Ninth Sunday after Trinity, July 28th, 2024

 Ninth Sunday after Trinity, July 28th, 2024

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. 

Please make a point to join us for Mass on Sunday.  St. Margaret Church gathers together each and every Sunday 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.  We use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  And receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of Our Saviour at Communion time.   We are all busy.  We all lead busy lives.  Take an hour out of your busy week and dedicate it to God.  Give that hour to God and spend it with Him. 

Transfiguration of Our Lord, August 6th, 2023

 Transfiguration of Our Lord, August 6th, 2023

We read in the Ninth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke the story of the Transfiguration of Our Blessed Saviour.  In this Ninth Chapter, we hear that St Peter; St John; and St James accompanied Our Lord to pray.  Now, bear in mind as we read of this account that a marvelous event is about to unfold:  Our Lord will not only be transfigured as "His countenance was altered," (v. 29) but also that Moses and Elias will appear alongside Our Lord.   Now, imagine if you will, all of this happening in front of YOUR eyes.  How would you react?  What would you do?  What would be your reaction to all of this have been?  Well, in Verse 32, we hear what happened to St Peter, St James and St John:  "But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with Him." (St. Luke 9:32)  " .  . .  THEY WERE HEAVY WITH SLEEP  . . . ."  Really?  Heavy with sleep?  Seriously?  I mean, come on, how can this be?  Here you are, you find yourself with the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.  You are in His Presence where not only He is transfigured:  His "countenance was altered" and "His raiment was white and glistening."  If this wasn't enough, Moses and Elias appear alongside of Him.  And St Peter and the boys fall asleep?  Seriously?!?!?!   It wasn't until they awoke from their sleep that, as St. Luke tells us:  " . . . . and when they were awake, they saw his glory .  . . . ."   You know, it is so easy to be a "back-seat driver," isn't it?  It is really easy to make "commentary" about others when it is not us walking in their shoes.  As St. Luke tells us it was not UNTIL they awoke that they were able to see the glory of the Lord.  That's really how it is with us as well, quite frankly.  Have you ever told someone or has anyone ever told you in the course of a conversation:  "Wake up!"  "Why don't you wake up?!?"  "Wake up and smell the coffee!"  When someone says something along these lines, what they're really saying is "Wake up to reality."  "Come back to reality."  Well, for Peter, James and John, it wasn't until they woke up that they were able to truly see the glory of the Lord.  We, too, like them need to "wake up" out of our sleep in order to see the glory of the Lord.  So many of us are lost in a deep sleep as well.  We are sleeping and dreaming about the things of the world:  money, and nice clothes, and food, and drink, and power, and possessions.   We day-dream about these things and more and focus our lives around them.  But until we wake up from our sleep . .. . Until we wake up from our dreams of worldly things we lust after . . . . until we awaken, it will be then that we will be able to fully appreciate the majesty of Our Blessed Saviour and see Him in His full glory.  We can not see His Glory because we are so busy looking at the things of the world.  Have you ever seen something in the corner of your eye but you didn't see it fully because you really looking at something else?   Quite frankly, that is how it is for us when it comes to things of God.  We have good intentions.  We want to be good.  We want to listen to God.  We want to do what God would have us do.  But we get sidetracked.  Our attention gets diverted.  We end up focusing on something else.  Let us be like St Peter and St James and St John.  Let us wake out of our sleep so that we can see the glory of the Lord.  Let us always focus on Our Blessed Saviour so that we can appreciate His glory and His majesty.

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.

Fourth Sunday after Trinity, July 2nd, 2023

 Fourth Sunday after Trinity, July 2nd, 2023

The Gospel appointed for the Fourth Sunday after Trinity is taken from the Sixth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke.  When I hear this passage read it always makes me think of dear Bishop Mote because he would always say this passage from the Bible was his passage because this is the one that mentions "cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye"  Obviously, Bishop Mote was referring to the use of the word "mote" in the passage also being his last name.  But the importance of Our Lord's words recounted in this passage are of utmost importance for all of us to make note of.  In this section of St. Luke's Gospel Our Lord states that we should be merciful just as God, Our Heavenly Father is merciful.  But it is Verse 38 which should give us something to think about:  "give, and it shall be given unto you; . . . . For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again"  This phrase "Give, and it shall be given unto you"   What exactly do we give unto others?  Do we make a point to give what we get?  Do we make a point to get revenge when we feel we have been wronged?  Do we give what comes out of our anger and hatred and rage?  Do we give even worse than we got because the other person deserves it?  If so, Our Lord warns us that we should be very careful.  We should be very careful indeed because He reminds us "For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again"   In other words, if we give anger we will receive anger in return.  If we give hatred we should expect hatred in return.  If we show a lack of forgiveness for others, that is exactly what we should expect to receive in return.  If we refuse to forgive those who have wronged us, how in the world can we expect the Good Lord to show forgiveness to us?  Our Blessed Saviour doesn't ask us to do anything that He did not do Himself.  He forgave those who did Him wrong.   Being a Christian is very difficult.  Being a good Christian is extremely difficult.  It takes a lifetime of practice but God is with us every step of the way.

 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.

Third Sunday after Trinity, June 25th, 2023

 Third Sunday after Trinity, June 25th, 2023

I am sure that you have lost something at some point . . . or misplaced something . . . that you were looking for and you can not find it.  Or you organize things or do a good cleaning and afterwards you suddenly do not know where something is that you need.  If this happens, what do you do?  Of course, you search high and low until you find what you are looking for.  I can only speak for myself but not being able to find something that you are looking for is one of the most frustrating things in life.  We search for things that we need.  We search for things that are important to us.  We search for things that we need to find.  We place time and effort into searching for something that we either need or is important to us.    In the Fifteenth Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, we hear Our Lord speaking to the publicans and sinners.   But as He is speaking, St. Luke lets us know that the Pharisees and scribes started talking among themselves that Our Lord "receiveth sinners, and eateth with them." (St. Luke 15:2)  Our Lord noticed the objection that they were making and responded by telling a parable.  In the parable, He spoke about the example of the man who searched for the lost sheep and the woman who lost the one piece of silver.  In the case of the man with the lost sheep, Our Lord pointed out that the man still had the Ninety-Nine sheep but he was worried about the one lost sheep; and the woman still had Nine pieces of silver, but she was concerned about the one missing piece that she could not account for.  After much searching for  the lost piece of silver, Our Lord stated the woman's words: "Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost." (St. Luke 15:9)  God sent His only Son into the world because we were lost.  We are lost without God.  God searches for us, hoping that we will return to Him.  If we were not important to Him, He would not have sent His Son into the world to redeem us with His Precious Blood.   Keep in mind we only search for things that are valuable to us; important to us.  We have value to God and this is why He goes to great lengths to find us.  Conversely, the reason why so many people throughout the world do not search for God is because other things (money; power; possessions; booze; drugs; etc.) are what is important to those people.  We only search for things that we need or are dear to us.  Make a point to search for God.  Make a point to remind yourself that God is the most important person in your life.  Make a point to find Him.  There is nothing more important than God in our life.

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.

Saint Barnabas the Apostle, June 11th, 2023

Saint Barnabas the Apostle, Sunday, June 11th, 2023

In the Fifteenth Chapter of the Gospel of St. John, we listen to Our Blessed Saviour speak to the disciples.  And one of the many important things which He tells them is:  "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you" (St. John 15:16)  God has certainly chosen each one of us.  He has chosen you just as He has chosen me.  The question is have we chosen God?  Do we choose God in our daily lives?  Do we make God our choice each and every day?  Or do we choose the world?  Do we choose what the world has to offer?  Part of the problem today is that unfortunately people choose the world over God and may not even realize it.  We keep so busy in our modern society with work and careers, family life, taking care of our homes, watching television and movies, looking at social media and the internet, etc, etc. etc.  The list goes on and on and before you know it God is completely out of the picture.  The world keeps folks so busy that they soon don't have time for God.  We need to make time for God and not just on Sundays either.  We need to make time for God seven days out of the week and three-hundred and sixty-five days a year.  We need to make a point to "choose" God by choosing to spend time with Him in prayer.  We need to make a point to "choose" God by spending time reading the Bible.  We need to make a point to "choose" God by purposely choosing to do as He would.  We need to make a point to "choose" God by choosing to love those we come in contact with on a daily basis.  "Choose" to be the face of God in this weary world.  "Choose" to be God's instrument when His work needs to be done.  God has indeed chosen us but have we chosen Him?

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. 

Fifth Sunday after Easter, May 14th, 2023

 Fifth Sunday after Easter, commonly called

Rogation Sunday, May 14th, 2023

If we think back on our life, every single person reading this will be able to remember a time or two where they got themselves into a real jam and needed some assistance or a helping hand.  On the other hand, every single person reading this will remember a time or two when YOU were that person lending a helping hand to a person in need.  I've been the person that needed help; I've been the person that did the helping.  So I have been on both ends of the stick, so to speak.  But the bottom line is this, we have all known people that talked a good game but when it came down to it, their words did not quite equal their actions.  I am sure that all of us can think of a good example of one or two people who talked a lot but when you needed that person, they were nowhere to be found.  Like the old saying goes:  "Actions speak louder than words."   I point all this out to show that it just makes sense to expect people to back up their words with actions.  Even St. James knew this and this is why he wrote in the first chapter of his epistle:  "BE ye doers of the word, and not hearers only . . . ." (St. James 1:22)  In the everyday world, if we went to work and had a coworker who bragged and boasted of everything he or she was capable of doing but that person did not actually do anything when it came down to it, what would we think of that coworker?  What if you had a friend that you would see every now and then and each time you saw that friend, the friend said "Oh, I got you a nice jacket but I don't have it with me but I'll give it to you the next time I see you." But, as you can guess, the next time you see the friend:  no jacket.  But then the same friend says, "Oh, I got you a really nice book but I don't have it with me . . .  I will give it to you next time I see you."  Again, you guessed it, no book to be found the next time you met this friend of yours.  After a while, if this pattern continues, what will the word of this friend mean?  Nothing.   As human beings, we expect people to live up to their word.  If they do not, their word means nothing.  St. James points out that we put our Christianity into practice by what we do for others, especially the less fortunate.  We don't earn our way into Heaven by what we do.  But on the other hand, the more we do for others . . .  in the Name of Christ . . . .  we show what our Christianity means to us.  And it also shows how much we have learned from the teachings of Our Blessed Saviour.

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.

First Sunday after Epiphany, January 8th, 2023

 First Sunday after the Epiphany, January 8th, 2023

As we celebrate the First Sunday after Epiphany, we turn to St. Luke's Gospel (St. Luke 2:42 ff) to hear the story of the finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple:  ". . . . they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him."  You see, the Holy Family was traveling to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover.  And when they had stayed there the days that were required, as St. Luke reminds us, they left to go back home.  While they were traveling, they discovered that the Child Jesus was not with them.  I am sure that just about all parents have experienced at the very least a small bit of anxiety when they find out that their child is not where he or she is supposed to be.  Whether it is during a trip to the mall or the local grocery store, etc., we turn around and little Johnnie or Susie is not behind us.  And we panic just long enough to discover our child over in the candy aisle.  Anyway, in that light, we can imagine the panic that came over Our Lady and St. Joseph when they discovered, much to their horror that the Child Jesus was not in their company.

Truth be known, we normally do not begin to look for something until we discover that the item is missing.  For example, when we are trying to leave the house to go to work or to an appointment and then suddenly we discover that the car keys are not where we thought we left them.  And then we panic because we don't want to be late and we need to find the car keys.  Any item that you can think of . . . . the remote control,  .   . . . the shirt that you wanted to wear . . ..  even the "missing" mate to a sock that you have just taken out of the dryer . . . . where, oh, where did it go?!?!?  Obviously, we don't search for things or items until we know that we are in need of them and suddenly realize that we don't know where the item is.  e.g., the lost car keys.  And only then do we make a point to go search for them.  I would contend that this is how it is in regards to our search for Jesus.  So many people do NOT search Him out because they do not know that they are missing Him.  This is because their minds are caught up in the things of the world:  their material possessions; their money; their pleasures; their food; their drink; etc.  They are too busy concerning themselves with the cares of the world that they don't have time to "search out" Jesus.  We do not make a point to search for something until we realize it is missing or realize that we need it.  Let each of us make the point to realize our need for Jesus and then search for Him until we find Him and never let Him go.

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.

Fifth Sunday after Trinity, July 17th, 2022

 Fifth Sunday after Trinity, July 17th, 2022

In St. Luke's Gospel at today's Mass, we hear the story of the beginning of the association between Our Blessed Saviour and St. Peter.  As was very often the case, the crowds were pressing against Our Blessed Lord so much and He could not make Himself heard.  We hear the following:  ". .  . . He stood by the lake of Gennesaret, and saw two ships . .  . : "  (St. Luke 5:1)  And as a result, Our Lord got into St. Peter's boat so that He could preach to the multitude that had gathered to hear Him speak by Lake Gennesaret.  Now the rest of this passage obviously focuses mainly on Our Lord directing St. Peter to throw the nets out and ended up hauling in a miraculous load of fish when he could catch nothing by himself.  But the one thing that really caught my attention in reading and rereading this Gospel passage was the fact that there were two ships, St. Luke tells us.  But then if there were two ships, why did Our Lord choose the one that St. Peter owned and not the other ship?   The fact of the matter is that God chooses each one of us for specific tasks because each one of us has particular skills and talents.  One person might be good at teaching while someone else is good at preaching.  Or it might be the case that someone is good at fixing things while another person is skilled in music.  The bottom line is that each one of us might not be talented in one area but very skilled in something totally different.  Again, I can not help but focus on the fact that there were two ships in today's Gospel passage and Our Lord picked one but not the other.  Maybe I am making too big of a deal out of this fact, but in my mind, it does point out that Our Lord does pick us.  He chooses us.  He singles us out and calls each one of us.  The key, though, is that we need to respond accordingly.  We have to say "yes" when we are called.  We may not understand why Our Lord has chosen us.  Look at today's passage, St. Peter did not understand Our Lord's instruction to cast the net out when he had been working so hard all night and caught nothing.  And yet he did it anyway.  Our Lady most certainly did not understand when she was told that she would be pregnant with child and yet her response was "Let it be done to me according to your word!"  She said yes despite the fact that she did not understand . . . .  St. Peter said yes despite the fact he could not understand how it would be possible.  This is the definition of faith.  God chooses us.  We respond. And sometimes we may not even understand how it will take place . . . . or why it will take place . . . . or why in the world that God would choose me . . . but we respond to God's call and move forward.   This is faith!

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.

Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity, October 24th, 2021

 Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity, October 24th, 2021

St. Paul writes in the Sixth Chapter of his Epistle to the Ephesians:  "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6)   If there is one thing that we need to do today, we need to stand strong against the devil.  You will notice as you read this sixth chapter that St. Paul emphasizes to put on the "whole armour of God."  This is necessary because we need to protect ourselves against all kinds of assaults that the devil will throw against us.  St. Paul continues on by making the point that we do not wage battle with "flesh and blood" (in other words, against other men) but we are in danger from "the rulers of the darkness of this world" and "spiritual wickedness in high places."  For that reason we need the protection of God.  We need the Good Lord to be with us.  We need all the tools available which only God can provide.  As St. Paul writes, we need all the protection which God can provide.  We need:  "truth,  . . . and righteousness; and  peace;   . . . . and faith, . . .  and salvation, and the word of God"  And then finally, St. Paul emphasizes that we need to pray!  How often do we pray?  Is it daily?  Weekly?  Monthly?  Do we only pray when we need something from God?  We need to make time for God on a daily basis.  We need to go to Him and seek His protection and His assistance in battling the devil and the demons of the world because they are busy assaulting us on a daily basis.  We need God now more than ever.  We find ourselves in the world but we do not have to be "of the world."  Remember who you belong to!  Stay close to God and give your life to Him!  

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.  

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.   

Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, October 17th, 2021

 Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, October 17th, 2021

NOTE:  St. Margaret Church will gather together on Sunday, October 17th, at 10:30 am to celebrate Mass at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor.  Please make a point to join us as we gather together to listen to God speaking to us through the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer!  Mark your calendars and please join us!

"So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good:"  (St. Matthew 22:1 ff)

In the Twenty-Second Chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew, Our Blessed Saviour is telling the story of the king who made a marriage-feast for his son.  Now, as the story goes, Our Lord says that the invited guests "made light" of the invitation and decided not to show up for a variety of reasons:   . . . . . "one to his farm, another to his merchandise . . . ."  Now the fact that none of the invited guests showed up once the feast was ready really irritated the king.  As a result the king instructed his servants to bring guests to the feast, no matter who they were.  Our Lord continues the story as He relates the instructions of the king to his servants:  "Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests."  Now, there are a number of things we could say about this story but I would like to point out two important considerations:

1)  The first thing I would like to point out in this story is that the servants invited as many as they could  . . . . and Our Lord continues . . . . "both bad and good."  Why would Our Lord make the statement "both bad and good?"  Remember the main reason why Our Lord is telling this story to begin with is that He is comparing it to the Kingdom of God.  So, we should always remember that God has love for both the "bad and good."  Our Lord died on the Cross for both the "bad and good."  And Our Heavenly Father invites both the "bad and good" to be with Him in Heaven.   How often though do we not show love to those whom we deem to be "bad?"  How often in our life do we not reach out to certain people because we think of ourselves as "good" and them "bad?"  Our Lord came to this earth to tell everyone  . . . . both bad and good . . . about the Kingdom of God.  He came to instruct everyone in regards to His Heavenly Father.  He did not come to just save the "good."   He came for the "bad" as well.   If Our Blessed Saviour did not differentiate between who was "good" and who was "bad,"  why should we?

2)  The second consideration we should make point to remember is that the original invited guests did not show up because they were more concerned with other things.  Our Lord states that the original invited guests "made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise . . .  "  How many of us in the world "make light" of God's invitation because we are too concerned with "things of the world."  How many of us are too distracted by things in the world to even pay attention to what God is calling us to?  The world offers so many distractions that catch our attention and divert us away from God.  We need to be always vigilant to stay focused on God and not on the things of the world.  This story should help remind us of the importance of this fact that we should stay focused on "things of above" and not on "things below."

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.  

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.

Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 5th, 2021

 Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 5th, 2021

In the Seventeenth Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, St. Luke describes an event which occurred when Our Blessed Lord was traveling to Jerusalem and passed through "the midst of Samaria and Galilee." (St. Luke 17: 11)  And when Our Blessed Lord passed through a certain village, St. Luke tells us that there were ten lepers who "lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." (St. Luke 17:13)   In other words, they were yelling and screaming to get Our Lord's attention.  Our Lord did notice them.  And He told them to show themselves unto the priest.  And as they went their way they were cured of the leprosy.  But only one out of the ten came back to properly thank Our Blessed Lord.  "And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks"  (St. Luke 17:16)  Our Lord was both impressed with the one turning back to give thanks and questioned where were the other nine that got cured.  

My parents taught me how to say "please" and "thank you" when I was growing up.  And they would always make a point to remind me to say these things.  And I am very grateful for that.  I learned a long time ago that it does not cost anything to be courteous to others.  Saying "Thank you" . . . .  Saying "Please" . . .  Saying "Excuse me" when you bump into someone . . .  These are all examples of common courtesy.  And in some ways, unfortunately, this is becoming a lost art.  And this is a shame.  But how about in the spiritual life?  Do we ever fail to thank God for all His blessings which He provides us?  Do we only go to God when we need something but forget about Him when we get what we want?  Isn't this what the nine lepers did?  They were insistent that Our Blessed Lord would listen to their request and heal them but then they all went their way.  But one leper returned.  One came back to give thanks to Our Blessed Saviour.    God is always good to us.  God blesses us with many blessings throughout all our lives.  We should never fail to thank God.  We should always be grateful to Him for everything He provides to us.   Don't only go to God when you need something and then forget about Him.  Focus on your blessings and be grateful to God for everything He does for you.

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.  

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.