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.