Join us for Passion Sunday on Sunday, March 22, 2015

In the Letter to the Hebrews, in the Ninth Chapter, we hear a contrast between how the priest used to purify the "holy place," (or the Holy of Holies) as opposed to Our Blessed Saviour purifying humanity.  Both involve blood.  One by the "blood of goats and calves" (Hebrews 9:12) and the other purification "by His own Blood."  (v.12)  To understand why blood was so important in both acts, it is vital that we look back to the Old Testament and look in the Book of Leviticus.  Let us look at Leviticus 17:11  "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."  In this light, Our Blessed Saviour shed His own Blood at Calvary to atone for our sins . . . to make atonement for the wrongs we have committed . . . . to purify us.  Every drop of the Precious Blood of Jesus that dripped from that Cross at Calvary was shed on your behalf.  He shed it for your purification and your sanctification.  And just like the priests of old sprinkled blood to purify the "Holy of Holies" and the "Holy Place," Christ shed His Blood to purify you!  You are purified by the Blood of the Lamb of God!  We must never forget this point.  Christ died on the Cross and shed His Precious Blood on that first Good Friday so that He could die for us; purify us by His Blood; and begin the process of allowing us to rise again with Him.  It is only through death that we can rise again.  It is only through Christ's Death and Passion, that we are allowed the opportunity to die to our own sins.

Join St. Margaret Anglican Church and also the Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit for Mass on Sunday, March 22nd, 2015 as we come together as God's family to worship Our Heavenly Father.  Join us as we take time out of our busy schedules and dedicate this time to God alone.  Join us as we come forward and receive the Most Precious Body and Blood at Communion time.

St. Margaret Church worships at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located  at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM

The Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit worships at the beautiful, historic First Presbyterian Church, which is located at 216 W. South Street, at the corner of South and Pennsylvania Streets in Greenfield, Indiana.  Mass begins at 1:00 PM.

Join us for Laetare Sunday, March 15th, 2015

The Gospel for Laetare Sunday comes from the Sixth Chapter of St. John's Gospel. As we begin this passage St. John tells us of the large crowds that have followed Our Lord due to them hearing about the many people that He has cured. Our Lord's fame has grown far and wide due to the many miracles that He has performed. And many of those gathered want to not only to see Him but to hear what He has to say. Now the first thing that should strike us when we hear the story of Our Lord feeding the multitude is that Our Lord is a compassionate Lord. He knew that these people that gathered together to hear Him and to get just a glimpse of Him would be tired . . . would be hungry . . . would need to be sustained and nourished. And He called together the disciples and inquired what would need to be done. Now, we all know what happened next. Our Blessed Saviour multiplied the five loaves and the two fish into feeding the multitude.

What I would like to focus on is what Our Lord did after everyone was fed. He called together the disciples and told them: "Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. ." (St. John 6:12) Sometimes our lives feel like "fragments," in a sense. We run here. We run there. We take care of our families. We take care of our home. We go to our jobs. We go shopping for what we need. The list goes on and on. As a result, we feel like we are running around from one place to the next, going from doing one thing into something completely different. I know I feel this way very often. And I talk to so many people that feel the same way. Our lives are divided between this, that and the other. But the important thing to remember is that God takes our "fragments" and makes them whole. Just like Our Blessed Saviour fed and nourished the five-thousand, He feeds and nourishes us still today. Just like He saw the vast multitude gathered around Him, He still sees us in need of His strength to carry on our daily lives. And He is that strength. He is the One Who nourishes us. He is the One Who sustains us. He is the One Who makes us whole. He takes the fragments of our lives and makes our life complete. There is no other person, thing, or feeling in the world that can make us complete. There is only one person who can do this for us. And that is God. Give your heart to Him. Let Him be your nourishment. Let God be your sustaining force. Let Our Blessed Saviour be the One you run to in order to be fed.

Join us for Mass on Sunday, March 15th, as we celebrate Laetare Sunday. Join us as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer. Join us as we join together as God's family and worship Our Heavenly Father. Join us as we come to the altar to be fed the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time. And, finally, please stay after Mass for some fellowship at our coffee hour.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships at the beautiful Marquette Manor Chapel, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis. Mass begins at 9:30 AM

The Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit worships at the beautiful, historic First Presbyterian Church which is located at 216 W. South Street, at the corner of South and Pennsylvania Streets in Greenfield, Indiana. Mass begins at 1:00 PM.

Sermon for Third Sunday of Lent, 2015

Fr. Todd's sermon for the Third Sunday of Lent, given on March 8th, 2015.

You can hear the sermon by clicking on the following link:

Sermon for Second Sunday of Lent, 2015

The sermon of Fr. Todd Bragg given on the Second Sunday of Lent, Sunday, March 1st, 2015.

You can listen to the sermon by clicking on the following link:

Keep God's Name Holy

The Holy Name of Jesus

Anglo-Catholics are very traditional. One of the traditions that Anglo-Catholics still hold dear is that we bow our heads when we hear the Holy Name of Jesus spoken aloud. Up until fifty or sixty years ago, this beautiful tradition was still practiced by Christians throughout the world. Sadly, over time this tradition of showing reverence at the Name of Jesus has decreased in usage.

On the other hand, ironically, usage of Our Lord’s Name seems to have increased . . . but sadly not in a reverent fashion. On a daily basis, whether it be in the workplace or out in public at a store . . . or on television or in movies, you hear people using the Lord’s Name frequently. You hear people saying “Jesus” or “Jesus Christ” or sadly even “God d**n.” Even on the Internet you see the initials written “OMG” on a frequent basis. And, sadly, you even hear some young people write (or say, for that matter) the letter “F” before “G” (as in “OM*G),” which is most certainly blasphemous to say the least.

If you are in church, you would certainly expect to hear Our Lord’s Name mentioned. If you ever attend a Revival, you would expect to hear Our Blessed Lord’s Name spoken aloud or even sang in beautiful hymns. Certainly, in times of prayer, it is a good thing to call Our Lord by His Name. And, finally, in reading Holy Scripture, you expect to hear God’s Name being mentioned. But in any other instance where you hear Our Lord’s Name mentioned in a “secular” setting, this shows complete and utter disregard for the Sacredness of God’s Holy Name.

Even God Himself acknowledges the sacredness of His Name when He gave Moses the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord Thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7) And we hear elsewhere: “ . . . neither shalt thou profane the Name of Thy God: I am the Lord.” (Leviticus 18:21) Back then the Name of the Lord was certainly acknowledged as something holy and sacred. In fact, we hear the following from the Book of Leviticus: “And he that blasphemeth the Name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death . . . .” (Leviticus 24:16) Now, surely we are not recommending that anyone that blasphemes be put to death but this verse certainly points out that in the past, people made a point to not take the Lord’s Name lightly and did not take the Name of the Lord in vain.

We need to be reminded and taught that the Name of the Lord is precious and holy. In showing respect and reverence for the Name of God, we surely show the respect and reverence which we have for God Himself. In acknowledging the holiness of His Name, we acknowledge the holiness of the Good Lord Himself. If the Name of God is not held in esteem, then the question becomes do we even hold God in esteem? Even in the “Our Father,” keep in mind that we pray “. . . Hallowed be Thy Name . . .” Do we keep God’s Name holy if we use that Name as a curse or use it in an “ordinary” fashion. There is nothing ordinary about our God. God is extraordinary. He is holy. He is sacred. He is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the Great “I Am.” God is indeed Our Heavenly Father. When we remember all these things, it puts into perspective that we should not take the Name of Our Heavenly Father lightly. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Let us always show honour, respect and love for the Holy Name of Jesus. Let us never take this Name lightly. Neither let us use this Name lightly. Let us teach our children not only by our words but also by our example that we do not blaspheme God’s Name and do not take His Name in vain. In showing respect for God’s Name, we show the respect and regard we hold for God. “That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.” (Philippians 2:10)

Join us for the Third Sunday of Lent, March 8th, 2015

Third Sunday of Lent, Sunday, March 8th, 2015

Maybe it's just me, I don't know, but I am amazed at how often I "revert" back to doing something when I know I should not be doing it and then I turn around and do it again.  For example, I type every day on the computer.  And sometimes . . . . I don't know the reason why .. . . I may type the wrong letter in a certain word and then I will go back and erase it and type the correct word but then the next time I get to type that same word I end up typing the same exact wrong letter again.  And then it gets to the point that it is laughable because then suddenly no matter how hard I try and how determined I am NOT to type that one wrong letter . . .  . I do it again.  

Sin is like that as well.  We may keep doing the same wrong things all over again even though deep down inside we know that the sinful behaviour is no good for us but we keep going back and doing the same thing over and over again.  In the Fifth Chapter of St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, we hear the following:  "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord."  Our Blessed Saviour redeemed us by His Own Precious Blood.  Our Saviour took our sins upon His shoulders and carried them to that hill at Calvary.  Our Saviour saved us from our sins by dying on the Cross for us.  With all of this in mind, it begs the question:  why do we do what we do . . . . especially when we supposedly know better?  How often do we do something really stupid and then we say out loud to ourselves:  "Why did I do that?"  St. Paul is saying to the Ephesians just like he is saying to us:  "You used to be ignorant of your sins but now you have knowledge in Christ . . . you are knowledgeable of Our Lord . . .  you know about Him . .    you know His ways . .  . you know Him . . . . now, act like Him and do not go back to your former, sinful ways."  This, in essence, is what St. Paul was saying to the church at Ephesus and what he is saying to us.  

Join St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church on Sunday, March 8th, 2015 as we gather together to worship Our Blessed Saviour.  Join us as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Blessed Saviour at Communion time and then stay with us after Mass as we share fellowship and goodies at the coffee hour.

St. Margaret Anglican Church worships at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.