message
      • Christmas Poinsettias
      • Advent Worship Services
      • ECS Sunday - Bishop Chip
      • Bishop Chip COVID-19 Testing
  • Contact
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  • it's Friday....but Sunday Comin!!
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  • Past Masses
    • Zoom Service Aug 23rd, 2020
    • Zoom Service Aug 16th, 2020
    • Zoom Service Aug 9th, 2020
    • Zoom Service Aug 2nd, 2020
  • Lenten Sermons 2021
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Breaking Myths

9/29/2018

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James 5:15 & 16    The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.

Today I stand before you deeply conflicted by what the scriptures are challenging me to preach and the deep sensitive nature of the prevailing scenario. The overwhelming question is I believe “How can we be church to a country or a world in crisis? Or, how can fragile imperfect vessels become agents of healing?”   The Wounded healer is a term created by psychologist, Carl Jung, and made popular by Henri J. M. Nouwen  who speaks of the conscious effort of those who desire to heal others, but who must first acknowledge their own shortcomings and lack of abilities. 

In the reading from Esther, we encounter a woman struggling to tell her story to men who prefer not to hear her.  It is a story about slavery and of a woman forced to surrender her personhood for the pleasure of men.  It a story, which in the telling, calls for reparation for the oppressed during the time of the political maneuvering of power-hungry men and the governing of a narcissistic leader.  It is even greater than the individuals involved in the story, and is really about inherently unjust power structures (men over women, citizens over foreigners, powerful over the powerless, insiders over outsiders), and the list can be quite extensive. This is a story of these structures being challenged, and the incredible risks that such challenge entails. Esther becomes a foreshadow of one who is to come in the person of Jesus Christ.

In the Gospel, when Jesus challenges persons to take a deep look at the things they valued most,  the challenge is less about physical amputation but a forensic approach to their value system. What are the things we value the most in life?  This seems to be the true question Jesus is asking. Esther and Jesus understood challenging injustice begins with individual courage. 
 
Ester struggled three times before finding the courage to overcome her inner fears.  She first had to break the myth created for her which suggested she was just a beauty queen; a vessel to please men.  When you gain courage, you become the voice of God.  This was Esther’s destiny. 
In these times we are busy creating and buying into our own myths our own brand.  We spend so much time on Instagram and  Facebook creating our myth and not enough time looking into the mirror Jesus gives us.  We continue to be trapped and live out the many myths we create for ourselves or are created for us by others in our lives; the pretty, sweet girl, the smart, athletic young man.  These myths are what we may want to be, strong, courageous, wise or beautiful, and brilliant.   It is always easier to sustain the myth, and to believe in the myth of either self-importance or lack thereof so that we remain one dimensional, unchallenged by our peers, or we remain quiet and inactive. 

St. James, in his letter, challenges the myth in which we are all sinless and pure, and he builds his response by stating healing comes through acknowledgment and confession of one’s shortcomings, one’s truth.  Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective” James 5:16.  In other words, to restore the world, the role of the church is to help persons who are seeking to break their myths and recognize our communal need for God in Christ Jesus.  1 John 1 :8&9 shares “ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

We are called to be the community that is actively participating in tearing down unjust power structures. We are called to stand on the side of the oppressed and be the voice to the voiceless.  We do that even as we confess our own participation in these unjust structures each Sunday.  Then we rise each day to participate in the rebuilding of God’s world through the economy of Jesus’ love. The love of Jesus transcends all things and all people thus transforming human lives to become agents of healing and wholesomeness. That is the cauldron in which courage is forged. Unless our church becomes a cauldron for forging courage to accept our true call then the salt has lost its savor.

My friends anyone can follow the crowd and be willing to tiptoe around issues, but it takes courage to change the world.  This is the courage which gave Esther the ability to push beyond her deepest fears and to understand her truest calling was beyond that which the world had assigned her.  In other words, Esther had to break her own myth. It is what we call her “come to Jesus moment” It is the courage to believe so deeply in the greatness and power of God that transforms fear to action. Courage here is more than bravery or even bravado, but at its very heart is the ability to believe in something greater than oneself.  For Christians it is called faith. This is the courage that James proclaimed challenges us to see beyond our sinful limitations and allows God’s love to set us free. 

It is the same courage which sustained the early Christians to keep faith during horrible persecution. It is the same courage that sustained Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  when many of his followers lost faith in the movement and were willing to surrender the goals of freedom and equality to Jim Crow oppression.  It is the courage which sustained Nelson Mandela for 27 years on Robben Island where he remained unbroken by the oppressive nature of apartheid. It is the courage that is presently sustaining children and their parents separated at our borders and living in prisons.

It is the same courage which Jesus proclaimed when he challenged the disciples to see life beyond having hands and feet, but to seek for something far greater.  It is that courage which the Holy Spirit inspires within us to go not just beyond our comfort zones but to delve into the arena of self-sacrificial love. This is the love that proclaims God’s redemption to a broken world. This is a love that pushes us to challenge unjust systems and hold ourselves and others accountable to God. Courage says I am willing to do anything to sustain the love of God, for my life belongs to Him and Him alone. To do that in a world where selfies and self-love easily create myths demands courage. Yet, Jesus declares I will be with you through it all even to the very end of the ages.

My friends it takes courage to be a Christian.


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Anniversary Letter

9/22/2018

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Matthew 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

“Brian and Andy, the Church today calls you into a ministry of hope and renewal, but so help us God, do not serve Her maccafouchette.” These were the words preached by Canon Winston Joseph, then Rector of All Saints Church in Trinidad and now rector of St Patrick West Palm Beach, Florida.  The Glossary of Trinidadian English shares “Although the official language of Trinidad and Tobago is English, the most commonly spoken languages are Trinidadian Creole English and Tobagonian Creole English. Trinidadian usage includes a large number of local words and expressions.  Many of these have non-English origins.  These words are derived primarily from French and French Creole, Spanish, various West African languages, and the East Indian language.”

Maccafouchette is of French Creole origin and is popularly used in Trinidad to describe food that has been cooked and is often times reheated and reserved; leftovers. The challenge that was given to Brian and to me at our ordination to the priesthood was that of seeking to preach the message of Jesus Christ in such an intentional manner as to breathe new life into a dying church. The call was for us to use both authenticity and creativity based upon our love for God and a love for His people.

That call has led us on spiritual pilgrimages which have moved us far beyond even the boundaries and limitations we had imagined as new clergy.  As we were led by the Holy Spirit, our pathways took us to many parts of God’s vineyard.  If one was to ever chart the courses of our lives, we can both confess it could only have be written by the hands of God.

I am a firm believer God has a huge sense of humor. How else can one explain after twenty-four years and our taking diverging pathways, we would be serving together in the same diocese.  Or, how else can one explain, I would be serving in a parish where the Haitian community is so strong maccafouchette is now a staple of my diet.

Yet, the call for us to preach Christ Jesus in new and refreshing ways remains central to our ministries and in conjunction with exploring the many ways we love God’s people, Brian and I have continued strive to help transform homes, communities and social structures. Canon Joseph warned us against the evil of allowing structures to become restrictions or obstacles.  And, with that warning in our ears and in our hearts, Brian and I continue to teach and reach the ultimate goal of the Gospel of Jesus which is to embrace the freedom to love and to serve God and His people. My brother, Brian, will be delivering the sermon at the Annual Republic Day Celebrations hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Embassy in Washington D.C. on September 24th.  If you are in that area, please join him in this celebration.
 

On this Homecoming Sunday, I will be joined by Canon Charles Simmons, Canon for Ministry in the Diocese of New York, along with my mentor, Canon Francis Ceaser at our celebrations at St Elizabeth’s.  Come join St. Elizabeth’s Homecoming celebrations starting at 10:00 am.  I promise no maccafouchette in the worship, but no guarantees in the reception Hall. 
I give God the honor and the glory for allowing me to serve His Holy Church.

God bless you.

Canon Andy J. Moore
Rector of St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church

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God the Elephant

9/17/2018

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Mark 8:27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?"

While growing up, there was a little chorus we would sing in Sunday School “What do you think about Jesus? He is alright!! What you think about Jesus? He’s dynamite!”  In those days of innocence, Jesus was slowly taking hold of our youthful minds, especially as we sang those children’s songs. Eventually, one learns “Do you trust and love Jesus?” is a life-changing question. When Jesus was first inserted into the Sunday school disciples, our instructors  fumbled and struggled with because sometimes it is easier to tell other Jesus’s simple stories for children rather than to explain how He affects our lives and to confess Jesus had changed their own.

Jesus has come to symbolize a lot of different things to a variety of people as we all struggled to come to terms with our faith and how faith intersects with our experiences. An example this type of struggle is spelled out in the story regarding a group of blind men, who have never come across an elephant before and who had to learn and to conceptualize what the elephant is like by touching it. Each blind man feels a different part of the elephant's body, but each could only touch and feel only one part, such as the side or the tusk. They then describe the elephant based on their limited experience and their descriptions of the elephant are different so different from each other’s. Though oftentimes this story can be viewed as a negative, I wish to share in some ways this story best explains the bigness and greatness of God.  God is so great for us, as ordinary human beings, it can be almost impossible to fully grasp His awesomeness. I fear those who believe they have captured God and placed him in a bottle for their use.

When Jesus posed the initial question to the disciples it was for those who stood on the periphery and observed him. Then Jesus turned to those whom he shared a high level of intimacy and posed the same question. Who do you say that I am?
My friends in Christ, I very much want to use the men and the elephant story to explain how you can gain a better understanding of God and your faith in Him.  When understanding faith, at its very heart, is much greater than a belief; faith is really about intimacy. Being in an intimate relationship with God through Christ Jesus is what we as Episcopalians believe lies at the very heart of the gospel. The popular reading in 1 Corinthians 13 declares “it is more than knowledge about God or hope for the future, but really about being in an intimate relationship.  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13)  Christianity is about responding to the question “How deep is your love?” Recently I heard my daughter singing a modern day version of that pop song and smiled because we grew up with the Bee Gees asking the same question, “How deep is your love?”

In the Book of Proverbs, God takes the title of Wisdom and declares it is only those who share an intimate relationship would survive the storms of life  “but those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.” (Proverbs 1:33). The call for intimacy with a God, who is so big and great, remains an elusive challenge for us.  Thus our response is to place ourselves on a pathway of Revelation. We follow the pathways of Jesus and allow God to reveal Himself to us as we simultaneously experience self-discovery. This experience is vitally important because sometimes we spend a large portion of our lives not knowing who we really are and live an illusion that tells us what we want to hear. Christianity sets us a pathway where we begin to discover we are not as important as we think but more valuable than we accept or understand. Jesus had to scold Peter for him to eventually come to terms with that understanding/revelation of himself.

Our worth and value is grounded in our relationship with God through Christ Jesus. We live not for world valuation but for Christ’s validation. This self understanding and faith in God changes the way we view our lives and our time, gifts and talents. These are now harnessed for the greater good of God. Worship then becomes an expression of our intimacy with God, and not part of an entertainment package. When we gather it is about offering who and what we are not just what we think is worthy or valuable.

I sing the Eucharist with horrible intonation because it is all I have to offer. We give sacrificially because it is the best we can do for a God who gives us everything. We care for the hungry, poor, homeless, broken, lost souls because God is in them as much as he dwells within our poor sinful broken hearts. We worship and sing not just to soothe our souls, but for those who cannot because they are bedridden, imprisoned or struggling with mental illness. We pray aloud not just to share in the liturgy but for those who are oppressed and for the Gospel sake. We give generously to the work of the church not only because it is our duty but the work will ensure we prepare the next generation of Christians to tell of the greatness of God. Who is Jesus to me?

He is my all in all. He is the whole elephant!

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Mark 7

9/8/2018

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Mark 7: 7:25 …but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about Him, and she came and bowed down at his feet…
 
As much as I sometimes wish to offer easy-going, non-controversial sermons, the beauty of the scriptures and the immediacy of our social struggles collide demanding the full attention of our souls and our minds, and it is hard to provide respite and peace in the words I feel I need to give you.
 
The reading from the Book of Proverbs lays bare the demand for social justice in the ancient justice system which thousands of years ago reflected a bias for the rich.  “Do not rob the poor because they are poor or crush the afflicted at the gate.” In biblical Israel, gates weren't just doorways into and out of a city. These entry ways were where prophets cried out and kings judged, and people met. People coming and going from a city could be witnesses to a verbal contract or the judgement of an accused criminal.  If someone was mis-judged, there were witnesses to support the accused, or if someone was sentenced to die, the crowd could take part in the execution.  Jerusalem had eight gates.  The Eastern Gate was known as the Golden Gate or the Gate of Mercy.  It is believed Jesus entered Jerusalem through the Eastern Gate on Palm Sunday.    Judges would sit at their assigned gate where the community and travelers would gather to seek justice and to see justice carried out. 

The Book of  Proverbs, a collection of wisdom writings, became the bedrock of the social justice for prophets such as Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, and these were the writings that inspired Blessed Elizabeth, Blessed Mary, John the Baptist, Jesus, James the Apostle, Frederick Douglas and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.    The foundation of these teachings is understanding “God loves the poor”.  Our lecturer at Codrington College would say, “God has a penchant for the poor.” Now, it is very important not to view  poverty as a temporary state of being or just being an underdog.  The film industry has created a genre where we, the audience, gravitate to the “Joe” that is suffering through some hard times, and then fights his way to success.  In the real world the poor rarely win.  One of my favorite calypsos laments is, “poverty is hell”.
 
We mustn’t romanticize poverty.  There is little to glorify when mothers come to our church desperately looking for school supplies and asking for food when their Food Stamps have been stretched to the limited, or when mothers and fathers come to learn English or earn a GED because they can’t find decent jobs without skills or credentials.  These parents want to break out of the cycle of poverty for their children’s sake and in the Gospel of Mark, we meet such a woman; a woman who would do anything to ensure her child survives and escapes from the life the rich have designated them to live.  This woman offers all of herself, to Jesus.          
 
The poor are not only bereft of money and things; they, this woman, also lack self-worth, hope and the will and the tools to change their circumstance.  The #MeToo movement has given women the voice and courage to admit to what they suffered to take care of their families and themselves.  Jesus sets an example where, as a man with powers, he encounters a desperate woman and responds with the gifts of faith and the truest love. 
 
For too long Christianity has turned its back on a portion of us for whom Jesus was sent to save.  Our churches glorify in handouts but look askance at the poor on Sundays.  Jesus’ life was an ongoing dedication to help the poor and the persecuted.  Often when Christians gather for Good Friday observations, we fail to fully appreciate Jesus was tortured and killed to make a bold statement about his penchant for the poor, and this lack of understanding His sacrifice signals to the poor, “see what you get for thinking you can break out of your assigned place.”  These Good Friday celebrations continue to be observances for the rich and powerful to continue to remind the poor of their space even in today’s society.  It is so sad when the church relegates Good Friday, Easter or Christmas to shallow holidays and not spend this time to develop a deeper understanding of the world’s hatred of the poor and powerless and of God’s love for those who continue to need our open hands and our open hearts all year round. 
 
Within our communities we struggle when we see drug dealers using illicit means to break the cycle of their poverty, if only for a brief period, while Wall Street gains, received from slave plantations, are passed on to generations.  Black men go to prison and Wall Street traders go to penthouses.  The Gospel story depicts the woman struggling at the feet of Jesus until He bends down, picks her up and says, “Its ok.”   There is not one story where Jesus gives a poor man or woman money or throws coins into the cup of a blind, sick child.  It is through His sacrifices He lifts up the poor, gives them hope and makes them feel their full worth. He lets them know God loves them. He does this by entering their brokenness to heal and restore.
 
The primary goal of the church is to follow the path of Jesus Christ, not how the church has collaborated in oppressing the poor in the past, but now in the name of Jesus, hold out our hand and ask the poor for forgiveness.  While the accomplishment of this goal remains elusive, it remains God’s challenge to us today.  Can St. Elizabeth’s reach out to lift the poor and dispirited in our community?  Can the Episcopal church turn around and like Jesus say, “Let’s make it right. It will be ok.”  Until Christianity within our churches assumes this posture, then we must go back to the proverbial gate and plead for God’s mercy.   
 
My friends in Christ, the foundation of Christianity is God’s love for the poor and lifting up the downtrodden.  The world likes to blur lines to further its agenda of “The rich get richer.” Jesus ignored the blurry traditional thinking moved into clarity and by the time he was challenged, he could lay claim to His higher calling.  The history of humanity is written by those who struggled through those blurred lines to get to the shore of clarity and declared, “I have seen God in all His glory and He is the embodiment of love declaring no matter who you are, I love you. 
    
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    Rev. Canon, Andy Moore 

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St Elizabeth’s
305 N. Broad Street
Elizabeth, New Jersey 07207

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Sunday: 8:00am, 10:00am
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