Pentecost, commonly called Whitsunday,
May 28th, 2023
In the world in which we live . . . if you want my opinion . . . it's understandable if a person is scared. I mean just look at all the things to be scared of. All you have to do is turn on the nightly news and see a whole host of things that will terrify you: school massacres . . . . drive-by shootings . . . . wars and threats of wars . . . . erupting volcanoes . . . . . These are just things which I saw featured on the news this week. The news itself does a good job of scaring us, though, I have to admit. The media focuses on negative things to begin with. They report on murders, car wrecks, robberies, factories closing down, etc. But then when you factor in the news being on for hours and hours during the day, the result is that you keep seeing the same scary news over and over and over and over again . . . . It's almost as if the "fear" is pounded into your head over and over again by the news media. Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying that there are not things to be scared of or concerned about. Oh, by all means, yes there are. What I am pointing out is that by courtesy of the Internet, by courtesy of the news media, we are allowed to dwell on our fears twenty-four hours a day. In my opinion, you can't watch the news without getting at least a little depressed.
Perhaps this is the precise reason Our Blessed Lord said what He said. If we look at the Fourteenth Chapter of the Gospel of St. John, we hear Our Lord say: "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." In fact, let's look at the whole verse: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (St. John 14:27) In this verse Our Blessed Saviour makes a point to specify that it is "His peace" that He is giving us. He is differentiating between His peace that He is giving and the the peace that the world gives. The peace that the world "gives" is anything but peaceful. The world gives us doubt. The world gives us fear. The world imparts jealousy and hatred. We always have worries at the back of our mind about a whole host of things. We are scared . . . . sometimes rightly scared and sometimes not . . . but still scared, nonetheless.
But throughout all of these anxieties and fears and worries and concerns, the Lord is the cure to our concerns. He is the sure foundation that we need in our life. He is the One . . . . the only One . . . . Who can offer true peace and security of mind. "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." God will always be with us, no matter what. God will always be there for us, in good times and bad. God will never forsake us. God will never leave us. God is ever faithful to His promise even when we are not. Our Blessed Lord promised that when He left this world, He would send us the Holy Ghost to comfort us, to strengthen us, to fortify us. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, Whom the Father will send in My Name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (St. John 14:26) We have to keep in mind as well that the Holy Ghost is known as the "Comforter" but that name is misleading in our modern day English language because it almost describes something very "comfortable" such as a nice comfy pillow, for example. Actually, the translation would be more accurate as "Strengthen" or "Strength." Our Lord is sending us the Holy Ghost to strengthen us. Either way, let us be assured of one thing: God is always there for us and we should not be afraid of anything this old world can throw at us.
Perhaps this is the precise reason Our Blessed Lord said what He said. If we look at the Fourteenth Chapter of the Gospel of St. John, we hear Our Lord say: "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." In fact, let's look at the whole verse: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (St. John 14:27) In this verse Our Blessed Saviour makes a point to specify that it is "His peace" that He is giving us. He is differentiating between His peace that He is giving and the the peace that the world gives. The peace that the world "gives" is anything but peaceful. The world gives us doubt. The world gives us fear. The world imparts jealousy and hatred. We always have worries at the back of our mind about a whole host of things. We are scared . . . . sometimes rightly scared and sometimes not . . . but still scared, nonetheless.
But throughout all of these anxieties and fears and worries and concerns, the Lord is the cure to our concerns. He is the sure foundation that we need in our life. He is the One . . . . the only One . . . . Who can offer true peace and security of mind. "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." God will always be with us, no matter what. God will always be there for us, in good times and bad. God will never forsake us. God will never leave us. God is ever faithful to His promise even when we are not. Our Blessed Lord promised that when He left this world, He would send us the Holy Ghost to comfort us, to strengthen us, to fortify us. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, Whom the Father will send in My Name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." (St. John 14:26) We have to keep in mind as well that the Holy Ghost is known as the "Comforter" but that name is misleading in our modern day English language because it almost describes something very "comfortable" such as a nice comfy pillow, for example. Actually, the translation would be more accurate as "Strengthen" or "Strength." Our Lord is sending us the Holy Ghost to strengthen us. Either way, let us be assured of one thing: God is always there for us and we should not be afraid of anything this old world can throw at us.
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.
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