Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, October 13th, 2024

 Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, October 13th, 2024

Can you imagine planning a party for your closest friends.  You want the party to be special indeed, so you put a lot of planning into it. And you spend a lot of money as well.  You buy all the decorations.  You hire the best catering company in the city so that the food will be the most delicious.  You get everything set up and looking absolutely beautiful.  And when the time arrives and everything is in place, nobody shows up.  Not a single person showed up.  None of your guests or friends took the time to show up for an event that you put your heart and soul into planning.  How would you feel if this was you?  In the Twenty-Second Chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, we hear Our Lord telling the parable of the king who threw a big party for his son's marriage, but nobody showed up.  Our Lord was making a very important point:  "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come" (St. Matthew 22:1)  How many people around the world today do not make time for God?  How many people in our society do not make time to worship God?  How many people don't have time to come worship God on Sundays or work on His behalf because they are too busy.  They are busy working.  They are busy running errands.  They are busy shopping.  They are busy hanging out and going to parties.  They do not have time for God because they are too busy with the cares and concerns of the world.  They do not have time for God because they are too busy chasing after what the world has to offer instead of chasing after what God has to offer.  Please do not turn your back on God.  If your life is too busy for God, then you are too busy.   Make time for God.  The things of this world are temporary.  A relationship with God is eternal.  

Join us at 10:30 AM on Sundays at St. Margaret church.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis. 

Please consider joining us for Mass.  Come hear the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Consider setting aside an hour of your week where you can dedicate that time solely to God.  Come hear the Word of God.  Listen to God speaking to you directly and hear what He has to say for YOU!  Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time to be strengthened and nourished for your journey!

Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, October 6th, 2024

 Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, October 6th, 2024

In the epistle designated for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, we hear from St. Paul's fourth chapter of his Letter to the Ephesians.  In the beginning of this chapter, St.  Paul writes:  "I therefore . . .  beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called." (Ephesians 4:1)  Those who are called to be Christians are called to be something truly noble.  That may sound very lofty but it is true. This is because we are called to imitate "light" in a world of "darkness."   This is not very easy at times.  In fact, it's a pretty tall order if you ask me.  But that being said, St. Paul goes on to give some pretty sound advice in this fourth chapter of Ephesians.  In verse 31 of this chapter he writes:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice." (Ephesians 4:31)  Probably, I would dare say, this is the best advice of the whole chapter for us to keep in mind.  I say this because we live in a fast paced world.  I would say this is true for all of us.  Whether we are working or retired; whether we live in cities or in towns; whether we are young or old.  Just about everybody I know . . . . myself included . . .  is constantly busy at doing this or doing that.  Going to work.  Going to doctor's appointments.  Going shopping.  Cleaning the house.  Fixing the house.  Doing yardwork.  Picking up the kids.  Going to games.  The list goes on and on.  And, unfortunately, for many of us . . . .  again, myself included . . . . busy schedules oftentimes lead to stressful living.  And stressful living can lead to short tempers and lack of patience with those around us.  We get angry with the idiots that cut us off in traffic and almost cause a wreck.  We get irritated with the people in front of us at the store who are holding up the checkout line by trying to use coupons that have been expired for five months.  We get mad at people who may have a different opinion than we do.  The list goes on and on.  And while these things may seem insignificant in and of themselves, added all together these things have the potential to make our lives very stressful.  

God does not mean for our lives to be filled with stress and anger and irritation.  Quite frankly, when we get irritated with someone or something . . . . even if we are correct to be irritated . . .  this irritation does not harm the other person;  it harms us.  The other person probably doesn't even know of our irritation and probably wouldn't care anyway even if they would know.  The irritation and the anger and the bitterness is what builds up inside of us and harms us. Period.  St. Paul is warning the church at Ephesus just like he is warning us two-thousand years later:  be filled with things of God instead of things of the world.  Fill yourself with the love of God so that you will not be filled with the anger and bitterness offered by the world.  In a certain sense, we are similar to a pitcher or a glass or a box.  If the container is filled with whatever objects we can think of and the contained is filled to the brim, we can not fit anything else in.  Thus, remove the items from the container so that we can fill the other items in there.  Thus, in that sense, how can we expect to fill ourselves with the love of God if we are already filled with anger and bitterness and hate?  Conversely, how can anger and bitterness and hate fill us if we are already filled with the love of God?

Please consider joining us for Mass.  Come hear the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Consider setting aside an hour of your week where you can dedicate that time solely to God.  Come hear the Word of God.  Listen to God speaking to you directly and hear what He has to say for YOU!  Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time to be strengthened and nourished for your journey!

Join us at 10:30 AM at St. Margaret church.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 15th, 2024

 Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 15th, 2024

In the Third Chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians, we are reminded "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith"  (Ephesians 3:13 ff).  I have been preaching now for over twenty years.  The more I preach, the more I seem to emphasize that each one of should prepare a special place in our heart where only Christ can dwell.  It stands to reason that for any king,  . .  . or queen, . . .  or head of state such as a president or prime minister, . . . .  for anyone in charge, for that matter, we go to special lengths to prepare a place for them.  If someone special is coming to visit you . . . such as a beloved relative or a dear friend whom you have not seen for a long time . . .  if someone special is coming to visit your home, you go to special efforts to prepare a place for them.  You clean up your home.  You put things away.  You spruce up and dust and put things in order as best as you can.  Why do we do all of this?  We do it out of love and out of respect, of course.  We want to be good hosts and we do it because we want to show love and respect for the person visiting.  When a head of state such as a king or queen or president comes to visit your country, a special place is prepared for the visiting dignitary.  When the boss of your company or corporation comes to visit where you work, you clean up and prepare as much as possible to make sure everything looks top-notch.  It just stands to reason that when someone important visits you, you prepare a place for that person and you do your best to make sure everything is in place.  "The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation"  (Exodus 15:2)  The place that each one of us can prepare a habitation for God to dwell is in our heart.  This, quite frankly, is the place where Christ wants to rule.  "For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also." (St. Luke 12:34)  Christ is our treasure ..  . . the love of Christ is our one possession that will last forever.  While all of our other "treasures" will eventually fade away .  . . . . whether they rust  away . . .  or break . .  . or fall out of style . . . . the love of Christ will never fail us.   So prepare a special place in your heart.  Prepare room in your heart for Christ.  That is the one throne He truly desires to occupy . . .  the one in your heart.

Please consider joining us for Mass.  Come hear the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Consider setting aside an hour of your week where you can dedicate that time solely to God.  Come hear the Word of God.  Listen to God speaking to you directly and hear what He has to say for YOU!  Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time to be strengthened and nourished for your journey!

Join us at 10:30 AM at St. Margaret church.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 8th, 2024

 Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 8th, 2024

When you stop to think about it, it's amazing how many things we "need" in life.  Our days are filled with "needs" from the time we get up until the time we finally go to bed.  I bet you never even think about all the things you "need."  When you get up in the morning,   "I need to go to the bathroom;" or "I need to get ready for work;" "I need some coffee;" "I need to get some breakfast;" "I need to leave for work;"  "I need to go to the store;" "I need to cut the grass;"  "I need to take out the trash;"  "I need to get to bed so that I can get some sleep;" etc.  Now, don't get me wrong, we may not come right out and say, "I need to do this" or "I need to do that" but the point is the same: from the time we get up in the morning until the time we fall asleep at night, our days are filled with things we need to do or desires that we need to fulfill.  And the examples I listed above are just the "little daily things" that we need to do every day.  What about the times when we say . .  . either out loud or simply to ourselves . . .  . "I need to go on vacation;" "I need to get a better car;" etc.   Again, whether we call them: needs; desires; or worries, our days are filled with things that we want to do or need to do.  And human beings just go from fulfilling one need to fulfilling the next need.  But, Our Blessed Saviour warns us against worrying about anything, whether it be the food or drink that we need or the clothing that we wear.  He says in St. Mathew, chapter six:  " . . . . for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."   Everything falls into place eventually; I have found in my own life.  But that does not mean I do not worry about things that I need or about the things that I need to get accomplished.  It's just human nature, I suppose.  

God knows what we need.  God knows what we need to get done.  As Christians, we are called to dedicate our lives to Christ as Our Lord and Saviour.  So many people dedicate their lives to what they need and what they desire.  Drink, . . .  Food,  . . . . Material Possessions,  . . . . Money,  . . . . Power.  These are the things that so many people want and desire.  These people have no time for God because they are too busy trying to fulfill their worldly lusts and desires.  Again, as human beings we have desires and needs.  For example, we desire to eat because we need to eat in order to survive.  But we can not let our desire become our primary reason for living.  There is certainly nothing wrong with eating, to continue with that example, but we can not let eating control our lives.  We can not let the desire for food be our reason for living.  So many people do just this.  They allow their desires to rule their life.  God knows what we need.  God even knows what we desire. Dedicate your life to God.  Let Him take priority in your life.  Once you do that, everything else will fall into place.  

Please consider joining us for Mass.  Come hear the Word of God found in the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Consider setting aside an hour of your week where you can dedicate that time solely to God.  Come hear the Word of God.  Listen to God speaking to you directly and hear what He has to say for YOU!  Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time to be strengthened and nourished for your journey!

Join us at 10:30 AM at St. Margaret church.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 1st, 2024

 

Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity, September 1st, 2024

In a strange, ironic twist the term "Thank You" is simultaneously one of the "most used" and "least used" terms we have.   On the one hand, think about how many times you say "Thank you" on a daily basis.  When you go to the store and buy something, for example,  you probably say "Thank you" to the cashier or clerk.  If you sneeze and if someone says "God bless you," I bet you respond "Thank you."  At your job, if a coworker and/or a customer gives you something that you ask for, I am sure you respond "Thank you."  I am sure that if we were to try to count how many times in a given day that we used the term "Thank you," I am pretty sure that we would be utterly amazed how often we say that specific term:  "Thank you."

As an aside, I am continually amazed when I am out in the public and I do not see someone put the practice of saying "Thank you" into use.  For example, have you ever gone into or perhaps come out of a store and you took the time to hold a door open for someone, and the person did not say "Thank you" or acknowledge you at all.  Even in traffic, have you ever let someone ahead of you that wanted to get over into your lane.  Often, the person will wave or acknowledge your kindness as a way to say "Thank you."  I notice big semi truck drivers will blink their flasher lights on and off as a way to say "Thank you."   What happens if someone does not "wave" or acknowledge your letting them ahead of you?  If you are anything like me, you mumble to yourself sarcastically, "You're welcome!"   The bottom line is we like to be thanked for what we do for people.  We like for people to acknowledge what we have done for them.  Whether it be a simple act of holding open a door or giving a gift to a loved one, it is only right to receive thanks for what we did.  

In the Seventeenth Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, we hear the story of Our Blessed Lord  heal a group of ten lepers.  Now keep in mind that all ten men were healed but only one of them made the point to come back and properly thank God and acknowledge the healing that he had received.  "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 17:11 ff)  But Our Lord pointed out that while this man did give proper thanks and acknowledgment for the healing that he had received, He went on to question where were the other nine???  You see, God likes to be acknowledged as well for the blessings that He bestows on His children.  Our Lord was happy to bestow blessings as we saw in today's passage with the healing of the ten lepers.  But on the other hand He showed disappointment when only one out of the ten came back to given proper thanks.  We should always make a point to give proper thanks to God for the blessings He has bestowed on each of us.  Very often, we do not take the time to thank God and acknowledge His blessings because we are too busy concentrating on what is wrong in our life. 

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 North

Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, August 25th, 2024

 Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, August 25th, 2024

I think one of the most frustrating things in the world is not being able to find something you are looking for.  We've all had that experience, haven't we?  Whether it be the car keys or your eyeglasses.  You go to look for the item you're looking for and you can't find it anywhere.  But sometimes after you've looked and looked and looked for an item, it turns out that you item is right there in the place where you looked and never even saw it.  In other words, It was right there all the time and you never even saw it right in front of you.  Our Lord told the disciples:  "BLESSED are the eyes which see the things that ye see: for I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them" (St. Luke 10:23)  Our Lord was telling the disciples how blessed they were to see what so many before them were praying and longing to see.  In other words, the Messiah was right before their eyes.  I contend that God is always close by to us also.  And if we don't see God it is because we are not looking for Him.  We do not see God because we are too busy with the affairs of the world.  We do not see God because we only look for the things which are important to us.  And, sadly, for many people God is not nearly as important as what the world has to offer.  God is always close, but we have to make a point to look for Him.  We have to make a point to search for Him.  

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. 

Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, August 18th, 2024

 Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, August 18th, 2024

Who is it that you trust?  Or perhaps I should ask what do you trust?  There are certain people whom we trust in life and certain people we do not trust.  Likewise, there are certain products which we buy at the store that we trust and certain brands which we do not trust.  Trust is something that is earned, it seems to me.  In the case of products or services, for example, if the product does not live up to our standards or if the service is consistently poor it does not earn our trust.  Same with people in our life.  If someone constantly lies or betrays us, that person does not earn our trust.  St. Paul states:  "SUCH trust have we through Christ to God-ward" (2 Corinthians 3:4)  While people will let us down . . .  while products and services will often disappoint us . . . . God is always there for us.  God is always deserving of our trust.  God will never let us down.  "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."  (Psalm 118:8)   And verse Nine goes on to say:  "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes."  (Psalm 118:9)  This verse is a perfect reminder come election time because politicians will promise you the sun and the moon when they are campaigning but typically do the exact opposite when they get into office.  But God always follows through on what He promises.  God never fails in what He offers.  In fact, as I say so often when I preach, God goes over and beyond what He promises.  He gives us even more than we even deserve.  So let us reflect on who or what we trust.  And always remember that God never fails.

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.