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.