Sunday after Ascension, Sunday, May 28th, 2017

Sunday after Ascension, Sunday, May 28th, 2017

"THE end of all things is at hand"  (I St. Peter 4:7)  So begins the passage appointed for this Sunday's liturgy, coming to us from the Fourth Chapter of the First Epistle of St. Peter.  What happens when the "end" is near?  What exactly do we do when the "end" is near?  You may ask yourself as to the context of what exactly is "ending."  Well, I suppose it could be just about anything:  the "end of a job" . .. .  the "end of a relationship" . . . . the "end of difficulties" . . . . "the end of the world"    It could be just about anything, I suppose.  You see it is what St. Peter writes AFTER "the end of all things is at hand" that is really what we should be concerned with.  Because St. Peter immediately follows up by writing:  ". . . . be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer."  What happens when something is at an end?  As we stated a little bit ago it doesn't really matter what exactly is at an end  . . . .  a job . . . . a relationship . . . .  etc.   . . . . .  because no matter what it is most folks will react the same way time and time again.  Some people panic.  Some people try to run and hide.  Some people just plain give up.   But what is our response as a Christian supposed to be?  Well, according to St. Peter, we are called to pray:  " . . . . watch unto prayer," he writes.  But he doesn't stop there.  In the next verse he emphasizes a reaction that should be the "core" of every Christian throughout the world, he writes:  "And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves."  Of course, the key word in this sentence is "charity" but the meaning is what we would call "love."  In other words, St Peter is emphasizing that we should have "fervent love" for one another.  When you think about it, though, shouldn't this be how the Christian reacts automatically in any given situation?  We should always pray.  We should always show love.  We should always pray because it shows that we are seeking guidance from Our Heavenly Father.  We should always love because that is what Our Blessed Saviour would do.  Plus when we show love to those around us, we are showing the "Face of Christ" to the world.  So, the bottom line is that when we are faced with adversity . . . . when we are faced with difficulty.  . . when our first reaction might be to panic or to simply give up . . . . remember the advice of St. Peter for any situation:  "Pray" and "Love." 

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships each and every Sunday at 9:30 AM.  Please take time to join us as we gather together to worship Our Heavenly Father as a family.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.