Join us for Second Sunday after Epiphany, Sunday, January 17th, 2016

Second Sunday after Epiphany, Sunday, January 17th, 2016

In the very first chapter of the Gospel of St. Mark, we hear the story of St. John the Baptist.  St. Mark is quick to point out that St. John the Baptist was expected to appear before the Messiah when he writes:  "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face . .  . " (St. Mark 1:2)  Of course, this is a reference to the Old Testament passage coming from Malachi 3:1:  "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me."  "Prepare."  "Preparation."  Our life is filled with  all sorts of "getting prepared."  Preparation is something we do on a daily basis,  in ways in which we may not even think about because we do it so often.  For example, we prepare ourselves when we take a bath or shower in the morning.  We prepare ourselves to go out by getting dressed.  We prepare our meals.  In winter, we prepare our homes and our cars by "winterizing" them.  Reports have to prepared for work.    When Mass is celebrated, we have to prepare the altar by putting up the altar cards; place the altar linens on the altar; place the ribbons in the missal; the priest has to get vested; etc.  Everything in life has to be prepared, it seems.  

St. John the Baptist prepared the way of the Lord.  As both St. Mark and the prophet Malachi stated, St. John was a messenger for the Lord.  He prepared the way of the Lord by announcing Our Lord's imminent arrival.  St. John prepared the way of the Lord by letting the people know about the goodness of God.  St. John prepared the way of the Lord by telling the people to repent their evil ways.  We, too, are called to prepare the way of the Lord just like St. John the Baptist.  As I say so often in my sermons, Our Blessed Saviour founded the Church to do His work here in this world.  In the past, people viewed "the Church" as being only the bishops, priests, and nuns.  And everybody else just sat back and did "their own thing."  But we know now that every member of the church:  bishop, priest, religious nun or brother, and all the lay faithful are members of the Church.  As such, whether someone is ordained or a lay-member, everyone is expected to do their part by "preparing the way of the Lord."  We all do this in our own ways.  

We are all given gifts and talents.  Each one of us have been given a unique talent.  Obvious talents that people would think of would include: being a musician, being a teacher, able to preach inspiring sermons; etc.  But we don't have to preach a powerful sermon in front of a church-full of people in order to tell people about God.  For preachers, they preach their sermons on Sunday.  But for the rest of us we have the opportunity to preach sermons every day of the week.  For most people, they preach their sermons, though, by the ways in which they lead their lives . . .  by the way that they treat people . . .  by the way in which they show compassion to others . . . by the way in which they show love.  St. Francis said:  "Preach the Gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words."  All of us are called to prepare the way of the Lord and we all must do it in our own way.  Ask God to show you, to guide you, to inspire you.  And then go and inspire others to a closer relationship with God.

Two opportunities to join us for Mass on Sunday, January 17th, 2016:

Join St. Margaret Church on Sunday, January 17th, 2016 as we celebrate the Second Sunday after Epiphany.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM.  Mass is celebrated at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  

Join Holy Spirit Church on Sunday, January 17th, 2016 as we celebrate the Second Sunday after Epiphany.  Mass begins at 1:00 PM.  Mass is celebrated at the beautiful, historic First Presbyterian Church in Greenfield, Indiana, which is located at 116 W. South Street, at the corner of South and Pennsylvania streets.  

St. Margaret and Holy Spirit Churches are both traditional Anglican parishes, which both use the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We also use the King James Version of the Bible.  We believe strongly in Our Lord's words . . .  "this is My Body and this is My Blood" . . . and truly believe that Our Blessed Saviour is truly present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar and we receive Him at Communion time.