Sexagesima, February 24, 2019

Sexagesima, or the Second Sunday before Lent, 

February 24, 2019

Have you ever had the experience of giving a presentation or giving a report perhaps in school?   Maybe it was a presentation at your place of employment.  Or perhaps you felt proud of something that you just bought and you find out that your neighbor has a similar item but even more impressive than yours with lots more features.  We've all been there at one point or another in our life.  And it's at that point that we probably just want to crawl under a rock.  It's happened to all of us, I'm sure.  In the Eleventh Chapter of St. Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul is comparing his sufferings for Christ to those who live at Corinth.  For those who are familiar with this section of St. Paul's Epistle, it sounds very much like St. Paul is boasting.  It certainly sounds like St. Paul is boasting of everything he has endured on behalf of proclaiming the Gospel:  "Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. "  (II Corinthians 11:23-24)  It would seem as though St. Paul is boasting of all the hardship he endured on behalf of Christ.  He speaks of how he has been tortured . . . how he has been shipwrecked . . . how far he has traveled ..  . how often he has been hungry  . . .  how often he has been in danger . . . . St. Paul goes on and on and on about all the suffering he has endured for Christ.   He is putting the Corinthians in their place, so to speak, about any sufferings they have to complain about.  And yet we all have things to complain about, don't we?  All of us have had to endure hardships in life.  Whether it be loss of employment; illness; death of a loved one; financial difficulties; etc.  The list goes on and on.   If we take our jobs seriously, I am sure that most of us have endured hardship at our place of employment.  Whether you be a policeman or a fireman . . . . whether you work in a factory or a steel mill . . . whether you have your own farm . . . if you are a teacher, a nurse, someone who takes care of a sick parent,  . . . . Again, the list goes on and on.  Just about all of us can complain about hardship we've endured in life.  Just about everybody can talk about sacrifices they have made in life.  But none of it compares to the sacrifice which Our Blessed Saviour has endured on our behalf.  He was mocked and hated for who He was.  He was falsely accused by those who were jealous of Him.  He was arrested and taken prisoner.  He was cruelly scourged and beaten.  He was forced to carry His own Cross, the instrument of His death.  And then finally forced to die an agonizing death on that Cross.  He endured all of this not for His own benefit but for your benefit . .  for my benefit.  He went through all this  . . . and more . . . out of love for you and I.  This is what we should always remember.  This is what we should always focus on when we want to complain how bad we have things.  When we want to moan and bellyache about how rough we have it in life.  As we approach the holy season of Lent, let us remember this lesson and focus on what Christ has endured for us.  But more importantly let us focus on why He endured what He did . . . . He did it out of love for you and for me.

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.

Septuagesima, February 17th, 2019

Septuagesima, February 17th, 2019

The Daytona 500, which kicks off the NASCAR racing season, is the premier race in that series.  In other words, the biggest game for the NFL would be the Super Bowl and that is at the end of the season, not the beginning. Same with Major League Baseball, the World Series is at the end of the season.  But with NASCAR, they have their most anticipated race at the very beginning of the season.  From the end of the previous racing season until the running of the Daytona 500, the racing teams are preparing so that they can have the best car possible to race at Daytona.  It is amazing to think of all the dedication and preparation that goes into preparing these race cars.  And everyone on the team has to work together in order to make the effort worthwhile.  The driver, the pit crew, the mechanics, etc.  They all work very hard to stay focused on what they do so that they can win the race.  This is what St. Paul is speaking of in this famous passage from the Ninth Chapter of St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians:  "KNOW ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain."  (I Corinthians 9:24)  Only one racing team can win the trophy.  Only one team can win the World Series.  Only one team can win the Superbowl.  But as Christians we can all win the prize at the end of our race.  Our prize will be winning the opportunity to go home . . .  our eternal home.  To spend all eternity in the Presence of Our Blessed Saviour.  This is why St. Paul was urging the Christians at Corinth to work hard at winning that prize.  This is why St. Paul is still urging all of us to continually push on forward so that we reach the finish line.  St. Paul clarifies the difference between those who train in order to win a crown that ultimately fades away and faithful, committed Christians:  "Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible."  (I Corinthians 9:25) Certainly, the crown that we have the opportunity to gain will be the one given to us by Our Blessed Saviour as He welcomes us home.  Let us look forward to that day.  Let us anticipate that day with great joy.  Let us "train" in this life in order to prepare for the next.  

NOTE:  Today the Church celebrates Septuagesima Sunday.   This begins the three "gesima" Sundays which lead us to the penitential season of Lent.  Septuagesima refers to Seventy Days before Easter.  

St. Margaret Church meets each and every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM.  Come hear the Word of God preached from the King James Version and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we receive the Precious Body and Blood of Our Blessed Saviour at Communion time.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, February 10th, 2019

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany, February 10th, 2019

On February Fourteenth of every year we celebrate St. Valentine's Day.  But the majority of the world seems to leave off the "Saint" part of it and simply celebrates "Valentine's Day."  As soon as the Christmas displays come down in the stores, the "Valentine's Day" displays goes up and the shelves are filled with candies, heart-shaped boxes, balloons, stuffed animals, etc.  The stores would have us believe that we show off our love by spending the most money.  But, truth be known, they also have this attitude when it comes to Christmas as well:   . . .  if you REALLY love that person, spend LOTS and LOTS of money on the most expensive gifts.  Commercialism has ruined most holidays, it would seem.  Let me go out and buy flowers, . . .  candy,  . . .  jewelry, . . . a meal at an expensive restaurant, . . . .  a Hallmark card, . .  . . etc, etc, etc.    I don't think there is necessarily anything wrong with buying someone you love a nice gift but love should be measured by more than how much money we spend on a gift.  It is good to love.  It is good to show love.  But the point I am trying to make is that love is not shown solely and exclusively by purchasing the most expensive gifts.  Additionally, love is something that we should work on doing all year long and not just around the Fourteenth of February. 

If we read the Thirteenth Chapter of St. Paul's Letter to the Romans, we hear the following:  " OWE no man any thing, but to love one another . . . ."  Then St. Paul goes on to say that if we love one another we have fulfilled the law (Chapter 13:8)  This advice seems pretty simple but it also sounds pretty difficult at the same time.  In other words, it is really easy for me to show love to those who are good to me.  It is really difficult, on the other hand, to love those who really tick me off.  And yet as Christians we know that Our Blessed Saviour did not make a distinction between the two: those that are easy to love and those who are difficult to love.  It's easy to love those that are good to us, that treat us well, that are fun and naturally happy.   It's easy to love those who do nice things for us and treat us nicely.  It's very easy to love people like that.  But as I say, St. Paul never made a distinction between how to treat nice people as opposed to how to treat not-so-nice people.  And I am not aware of Our Lord making a distinction, either.  In fact, in the sixth chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, we hear Our Lord speaking:  "But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you." (St. Luke 6: 27-28)  And then He goes on to say:  "And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.  For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye?  for sinners also love those that love them.  And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye?  for sinners also do even the same."  (vv 31-32)  And, finally, Our Lord states plainly:  "But love ye your enemies, and do good and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest . . . " (v. 35)

We are indeed children of the Highest if we follow His commandments in our lives.  And following the commandments of God is sometimes pretty easy and straightforward.  But other times, following Our Lord can be a bit trickier like showing love to those whom we admittedly do not like very much.  But going back to what we were saying earlier:  we are commanded by Our Blessed Lord . . . . again, He does not suggest . . . He does not recommend . . . He does not state to only do when we feel like it . . . . He commands us to love one another:  "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." (St. John 13:34)  Certainly, Our Blessed Saviour, as I like to say, "talked the talk and walked the walk."  In other words, Our Lord preached not only through His words but also, first and foremost, by His actions.  And He wants us to do the same as faithful, committed Christians.  He wants us to love not only those who love us but to also love those who do not love us in return.  Again, He wants us to love our enemies.  Isn't this what He did?  He showed love to those who were His enemies.  In fact, once again, He told us to do likewise:  "But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which spitefully use you, and persecute you . . . " (St. Matthew 5:44)  Certainly, this is not easy to do and it is something we will often fail at.  But if we want to grow in our Christian fidelity . . . . if we want to grow in our faithfulness . . .  if we want to be more Christ-like . . .  then we should be willing not only to follow Our Lord's advice,  His commandment, and His example:  to love those who love us . . . . to love those who hate us . . . to love those who do not love themselves.  And by doing this we are showing the world a reflection of God's love found in us.  February Fourteenth, Saint Valentine's Day, is a good reminder that we should love and that we should show love all year around.  We should show the love of God the whole year long to everyone we come in contact with.

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.

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, February 3rd, 2019

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany, February 3rd, 2019

When we ask someone to do some favor for us, don't we usually phrase it something like:  "Will you do this favor for me?"  "Will you get me something at the store?"  "Will you go with me to the doctor's office?"  "Will you . . . . "  And if we are able to do what is being asked, our response more than likely would be:  "Yes, I will."  "Yes, I will do that for you."  "Yes, I will get that for you."  In other words, when we ask someone to do something for us, we are asking that person if they are willing to do this for us.  We are really asking, "Are you willing to get me something at the store?"  But we shorten it to "Will you get me something at the store?"  But again, the point is still the same, "Are you willing to do this favor for me?"  

Beginning in the Eighth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew, Our Lord has an encounter with a Leper.  St. Matthew tells us in this chapter that Our Saviour had come down from the mountain and the great multitudes had followed Him.  It is at this point that St. Matthew tells us that the Leper said to Our Blessed Lord:  "Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean"  (St. Matthew 8:2)  In other words, the Leper is asking Our Lord:  "Lord, If You are willing  . . . .  "   St. Matthew tells us what happened next:  ""And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean."  (St. Matthew 8:3)  Two things which I would like to point out in regards to Our Lord's response to the Leper.  St. Matthew tells us that first before He even responded to the request by speaking, He held out His hand first and afterward He stated "I will . . . "  Perhaps I am making too fine of a point here but it seems to me that Our Lord responded first with action and next with words.  In other words, Our Lord responded with His actions and also responded with His words as to what He was willing to do.  

I am sure that each and every one of us can think of someone whose words do not equate with their actions.  Unfortunately, this would include us sometimes as well.  Someone who says one thing but does another.  Or someone who says they will help us but then does not follow through.  We say who we are, quite frankly, more by our actions than by our words.  We can talk all we want and say we are going to do this and we are going to do that, but if we never get out there and just do it . . . ..  what do our words mean?  They are empty.  Our Lord responded first and foremost to the request of the Leper through action.  And then He responded:  "I will . . . "  When it comes to God, our actions need to match up with our words.   How many of us act one way when we are in church on Sunday but then go out and act the exact opposite the other six days of the week?  How many of us state that we are Christian but we do not act very Christian?  How many times do we promise God that we will do something and then do not actually do it?  "Actions speak louder than words."  I am sure everyone has heard that phrase.   But it is so true.  Actions really do speak louder than words.  If you want to know if I am a Christian, you don't need to listen to me saying it;  watch how I behave.  Our Lord stated in regards to the command to "love one another as He has loved us:"  "By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another."  (St. John 13:35)  We will show who we are by our actions more than our words.  We will show the world that we are followers of Christ by how we love one another and show that love . . . . not just say it.  

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.