Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, December 26th, 2021

 Saint Stephen, Deacon and Martyr, December 26th, 2021

"STEPHEN, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, . . . . . ." (Acts 7:55)

In the Seventh Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, we hear the telling of when St. Stephen was martyred for the faith.  Prior to his martyrdom we read what St. Stephen saw.  He saw "the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God" (v.55)  What a wonderful image to behold.  I would dare say that we could each have this image if we simply put the effort into looking.  Our problem is that we do not take the time to look . . .  we do not take the time to see . . . . This is because we keep ourselves busy looking for everything else that we want . . . that we need . . .  that we desire . . .  We spend our time looking for things of the world, for worldly possessions, instead of fixing our eyes upon heavenly things.  Have you ever had the experience of looking for something and could not find it?  And you looked and looked and looked for the object.  And then suddenly you see it and the object you were looking for was right there all along, right where you were looking but you didn't see it.  God is all around us but we simply have to look for Him.  We have to make a point of looking for Him.  During this Christmas season, let us be like St. Stephen and look stedfastly into heaven so that we will see Heavenly things instead of constantly looking towards the world and only seeing worldy things!

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.

Fourth Sunday in Advent, December 19th, 2021

 Fourth Sunday in Advent, December 19th, 2021

"REJOICE in the Lord always . . . " (Philippians 4:4)

Have you ever tried to do something "non-stop"?  In other words, you kept doing the same thing over and over and over.  It's gets tiring after a while, doesn't it?  And when we keep doing the same task over and over again, we get worn out from doing whatever we are doing.  Whether it's always working on the same report over and over again or always working without any days off.  Whether it's always fixing the same thing over and over and over again.  And yet St. Paul is telling the Philippians to "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS!"  As human beings, we rejoice when we are happy.  When our favorite sports team scores late in a game and wins, we rejoice.  When we are with good friends that we haven't seen for a while, we rejoice.  We rejoice when we get a raise at work.  We rejoice when a project gets completed.  We rejoice at many times over many things, don't we?  And yet most people don't constantly rejoice, do they?   Sometimes our favorite sports team doesn't win the game or the season, for that matter.  I know . . . I'm a Cubs fan . . . . Sometimes we get overwhelmed at work.  Sometimes we get bad news.  Sometimes we get angry.  Do we rejoice in these situations?  No.  And yet St. Paul reminds the Philippians  . . .  and reminds us as well . . . . to "Rejoice in the Lord always!"  The key is to set our mind to rejoicing no matter what.  The key is to remind ourselves that life is sometimes good . . . . sometimes it's bad.  Sometimes we are healthy, other times we get sick.   Sometimes we get a raise at work.  But some times we get laid off from a job.  Again, life is not one constant, straight path where nothing ever changes and always stays the same.  If it was that way, it seems to me that it would be somewhat boring.  Sometimes things get difficult in life.  But if we remind ourselves that God is always with us, even in the bad times, then we can rejoice.   Even in the times that things seem the darkest, as long as we keep our minds focused on God, we know that we will get through whatever faces us.  God loves us more than we will ever know.   How do I know this, you ask?  I know it because He sent His only begotten Son into the world to save us from our sins.  He sent His Son into the world to walk among us, to be with us, to eat with us, to talk with us, to witness our good times and our bad times.  God knows that life is not always easy for us.  And yet Our Blessed Lord is always with us . . .  in the good times and the bad.  And we are called to always rejoice in that fact.  As we are on the doorstep of Christmas on this Fourth Sunday of Advent, let us not get overwhelmed by life, but rather let us rejoice that God sent His Son into the world to be with us always.  Let us remember that God is with us when we are on the mountain top but He is also with us when we are far down in the valley.  Let us rejoice that God is always with us.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.

Mass will also be celebrated Christmas Day, December 25th, at 10:30 AM in the Chapel.

Third Sunday in Advent, December 12th, 2021

 Third Sunday in Advent, December 12th, 2021

For the Third Sunday of Advent, we hear Our Blessed Saviour speaking the praises of His cousin St. John the Baptist:  "What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written, `See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.' " (St. Matthew 11:2 ff)  In this passage, Our Blessed Saviour is quoting Scripture from the Book of Malachi:  "Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: And the Lord, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple." (Malachi 3:1)   Two things for us to ponder in regards to these Scripture verses:  Number one, in God, we have such a loving Father that He was not just content to create us and then leave us alone.  No, He loved His creation so much that He not only created us, but He became one of us.  He became a Human Being.  " . .  . and the Lord, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple . . ."  The Lord did come to His temple . . . . He came to the world as a little innocent child, Who was the Saviour of the world.  Elsewhere, we read:  "And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people"  (Leviticus 26:12)  Our Blessed Saviour has indeed walked among us . . . He is Our God and we are His people.

The second thing for us to always consider is that Our Blessed Saviour desires our assistance.  Let me emphasize, He does not require our assistance, rather, He welcomes our assistance.  He created the universe and He created each one of us.  Anyone that powerful does not need my help and, yet, He desires my help.  `See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'  Like St. John the Baptist . . . like St. Mary . . . like St. Joseph . . .  each one of us are called to prepare the way of the Lord.  We prepare the way of the Lord for others to find God, but we also prepare the way of the Lord to our own hearts.  This is what the holy season of Advent is all about:  to prepare a place for the Christ Child in our hearts.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.

Second Sunday in Advent, December 5th, 2021

 Second Sunday in Advent, December 5th, 2021

It is always amazing to me how things can go in and out of style.  This is certainly true in the world of fashion but this could also apply to fads and gimmicks . .. popular gifts at Christmas time . . . . popular restaurants . . .  products at your local market.  The list could go on and on and every single one of us could name some item, for example, which was extremely popular way back when but is not really popular now or has disappeared completely, for that matter.  This is because the world is fickle.  We human beings are fickle.  We never seem to be satisfied in one way or another.  We get tired of this particular tiem and we decide to replace it with another item.  Something becomes old-fashioned or out-of-date and so we replace it with something newer or something up-to-date.  Again, it could be popular fashion trends,  . . . . popular stores or restaurants,  . . . . trendy fads or gimmicks, . . .  everything we can think of will eventually go out of style or usefulness, it seems.  

Nothing in this world of ours is lasting.  It either wears out or goes out of fashion.  It either breaks down or becomes obsolete.  Nothing in this world lasts forever.  This is why we need to look beyond this ol' world of ours if we want something that will last forever . . .  for an eternity.  We need to look upward with our gaze fixed on Heaven if we want something ever-lasting.  In the Twenty-First Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, we hear Our Blessed Lord state:  " . . . . Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away"  Our Lord's love will never pass awy.  Our Lord's words will never pass away.  Our Lord's faitfulness and committment to us will never pass away.  Even though we are not always faithul to God, He is always faithful to us.  His love is stedfast.  This Advent season keep your eyes fixed upward.  Keep focusing on Jesus.  He will never leave us.  His words will never pass away.  He will always stay faithful to us.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.

First Sunday in Advent, November 28th, 2021

 First Sunday in Advent, November 28th, 2021

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Reading these words might seem a little confusing to many folks.  I mean we just got done celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas is not even here yet.  And here you are talking about the "New Year"?    Huh?  Well, liturgically speaking it is a brand-new year when we celebrate the First Sunday in Advent.  So with that being said, HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Advent is the period of time leading up to Christmas.  It truly provides us with a wonderful opportunity to not only look forward to the coming of the Christ Child on Christmas but also allows us to contemplate Our Blessed Lord's Second Coming when He will come once again as the glorious Messiah!  Unfortunately, most of the world chooses to get caught up in the celebration of Christmas before Christmas even arrives.  We spend our time decorating our homes and our yards.  We go shopping so that we can buy the latest, greatest gifts available.  We get ready for our Christmas parties.  We put on the Chirstmas music.  And all of these things are wonderful and we all love them but we have to remember the real reason for the season.  We have to remember theat God gave to the world the greatest gift we could ever hope to receive.  God gave us the gift of His Son on that wonderful first Christmas morn.  And Advent is the time for us to prepare our hearts for the coming of the Messiah born so long ago in Bethlehem and Who will come once again to reclain what belongs to Him.  So during this Advent season which leads up to Christmas, make a point to take time out of your busy schedules to prepare your hearts.  Take time during this holiday season to prepare your heart for the coming of the Messiah.  Time some time during these coming weeks to prepare a wonderful gift for God.  Give Him the gift of yourself.  Give Him your heart.   

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.

Sunday Next before Advent, November 21st, 2021

 Sunday Next before Advent, November 21st, 2021

In the Twenty-Third Chapter of the Old Testament Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, we hear the following:  "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"  (Jeremiah 23:5)  We should take comfort in these words because we are assured that God will take care of His people.  We are told that God will send forth a King Who shall establish "justice in the earth."  We already know who this King is, dear friends, it is Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  It is He Who will save His people.  He has saved His children from the ravages of sin through His Atonement on the Cross.  He defeated death through dying on that same Cross and being laid in the tomb and then rising to new life on that first, glorious Easter morn!  We should keep in mind these facts.  So often do we dwell on the problems which life seems to throw at us.  So often do we only concentrate on the negative things we see around us.  It is understandable, humanly speaking, to be concerned with these things but we always have to remind ourselves that Our Glorious King has defeated death itself and promises us eternal life.  But first we must trust Him.  We must make Him our top priority.  We must make Him the King of our Hearts.  Thanksgiving will soon be here, dear friends.  Let us be thankful for all of our blessings which God provides to each and everyone of us.  But let us also thank God for the blessing of Salvation which He freely offers to each and everyone of us.  And let us take this opportunity to pledge our lives to God and make Him the true Ruler of our heart.  

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.

Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity, November 14th, 2021

 Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity, November 14th, 2021

When you go shopping are there certain brand-names that you trust?  When you see a certain company's name on a product, does it automatically register "quality" in your mind?  Or on the other hand, when you see a certain product name, do you avoid it at all costs?  Very often this trust . . .  or dis-trust, for that matter .. .  comes from experience, doesn't it?  In other words, if we get whatever brand of laundry detergent and we use it a few times and our clothes look bright and appear brand new after a wash.  Or they smell fresh like spring.  Well, if this experience continues to be the case for us each time we buy that product, for us that brand is a "winner."  On the other hand, if we buy  a product at the store and it turns out to be lousy or does not meet our expectations, our faith in that product will be lacking and we likely won't buy that brand any time soon.  Again, in either case, whether we like a product or whether we do not like a product, more than likely both are based on our experience of that product.  The same can be true of going to a restaurant.  If we had a good experience  . . . . the food was good . . . the service was excellent . .  . the price was not over-whelming . . .  then, by all means, our opinion of that establishment will be high.  Conversely, our  opinion of that same establishment will be lacking if the food was lousy or the service was poor, for example.  So, very often our faith in a product, or lack of faith in a product, is based on experience.   Or it could be based on the experience of others, quite frankly.  If one of our friends or coworkers tells us that a certain restaurant was horrible, we probably will be hesitant to go there any time soon.  But if that same person that you trust tells you that a restaurant is simply wonderful, you will probably make a point to eat there yourself.

St. Paul writes in his Epistle to the Colossians:  ". . . . since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus " (Colossians 1:3 ff)   Very often we learn about God from other people: our parents; our grandparents; etc.  As children, our parents perhaps take us to church or we go to Sunday School or we might go to Vacation Bible School in the summer months.  As we grow, we still are influenced by what we hear and see about God coming from others around us, but as we grow spiritually, we need to experience our own "faith" in God.  You see, our faith life is very much like a journey that we travel on.  Sometimes the road is very easy.  Other times it might be rough or rocky.  Sometimes there are a twists and turns that we were not expecting.  Often, our journey does not match up with our expectations or what we were planning on.  Faith, though, in God is something completely different.  We know that we can depend on God.  We know that He will never leave us.   But again faith comes mainly from experience but first we have to "experience" God ourselves.  So many people give up on God because their experience of Him is lacking.  They have no faith because they have not seen Him.  But it could be that they have not seen Him because they were not really looking to begin with.   Let us tell people about God by the way in which we live our life.  Let us tell people about God by the way in which we treat others around us with love and compassion.  Let people see the "faith" in us by always staying constant, by always being sure no matter what befalls us.  Let people know about your faith in God by letting them see the life you lead and the attitude you have.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.

Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity, November 7th, 2021

 Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity, November 7th 2021

In the Third Chapter of his 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 enough for us 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 at our job, we take care of that report now and leave the report that is due next week for   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.   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 . . .. "

Make a point to join us on Sunday morning.  If you are local, make a point to come worship with us in-person.  If it is too far to joint us, make a point to watch Fr. Todd's sermon which is posted online each and every Sunday.  Make a point to dedicate your day to God.  Every single one of us is busy and we lead busy lives, but make a point to include God in your daily schedule.  Please do not let the "busy-ness" of this life divert you from God.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.   

Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity, October 24th, 2021

 Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity, October 24th, 2021

St. Paul writes in the Sixth Chapter of his Epistle to the Ephesians:  "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6)   If there is one thing that we need to do today, we need to stand strong against the devil.  You will notice as you read this sixth chapter that St. Paul emphasizes to put on the "whole armour of God."  This is necessary because we need to protect ourselves against all kinds of assaults that the devil will throw against us.  St. Paul continues on by making the point that we do not wage battle with "flesh and blood" (in other words, against other men) but we are in danger from "the rulers of the darkness of this world" and "spiritual wickedness in high places."  For that reason we need the protection of God.  We need the Good Lord to be with us.  We need all the tools available which only God can provide.  As St. Paul writes, we need all the protection which God can provide.  We need:  "truth,  . . . and righteousness; and  peace;   . . . . and faith, . . .  and salvation, and the word of God"  And then finally, St. Paul emphasizes that we need to pray!  How often do we pray?  Is it daily?  Weekly?  Monthly?  Do we only pray when we need something from God?  We need to make time for God on a daily basis.  We need to go to Him and seek His protection and His assistance in battling the devil and the demons of the world because they are busy assaulting us on a daily basis.  We need God now more than ever.  We find ourselves in the world but we do not have to be "of the world."  Remember who you belong to!  Stay close to God and give your life to Him!  

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.   

Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, October 17th, 2021

 Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, October 17th, 2021

NOTE:  St. Margaret Church will gather together on Sunday, October 17th, at 10:30 am to celebrate Mass at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor.  Please make a point to join us as we gather together to listen to God speaking to us through the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer!  Mark your calendars and please join us!

"So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good:"  (St. Matthew 22:1 ff)

In the Twenty-Second Chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew, Our Blessed Saviour is telling the story of the king who made a marriage-feast for his son.  Now, as the story goes, Our Lord says that the invited guests "made light" of the invitation and decided not to show up for a variety of reasons:   . . . . . "one to his farm, another to his merchandise . . . ."  Now the fact that none of the invited guests showed up once the feast was ready really irritated the king.  As a result the king instructed his servants to bring guests to the feast, no matter who they were.  Our Lord continues the story as He relates the instructions of the king to his servants:  "Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests."  Now, there are a number of things we could say about this story but I would like to point out two important considerations:

1)  The first thing I would like to point out in this story is that the servants invited as many as they could  . . . . and Our Lord continues . . . . "both bad and good."  Why would Our Lord make the statement "both bad and good?"  Remember the main reason why Our Lord is telling this story to begin with is that He is comparing it to the Kingdom of God.  So, we should always remember that God has love for both the "bad and good."  Our Lord died on the Cross for both the "bad and good."  And Our Heavenly Father invites both the "bad and good" to be with Him in Heaven.   How often though do we not show love to those whom we deem to be "bad?"  How often in our life do we not reach out to certain people because we think of ourselves as "good" and them "bad?"  Our Lord came to this earth to tell everyone  . . . . both bad and good . . . about the Kingdom of God.  He came to instruct everyone in regards to His Heavenly Father.  He did not come to just save the "good."   He came for the "bad" as well.   If Our Blessed Saviour did not differentiate between who was "good" and who was "bad,"  why should we?

2)  The second consideration we should make point to remember is that the original invited guests did not show up because they were more concerned with other things.  Our Lord states that the original invited guests "made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise . . .  "  How many of us in the world "make light" of God's invitation because we are too concerned with "things of the world."  How many of us are too distracted by things in the world to even pay attention to what God is calling us to?  The world offers so many distractions that catch our attention and divert us away from God.  We need to be always vigilant to stay focused on God and not on the things of the world.  This story should help remind us of the importance of this fact that we should stay focused on "things of above" and not on "things below."

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.

Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, September 26th, 2021

 Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity, September 26th, 2021

When I was young, on the one hand it seemed that most people made a point to go to church on a weekly basis.  But at the same time it was assumed that it was the job of the priest or minister to do the work of the church.  In other words, while most people made a point to go to church . . . . which is a good things, yes! . . .   the people that went to church limited their participation in "church" to simply sit in the pew, listen to the sermon, and put a dollar in the collection plate.  But that was pretty much it.  These same people sat back and expected the work of evangelization to be done by priests, ministers, clergy, etc. In other words, they expected the "work of the Lord" to be done by someone who wore a "clerical collar."   And yet we read in St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians:  "I THEREFORE, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called . . . ." (Ephesians 4:1)   St. Paul reminds us that we are each called to a vocation as followers of Christ.  St. Paul reminds us that we are called to walk worthily of the vocation that God has put before us.  Therefore, it is the job of all Christians to do the work of the Church . . . not just priests, .   .. . not simply the bishops,  . . . .  not simply the clergy . . .  . or the ministers, . . . .  No, we are all called to do the work of Our Lord and Saviour.  God Himself is calling us.  He's calling you.  He's calling me.  He's calling all of us to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called."  We should remind ourselves of this fact each and every day.  As I like to say, it is so easy to get all caught up in the "busy-ness" of daily living that we forget who we are.  We forget who we are called to be.  We forget Who called us.  We forget our vocation as sons and daughters of the Most High!   Let us never forget who we are and never let us forget Who has called us.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.   

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 19th, 2021

 Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 19th, 2021

In the Seventh Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, we are told that Our Blessed Lord is traveling with His disciples through the city of Nain.  And as He entered the city St. Luke tells us that Our Lord encountered a funeral procession.  And St. Luke tells us that the man who died was the only son of a woman who also happened to be a widow.  And this woman was weeping.  She was crying for her only son who had just died.  You know, a mother's love is a wonderful love.  A mother's love knows no limits.  I would dare say the only love greater than that of a mother would be the love which God has for us.  And this is most certainly why Our Blessed Lord took notice of this sad event occurring before His eyes.  As St. Luke tells us in the Thirteenth verse of this chapter:  "And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not"   In fact, Our Lord had so much compassion on the mother that He raised her son back to life on that very spot.   The fact that Our Blessed Lord performed such a wonderful miracle for the grieving mother is wonderful indeed.  And yet the aspect that is really even more amazing is that the Lord had compassion on her.  The Lord had compassion.  He was compassionate when He saw the mother crying.  This is something to take note of because it means that Our God is a wonderful God.  Our God takes notice of our needs.  In other words, He takes the time to notice when we are sad . . .  when we are grieving . . .  when we are in pain . . . .  Our God knows when our heart is broken.  Our God loves us so much that He takes the time to notice these things.  In this story, Our Lord did not simply pass by.  Our Lord did not fail to act.  He took notice and had compassion on the grieving mother.  Each one of us should make note of this fact.  Our God is not some distant far-off, uncaring God Who could care less about how we feel . . .  what we are going through . . . what we are enduring.   No, Our God loves us so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son into the world to save us from our sins.  Our Lord had compassion!  And we should have compassion as well.  This would teaches us to be uncaring.  This world teaches us to be apathetic.  This world teaches us to only care about ourselves.  We should be more Christ-like by taking the time to notice others around us and showing concern and compassion when need be.  

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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. 

Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 12th, 2021

 Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 12th, 2021

In the Sixth Chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, we hear Our Lord giving very profound, extremely useful advice:  "Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on" (St. Matthew 6:25)  I think it is true of human beings in general but it is especially true of the time in which we live that human beings worry about things.  We are indeed anxious for many things:  we are anxious for material possessions, we are anxious to obtain the latest "doo-dads," whether those be the latest, greatest phone or the latest fashion trend or whatever the world tells us that we just have to have at this exact moment.  We are anxious to get everything done that we want to accomplish:  whether at home or at work or at church or where we volunteer.  We want to do this and we need to do that and before we do that we need to stop over there so that we can get this started  . . . . etc., etc., etc.    So often in life we get ourselves so wound up over all the things we need to do and need to accomplish.  As Our Lord said, we get anxious and our head gets filled up with all the things we need to do,  the things that we want to do . . . . As human beings we get anxious for what other people think or how other people will react or how other people will treat us.  We worry about if we will fit in or if we will be accepted or if we will be considered "cool."  This is certainly true among human beings when they are young.  The bottom line is that we get anxious about work, we get anxious about home, we get anxious if people will accept us, we get anxious about the things we need to do, we get anxious about the things we already did, we get anxious about what we are going to eat, we get anxious about when we will eat . . .  .  We get anxious.  Period.

But what can we do about this?  Well, as is usually the case, Our Blessed Lord gives us that answer as well.    Our Lord says:  " But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you"  (St. Matthew 6:33)  In other words, we need to put God first in our life.  We need to get in the habit of making God our number one priority.  It seems that everything we get anxious for becomes our number one priority:  what we are going to eat . . . what we are going to wear . . . what we are going to buy . . .  what we need to do . . . what we need to accomplish . . . what people think of us . . . .  But we need to focus on God first.  We need to place Him first before all else.  And the more we focus on Our Heavenly Father the less time we will have for focusing on things which do not ultimately matter.  Our Lord says that we should "seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness" (v.33)  As human beings we tend to seek first the "world and its' worldliness."  We want what we want when we want it, in other words.  This has been a human tendency since Adam and Eve.  Let us follow Our Lord's advice and seek first the Kingdom of God before we seek out the things of the world.  Make God our top priority and worry more about making God happy instead of only worrying about what makes us happy!  

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.   

Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 5th, 2021

 Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 5th, 2021

In the Seventeenth Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, St. Luke describes an event which occurred when Our Blessed Lord was traveling to Jerusalem and passed through "the midst of Samaria and Galilee." (St. Luke 17: 11)  And when Our Blessed Lord passed through a certain village, St. Luke tells us that there were ten lepers who "lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." (St. Luke 17:13)   In other words, they were yelling and screaming to get Our Lord's attention.  Our Lord did notice them.  And He told them to show themselves unto the priest.  And as they went their way they were cured of the leprosy.  But only one out of the ten came back to properly thank Our Blessed Lord.  "And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks"  (St. Luke 17:16)  Our Lord was both impressed with the one turning back to give thanks and questioned where were the other nine that got cured.  

My parents taught me how to say "please" and "thank you" when I was growing up.  And they would always make a point to remind me to say these things.  And I am very grateful for that.  I learned a long time ago that it does not cost anything to be courteous to others.  Saying "Thank you" . . . .  Saying "Please" . . .  Saying "Excuse me" when you bump into someone . . .  These are all examples of common courtesy.  And in some ways, unfortunately, this is becoming a lost art.  And this is a shame.  But how about in the spiritual life?  Do we ever fail to thank God for all His blessings which He provides us?  Do we only go to God when we need something but forget about Him when we get what we want?  Isn't this what the nine lepers did?  They were insistent that Our Blessed Lord would listen to their request and heal them but then they all went their way.  But one leper returned.  One came back to give thanks to Our Blessed Saviour.    God is always good to us.  God blesses us with many blessings throughout all our lives.  We should never fail to thank God.  We should always be grateful to Him for everything He provides to us.   Don't only go to God when you need something and then forget about Him.  Focus on your blessings and be grateful to God for everything He does for you.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.   

Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, August 29th, 2021

 Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, August 29th, 2021

Have you ever had the experience to look for something and you look and look and look and you can not find the object anywhere?  And then you go and look some more and you still can not find it.  And then at some point you find the item and it was exactly where you were looking the whole time.  You looked right at it but did not see it.  I am sure that each of us have had that experience at one point or another.  In the Tenth Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, we hear Our Blessed Saviour giving instructions to the disciples:  " BLESSED are the eyes which see the things that ye see. . . ."  (St. Luke 10:23).  Our Lord is reminding the disciples that they are indeed blessed to see the things that they are seeing.   In other words, Our Lord was making the point further on that  " . . .  many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not see them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them." (St. Luke 10:24).  While this is certainly the truth . . . . i.e., that the disciples and the Apostles had the distinct honour of being in the presence of the Messiah  . . . . the point remains the same that the disciples still had to make the effort to look for and make the point to see the Messiah.  In other words, they could have moved on with their lives and never even made the point to notice the miracles that Our Lord performed . . . or they could have certainly not have cared enough to stop and to listen to the words that Our Lord was speaking.  The point that I am making is that while they were certainly blessed to see what they saw and hear what they heard, they still had to make the effort to stop long enough to see with their own eyes and to hear what was being said to them by the Messiah.

How many times has the Lord made the point to show Himself to us but, unfortunately, we were too busy to notice?  How many times throughout our life did God try to speak to us and we never heard what He had to say because we were too busy listening to everybody and everything else?  Sometimes the miracles are right in front of our eyes but we never take notice because we are too busy to look.  Sometimes the answer is being given to us but we never hear it because we are focused on other things.  Just like Our Lord showed Himself to the disciples and the Apostles, He also shows Himself to us.  Now, it may be true that we may have to pay closer attention and alter our way of looking for Him, make no doubt about it:  God is still making a point to show Himself to us . .  . He is still making a point to speak to us.  We just need to pay attention and know where to look.  " . . .  Blessed are the eyes that see the things that YOU see . . . .."

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, August 22nd, 2021

 Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, August 22nd, 2021

Humility is a very good thing.  I have learned that lesson (and re-learned it!) the hard way.  Very often it seems that when my head gets too big  . .  .  and I get full of myself . . .  . without fail, it seems at that point that I do something stupid and I get knocked back down to earth.  Perhaps that has happened to you a time or two.  And at that point, we just stand there and shake our head and say to ourselves:  "why in the world did I do that?"  There is nothing wrong with being confidant in ourselves or in our ability.  There is nothing wrong with even being proud of what we have done or what we have accomplished in life.  But as with everything, even this must be done with moderation, number one, and for the Christian, an understanding where our strength comes from.  St. Paul wrote in the Second Letter to the Corinthians:  "not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves"  And then he goes on to emphasize the point:  " . .. . but our sufficiency is of God. . . ." (II Corinthians 3:4)   St. Paul wanted to remind the Church at Corinth that if we have riches, it is because God provided those riches;  if we have abilities or strengths or skills, it is only because God has provided each one of us with what we are good at; if we have a roof over our head and food on our table every day, it is because God provides.  Our Heavenly Father provides for all of His children.  Those who are practicing, committed Christians acknowledge this fact.  But, quite frankly,  sometimes we forget or over look that fact.  You see, it's difficult sometimes for us to always acknowledge God as we should because, quite frankly, we get all caught up in our busy schedules, our busy life styles.  This is why I always emphasize that relationships take effort.  You have to work at a relationship.  In a relationship, we have to make time for our loved ones.  In a relationship, we have to make time for those we love.  We have to make a point to show love to those whom we love.  This is true of our relationship with God as well.  We have to make a point to acknowledge the gifts that God have bestowed upon us; we have to show God and tell God how much we love Him; and, finally, we have to spend time with God every day.  Many of us have the tendency to only go to God when we need help with something.  Make a point to go to God every day.  Speak to God every day.  Tell God how much you love Him every day.  And, finally, take a lesson from St. Paul and never forget that our sufficiency is of God.  Acknowledge the fact that everything we have:  our life; our knowledge; our strengths; our health; our possessions . . . .  everything we have is made possible by our Heavenly Father.  Give Him thanks and show Him love on a daily basis.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.

Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, August 15th, 2021

 Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, August 15th, 2021

I recently read a post on social media about a wonderful restaurant that I remember growing up.  And hearing about this restaurant from long ago brought back so many wonderful memories.  And the person wrote that after the original owner died, the restaurant was left to the children and they, in essence, did not want to do anything with the restaurant so they closed it.   Hearing that it was closed down  that way because the kids did not want to deal with the restaurant got me kind of depressed.  But it happens sometimes, doesn't it?  And it's not just restaurants.  Have you ever been given something that you never put to use?  Perhaps you received something as a gift and never made use of it and the item goes to waste sitting up on a shelf gathering dust.  Sometimes we make good use of something that is given to us and sometimes it goes to waste and we don't make use of the item.  In his first epistle which he wrote to the Corinthians, St Paul writes:  "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received" (I Corinthians 15:3)    St. Paul certainly made good use of what he received.  He is telling the church at Corinth that which he received  " .. . . Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures " (vv 3-4)  As Christians, we need to pass along that which was given to us.  We need to pass along the Good News.  We need to tell people about God.  We need to share with folks what Our Blessed Saviour has done for us.  We need to pass along the blessings which we have received and bless others around us.  We need to share our testimony not only through the words which we speak but also through the way in which we live our lives.  So many blessings are bestowed upon us by Our Heavenly Father throughout our lifetime.  First and foremost, the wonderful gift of Salvation, freely bestowed, is offered to each and everyone of us.  And sadly so many people ignore this free gift and do not make use of it.  Don't ignore God's blessings.  Please do not miss out on receiving God's grace because you are too busy chasing after earthly riches and treasures.  The Salvation which God offers is the most wonderful gift we will ever receive.  Make use of it.  Don't let it go to waste.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

Please 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.

Tenth Sunday after Trinity, August 8th, 2021

 Tenth Sunday after Trinity, August 8th, 2021

"And when He was come near, He beheld the city, and wept over it, . . . " (St. Luke 19:41)  St. Luke describes for us Our Lord's reaction as He travels towards Jerusalem.    If we continue on in this chapter, St. Luke relates the words of Our Lord concerning Jerusalem:  "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes."  (St. Luke 19:42)  If thou had known . .  . . If thou had only known .  .  . .  I have no doubt that we have each had the occasion to interact with someone and just shake our head because we know, we just know that this person is headed for trouble.  They are on a pathway to destruction in their life.  It's mostly due to the choices they have made in their life, quite frankly.   And sometimes we just shake our head in disbelief because we know exactly where these poor choices will lead to.  And if the person in question is someone you love dearly:  a son, . . . a daughter, . . . a good friend,  . . .  you may have the same reaction as did Our Blessed Lord:  you weep over them.  You weep because you know there is nothing you can do.  You weep because in your heart you see the person you love on a pathway to destruction and you feel helpless to stop them.  I dare say this is why Our Lord wept.  Yes, Our Lord describes the destruction of Jerusalem which was certainly a sad event.  But I think it was more than that.  

When you think about it, St. Luke describes a profound event for us.  The tears of Our Blessed Saviour are indeed the tears of God.  God is crying because He knows that despite His best efforts, there will be many men and women in Jerusalem and beyond those city gates that will persist in going against the will of God.  Our Lord weeps because He sees people more focused on doing their own will than doing the will of our Heavenly Father.  Our Lord weeps because He sees all the needless pain, suffering and agony throughout the generations that human beings will heap upon themselves.  "If thou hadst known . . . .  "   God sent His Son into the world for one ultimate purpose.  This is why we hear Our Lord quoted throughout the gospels when He said:  "My time is not yet come."  He, of course, was referring to when He died that cruel death on the Cross.  When He suffered the pain and the agony of that cruel death, He suffered it for you and me.  He endured that pain and agony for all men and women throughout the ages.  He did it because He knew that you and I could never have the capacity to do what He did.  He bore our sins on His shoulders that fateful day.  And in so doing, Our Lord defeated sin once and for all.  Our Lord died on the Cross to save us from our sins.  And He rose again from the dead to lead the way to new life . . . . eternal life for us spent in the presence of our Heavenly Father.  And yet Our Lord knew that countless souls, despite His best efforts to save us from our sins, would still persist in their foolish ways.  This, I dare say, is why Our Lord wept.  

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

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.

Ninth Sunday after Trinity, August 1st, 2021

 Ninth Sunday after Trinity, August 1st, 2021

In the story that has come to be best known as the "Prodigal Son," Our Blessed Lord tells the story of the son who wanted to have things his own way and he wanted to enjoy his father's inheritance even before the father had died!  But, to make a long story short, after a while the son realized that "living life in the fast lane" really was not what he thought it would be like and he came to his senses.  St. Luke describes the thoughts of the son when he came to this realization:  "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants."  (St. Luke 15:19)

First and foremost, it is us who have to first realize that we are in need of God and also that we are ready to seek God.  So often in our life, we may very well acknowledge that there is a problem but we may still ignore the problem and refuse to do anything about it.  In that sense, the key is not recognizing that there is a problem.  That is certainly the start.  The real key is to recognize that there is a problem and then do something about it.  This is what the son did.  He recognized that he had made a mistake and he chose to remedy the problem by going back to his father in humility and to ask for forgiveness.  

The most wonderful part of the parable is yet to come, though.  Our Blessed Lord continues the parable by telling what happens next:  "And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him."  

This is how it is for us when we come to God.  It is God Who reaches out to us.  It is God Who searches for us.  It is God Who goes over and beyond for us.  Recognizing that we have a problem is only part of the solution.  The other half is once we realize that we have a problem, is to seek out the can truly fix the problem.  And without a doubt the One Who can fix every problem is Our Heavenly Father.  Come to your senses, and go to Him.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

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.

Feast of Saint James the Apostle, July 25th, 2021

 Feast of Saint James the Apostle, July 25th, 2021

In the Twentieth Chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, we read about the time in which the mother of St. James and St. John approached Our Lord on behalf of her sons.  The thing which she desired was that her sons would sit, one on the left and one on the right, alongside Our Blessed Saviour in Heaven.  She asked:  "Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom"  (St. Matthew 20:21)  Our Lord quickly explained that who sits on His right and His left is not determined by Him but by His Heavenly Father.  Unfortunately, simply asking the question stirred up a hornet's nest among the rest of the Apostles.  St. Matthew writes that they were "moved with indignation against the two brethren."  (St. Matthew 20:24)   Now, of course the reason the other Apostles were "moved with indignation" was probably because they most certainly had desires of their own to be at the front of the line, so to speak.     Let's face it, human nature being what it is, all of us want to ultimately rise to the top.  We enjoy being the smartest in our class or getting the best grade on a test.   We enjoy working our way up the corporate ladder, so to speak, and get recognized as leaders where we work.  We enjoy the attention we are given in regards to how we look or how we dress.  We like to stand out or stand above the rest.   We enjoy being recognized for our accomplishments.    As Christians, it should not be our objective to be above other people.  But we always have to keep in mind that Our Blessed Saviour preaches not only in word but in action.  Our Blessed Saviour not only tells us how we should live our life, He shows us how we should live our life.   Our Blessed Saviour came not to be served but He came to serve.  "  . . . the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister  . . . . . " (St. Matthew 20:28)  This is the model which we should follow.  A good way to develop this mindset is to think of others first.  So often we think of ourselves first.  We want our needs and desires satisfied first.  We want our feelings thought of first before anyone else.  We want what we want now!   And everyone else can wait.  As I stated, Our Blessed Saviour not only preaches in words, He preaches through His actions as well.  He not only talks the talk, He walks the walk.  And all we have to do is read throughout the Gospels to read how Our Lord lived His life.  He lived His life serving others.  Our Lord came to serve and not to be served.  Let us never forget this fact.   Do you want to be like Christ?  Then start thinking of other people first.  

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

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.

Seventh Sunday after Trinity, July 18th, 2021

 Seventh Sunday after Trinity, July 18th, 2021

When I speak to the young men that I work with in the juvenile prison where I work as a counselor, I very often emphasize to them to recognize the importance of people who have "unconditional love" for us.  In other words, as I point out to them, most of the people that they would consider their "friends" basically only use them.  Whereas someone who has unconditional love only wants the best for you.  Isn't this true, though, in general?  When we are young don't we gravitate to people who we think are "cool."  We judge our friends based on what clothing they wear.  Do they wear the latest style?  Do they have expensive tennis shoes or cheap ones?  Who do they listen to musically?  Do they throw really great parties?  The list goes on and on.  I try to emphasize to these young men that the people that they are drawn to, the friends that they gravitate to are more than likely not good for them.  These so-called friends do not show unconditional love because they do not want the best for them.  They only want to use them, to abuse them, to drag them down to their level.  And yet so often these young men just keep repeating the same mistake over and over again when it comes to their choice of friends.  In the Sixth Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, St. Paul does his very best to let everyone know how great a gift we have been offered by Our Heavenly Father.  And yet St. Paul wants everyone to understand the importance of what God offers to each one of us:  to be a son or daughter of Our Heavenly Father.   But he realizes that instead of focusing on this great gift, so many people continue to focus on sinful behaviors, sinful temptations, lusts, anger, hatred, jealousy, etc.  St. Paul is frustrated that we keep reverting back to our human nature instead of focusing on the fact that we are the sons and daughters of the Most High!   In other words, we need to remind ourselves on a daily basis that we belong to God and NOT to the world.  "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"   (Romans 6:23)  We need to constantly be aware of the fact that the world does us no favors.  The world . . . .  and those in the world . . .  only use us and abuse us.  They do not want the best for us.  God, Our Heavenly Father wants the best for us.  That is why He sent His Son into the world to save us.  That is why the Son of God died on the Cross so that we could be saved from the punishment that we deserved.  But God offers life!  Eternal life!  

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM at the Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

NOTE:  Keep in mind that we must enter in the main entrance of the lobby and sign in before we go to the chapel.  

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.