Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, August 28th, 2022

 Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, August 28th, 2022

To the young church at Corinth, St. Paul writes the following:  " . . . but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me."  (1 Corinthians 15:1 ff)  St. Paul emphasizes what he did on behalf of God:  how much he preached; how much he laboured; how much he suffered; how hard he worked; how much pain he endured; etc.  And yet it was through God that he was able to accomplish everything he accomplished.  It is through Almighty God that each of us accomplishes what we accomplish in life.  It is through the goodness of Our Heavenly Father that we have everything that we possess:  our possessions; our skills; our homes; the food that we eat; the clothes on our back; our very lives are given to us by the Almighty.  As with most things, as human beings, we take things for granted.  But being a devout Christian means that we acknowledge God in everything:  both the good times and even the bad times.  If we do experience trials or tribulations, it is God Himself that gives us the strength to carry on.  Acknowledge God in all the blessings He has given you.  Acknowledge Him as your personal Saviour.  Make a commitment to Him Who first made a commitment to you on the Cross.

St. Margaret 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. 

Ninth Sunday after Trinity, August 14th, 2022

 Ninth Sunday after Trinity, August 14th, 2022

In the Fifteenth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, we hear one of the most famous parables Our Lord ever told.   It has come to be known as the "Prodigal Son."  Yet I have stated for years that this parable is misnamed because in my opinion it would be better named "The Loving Father."   I say this because the real hero in this parable is the father.  This, of course, is because it is the father that shows love, compassion and  forgiveness and goes "over and beyond" when his son returns home.  Of course, this is why Our Blessed Lord told the parable.  This is the point of the parable.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

We all know this story, don't we?  The younger son wants to get his share of his inheritance early so that he can go out and enjoy life the way that HE wants to enjoy life:  on his terms the way that he wants to enjoy it.  And so he demands what is "owed" to him from his father.   Again, we all know the rest of the story.  Things don't go as planned for the younger son and he runs out of money as I like to say:  quick, fast and in a hurry.   It is only at that point that he decides to go back home with his tail between his legs.  And so he begins practicing his speech to his father.  He begins the speech like this:  "Father, I have sinned against Heaven . . . . " (St. Luke 15:11 ff)   As we know, the son goes back to his father and the father welcomes him home with open arms. 

But what can this story show us?  What can this parable tell us about our relationship with God and with one another, quite frankly?  Well, both of the sons in this story showed that they were focused on one thing:  themselves.  Of course the main emphasis in the parable is focused on the younger son that leaves his father and then returns.  But remember that the older son also comes into the parable at the end.  Remember, the older son is jealous of the younger son.  He resents the fact that his younger brother went out and partied and spent all the money while he stayed by his father's side doing as he should have.  He was jealous that his father treated his younger brother like royalty after his return in shame.  Thus, the younger son only focused on himself and his needs.  The younger son only wanted to fulfill his own needs and desires and so he demanded his share of his father's estate that was "owed" to him.  The older son, while yes he stayed with his father and did as he was expected.  But in the end he was simply jealous and did not rejoice that his brother had returned home as his father was rejoicing at the return home of the brother.  He resented the fact, quite frankly, that his brother was making party and fiesta with his father's money while he was left doing all the work. 

As I stated, both brothers were mainly focusing on themselves.  But how many times are we like the brothers in our own lives?  How many times do we only focus on ourselves?  As Christians, we are called to focus our lives on doing the will of our Heavenly Father.  And yet so many people focus on doing what they want to do.  Like the younger son, they want what they want NOW.  People want to go out and make party and fiesta and focus on themselves until something goes wrong.  Just like the younger son.  Even when things went wrong the focus was still on himself, wasn't it?  He didn't go back to his father to beg for forgiveness.  He didn't go back to the father because he suddenly felt a sense of responsibility and so that he could do the right thing.  No, he went back home because he was broke and had nowhere else to turn.  How many times do we leave God's side because we want to do what we want to do?  How many times do we ignore God in our life, either directly or indirectly, and then only go back to Him when we need Him?  As I have often stated, we like to keep God in a box placed up on the shelf.  We take Him down only when we need Him.  We go running to Him only when we need Him.  Other than that, we focus on ourselves and don't worry about God.  And yet we know as Christians that is wrong.  We are called to serve God every day of our lives.  We are called to do His will in our lives.  We are called to love one another and serve one another just as Our Blessed Saviour came to love and to serve.  And so often we are like the two brothers:  only focusing on ourselves . . .  only wanting to satisfy our own desires . . .  getting jealous when someone else gets "better" than us. 

Eighth Sunday after Trinity, Sunday, August 7th, 2022

 Eighth Sunday after Trinity, August 7th, 2022

I can only speak for myself but when I set my mind on something, I focus on what I have set my mind on.  There are clues we give which tell the world what is important to us.  For example, if I am hungry for fried chicken I typically go and get some for my supper.  If I am hungry for Chinese food, same story.  I go and get some.  If I focus on working on a project at home, I work on that project until I'm done.  I work on ways to finish the project until it is complete.     These are simple examples but they convey the idea that human beings typically focus on things that they have set their mind on.  St. Paul writes in the Eighth Chapter of his Epistle too the Romans:  "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Romans 8)  As Christians, we need to concentrate or focus on doing what God wants us to do.  In other words, sons and daughters of God make a point to follow the will of God in their life.  Typically there are clues to let us know what is important to a person.  If I am invited to a person's home and I soon see that the home is decorated with items of a particular sports team:  posters, banners, pictures, etc.  If I see all these things scattered throughout the entire house I will guess that this person loves that particular sports franchise.  That is a simple enough example but how will people know that, as St. Paul puts it, that we are the "sons of God?"  What are the ways in which we will show the world that we are the "sons of God?"  We can go around telling people about God with our words, that is true.  But there is more than one way to speak about God.  We can speak about God with our words.  We can speak about God with our actions.  We can speak about God with our attitude.  We can speak about God by the way in which we treat others around us.   Speak to God in your own words on a daily basis.  Go to Him on a daily basis.  Get in the habit of reading the Good Book on a daily basis.  If you don't already do so, go to church so that you can have fellowship with fellow believers.  

St. Margaret 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.