St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church - Elizabeth, NJ
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  • Home
  • Welcome
    • History >
      • Historical Sizzle
    • I'm New
    • Let's Get Acquainted
    • Rev. Canon Andy J. Moore
    • Leadership
    • Mission
    • Habits of Grace: Prayer into Action
    • Bishop Curry Who is my Neighbor
    • Bishop Curry
    • Make a Gift
    • Services
    • Sunday Service Aug 30th 2020
    • Zoom Service Aug 23rd, 2020
    • Zoom Service Aug 16th, 2020
    • Zoom Service Aug 9th, 2020
    • Zoom Service Aug 2nd, 2020
    • Gallery >
      • 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
    • Sunday School Lift Ev'ry Voice
    • Moments in Black History 2019
    • Black History - MLK
    • Sunday School Black History
    • Sunday School Black History ii
    • Youth Ministry
    • ESL Fall 19 Classes
    • ESL Cerificate of Achievement
    • Computer Literacy
    • Episcopal Church Women
    • Mens Club
    • Outreach
  • Hall Rental
  • Calendar
    • News & Events >
      • Free Testing for COVID-19
      • Robin Pierre DCN
      • Pastoral Letter April 24th
      • Holy Week Schedule
      • Church Services Suspended
      • Reading Lent4 - Mar 22nd
      • Lift Ev'ry Voice & Sing Challenge
      • Absalom Jones Service Sunday 2/16
      • Brad Kleiman in Concert
      • Annual General Meeing
      • Christmas Service
      • Cathedral Day 2019
      • Bern Nix Jazz Festival
      • All Saints Sunday, 3rd, November
      • Sight & Sound 2019
      • Int'l Food Festival July 13th
      • UMHA - Workshop Canceled 6/15
      • Prayer Breakfast Mar 16th
      • MLK Day of Service
      • UMHA - Sunday Dec 16th
      • New Year Eve Service
      • Christmas Celebration Fun Night
      • ECW Trip to Lancaster PA
      • Homecoming 2018
      • Music In the Garden
      • Saxophone Recital
      • Elizabeth Homeless Coalition
      • From Your Door to Heaven's Door
      • Urban Garden
      • Black History Events
  • Contact
  • Realm E-Giving Launch
  • Harvest Baskets Giveaways
  • Rector's Harvest Message
  • 25 Years of Priesthood Gala
    • 25th Years of Priesthood Gala
  • 25 Years of Priesthood Gala
  • Sunday May 5th
  • Lent 2019
  • Living Like Job
  • Operation Warm Heart
  • 9th Annual Food Festival
  • it's Friday....but Sunday Comin!!
  • Bishop Curry
  • Poor People's Campaign
  • Zoom Sunday Service Oct 4th
  • Stewardship Sunday 10/18/2020
  • Jobs

Easter Sermon

4/12/2020

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​Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." Mathew 28:9 & 10

It is Sunday! It is Easter Sunday! As the shadows cast by the images on the cross at Good Friday recedes it reveal something truly amazing! New life and new hope is the shout of the day. Already we are hearing the news of the flattening of the curve as the plague of Covid-19 collides with the force of the communal power of the human spirit. Already much discussions are occurring about the reopening of our economy. Already much like in the days of Jesus, leaders are looking to return to previous lifestyles. Yet, there is a caution in the wind that boldly declares life will never be the same.   
Mathew in his gospel narrative seems to capture a bold spirit of hope and renewal. Life will never be the same! The empty tomb has rocked the world of the powerful to its very core. This amazing truth is discovered not by those sitting in rooms of fear but those journeying to Jesus. This life changing truth did not come via the mouths of male oriented societal leaders, but voiceless women of courage. My friends, only those with overcoming faith, can discover the powerful presence of Jesus.
 Jesus encounters the resurrection witnesses while they were on their way. “Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.” (Mathew 28:9.) There is much to be discovered while journeying through life after the resurrection. If Good Friday locked us into a drama which revealed the sinful divisive side of humanity, Easter now reveals something remarkably different. It reveals we can discover amazing things when we are willing to journey together. “Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. (Acts 10:34&35)
Journeying together after Resurrection, the disciples of Jesus discovered the fulfillment of the prophetic words of Jesus “I am the way the truth and the life” (John 14:6). Jesus shapes his disciples while on their way to Galilee. The commonality of faith overpowers the demons of divisiveness. That’s what makes the church such a powerful entity. Along the way to Jesus, hope overcame fear. The fear of death no longer had a grip on their hearts for now their minds were set on Jesus. It is the journey not the destination that shapes us.
My friends in Christ, Jesus’ love empowers our willingness to journey with each other in spite our differences. The bonds of love hold us together and we truly become our brother’s and sister’s keeper. If Good Friday and the Covid-19 virus revealed all that is wrong with our world then Easter proclaims God’s redeeming love. God has not lost hope in His world. God has not given up on us!
One can never ignore or wish away Good Friday, nor can we fail to grieve for the many souls that were lost and still being lost due the Covid-19 virus. At Easter we encounter Jesus with the scars and wounds of His crucifixion. These are not like tattoos we choose to wear but living proof of the depth of God’s love for us. “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24) That’s the way God reveals His love for His whole world. Resurrection points us forward to a new way of living and a new way of loving. We are all in this together!
Easter reveals that which is honorable and worthy in us. Easter reveals that we can live and love in new and exciting ways. We witness who were cowering in fear become bold gospel carriers. Resurrection power provides renewal and hope. Overcoming faith defeats despair, grief restoring hope. It replaces anger and the desire for revenge with love and forgiveness. It seems as Jesus was not the only one being resurrected for now his followers were also being bought out of their tombs into the light of a new day. That’s resurrection power!
Already there is much to celebrate as Covid-19 revealed so much good in us that we previously ignored. We can live like families after all! We can work together as a diocese and a faith community after all! We can embrace technology within our church both in terms of worship and financial support after all! We can find leadership in our Bishops and priests after all! I wish to acknowledge the tremendous leadership of Bishop Chip Stokes that held our diocese together in bold and innovative ways, It really augers well for us. We can value our health care providers after all! We can see the need to provide health care to the vulnerable after all! The poor and the disposed can be loved into becoming essential partners and no longer worthless loafers after all! We are no longer prisoners in cloistered buildings as we are now willing to journey to the Galilees in our communities seeking to bring the Good News to the broken and the lost after all! O yes, the genie is now out of the bottle, Jesus’ spirit is now free to roam the earth
My friends Easter invites us to journey with Jesus. It is the journey that shapes us not the destination! Let us journey together with Jesus as our guide and savior. Let us journey together as if our very lives depend on it for in many ways it really does! Let us discover the presence of Jesus in each other. He is Risen! He is risen! He is risen in our hearts, minds and souls not to rebuild that which was broken down but restore God’s loving act of creation. A new world is being born and by our hands and feet we become builders of God’s new creation! He is risen! He is risen!


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    Author

    Rev. Canon, Andy Moore 

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

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