Fifth Sunday after Trinity, July 1, 2018

Fifth Sunday after Trinity, July 1st, 2018

Human beings are amazing.  We have qualities that are amazing, quite frankly.  You find people that are loyal and dedicated and will remain your friend through thick and thin, through good times and bad.  You will find people that will give you the shirt right off of their back for no other reason than you need the help and they want to do their part to help.  You find amazing fathers and mothers who will stay dedicated to their families and will work two jobs to support their family.  You find amazing volunteers who not only give of their time but they give of themselves.  Like I say, the world is full of amazing people and I am quite sure that you can come up with your own list.  

On the other hand, the world is filled with people who could care less about anyone or anything  . . . .  . other than themselves, that is.  Just turn on the nightly news if you can't think of any examples that you know personally.  What about the people that try to pull scams on unsuspecting senior citizens?  How about people that steal from charities?  How about people that steal from their own families, for that matter?  How about people that abuse children?  Or animals?  Or spouses?  Again, we could go on and on and on in regards to this list as well.  We either know people that could fit this description or see them on the news.  

We have described both good and bad but let's be honest.  All of us have qualities of each to one degree or another, don't we?   I mean let's face it, none of us is perfect.  We can be extremely caring and giving one minute but selfish and only focus on ourselves the next minute.  I am sure that everyone who reads this short essay can admit that they have done wrong things in their life.  I know I have.  St. Peter fell down at Our Lord's feet and said to Him:  "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man"  (St. Luke 5:8)  St. Peter recognized the greatness of the Lord.  And in so doing he was suddenly confronted with the fact that he was sinful compared to the man Whom he was in the presence of.  And yet Our Blessed Saviour chose him to be one of the Apostles.  Our Lord used St. Peter to help build His Church here on earth.  Despite the fact that St. Peter was, in his own words, a "sinful man."  Despite the fact that St. Peter would still mess up and say wrong things and still do wrong things.  Our Lord chose him as Our Lord chooses us.  

As human beings we will never be perfect.  As human beings we will make mistakes from time to time.  As human beings we will do the wrong thing sometimes.  So the key is to always keep our focus on God and not on us.   "If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us."   (I St. John 4:12)  God sent His Son into the world to save us.  He sent His Son into the world to not only preach the love of God but to show the love of God.  We are called to do this as well.  Although we will often do it imperfectly, the key is to focus on the love that God has for others.  Typically when we focus on ourselves only, this is based on selfishness.  Yet, when we focus on others we have the opportunity to love and to show love as Christ did.  

St. Margaret Church meets each and every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM.  We worship at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  We use the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Come join us as we listen to God speak to us through His Word.  At Communion time, we receive the Precious Body and Blood of Christ to nourish us and give us strength for our journey called life.

Saint John Baptist's Day, June 24, 2018

Saint John Baptist's Day, June 24th, 2018

Of St. John the Baptist, Our Lord stated:  "He was a burning and a shining light."  (St. John 5:35)  Certainly, those of us who try to be a good Christian, a faithful Christian our light should burn brightly for the whole world to see.  As I have said in the past, it is easy to see how "dark" the world has become.  Hatred, poverty, wars or threats of wars, disease, famine, etc.  We could go on and on.   Just watch the nightly news broadcast to see exactly what I am speaking of:  murders; factory closings; accidents; etc.  It's easy enough to get frightened and disheartened when you are constantly seeing "bad" news coming at you from every side.  And yet there is a light that shineth for the world.  Our Blessed Saviour is indeed that light!     ". . . a light that shineth in a dark place; until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts." (2 St. Peter 1:19)   St. John the Baptist gives us the example of how to live the Christian life.  We are called to shine forth not our own light but shine forth the light of Christ in our life.   "For God, Who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Corinthians 4:6)  We are called to be different from the world.  So much of the world tries so hard to be just like everyone else.  They have to watch the popular TV shows; the popular movies.  They have to wear the latest fashion trends.  They have to go to the trendiest restaurants.  We have to read certain books because they are endorsed by Oprah.  We have to live in the most fashionable section of town.  The list goes on and on.  And yet we are called to shine forth the light of Christ to the world.  Again, notice that the light that we are shining is not our own but it is the light of Christ.  "I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (St. John 8:12) 

St. Margaret Church meets each and every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM.  We worship at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  We use the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Come join us as we listen to God speak to us through His Word.  At Communion time, we receive the Precious Body and Blood of Christ to nourish us and give us strength for our journey called life.

Third Sunday after Trinity, June 17, 2018

Third Sunday after Trinity, Sunday, June 17th, 2018

From the First Epistle of St. Peter we hear:  ". . . for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." (I St. Peter 5:5 ff)  St. Peter more than likely is quoting Scripture here because we also find in Proverbs 3:34:  "Surely He scorneth the scorners: but He giveth grace unto the lowly."   . .. . giveth grace to he humble . . . giveth grace to the lowly . .  .   Not only did St. Peter learn this truth from Holy Scripture but he learned it even more importantly in witnessing countless souls approaching humbly to Our Blessed Saviour.  Of course, Our Blessed Lord came to be with the humble of the world:  the poor and needy;  the sick; the sinners.  This is the reason He came:  to redeem those in need of redemption.  But before we can obtain redemption, we have to acknowledge our need of redemption.  In other words, we have to admit in our hearts, in our souls, in our minds, that we have sinned and are in need of forgiveness.  In a similar sense, it is much like acknowledging that we are sick and going to the doctor in search of healing.  We first recognize the fact that we are sick; next, we realize that we can not get well on our own; finally, we go to the doctor seeking medical treatment.  The same is true, spiritually speaking:  we first recognize the fact that we are sinners; we realize that we can not find peace and healing in ourselves; we finally humble ourselves and ask for God's forgiveness and ask Him to come into our heart.  "When Jesus heard it, He saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."  (St. Mark 2:17)  Let us pray for humility enough to recognize that we are in need of God in our life and then give our hearts over to Him.

Join us as we gather together as God's family to:  hear the Word of God; listen as God speaks to each one of us in our hearts; worship God in song and in word; listen to the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer; and, finally, receive Our Blessed Lord in Holy Communion so that we can be nourished for the journey we call life.  Take one hour out of your busy schedule to worship God, to honour God, to acknowledge the need for God in your life.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

The Importance of Honoring God's Name

I had the occasion recently to be in the company of two truck owners.  One man owned a Chevy truck and the other man owned a Ford truck.  It was interesting to hear them go back and forth . . . in a friendly way, of course . . . . about which make was better:  Chevy or Ford.  Interesting also was the fact that both men "inherited" their preference, if you will, from their fathers who also owned a Chevy and Ford, respectively.  The bottom line is that both men were loyal to the brand that they had.  We all have our brand loyalty to a specific item.  Whether it be toilet paper or beer or bread or any number of other items.  The reason for this is because these items have stood the test.  They have proven themselves, so to speak.  

Can't we say the same thing about people?  What would you think if I promised you that I would take you out to a fancy restaurant and I never picked you up?  And then I promised you once again that I would take you to that same fancy restaurant but . . . once again . . .  I never picked you up.  And then I promised you that I would take you to the same restaurant.  By this time, would you believe me?  Of course not.  You would not believe me to take you to that restaurant because my word could not be trusted.  We have people that back up their words and then there are other people that are not so trustworthy.  So the bottom line is that there are people and products that we trust because they stand behind their name.  They can be trusted.  

"Give unto the Lord glory due unto His Name." (I Chronicles 16:29)

Would you say that God is trustworthy?  I would certainly hope so.  God is Our Heavenly Father.  He is our creator and the creator of the universe.  He is the Alpha and the Omega.  The Three Persons of the Trinity:  the Father; the Son; and the Holy Ghost.  Certainly, if there is anyone that we should trust, I would imagine that God would be first on our list.  As such we would never say anything bad about God.  On the contrary, we would only speak about God in a loving, respectful way.  We would never knowingly say anything bad about God.  Nor would we knowingly speak in a disrespectful way, would we?   But what about unknowingly?  Let me point out what I am referring to.  

I was recently trying to finish up work that I was doing in my back yard one afternoon.  The peacefulness of the afternoon was soon disrupted because the neighbors that live behind us were having a party of sorts with a pool and one of those big, inflatable bounce house's that the kids jump in.  I think there must have been perhaps ten to twelve children at this gathering.  These children were aged eight to ten years old, I guess, although I am not good at guessing ages.  Anyway, these children were very loud as you might expect.  Now, I really didn't have a problem with the yelling and screaming of the children.  That's just what kids do when they are outside at a party with other children.  Here's what caught my attention, though.  One of these children  . . . . at the top of her lungs . . . .  would yell "Oh My God!"   Now, this was happening every minute to two minutes.  Thus, it was very hard to miss each time she would yell it.  I have discovered that Children are very similar to parrots.  They both mimic what they have heard.  Thus, be careful what you speak in front of both parrots and children.  Thus, it was pretty obvious to figure out that this little girl heard "Oh My God" said quite a bit at home.  As a result, I do not fault the little girl in the least.  Note to those of you who are parents or grandparents:  Please teach your children to honor and respect God's Name.  If you do not teach them the importance, who will?  Just like the little girl that I made reference to above.  We should teach our children that the Name of God should not be taken lightly.  We should teach our children to honor the Name of God.  We should emphasize to our children not to blaspheme God's Name.

We hear this phrase . . .  and, sadly, much worse . . . . spoken in conversations;  . . . we hear it on TV and in the movies;  . . .  we hear Our Lord's Name spoken more as a curse word than we do as a source of praise for the wonderful things He does for us.   St John writes in his first epistle:  "That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ" (1 St. John 3:23)   The Name of God  . . .  The Name of His Son . . . . The Names and titles of the Holy Ghost . . . . All of these names are sacred; they are holy; we should speak these names with honor and respect.  And yet people utter the Name of God with utter disregard and do not even realize it.  Call on God in prayer.  Call Him when you need Him.  Utter His Name to describe the wonderful things He has done for you.  "O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His Name!" (Psalm 105:1)  The Name of God is holy.  The Name of God is sacred.  The Name of God should mean something and stand for something.    " . . .  and we will walk in the Name of the Lord Our God for ever and ever." (Micah 4:5) When we do speak the Lord's Name, let us speak His Name in the proper context.   Let us praise the Name of the Lord.  Let us speak His Name with pride and love.  Let us thank Him by Name for all of the wonderful things He has done for us.   

"Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord Thy God in vain." (Exodus 20:7)

Remember that we are commanded not to take the Name of Our Lord in vain.  Again, this is from the Ten Commandments and not the "Ten Suggestions."  The way that honor Our Lord's Name reflects the regard we hold for Him in our heart.  If we don't hold His Name in regard, how highly do we regard Our Lord to begin with?  If we use blasphemy against God's Name, how seriously do we regard our relationship with God to begin with?  Even in the Lord's Prayer we are reminded:  "Our Father Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name . . ..  "  We should do our utmost to keep God's Name respected.  

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name.  That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow . . . and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."  (Philippians 2:9-11)

Second Sunday after Trinity, June 10th, 2018

Second Sunday after Trinity, June 10th, 2018

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon last weekend . . .  a little bit hot, yes . . . . but a beautiful weekend nonetheless.   Because of that reason I was trying to finish up the work I was doing in the back yard at home.  The peacefulness of the afternoon was soon disrupted because the neighbors that live behind us were having a party of sorts with a pool and one of those big, inflatable bounce house's that the kids jump in.  I think there must have been perhaps ten to twelve children at this gathering.  These children were aged eight to ten years old, I guess, although I am not good at guessing ages.  Anyway, these children were very loud as you might expect.  Now, I really didn't have a problem with the yelling and screaming of the children.  That's just what kids do when they are outside at a party with other children.  Here's what caught my attention, though.  One of these children  . . . . at the top of her lungs . . . .  would yell "Oh My God!"   Now, this was happening every minute or so and it was very hard to miss each time she would yell it.  I have discovered that Children are very similar to parrots.  They both mimic what they have heard.  Thus, be careful what you speak in front of both parrots and children.  Thus, it was pretty obvious to figure out that this little girl heard "Oh My God" said quite a bit at home.  I do not fault the little girl in the least.  We hear this phrase . . .  and, sadly, much worse . . . . spoken in conversations;  . . . we hear it on TV and in the movies;  . . .  we hear Our Lord's Name spoken more as a curse word than we do as a source of praise for the wonderful things He does for us.   St John writes in his first epistle:  "That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ" (1 St. John 3:23)   The Name of God  . . .  The Name of His Son . . . . The Names and titles of the Holy Ghost . . . . All of these names are sacred; they are holy; we should speak these names with honor and respect.  And yet people utter the Name of God with utter disregard and do not even realize it.  Call on God in prayer.  Call Him when you need Him.  Utter His Name to describe the wonderful things He has done for you.  "O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His Name!" (Psalm 105:1)  The Name of God is holy.  The Name of God is sacred.  The Name of God should mean something and stand for something.    " . . .  and we will walk in the Name of the Lord Our God for ever and ever." (Micah 4:5) When we do speak the Lord's Name, let us speak His Name in the proper context.   Let us praise the Name of the Lord.  Let us speak His Name with pride and love.  Let us thank Him by Name for all of the wonderful things He has done for us.   

St. Margaret Church meets each and every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM.  We worship at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  We use the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Come join us as we listen to God speak to us through His Word.  At Communion time, we receive the Precious Body and Blood of Christ to nourish us and give us strength for our journey called life.

First Sunday After Trinity, June 3rd, 2018

First Sunday after Trinity, June 3rd, 2018

In the Sixteenth Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, Our Blessed Lord relates the story of Lazarus and the Rich Man.  In this story, Our Saviour contrasts the difference between how these two men lived their lives:  the rich man wore fine clothing and ate  delicious foods while Lazarus was a poor beggar who lived a miserable existence.  We are further told that when both men died, Lazarus went to Heaven and the rich man went to hell.  In fact, the rich man suffered so much in hell that he cried out to Abraham to send Lazarus to him to give him even the slightest bit of relief to his torment and we then hear the following:  "But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things . . . ." (St. Luke 16:25)

This Gospel passage points out the problem faced by so many in our society today.  So many of us are fixated on the good things in life.  We have everything we want:  the latest gadgets; the newest car; a house in the fanciest neighborhood; the latest fashions; etc.  Now, there is nothing wrong with any of these things just mentioned, but when they take our attention away from God, that is where the problem arises.  We are called as Christians to keep our attention fixed on God.  It is God Who provides all the blessings in life but if these "blessings" divert the attention away from Him, what use are they in the long run?  Fashionable clothes go out of style . . . the latest electronics become obsolete . . .   cars break down . . .  but the one thing they never goes bad is the love of God.  "Put your money where your mouth is."  We've all heard this phrase.  In essence, it means that you better back up your words or else they are "just words" and no more.  Well, God did back up His words.  He proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that He loved us by sending His Only Begotten Son into the world to save us from our sins.  Our Blessed Saviour died on the Cross for us.   Why do we keep our attention focused on earthly items that will fade away into nothing?  We have been given a gift beyond measure:  the gift of salvation.  It is offered freely.   Keep your eyes focused on God.  Keep your attention on your Heavenly Father. 

Join St Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church for Mass on Sunday, June 3rd, 2018 as we celebrate the First Sunday after Trinity.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM.  You can find us at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 Township Line Road on the northwest side of Indianapolis, Indiana.

 Join us for traditional worship, 1928 Book of Common Prayer, King James Bible, and down to earth Bible preaching!