Beginning the Year With a Blessing

In the reading from the Book of Numbers, the Lord speaks to Moses and tells him how He wishes the people to be blessed:

The Lord bless you and keep you!
The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!

We have probably heard these words many times in the past, but perhaps, had never realized that they came directly from Scripture. This blessing is a wonderful way to begin the New Year and we should not hesitate to share this blessing with our family and friends; not only with these very words but also through our presence to others. We become a blessing for others because we are God's chosen ones.

As we see from the Letter to the Galatians, Paul reminds us so beautifully that we are not slaves, but the chosen of God. Because of Mary's acceptance of her role in salvation history, God gave His Son Jesus to be born of Mary and to redeem us, so that we could become the adopted sons and daughters of God and heirs to God's Kingdom.

We see that through Jesus' birth and our adoption as sons and daughters of God, we have also been given a heavenly mother in Mary. This gift surely brings us to a sense of deep gratefulness to God and a desire to thank Him.

How can we show God the gratitude that is due Him for all He has done for us? As this New Year begins, we can choose to make a resolution that we will be a blessing to others in all that we do and say.


~ Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God ~

Young People's Christmas Eve Program ~ by Mildred Green

I would like to thank all of the Young People who participated in the 2008 Christmas Program at St. Elizabeth on Christmas Eve. You all were terrific! Keep up the good work in your music.

The Church would like to send Kudos to all:

~ Treshawn McCall played "Jingle Bells" on the clarinet.

~ Robert Fitzgerald played "Modern Christmas" and "Silent Night" on the flute.

~ Jeffrey, Destiny and Shayonna Hill did a mime enactment to the music of "The Night Christ Was Born."

~ Trent Williams played "O Little Town of Bethlehem" on the flute.

~ Isreal Murray played "Jolly Old St. Nick" on the saxophone.

~ Lyric Weston gave us a song, "Christmas Makes Me Sing."

~ Deshawn Goodwin sang "Happy Birthday, Jesus."

~ Lord Davis recited a poem, "Lady Blue."

~ A group made up of Gia Terreforte, Alicia Terreforte, Sabiya Davis, Mira Davis, Leila Moore and Jesus Moore sang two songs, "Silent Night" and "The Chipmunk Song." They were accompanied by their cousin, Stanley Glover III on the guitar.


Congratulations to everyone who made this event such a success. If anyone has photos of the children's performances to share, please contact Mildred Green or Mary Ann Allen.

The Presence of God in Their Midst ~ by Barbara Williford

Today's homily focused on who this Holy Family is; and why, this family.

God blest creation with the gift of family. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, there were many families mentioned. Abraham was the Father by his faith. To David, God said: "You are my son according to my heart." Elizabeth and Zechariah were John the Baptist's family.

But Jesus, Mary and Joseph are the Holy Family to show us that only if God is present as the center of the family, in Jesus, will the family be holy. God is the glue that sticks us together.

Our challenge is to bring back the value of family life. Through the sacrament of Matrimony, the presence of God is in the midst of the couple. Keeping Jesus Christ as our center is the only way to holiness.

God doesn't give up on us when we fail. He is always calling us to be a Holy Family. We were reminded of the recently deceased Fr. Donald Scales, who always preached at weddings that the secret of a good marriage is, "forgive, forgive, forgive."

We should pray for our families, for all families; and ask the Blessed Virgin Mary And Saint Joseph to help and guide us. The family that prays together, stays together.


~ The Feast of the Holy Family ~

Christmas Eve 2008 at St. E's: A Reflection ~ by Ronnie Archer

TODAY IS BORN OUR SAVIOR, CHRIST, THE LORD!

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light." (Isaiah 9:1) A lot of us live in some sort of "darkness" during some parts of our lives. God's promise to us today is our salvation in Jesus Christ. We no longer have to live in the darkness, because God gave us the best gift He could. His Son came to earth in the flesh and dwelt among us. He is our Redeemer, and upon His shoulder, dominion rests.

This is the night which we all have been waiting for... to see God with our eyes, to touch God and to feel God. The promise has been fulfilled in Jesus.

Imagine the love that God has for us; to send His only Son to live among us, to teach us how to live, so that all humanity could be like Him.

No one would give Him a place to be born, so He was born in humility, in a manger with a barn full of animals. God chose simple ordinary people to see His Son first, the shepherds.

Are we like those who had no room for Jesus? Do we close our hearts to Him? We should recognize that we can also give "birth" to Jesus even now... when we humble ourselves, by living in the way He desires us to; loving and caring for one another. That makes for happiness and peace.

Happy are those who humble themselves. God gave Himself so all could be saved.

Keep in mind that this Baby, whose birth we celebrate today, is the One who suffered and died for our salvation. Welcome Him into your heart today!

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At 5:30 p.m., some of the children of our parish, as well as a few of the baptism candidates, participated in the Children's Program. It was nice to have so many children involved this year. There's lots of talent at our St. E's!

Our Christmas Vigil began with the baptismal rite in the rear of the church, with the eight children who were to receive that Sacrament, along with their families and their godparents. Then all processed in together and were seated.

The "Infant Jesus" was brought in by Lyric Weston, with her mother, Amy, and her uncle Jason, as candle bearers.

The entire celebration of the Liturgy was very beautiful and inspirational. The reception and the fellowship that followed the Mass was enjoyed by all.

"For unto us a Child is born..."

"For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6


~ Photo found on the African American Identity & Activism Site ~

Mary's "YES" Should be Our "YES" ~ by Ronnie Archer

In the first reading of this Fourth Sunday of Advent, we hear how King David was settled in his palace, and suddenly thought about how fine a dwelling place he had while the "Ark of God" was housed in a tent. David said to the prophet Nathan, that he would build a house for the Lord. God sent Nathan to tell David that He had other plans.

David was going to build an external temple, which was not in God's plan. God's plan was going to be fulfilled through today's Gospel reading from Luke 1: 26-38. God was going to build Himself a dwelling place in Mary's womb.

Very often we desire things that we consider "good" for us; but do we consider whether what we desire is according to God's plan for us? After David learned what God's desire was, his "yes" was being calm and peaceful, because he knew God and trusted God's plan for him. Therefore, he was comfortable with what God's desire for him was.

Blessed is the person who understands and trusts God's goodness for him/her, because God will reveal everything through them.

It is important that we understand that Mary knew very well that her saying "yes" to God, could have meant serious consequences for her. During that time, under the circumstances surrounding the event, a "yes" could have meant death. But Mary also knew the power of God, so she took the Word of God seriously and said "YES."

When we say "yes", we touch many lives. God transforms lives because of a "yes". Ask God for the grace to say "yes" to Him, as Mary, the Mother of Faith did, so we can be an instrument of salvation for someone.

Let's strive to try to live by the Word of God, so that He can have a dwelling place in each of our hearts. That is God's desire for us.

~ Fourth Sunday of Advent ~

Who are we? Where are we going? ~ by Mary Ann Allen

In this week's beautiful reading from the Book of Isaiah, we can almost hear Jesus speaking in the words of the prophet: "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners."

Jesus knew who he was and where he was going. He understood what he wanted to do during his time on earth.

We hear a similar sense of recognition by Mary, the mother of Jesus, as we listen to the words of the psalm. "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day forward all generations will call me blessed."

Mary came to understand what God's role for her was; and she accepted it.

We shouldn't be surprised then, when we read the words of John the Baptist as he responds to questions about who he is. No, he is not the Christ. Or Elijah. But he IS "the voice of one crying out in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord." John recognized that he was the one who was called to announce the coming of the one whose sandal strap he was not worthy to untie.

So what about ourselves? God is asking something of us also, during our time on earth. Our lives should be a vocation just as theirs was. Life must not be looked upon as a burden; for salvation comes to us through the way we live our lives.

We must let Christ be born in us, so that we can be his voice to the people whose lives we touch.

~ Gaudete Sunday ~ Third Sunday of Advent ~

The Choir Sings For Our Haiti Project

On November 30th, our Gospel Choir sang at Pioneer Baptist Church's Singspiration event. We had been invited by Scott's mother, Judith Stell, who is Ministry Assistant at the church in Varina. This particular Singspiration was arranged as a benefit for St. Elizabeth's Haiti Committee to raise funds for the New Jerusalem School and Orphanage.

Several hundred dollars found their way into the offering plates that people were invited to fill. They also very thoughtfully made DVDs for each choir member showing our performance that evening. We are indeed grateful to the members of Pioneer Baptist Church for their generosity.

We Are All Called To Be Messengers Of Jesus Christ ~ by Ronnie Archer

In the first reading for this Sunday, which comes from the 40th Chapter of Isaiah, the Israelites, who were in exile, heard consoling words of deliverance, forgiveness and the promise of salvation. This is from the mouth of the Lord...

"Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated."... "Every valley shall be filled in, and mountains and hills shall be made low; rugged land shall be made a plain; rough country, a broad valley. THEN the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together."

The second reading is from 2 Peter. This must not be overlooked... "to the Lord, one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day." The Lord does not delay, as we regard "delay." Because of His love for us, He is being patient, giving us plenty of time to come to repentance because He wishes us all to be saved.

Today's Gospel from Mark, tells us of the preparation for Jesus' ministry. We hear the account of the "messenger," John the Baptist, in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance which led to the forgiveness of sins; and that "One mightier than I is coming after me, I am not worthy to stoop and untie His sandals. I have baptized you with water; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

To receive the salvation that God promises, we have to really listen to, repent and turn to God. We should do our very best to conduct ourselves as Christ-like, in holiness and devotion because of the wonderful promise of God. After this world passes away, according to His promise, there will be a new heaven and a new earth, in which only righteousness dwells.

It is most important to understand just what kind of Christmas we are planning; a commercial one or a spiritual one. We tend to worry about everything except Jesus Christ.

Advent is another opportunity to really prepare for the coming of our Lord. Amidst all of the commercial preparations, the "busyness" and the secular noise around us, which, like this earth and the elements on it, will surely "pass away" at the time determined by our God. We must focus on the ONE whose birthday we are preparing to celebrate.

John the Baptist wasn't important because of who he was, but because of the message that he brought. We should ask ourselves "have we been a messenger to others?" Has anyone changed their life positively, because of our life? Have we been a model to anyone?

Internally, God judges us, and we can change others by our behavior. People who see us each day look at our behavior. Is it Christian?

We are called to be a messenger of Jesus Christ.


~ Second Sunday of Advent ~

Advent Activities at St. Elizabeth Church

Our Theme for Advent: "I am a Gift to Jesus."

Community Outreach: No later than December 14th ~ please bring gifts for the girls and boys of Overby-Sheppard School. New items including socks, hats, gloves, sweaters and underwear, sizes 5-14. Please do not wrap the gifts. Place in the collection box next to the Jesse Tree.

Pennies for Haiti: The large penny jar is now next to the Jesse Tree. Any coins you drop in will be donated to The New Jerusalem Orphanage in Haiti.

Nativity Scenes: Needed before December 21st ~ If you have an extra Nativity set at home that will fit in a church window, please consider lending it to the church for Christmas. It will be returned after January 4th. A sign up sheet is in the vestibule.

Poinsettias ~ donate a flower in memory of a family member. Forms are on the bulletin table.

Christmas Cards ~ There are boxes to deposit your Christmas cards for church members and a special box for each of our "homebound" members.

Tree Ornaments ~ Needed for the parish Christmas Tree. Please place ornaments with a Christian theme in the designated box in the back of church.

To Whom Does Your Life Belong? ~ by Mary Ann Allen

Our scripture readings for the First Sunday of Advent call us to recognize our sinfulness and to return to God. Mark tells us in no uncertain terms that we are to be watchful and alert because our God will return.

The prophet Isaiah relates that the Israelites beg God to "return for the sake of your servants." The people admit their sinfulness, declaring that "all of us have become like unclean people; all our deeds are like polluted rags."

We, like the Israelites did, live in hope because we believe that God has made us with care and concern. He is the potter and we are the clay. God has molded us in His image and thus we are the perfection of God. As we recognize our sinfulness, we come to realize that it is not God who abandons us; it is we who turn away from Him.

In his First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul reminds us that God is faithful. He has given us the grace to keep us "firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."

During Advent, we search for ways to become a gift to God. We each, individually, have a mission on Earth that has been given to us by God. The fulfillment of that mission is our gift to Him. How do we discover our mission? We let go of the idea that our lives belong to ourselves alone. We acknowledge that our lives really belong to God. We ask Him to show us what His mission (His Will) is for us. By doing this, we come out of the darkness where we center only on ourselves and where our actions can destroy not only ourselves but other people also. Instead, we move steadily toward the Light where we finally become the gift we return to God.


~ First Sunday of Advent ~