Septuagesima, February 5th, 2023

 Septuagesima, February 5th, 2023

On Sunday, February 5th, 2023, the Church celebrates Septuagesima Sunday . . .  or the Third Sunday Before Lent . . .  The "Gesima Sundays" are the final countdown, if you will, or the three Sundays of preparation for the holy season of Lent. 

The Gospel for today's Mass comes to us from the Twentieth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew.  In this Chapter, St. Matthew recalls the words of Our Lord in regards to the householder who hired laborers to work in his vineyard.  And the householder went out at various points throughout the day to hire laborers to come and work in his vineyard.  And at the end of the day each of the laborers got paid the same exact wage whether they worked the whole day or merely the last hour of the day.  God invites those whom He chooses to invite.  But the key is that it is up to us to accept or decline the invitation.  The very end of the passage that we heard today ends with:  " . .  .  for many be called, but few chosen ."  (St. Matthew 20:16)   All of us are involved in a whole host of activities at one point or another.  Just think about all the different "hats" that you may or may not have in your own life:  worker; homeowner; spouse; parent; neighbor; volunteer; friend; customer; etc.  The list could go on and on.  And every now and then we get chosen to work on a special committee or get chosen to be in charge of a special project.    Throughout our life, all of us can think of one example or another where we have been chosen.  God has chosen His people as well.  "For thou art an holy people unto the Lord Thy God: the Lord Thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto Himself, above all the people that are upon the face of the earth."  (Deuteronomy 7:6)  We are chosen by God to be a "special people" unto Him.  We must never forget that.  God has chosen YOU!  It is up to us whether or not we accept the invitation.  Remember who you are:  You are "special"; You are "chosen" You are "loved."  I do not think that most of us realize the importance of this fact.  If we did, we would spend more time focused on the things above as opposed to being focused on the things here below.

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church gathers together each and every Sunday morning at 10:30 AM.  We worship at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Join us as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we gather together as God's family and worship Our Blessed Saviour.  And, at Communion time, we come forward to receive His Precious Body and Blood so that we can be nourished for the journey ahead.