"What Do You Want From Jesus?" ~ by Ronnie Archer

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the first reading this Sunday, from Jeremiah, the people who remained faithful and escaped the sword had been sustained by God. There was hope in the midst of darkness... the Promise of a return was being fulfilled. What awaited them upon their return was the simplest of gifts needed to survive... "brooks of water on a level road, so that none would stumble"... because He is the loving Father who would care for them.

In the Hebrews reading, we hear how Jesus can identify with us humans in all things, except sin. He is willing to intercede for us, because He understands our weaknesses. He did not give that honor to Himself, but God, Who sent Him.

We hear in the Gospel of Mark how faithful and humble the blind man, Bartimaeus, was. How, Jesus, when leaving Jericho, heard his cry even though others were trying to silence him. But Bartimaeus persisted and was given sight and insight.

Each time we celebrate the Eucharist, it is Passover. Jesus passes over and all around us. Do we see Him? Do we recognize God as He passes us? When we open our ears and listen, God opens our eyes!

Those in the crowd were trying to throw a curse at Bartimaeus, but Jesus wanted to give him a blessing. Jericho was a wealthy place, but Bartimaeus did not need the wealth; nor would it help him. He needed the presence of Christ.

No matter how much the crowd tried to quiet him, Bartimaeus displayed great faith, humility and persistence for what he wanted from Jesus. He was someone who wanted something so badly that he was humble enough to continue to cry out to Jesus.

How many times are we a blessing to those around us? We need to keep our ears open in order to be a blessing in someone's life.

We should realize just how much God loves us as a Father, and wants us to share in His life.

"Jesus, Son of David, have pity on us all!"

Mildred Green's Farewell

We, at St. E's, said goodbye today to our faithful parishioner and dear friend, Mildred Green. After 18 years as a member of St. Elizabeth's Church and for many years, the head of our parish Youth Ministry Program, Mildred is moving to North Carolina to be closer to family and friends.

Our young people gathered to honor her with a special program of poems and song. Fr. Andrew gave her a special blessing, praying for her good health and a happy future. The Women's Group presented her with an engraved dish and the Parish Council, a plaque commemorating her service to St. Elizabeth's.

A beautifully decorated sheet cake and brunch were served in the parish hall.

Mildred's work with Children's Liturgy and the Youth Gatherings planted the seed; our new Youth Ministry Committee will help it grow.

Ambition in the Service of Others

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Have you noticed that when people talk about ambition, the word often carries a negative connotation? Sometimes people strive to reach personal goals that benefit only themselves to the detriment of other people.

In today's Gospel of Mark, Jesus addresses the ambition of His disciples and turns a negative situation into a positive one.

Because James and John believed in the Kingship of Jesus, they wished to secure their place in the future Kingdom. Their ambition caused the other disciples to become quite indignant when they heard what James and John had asked for. Wouldn't we feel the same way?

Jesus, however, did not reprimand James and John. Instead, He revealed to them exactly what a positive force ambition could be. Jesus reminded them in no uncertain terms that if the disciples were in authority over others, they could not lord it over them. They (and we) are told:

"Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve..."

With these words, Jesus effectively tied ambition to the service of others and thus, showed the disciples what was to be expected of them as His followers.

Jesus also shows us that His own life was dedicated to others. We see that life described so beautifully in the Isaiah reading. Jesus is the "Suffering Servant" who "gives his life as an offering for sin." We know that Jesus lived His life in exactly that way. And more: "through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear."

Can we ever measure up to Jesus' life of service? Our consolation in trying to follow the path of service that Jesus embodied is to be found in the Letter to the Hebrews. There we learn that Jesus is like us in every way except He is without sin. He can sympathize with our weaknesses and He has been tested in the same ways that we have. We are encouraged by knowing this and that by serving others, we are acting in solidarity with Him... and following in His footsteps.

"May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us who have put our hope in you."

Put Aside Everything to Follow Jesus ~ by Ronnie Archer

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time


The readings for this twenty-eighth Sunday put emphasis on the importance of not allowing ourselves to place a priority on the "love of the riches" of this world.

The Wisdom reading tells us that we do not earn Wisdom - it is a gift. The first reading also tells us that Wisdom comes as a result of fervent prayer.

The Hebrews reading reminds us that God's Word is "living, effective, and sharper than any two-edged sword." If we allow His Word to work within us, it will get to the depth of our souls and make a change in us.

The Gospel of Mark lets us know that if we truly want to follow Jesus - that it is very important to understand the necessity of being willing to abandon everything for His sake.

Many of us would probably be a lot like the young man in the Gospel today. Jesus invites us to follow Him - but first, we have to "sell what we have," which we would find hard to do. Jesus is not against money itself, nor some of the comforts that we consider necessities, but the love of these things placed before Him and His teachings.

Coming together in church regularly to hear God's Word proclaimed, can be enlightenment for our lives. God's Word is not only alive, but active.

Our destination is not here on earth; it is beyond this world.

Jesus' desire is for us to share what we have with others. Being selfish with our possessions can destroy us.

Let us pray, reflect and respond to God's Word, allowing it to become active in our lives.

When we do not walk in Christ, we will walk away sadly.

This Is The Way We Praise Him!

On Sunday afternoon, September 27, 2009, the St. Elizabeth Gospel Choir gathered gospel groups from all over the city to join in our 18th Anniversary Celebration!

Celebrating with us were the following guest choirs: Gospel Voices of Glen Allen, Descendants of Nora, Darnell Williams and Caught Up, Men of Good Will, and Henley Sisters Gospel Singers. Reverend Bruce Jones, an old friend of our choir, again acted as Master of Ceremony.

Special selections by the St. Elizabeth's Gospel Choir with our pianist, Scott Stell, included "Yes" featuring Kim Ford, "This Is The Way We Praise Him" featuring Jordan Walker-Rowe, "Grateful" and "There's a Leak in This Old Building"... We received a huge surprise when our former choir director and musician, Reverend Rita Newson, greeted the choir members with an invitation to sing our signature song, "Change"... It was a wonderful!

Our accompanying musicians were Reggie Goodwin, Lead Guitar - Bryan Stell, Bass Guitar - and Vincent Wynn, Drums.

After the concert, we enjoyed a delicious repast downstairs in the church hall. We thank all our church members who supported us and helped serve our meal.

We hope to see everyone again next year for another concert.

Seeking Perfection

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time


In the Genesis reading this Sunday, we find Adam in the Garden of Eden being given the task of naming all the wild animals and birds that God has created. God recognizes the loneliness that Adam is experiencing and Adam, too, sees that none of the animals or birds can be a suitable partner for him.

But God has mercy on Adam and while Adam is asleep, God constructs another human being from one of Adam's ribs. And as we then read, Adam is so overjoyed to see this new creation who is so much like himself, that he names her "woman"...

And yet, despite God's love and protection, despite all the gifts that He had given to them, Adam and Eve allowed sin to enter the picture. For you see, God had also given them free will to make choices. And for their sin of pride, in wanting to know what they were forbidden, they were driven from the Garden of Eden.

Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, we find ourselves yearning for perfection. However, we will never reach that state in this life, because the yearning itself implies that we are imperfect beings. God has allowed this imperfection because it leads to that very yearning that will draw us to Him.

In the Gospel reading, we see the results of our own imperfection, especially in regard to marriage. During the time of Moses, on seeing the weakness of the people, Moses had permitted married people to divorce under certain circumstances. Now, when the Pharisees approached Jesus with the question of the lawfulness of these divorces, Jesus did not mince words, but stated the original intent of God: that "what God had joined together, no human being must separate."

In the second reading from Hebrews, we learn that God made us a little lower than the angels and that despite our imperfections, we are the crown of creation! God's covenant with us went so far that He allowed His Son to be born one of us; to live among us; to suffer and taste death as one of us. Christ calls us brothers and sisters because we are of one origin. When He took on our flesh and blood, He took on our strengths and weaknesses also; thereby showing us His incredible love for us despite our imperfections.

Just as Jesus suffered and endured much during His life, we are also going to be wounded on our journey to reach God. But we know that love can heal. Just as Jesus showed love and concern for the little children brought to Him for a blessing and an embrace, we are called to do the same: helping each other on our separate journeys, encouraging each other, showing love and mercy and granting forgiveness just as He did.

May God bless us all the days of our lives.