Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 25th, 2022

 Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 25th, 2022

If there is one thing that most of us are good at, it is "worrying about things."  Most of us get anxious about just about everything, whether we know it or not.  Whether we realize it or not, we worry, we stress out, we get anxious, we fixate on what we need/desire/want, etc.  In the Sixth Chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, Our Blessed Lord lays it out very clearly:  "Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on." (St. Matthew, Chapter Six)  But that is exactly what we do, isn't it?  We worry about what we are going to eat when we get hungry.  We worry about what we are going to wear.  We worry if we have the "latest style" or "fashion" and what people will think of us.   We worry about our jobs and what we have to do, the reports which are due, the work which has to be done.  We get worried over our homes.  We worry and get stressed out over the bills which are due.  We get worried over what people think about us.  If people like us.  If we are 'popular.'  The list goes on and on but the truth of the matter is that most of us worry over various things which are different for each of us.  But the point which Our Lord is trying to make is that God knows every single one of us.  He should.  He created us.  He knows our thoughts.  He knows our concerns.  He knows our worries.  He knows what we need.    But Our Lord gives us the answer:  "But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you"  Instead of seeking the things of the world, we should seek out God and His Kingdom.  Instead of seeking out power, and wealth, and material goods we should seek out Our Heavenly Father.  The problem is that human beings have it in reverse.  We seek first the things which we desire and then we seek out God.  And even then that's typically only when we need Him.  But Our Lord says it plainly:  we need to seek FIRST God and after that everything else will fall into place.  

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. 

Give Thanks to God! Never Forget!

 Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 18th, 2022

When I go to the store to get one thing I usually end up leaving the store with all kinds of items.  Everything, that is, except what I went to the store to get in the first place.  Normally when I go to the store to get that one item I end up getting a whole bunch of items that I had not planned on getting.  In fact, this just happened to me the other day.  So by the time I got up to the cash register the woman there saw me with all the items I had grabbed and she stated that I should have gotten a cart.  To which I replied:  I would have but I only came in for one item.   But this isn't the only example.  Does anyone else have this problem:  You go into the kitchen to get something or do something and by the time you get there, you get totally sidetracked by something else and you end up not even getting what you went to the kitchen to begin with.  It could be that you get forgetful as you get older, but I think it's actually more the case that our minds are too occupied.   We get sidetracked too easily.  We forget to do things that we should do because we become fixated on doing other things.  

In the Seventeenth Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, we hear about the time in which there were ten lepers calling out for healing.   They needed to be healed and desired Our Lord to heal them from being lepers.  In fact St. Luke tells us that they must have made quite a scene because even though the lepers were some distance off they still caught Our Lord's attention and He came over and healed all ten of them.  Out of the ten lepers which were healed, only one out of the ten came back to give thanks to Our Lord.  Even Our Lord took notice of this because He stated:  "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger." (St. Luke 17:18)  What happened to the other nine lepers?  Did they simply forget to thank Our Lord?  Were they too caught up in being cured that they did not have time to thank Him?  How often are we like the nine ungrateful lepers?  So often it seems we do our best to get out of a jam but when we get to the end of our rope and realize we can't do it, we run to God in prayer.  We humble ourselves.  We beg God for help.  We acknowledge to God what we have done wrong and promise to do better.  And then when God blesses us and takes care of our problem, we don't take time to thank God.  It's almost as if we don't have time for God once our problem is taken care of.   Why is this?  We should thank God every day.  We should thank God for the many blessings He bestows upon us.  We should not be ungrateful children and only run to Him when we need something and then forget Him when everything is running smoothly.  Thank God every day.  Praise God for simply being wonderful.  Intercede not only for your own needs but intercede on behalf of others.  And ask God to forgive the times in which we were not perfect and made mistakes.  

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. 

Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 11th, 2022

 Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 11th, 2022

In the Tenth Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, we hear about a "certain lawyer" who asked Our Blessed Lord how to "inherit eternal life." (v. 25)  Our Lord in turn asked the lawyer what is written in the law?  The lawyer anwered Our Lord's question saying:  "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself" (v.27)  Not content with simply answering Our Lord's question correctly, the lawyer then wanted to know exactly who qualified as his neighbor.  Our Lord answered his question by telling what has come to be known as the "Parable of the Good Samaritan."  We have all heard this parable before.  In essence, the Samaritan's were the hated and bitter rivals of the Jews.  The Samaritans were the sworn enemies of the Jews.  To the Jews, there was nothing good about the Samaritans.  To the Jews, the Samaritans represented everything that was evil in the world.  To the Jews, the Samaritans were worse than dirt.  To the Jews, the Samaritans were filth.  The Jews hated the Samaritans with a passion and wanted nothing to do with them whatsoever. And yet today this same passionate hatred still exists, doesn't it?  Who is it that we simply can not stand?  Is there one person or one group of people that we detest and despise with all our heart?  When we think of someone who is totally evil, who do we think of?  Is it someone who has a different political slant than us?  Is it a Democrat?  Is it a Republican?  Is it someone who is a different race than us?  Is it a White person?  A Black person?  A Hispanic person?  Is it someone who is richer than us?  Is it someone who speaks different than we do?  Is there a "Samaritan" in your life?  Is there someone you just can't stand?  Is there someone who you want nothing to do with?  Well, according to Our Lord's parable, that person is your neighbor as well.  That person is capable of doing good.  That person is worthy of our concern.  That person is our neighbor as well.  Our Lord told the parable to the lawyer in order to show him that even those whom we do not love are our neighbors too.  It is difficult to love those whom we can not stand.  This is true enough.  But never forget that God sent His Son into the world to die on the Cross for those people too.

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. 

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, September 4th, 2022

 Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, September 4th, 2022

In the Third Chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, we hear the following:  ". . . not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." (2 Corinthians 3:4)  St. Paul is emphasizing the point to the church at Corinth that it is only through God, that we have sufficiency to do anything.  You see, the church at Corinth had to be reminded that they should always acknowledge that any greatness they have comes not from themselves but from God.  If this was a problem two thousand years ago, it is certainly a problem today.  In other words, does greatness come from man or does greatness come from God?  In today's society, where our technology is so wonderful, it lulls us into a sense that we can do anything.  With our computers, with our tablets, with our smart phones, we can surf the web and look up movie times, and find out information, we can make reports, and take videos and pictures of ourselves for the whole world to see.  We can live in fancy houses and eat at fancy restaurants and live in wonderful neighborhoods.  We can push ourselves to the limit, whether it be at our jobs, or in the gym, or working on home projects where we live.  We are capable of truly doing magnificent things.  And, yet, if we do not have God in our lives, we are fooled into thinking that we are the reason for this greatness.  If we have gotten into the habit of not going to church, not reading the Word of God, and not praying,  God becomes absent from our lives.  So, looking at it in that context, it is easily understandable why people are so "full of themselves" and take the credit for all of their success.

" . . . . but our sufficiency is of God . . . "  Yes, humanity has done many wonderful things and is capable of doing many wonderful things.  But any greatness that we possess was endowed to us by our Creator.  Any success that we have was bestowed upon us by God.  Any knowledge that we have to solve the problems of the world were given to us by Our Heavenly Father.  And this is why we should continually thank God for all the blessings that He has bestowed on us.  You know, as parents, we try to teach our children to say "Thank you" each time that they are given something.  "Remember to say 'Thank You'."  "Say 'Thank You.'"  And we hope that this simple act of courtesy will be instilled in them so that they will not only be courteous but will also allow them to be grateful for what they have been given.  Well, I don't know about you, but in the society that we live in today, very often I find people that do not say "Thank You," . . .  or "Please," for that matter.  And what is our response to those types of people?  More than likely, irritation that someone can be so rude as to not show common courtesy to say a simple "Thank You" when given something.  I tell you it's the same exact way when we don't say "Thank You" to God for the blessings that He has bestowed on us.  When we experience something good, we should get in the habit of thanking God.  When we are given something worthwhile, we should get in the habit to thank God.  If we do not regularly thank God for the blessings He has bestowed on us, we are exactly like that rude person we meet that does not show common courtesy or human decency when we do something for them.

Let us always acknowledge that "our sufficiency is of God" and to always make a point to acknowledge the blessings and to always be courteous to Our Heavenly Father and always show our thanks and gratitude.

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. 

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.