Sunday Next before Advent, November 25, 2018

Sunday Next before Advent, November 25th, 2018

At the very beginning of the epistle from Mass for the Sunday Next before Advent we hear to following:  "BEHOLD, the days come, saith the LORD .  . . " (Jeremiah 23:5)  Our society is obsessed with upcoming events.  For example, this time every year, we get constant reminders about how close we are to Christmas, courtesy of all the department stores, retail stores, online book stores, etc.  Behold, the big sale is about to happen . . . . Behold, this sale won't last long . . .  Behold, come and spend your hard-earned money here so that your loved ones will be happy at Christmas time.  But these "reminders," in all fairness go on all year around, quite honestly.  We are reminded on the nightly news about the upcoming summits, or upcoming sessions of Congress, or when a bill is about to be voted on.  Even in our personal life, we have to deal with upcoming reports at our jobs being due, and upcoming doctor's appointments, and things to do around the house:  whether they be preparing the house for winter or getting ready for an upcoming dinner.  So, you see, we are constantly reminded of upcoming events and the days ahead . . .

But this is not what Jeremiah wants us to think about.   In the "reminders" that I mentioned above, they are concerned with earthly, material things.  And nothing is necessarily wrong with with the things that I mentioned:  it's good to give gifts as a token of affection to loved ones;  it's good to prepare your home for the winter; it's good for politicians to do their job, etc.  But we have to keep everything in perspective of what is important.  Jeremiah continues:  "BEHOLD, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth"    We need to be concerned with the coming of the Lord as Christians.  We need to concern ourselves with making a place ready for Him when He comes.  And, quite frankly, we can make that happen now!  Yes, we can prepare our hearts for Him and prepare a place in our heart for Our Blessed Lord.  You see, all of the daily routines in life have their place: the daily chores, preparation of meals, going to work, paying bills, etc.  But there is one more daily "chore," and it should not even be called a "chore,"  it would be better described as a "daily necessity,"   . . . . and this "daily necessity" is time spent with Our Lord and preparing  a place for Him in our hearts!  As we come upon the liturgical season of Advent, the Church prepares for the coming of the Lord as a small innocent Infant.  Let us also prepare our hearts for the coming of that small Divine Infant by making a place for Him to dwell.  Get to know Jesus.  Give Him your heart because He has already given His Sacred Heart to you!

Mass will be celebrated on Sunday, November 25th, 2018 at 9:30 AM.  Please mark your calendars and plan to join with us at Mass.  Come hear the Word of God proclaimed!  Come hear God speaking directly to you!  Come join your brothers and sisters in Christ as we gather together to worship Our Heavenly Father!  And join us as we receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Saviour at Communion time to help prepare us, to nourish us, to sustain us for the days to come!

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

Feast of St. Margaret (Transferred), November 18, 2018

Feast of St. Margaret of Scotland, Queen and Widow (Transferred), November 18th, 2018

In the Thirteenth Chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel we hear Our Blessed Saviour speaking to a great multitude.  And during this talk, He uses an analogy to describe the Kingdom of Heaven for the multitude.  In the passage which we are focusing on.  Our Lord states that the Kingdom of Heaven is like a buried treasure in a field and a pearl of great price.  In both of these examples, Our Lord describes men having great joy when they find these things and then these same men sold all in order to keep these items of great value.  Is this not the case for us when we get something of great value to us?  Don't we treasure this item and keep it safe?  We do what we can to make sure nothing happens to it.  We take care of it and cherish it.    Whether it be a car which we have just purchased, we do our best to keep it clean and washed.  We make sure the oil is changed.  etc.   It could be anything we value:  a rare book .. .  a valuable painting . . .  a beautiful dress or suit.  All of us are different.  We all have things that we value.  But the point is the same.  We value the things that are important to us.  As I stated, Our Lord used the analogy of someone finding a treasure in a field or a merchant that found a pearl of great price.  In both examples, Our Lord emphasized that both men sold all they had in order to obtain these items.  If Our Lord were speaking today, He might have used an analogy of a collector who sold everything he had to buy a particular item.  Sometimes we hear on the news about an item from a movie going up for sale or a very rare, historic baseball card or comic book going up for sale.  Whatever example we think of, the collector pays a great price for the item and then treasures it, takes care of it, perhaps even shows it off because he is so proud of it.  Whatever example we use, the point is still the same.   Shouldn't we value Heaven just as much?  Shouldn't we value our relationship with God even more than we do a pair of expensive sneakers?  a rare comic book?  a new sports car?  We spend so much time focusing on our hobbies and the things we enjoy but how much time do we spend focusing on God?  How much time do we dedicate to God on a daily basis?  Do I read God's Word every day?  Do I spend time in prayer every day?  Do I make a point to thank God every day for all the blessings in my life?  Do I make a point to go to church to worship Him?   The items which we treasure so much today might be gone tomorrow.  Whether these items rust away, or get lost, or get stolen . . . perhaps they lose their value or even might lose our interest.  Whatever the reason, we know for sure that we come into this world with nothing and we leave this world with nothing.  The only sure thing that we can possess for all eternity is a place in Heaven in the Presence of Our Blessed Saviour.  We need to remember this and value that above everything else.  Because in so doing, we will strengthen our relationship with God here and now and we will look forward to spending eternity with Him.  

On Sunday, November 18th, 2018 we celebrate the transferred feast of St. Margaret of Scotland, Queen and Widow.   Please join us as we honor the patroness of our parish who has inspired the Church through her personal example of charitable acts for the poor and love for others.  

Mass is celebrated in the Chapel of Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the northwest side of Indianapolis.  Join us as we hear the Word of God preached from the King James Version of the Bible.  Listen to the Word of God speaking to you.   Spend time as God's family in solemn worship of God, taking time out of the busy schedule of life and devoting one hour to God.  And receive Our Blessed Lord in His Precious Body and Blood to help sustain us and nourish us for the journey called life.

Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity, November 11, 2018

Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity, November 11th, 2018

In the Ninth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew, we hear a certain ruler come to Our Lord in desperation on behalf of his daughter.  St. Matthew tells us that Our Lord immediately arose and followed the man to his home.  While on the way there, St. Matthew informs us,  a woman with "an issue of blood twelve years, came behind Him and touched the hem of His garment." (St. Matthew 9:20)  When Our Lord realized what was happening He turned to the woman and told her:  "Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole." (St. Matthew 9:22)  " . .  . Thy faith hath made thee whole . .  ."  Certainly, we look to a wide array or assortment of things in hopes of them making us "whole," don't we?  I refer to it as "the grass is always greener" syndrome, truth be known.  If I could just get that promotion at work that I want so badly, I will be happy.  If I could just pay off these bills that are killing me, I could be happy.  If I could just buy a house in this particular neighborhood, everything would be great.  If I can just make it to the weekend, everything will be fine.  etc. etc. etc.   You get the picture.  As I way, we come up with a wide array of things that will cure us, will help us, will solve our problems.  But as we saw a little bit ago, it is our faith that truly makes us whole.  In the passage appointed from this ninth chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, we see the ruler, the woman and even two blind men, all coming to Jesus to cure them or their loved one.  We see these individuals desperate for a cure.  Without a doubt, they came to Our Lord in seek of healing.  And in each case Our Lord did not disappoint.   Our Lord cured each one.  Our Lord gave them the anointing that they sought.  

Yet in each of these cases mentioned in this short passage from St. Matthew, we see that "faith" turns out to be the key component.  In the case of the woman that touched the hem of Jesus' garment, Our Lord commends the woman for her faith and He says to her:  "Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole" (9:22).   And then fast forward to the two blind men seeking to be healed, Our Lord told them:  "According to your faith be it unto you." (9:29)  We place our "faith" in many people.  We place our "faith" in products which we use.  We place our "faith" in situations which we hope will give us happiness or peace.  And yet it seems time after time we find that the "faith" we place in these things ends up disappointing us:  people end up disappointing us; products fail or simply do not do the job; situations which we hoped would bring us peace and contentment only do so for a short time.  We need to place our faith in God.  We need to have faith that God will cure us.  We need to be content and satisfied with God and let everything fall into place.  " . . .  Be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole . . ."  Only God can make us whole but it is our faith that leads us to God.  It is our faith that allows us to know that God can solve my problem.  It is our faith which allows us to see God for who He truly is.  So often, as human beings we place misguided "faith" in people and things that only ultimately disappoint.  Yet, in God we will never be disappointed.  In God, we have our strength.  In God, we have the victory.  We should always turn to Him and stay close to Him.    

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.

Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity, November 4th, 2018

Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity, November 4th, 2018

In the Third Chapter of the Epistle to the Philippians, St. Paul reminds us that our true citizenship is not here on earth.  St Paul writes important words for each one of us to ponder:  "For our citizenship is in heaven" (3:17 ff)  For the Christian, this is always important for us to make note of.  It is easy to forget sometimes, if you ask me.  Why do I say that?  We have a tendency as human beings to focus on the "here and now."  In other words, we focus on what is affecting us right here and right now.  If a bill is due right away, we focus on that specific bill and leave the others for later.  If we have a particular report due tomorrow where we work, we take care of that report now and worry about the report that is due next week  later.  We may need to paint the bathroom but first we need to take care of the broken faucet in the kitchen,  etc.  In a general sense, we human beings  focus on the things of the world:  satisfying our desires; paying the bills; putting a roof over our head; etc.  And all of these things are perfectly understandable but St. Paul is giving us a good reminder that while, yes, we are human beings and we have to focus on the "here and now" of this life, we also have to take care of our other citizenship as Christians.  As mentioned above, so often we go from project to project just trying to take care of what needs to be taken care of immediately or what needs to be done now.  And everything else can wait.  When it comes to being a Christian, though, this can not wait.  Being a Christian takes effort.  Being a Christian takes patience.  Being a Christian takes practice.  " . . .  our citizenship is in Heaven," St. Paul reminds us.  And, as such, we need to see the world and approach the world through the eyes of Christ.  This is difficult at times because the human side of us wants to only focus on "us:"  my needs . . .  my desires . . . . my wants . . . .  Even in dealing with others, we want things our way.  And yet if we are to be true, committed, devout, practicing Christians, it is not our will that needs to be done, it is the will of Our Heavenly Father that must take priority:  "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."   We must always remember that we are dual citizens . . .   of earth and of Heaven . . . . but our first allegiance is to God as Christians.  This is easy for us to remember when we are in church on Sundays but it is sometimes easy to forget when we are out in the "world," at our jobs, at the store, stuck in traffic, etc.   Thus, we need to remember the words of St. Paul:  "For our citizenship is in heaven . .  ."  We need to remember those words when we get stressed about the faucet breaking the kitchen.  We need to remember those words when our boss tells us at the last minute a report was due . . .  five minutes ago!   We need to remember those words when the whole world seems to be crashing down around us and everyone is getting on our nerves.  "For our citizenship is in heaven . . .. "

Join us on Sunday, November 4th, 2018 as we gather together to worship Our Heavenly Father.  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 receive the Precious Body and Blood of Our Blessed Saviour at Communion time.

St. Margaret Church meets every Sunday at 9:30 AM.  We worship in the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

All Saints Day, November 1, 2018

Do you remember the show, "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"  I don't remember ever watching it, to be honest with you.  But I certainly remember the title of the show.  Who wants to be a millionaire?  We all do, don't we?   Within the last few weeks, there were a whole lot of folks that were asking the question:  Who wants to be a BILLIONAIRE?!?!?  With 1.6 Billion on the line in the Mega Millions Lottery, there were a whole lot of folks dreaming of becoming a billionaire.  I mean don't we all dream of being a millionaire?  Haven't all of us day-dreamed of becoming a millionaire?  I mean as a millionaire, we could pay off all our bills.  We could live where we wanted to live.  We could travel anywhere we wanted to travel . . . . buy anything we wanted to buy . . . . never have to work again.  Come on, haven't we all had a daydream or two about being a millionaire?

Probably, truth be known, we dream of being all kinds of things, don't we?  We dream of being professional sports stars.  We dream of making it big on the stage.  We dream of making it big in Hollywood.  We dream of all kinds of things, don't we?  Who wants to be a rock star?  Who wants to be a sports star?  Who wants to be a movie star?  But I have one question to ask that perhaps you have never heard asked before:  Who wants to be a Saint?  No, I am not talking about the "New Orleans Saints" of the NFL.  I am talking about a "Saint of God."  Who wants to be a Saint?  Do you want to be a Saint?  I know that I do and I am sure that you do too.  But in order to become a saint, we have to begin the work right here and right now.  We have to begin giving our heart to God.  A lot of people envision Heaven a whole lot of different ways.  But basically Heaven is God's home.  Heaven is where God is.  And Heaven is being in the presence of God.  Thus, why not be in His presence right now?  Why not spend time with God right now?  So many people are too busy to spend time with God.  We are not against God, mind you.  It's just that we are so busy.  We have jobs to go to . . . and we have homes to take care of . . . and we have children to raise . . . and we have to go shop  . . .   and etc, etc, etc.   We come up with all kinds of excuses as to why we don't spend time with God.  Until we need Him, of course.  But we have to make time for God here and now if we want to spend eternity with Him in Heaven.  "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours." (I Corinthians 1:2)   We are called to be saints but we have to respond.  We respond not only with what we say but with how we act . . . how we live . . . how we love . . . .  Who wants to be a Saint?