First Sunday in Lent, March 1st, 2020

First Sunday in Lent, March 1st, 2020

I have said it before.  I will say it again.  And I will continue to say it as long as I live.  Our God is not someone who is far-off, distant, or "out of touch."  He is someone close to us.  So close that He sent His only Son into the world to live with . . . to be with us .. . . to converse with us  . . .  and cry with us . . . . and laugh with us.  The Second Person of the Trinity was a Human Being just like us although He was without sin.  He worked.  He slept.  He ate.  He got bored.  He got happy.  He was sometimes tired.  Again, even in the Gospel passage appointed for this First Sunday in Lent, we hear the following:  "And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungered."  (St. Matthew 4:2)  In other words, He was hungry.  He was in need of food.   I don't know about you but when we get tired or hungry or frustrated, aren't we also prone to be tempted?  If you've been working on a project a long time, for example, and it it taking a whole lot longer than you ever planned, aren't you tempted to just be done with it and finish it no matter what?  If you have been at work all day and haven't had a chance to eat anything, don't we very often begin focusing solely on filling up our belly and we stop concentrating on our work?  Or if we have been working a long shift at work, does our tiredness begin to take a toll on us and we stop focusing on our work because we are focusing on our tiredness, our frustration at being tired, our wanting to be finished?  In all of these scenarios and so many more that each one of us experience, we know what it feels like to be temped when we are tired, worn-out, frustrated, angry, etc.  And yet we called at those times to stay focused and keep moving forward.  This is the lesson we can learn from Our Blessed Saviour.  In this Fourth Chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, when Our Lord was tempted by the devil, He was tempted in three ways.  How many ways are we tempted?  Our Saviour was tempted three times and each time told the devil what he could do with his temptation, so to speak.  How many temptations do we fail?  How many times do we give in to temptation?  The question is not if we are going to be tempted because we are.  Our Blessed Saviour was tempted.  If the devil is bold enough to tempt the Son of God, he is bold enough to tempt you, to tempt me.  But again what do we do with the temptation?  Each one of us is tempted.  As Christians we are called to focus solely on God.  This is difficult because we are human and this old world distracts us.  And yet Jesus gives us the answer.  He teaches us to rely on God, Our Heavenly Father.  Adam and Eve failed their test when they were tempted by the devil.  They gave in to their temptations.  They did not rely on God.  Our Blessed Lord relied on His Heavenly Father.  We are called as Christians to do all for the glory of God.  And if we make this a way of life, temptation will not be so easily given into.  Being a Christian is not easy but it is worth it.  The devil will use each and every situation he can to tempt us and to bring us to ruin.  But Our Blessed Saviour promised us that He will never leave us.  "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." (St. Matthew 28:20)  

St. Margaret Church gathers together each and every Sunday morning to worship God.  We use the King James Version of the Bible.  We also use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We listen to the Word of God and also receive the Body and Blood of Christ at Communion time.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 9:30 am.  Join us for Mass and then stay for our Coffee Hour where we share refreshments and good company.  Take one hour out of your busy schedule on Sunday morning and dedicate that hour to God.

Quinquagesima, February 23rd, 2020

Quinquagesima, Or the Sunday Next Before Lent, 

February 23rd, 2020

In the Eighteenth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, we are told that Our Blessed Lord took the Twelve Apostles up to Jerusalem.  And along the way He described to them the way He would be treated according to the Prophets:  " . . . . and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge him, and put him to death." (St. Luke 18:32-33)   After Our Lord told them this, St. Luke tells us that the Twelve did not understand any of these things which Our Lord just told them.  I don't know if they didn't understand or perhaps they understood but they did not want to understand.  Haven't we all experienced the pain and suffering before the healing takes place?  Don't we have to go through frustration and irritation quite often before we can find a solution to our problems?  If you ever ask someone who has had a knee replacement surgery, for example, they will tell you that the pain is intense.  It is painful to move your leg.  It is painful not to move your leg.  It is painful.  Period.  And they will also tell you that it is painful to do the physical therapy.  But the bottom line is that the physical therapy needs to be accomplished or else the leg will never get better and you'll still have the pain anyway.  No matter what example we can think of.  Working on a project at your home.  Fixing something that has broken.  Have you ever had to fix something in your house that is broken?  Very often it will take a lot of effort (and elbow-grease) to get it back into working order again.  We all know this because we have all experienced exactly what I am speaking of.  A student studies long and hard for a final in a class.  A woman goes through much pain and agony in order to give birth to her baby.  The list goes on and on.  We all know this for a fact because in our own examples we have experienced this aspect of life.  The problem is that so often we are ready to give up, willing to give up right away when suffering happens.  Our Lord knew that He had to suffer in order to achieve what He wanted to accomplish.  Our Lord had to die on the Cross before He could be raised from the Tomb.  In other words, that glorious first Easter morn would never have happened without out that first painful Good Friday.  The Resurrection would have never been made possible without the Death on the Cross.  Though all of our suffering.  Through all of our pain.  Through all of our sacrifice.  We should always keep God ever close to us.  Let your suffering be a reminder to you how Christ suffered for each one of us.  Our Blessed Lord willingly carried His Cross to that hill at Calvary in order to save us from our sins.  He did not let the pain stop Him.  He did not let the suffering stop Him.  He kept moving forward, secure in the knowledge that the pain . .  the suffering  . . .  the agony . . .  it would all be worth it ultimately because He knew it would produce the results He was looking for:   forgiveness of sins for you and I and the possibility of being with Our Blessed Saviour for all eternity in Heaven.

St. Margaret of Scotland  Church worships every Sunday morning at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located on the Northwest side of Indianapolis at 8140 N. Township line Road.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM.  Come join us for traditional worship.  We use the King James Bible along with the Anglican Missal and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  We gather together to join as God's family to listen to His Word and worship Him and receive Him in His Precious Body and Blood.  Please join us for Mass and then stay with us afterward for our delicious Coffee Hour.

Sexagesima, Sunday, February 16th, 2020

Sexagesima, Or the Second Sunday before Lent, 

February 16th, 2020

In the Eighth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, we hear Our Blessed Saviour telling the parable of the Sower sowing his seed.   Our Lord begins the parable:  "A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way-side; . . . .  And some fell upon a rock;  . . . .  And some fell among thorns; . . . .  And other fell on good ground . . . ."  (St. Luke 8:4ff)  When Our Blessed Saviour told this parable He talked about the seed being sowed upon different types of ground.  I would like to ask a slightly different question, though:  What type of seeds do you sow?   Do we sow seeds of joy?  Or do we sow seeds of negativity?  Do we sow seeds of peace and contentment?   Some people either knowingly or unknowingly sow seeds of hatred and division.  What type of seeds do we sow?  For the Christian we are called to sow seeds of hope because Christ Our Saviour is our Hope.  He is the Hope for all the world.  And as such we are called to remind people that their Hope resides in Christ.  Do we sow seeds of love?  We know that Our Blessed Lord loves us.  He loves each one of us.  He freely chose to take our place on the Cross.  He did this out of love.  Do we sow seeds of love to the world around us?  St. Paul tells us:  "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."  (I Corinthians 13:1)  Bear in mind that the word "charity" in the King James version actually means "love"  So, in other words, we can speak beautiful words and say all kinds of wonderful things but if we speak these words without love in our heart our words mean nothing.  Do we sow joy?  This is a big one for me.  Does the world get us all caught up in its' negativity and as a result do I pass along that same negativity to those around me?  Do I let the pressures of life affect me to the point that I become a "Negative Nellie" to those around me?  What kinds of seeds do I sow?  Are they good seeds or are they bad seeds?  God wants us to be His light in the world.  Do we show off God's light to those around us or does the darkness of the world show through us?  Again, we have to make the effort to remember who we are and Who we belong to.  We are children of the Most High.  We are sons and daughters of Our Heavenly Father.  We must never forget this fact.  I am convinced that Satan uses the world to divert our attention from God.  Thus, we must make a point to remember that although we live here on earth our true home is in Heaven.  What kinds of seeds do we sow as we go through life?

Mass is celebrated in the Chapel of Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 9:30 am.  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.

Septuagesima, Sunday, February 9th, 2020

Septuagesima, February 9th, 2020

Beginning today the Church celebrates what I refer to as the "Gesima Sundays."  The first is Septuagesima.  The second is Sexagesima.  And the third is Quinuqagesima.  These three Sundays comprise "Pre-Lent," or the three Sundays leading up to the holy season of Lent.  Lent itself is penitential season which leads up to Easter.  In other words, this time which I just described leads us and prepares us for Easter.  It is little wonder then that the Church chooses to quote the Ninth Chapter of St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians where he talks about preparing for a race or preparing for a competition.  St Paul first writes:  "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)  St. Paul compares all the work and the preparation which an athlete goes through in order to win a crown which ultimately will fade away.  On the other hand, St. Paul points out that we Christians are vying for a crown as well but this crown will never fade away.  The crown that the athletes are training for is an earthly crown.  The crown which Christians are training for is an everlasting crown.   St. Paul writes:  "Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible." (I Corinthians 9:25)  This incorruptible crown is offered to us by Our Blessed Saviour.  He earned it on our behalf and gives it freely to us.  He did this by dying on the Cross to save us from our sins and next by being raised from the dead and offering us eternal life in His Presence.  And yet despite the fact that this crown is offered freely to us, we still must do our part.  We still must resist evil.  We still must do what God would have us do.  We still must stay close to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and remain ever by His side.  So many people do not want to do these things.  So many people in our society and throughout the world want to abide by their own rules.  They are attracted by what the world has to offer.  They go after worldly riches and seek to satisfy their worldly desires.  These are the ones St. Paul is describing who are seeking a corruptible crown.  The desires, riches and wealth of this world will all eventually fade away but the love of Christ never fades away.  God loved us so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son into the world to save us from our sins.  Let us use these upcoming weeks to remember the sacrifice which Our Blessed Saviour made on our behalf.  Let us remember that we need to train like athletes to run this race.  We need to remain focused and concentrate on finishing the race.  We cannot be sidetracked by the desires of the world.  

St. Margaret Church gathers together every Sunday morning and we would love for you to join us in our weekly worship of Our Heavenly Father. Mass begins at 9:30 AM. We celebrate Mass in the Chapel of Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road in Indianapolis, Indiana. Please choose to take some time out of your busy schedule to spend some quality time with God.

Presentation of Christ in the Temple, February 2nd, 2020

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple,
commonly called
The Purification of Saint Mary the Virgin, February 2nd, 2020

In the Second Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel for today's Mass, we hear the story of St. Joseph and Our Lady presenting the Child Jesus in the Temple.  Simeon prophesied the greatness of this Child and then he spoke these words to the Blessed Mother:  "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,)" (St. Luke 2:22ff)  To say the least, these words, along with all the words that Simeon prophesied that day, must have shocked both St. Joseph and St. Mary, or at the very least caused them to wonder what all of these things meant not only for them but for their Child.  " . ..  and a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also . . . "  As we know, Our Lady's life was filled with much joy.  What joy Our Lady must have felt being in the presence of the Son of God.  How much joy knowing that she was doing the will of God.  What joy knowing that she was in the very presence of the long-awaited Messiah of the world!   When we think about it, in the entire history of mankind, who was more blessed than anyone else if it was not Our Lady?  She had the distinct honour of being chosen not only to give birth to the Saviour of the world but to spend over thirty years in His presence.  She was with Him throughout His entire life.  But despite these joys and honours, we know that she also had sadness and sorrow as well.  To see her Son hanging from the Cross and then ultimately die a cruel death, knowing He was totally innocent.  How horrible that would be for any mother, any parent, quite frankly, but how much more so for her?  And yet we know from the words of Simeon and from the example of Our Lady that there will indeed be sorrow in our life in addition to the joy.  We were never promised that our life would be perfect or that all sorrows or setbacks  . . .  minor or major . . . would be taken away once we became a Christian.  No, there will still be sorrows, and frustrations, and setbacks for the committed Christian.  But for those who are dedicated to God, we are assured that Christ will always be with us  . . .  in the good times and the bad.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church celebrates Mass each and every Sunday morning in the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM.  Please join us as we hear the Word of God preached from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and the King James Version of the Bible.  At St. Margaret, we know that Our Blessed Saviour is truly present in His Precious Body and Blood and that each time we approach the altar, we truly receive Him each and every time we receive Holy Communion.  After Mass, join us for Coffee Hour where we enjoy delicious goodies and each others company.

For more information, please visit our website at:

http://indyanglican.blogspot.com/