Quinquagesima, Sunday, February 11th, 2018

Quinquagesima, or the Sunday Next Before Lent, 

February 11th, 2018

We've often heard the phrase, "There's a right way and a wrong way to do something."  This only makes sense.  When we are two and three years old, we throw a tantrum when we don't get our way.  So if a child wants a toy or wants some candy, they demand what they want and if they don't get it the child throws a tantrum and begins yelling and screaming.  When I was growing up, this really didn't work out too often in my favor, I soon discovered.  If anything, it got me the opposite result.   With age, we are supposed to learn again that there is a correct way to go about something and a wrong way.  Let's say, for example, that I feel that I am entitled to a raise at work.  Now, I suppose I could go to my boss and call him/her every name in the book and demand a raise.  But more than likely that is the wrong way to go about it.  Not only would I NOT get my raise, I would probably run the risk of losing my job in the process.  Now the correct way to go about asking for a raise would be respectful to my supervisor and ask for a meeting and then point out my reasons for wanting a raise in a calm, courteous fashion and talk it over with my boss.    

In the Eighteenth Chapter of St. Luke's Gospel, we hear about Our Blessed Saviour on the way to Jerusalem with the Twelve Apostles. And as they are going by, they encounter a blind man who became aware of the presence of Our Blessed Lord.  This man began yelling to get Our Lord's attention:  "Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me."  (St. Luke 18:38)  The blind man must have been making quite a commotion because St Luke tells us that the people there told the blind man to "hold his peace."  (v. 39)  But he continued until he caught the attention of Our Lord.  Our Blessed Saviour commended the man and gave him his request:  "Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee."  (v. 42)  It wasn't the fact that the man was yelling and screaming that impressed Our Lord, it was the fact that the man was persistent.   

Even in the epistle appointed for today's liturgy, St. Paul makes the point that no matter what we do, we have to do it with the correct intention.  For example, St. Paul writes:  "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal."  (I Corinthians 13:1)  Again, what St. Paul is referring to is that we can have the correct action (on the surface) but if we do not do it with love, then it is wrong.  St Paul goes on to write:  " . . . and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing."  (v. 2)  Love again is the key.  It is love that should our motive in everything that we do.  So often in the society in which we live, love is certainly the motivation behind what we say, . . . what we do, . . .  how we act.  But the problem is that it is specifically "love of self" as the main motivation.  We demand things because we have ourselves in mind and what WE want.  We demand people to respect OUR views and OUR beliefs without any thought of anyone else's views or beliefs.  We expect people to consider OUR point of view but we don't take the time to consider anyone else's point of view.  

As St. Paul tells us, we are to do all things with love as the key.  Certainly, Our Blessed Lord used this as His main motivation.  Why else would He do what He did?  Even as He spoke to the Apostles on the way to Jerusalem:  "For He shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: and they shall scourge Him, and put Him to death."  (St. Luke 18:32-33)  Why would Our Blessed Saviour subject Himself to any of this?  Of course, the answer is love.  He endured what He did out of love for us.  He subjected Himself to torture and death out of love for us.  He died on the Cross for love of us.  He endured all these things because He knew that He was the "Innocent Lamb led to the slaughter."  He did all that He did for us out of love.  He was not thinking of Himself when He did these things.  He was thinking of you, . . . of me.  As such, if we truly want to be "Christ-like" we need to focus more on others and less on ourselves.  In short, we need to love others more and love ourselves less.

Join us as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we join together as God's family and worship Our Heavenly Father.  Join us as we come to the altar to be fed the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time.  And, finally, please stay after Mass for some fellowship at our coffee hour.

St. Margaret Anglican Church worships at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM.

Hope in the Lord

They say that February is the gloomiest month of the year.  Unfortunately, unless you live in someplace tropical all year around  . . .  like Tahiti or Southern California . . . . you have to deal with the ice and snow and frigid temperatures of the season.  Most people, I would guess, don't like February very much.  At least in November and December we have the holidays to look forward to.  That takes our minds off of the cold and ice, doesn't it?  But in February, it would seem that we don't have anything to look forward to . . . . just more ice . . .  more snow . . .  cold temperatures . . .  and darkness.   Not much to do either because you don't feel like going out in all that mess.  This is why a lot of folks say they don't like February.   It's just plain gloomy.

In a similar vein, I guess you could say, people also don't like the holy season of Lent.  It's gloomy.  It's depressing.  People focus on what they give up  during Lent . . . . such as giving up chocolate, for example.  They focus on the penitential aspect of Lent.  In other words, dealing with being sorry for our sins.  Nobody enjoys admitting their faults, do they?  I know I don't.   This is probably why we get in the habit of pointing out the faults of others because it keeps us occupied so that we don't point out our own faults.  Let's face it, if I'm busy focusing on what others have done wrong, that probably means I am less likely to focus on what I have done wrong.  

And yet we know that life itself is not perfect.   As the old song goes, "I never promised you a rose garden."   Life is not filled solely with roses and unicorns and pretty rainbows.   Life can be difficult at times.  We can work our tails off to pay bills, for example, and then just as we finish paying the bills off, something in the house breaks and needs to be replaced.  The car breaks down.  Doctor's bills come due because we are sick.   We can all come up with our own examples, can't we?   And if we are honest, life can be downright depressing at times if we focus solely on the negative things that life throws at us.

But as Christians we are called to focus on the positive.  We are called to focus on the blessings that the Good Lord has provided us with.  "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."  (Romans 14:17)   Yes, to a certain degree, we are called to be penitential during Lent . . . to focus on our sins, the things we have done wrong . . . . but we do that in order to "get right" with God.  During Lent, we are encouraged to give up the things of the world so that we can focus more on the things of God.  Also, it helps us to see first hand that Our Blessed Saviour gave up the glories of Heaven in order to walk among us as a human being.  He worked with His hands . . .  He was tired . . . He was hungry . .  .  He traded in His throne in Heaven so that He could be with us, . . . spend time with us, . . . . preach to us,  . . . . tell the world of His Heavenly Father.

"But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised of the people.  All they that see me laugh me to scorn:  They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him"  (Psalm 22:6-8)

Our Lord humbled Himself so that ultimately we could share in His glory.   This is the beauty of His suffering.  This is the true meaning of His Cross.   In carrying that blessed Cross, Our Lord paid the price . . .  for you . . .  for me.   He paid a price that we could never have paid ourselves.  This is the true meaning of Lent.  Lent is meant to be a time to prepare ourselves for the glory of Easter.  It is a time of preparation.   It is a time to set aside both the cares and riches of the world so that we can focus on the greatness of Our God.

"Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil." (Hebrews 6:19)

"Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is."  (Jeremiah 17:7)

We are indeed a people of hope.  We are all called to keep our eyes firmly fixed on the prize.  And of course that prize is life eternal spent with Our Blessed Saviour in His glory.  So often we are sidetracked by either the cares or riches of the world.  Lent is a time set aside by the Church so that we can step back, take a deep breath, and get our priorities straight.  Yes, life can be gloomy at times.  Yes, cares of the world can be overwhelming at times.  Yet, as Christians we know that God never leaves us.  We know that God sent His only Son into the world to save us.  For this we should glory in Our Blessed Saviour and all He has done for us.

Sexagesima, February 4, 2018

Sexagesima, February 4th, 2018

In the Eighth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Luke, we hear Our Blessed Lord telling the parable of the sower who sowed his seed in the field.  And as Our Lord told the parable, He explained that some of the seed fell along the way-side; and some of the seed fell on rocky ground; and some of it was eaten by the birds; and so on.  What I want to focus on is that when Our Lord was in the middle of telling the parable of the sower, He paused and cried out:  "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!"  (St. Luke 8:8)  Honestly, how many of us need to be told to pay attention?  How many of us need to be told "wake up?" How many of us need to be taken to task and heed what we are hearing?  It's so easy to not pay attention to what we are doing.  I know because, quite frankly, I do it all the time.  I start doing something but then my mind wanders to something else.  I start thinking about all the things I have to do . . .  all the things I want to do.   I get sidetracked by something that grabs my attention.  I get bored.  It could be for any number of reasons.  I am sure we have all had the experience where "our mind was somewhere else."  In other words, you may be physically present but your mind is a thousand miles away.  And usually something or somebody grabs our attention and brings us back to reality.  We all need that wake up call to come back to reality . . ,.  to pay attention . . . to wake up . .   Again, Our Lord is saying to each one of us:  "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!"   Pay attention, in other words.   Our Blessed Saviour is telling each of us to pay attention to Him, to listen to what He has to say.  There is a big difference between "hearing" and "listening."  Lots of things might be going on around me . . . . noise from the television . .   from the radio . .   from people talking  . . .  . . from traffic going by . . . . but after a while we can tune all those things out if we choose to.  But in order to "listen" to something, this involves "paying attention."  Our Lord is telling us to open our ears . . . pay attention . . . listen up!  We pay attention to so many people and so many things in the world.  And we fixate on TV shows . . . and the Internet . .   and movies . . . and the news.   And we listen to so many people and things that are here today and gone tomorrow.  But Our Blessed Lord is always with us.  Our Blessed Lord is always by our side.  Our Blessed Saviour is the One Who never forsakes us.  Let us always pay attention to Him and to listen to everything He tells us.

  St. Margaret Church meets each and every Sunday at 9:30 AM at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Join us as we hear the Word of God found in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and the King James Bible.  Come dedicate one hour of your week to God.  Step away from the busy-ness of the world for just one hour and focus totally on God.  Come and worship Him.  Let Him feed you spiritually.   Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time.

Septuagesima, Sunday, January 28th, 2018

Septuagesima, January 28th, 2018

Today the Church begins celebrating the "Gesima" Sundays.  These are the three Sundays leading up to the holy season of Lent.  On this first "gesima" Sunday, referred to as "Septuagesima," we hear a passage from St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians.  In this passage St Paul describes those who run in a race to win the First Place prize.   "KNOW ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize?"  (I Corinthians 9:24ff)  St. Paul describes those who put in time and effort to win a crown which he says will fall apart.  He urges the Corinthians to work towards obtaining an incorruptible crown.    All of us work towards something.  All of us work towards getting something.  It just depends on what the "prize" is.  When we are younger, some young people work towards earning a degree.  While others work towards buying a car, for instance.  Some young people work, yes, but all their money goes towards purchasing video games and buying pizza.  As we get older, typically our values change.  Those who are older may save up for a home . . .  paying for college for their children . . . . save up for their retirement.   The bottom line is whether we are saving up for a video game or saving up for our retirement, all of are working towards something.  St. Paul acknowledges that but he emphasizes that we should put our energy into working towards obtaining an "incorruptible" prize.  St Paul uses the example of the "crown" for the winning athlete.  And he points out that athletes train very had to win this crown which will eventually just crumble away.  And he's correct.  Most of us do work hard to get what we want.  But the bottom line is that whatever we work hard to purchase:  a car; clothing; a computer; a home; etc, etc, etc.  Eventually all of these things will either fall apart . . .  or go out of fashion . . .  or wear out . . . or rust away . .  . or break.  But St. Paul urges us to put our effort into winning an "incorruptible" prize, a prize that will never wear out or rust away or break.  Of course, this prize is our salvation offered freely by God.  How many of us put hours and hours and hours into working towards getting what we want but we don't think anything about God.    God offers this gift of salvation freely to each and every one of us.  And yet we have to make a choice to accept this gift.  We need to put energy into becoming the men and women that God desires us to be.  We need to place time and effort into becoming good Christians and good representatives of Christ here on earth.  God deserves our best efforts and not our second-best.  As humans, we put our best efforts into things that we desire.   As Christians, we should put our best efforts into pleasing God and growing closer to God. 

St. Margaret Church meets each and every Sunday at 9:30 AM at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Join us as we hear the Word of God found in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and the King James Bible.  Come dedicate one hour of your week to God.  Step away from the busy-ness of the world for just one hour and focus totally on God.  Come and worship Him.  Let Him feed you spiritually.   Receive the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time. 

Third Sunday after Epiphany, January 21st, 2018

Third Sunday after Epiphany, January 21st, 2018

In the Second Chapter of St. John's Gospel, we hear about the very first miracle that Our Lord performed.   Of course, this took place at the marriage feast at Cana where Our Blessed Lord turned water into wine.  There are so many aspects of this passage that we could touch upon.  In the story when the servants had filled the "six water-pots of stone" with water as Our Lord had directed, the water was turned into wine.  Now keep in mind that the whole reason for the water to be turned into wine to begin with was that they had run out of wine at the feast.  This would have been a source of grave embarrassment for the newly married couple.  And when the governor of the feast tasted the "new wine" . . .  . and not knowing where it had come from, quite frankly . . . . he tasted it and commented, "Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse." (St. John 2:10)   In other words, he is telling the bridegroom:  "Look, you brought out the quality stuff last but normally you are supposed to bring out the quality stuff first."  And then he goes on to say, "But thou hast kept the good wine until now." (v.10)   The water turned into wine that Our Lord produced was extraordinary, to say the least.  But then again Our Lord turns our "ordinary" into "extraordinary" whether we realize it or not.  This is the beauty of this miracle, quite frankly.  Now a miracle is a miracle.  Of course this is true.  But what is the importance of this miracle compared to other miracles that Our Lord performed?  Curing the lame . . . . Healing the blind . . . Raising the dead?  On the scale of "miracles," turning water into wine does not compare to raising someone from the dead, you might say.  And yet this miracle at Cana shows that God is indeed concerned with the "ordinary aspects" of our daily lives.  In other words, we can find God at work in our lives each and every day and not only at the major points in our life.  This is important to remember because it shows that God is concerned with every aspect of our life.  He is there for us day in and day out.  Can the same be said for us?  Are we there for God day in and day out?  Or do we only look for God when we need Him?  God cares for us.  He loves us.  Indeed, He loves us so much that He sent His Son into the world to be with us . . . to live among us.  He worked like you and I work.  He laughed.  He ate.  He got tired at the end of a busy day.  He felt worn out.  He felt every emotion that you and I feel.  God loved us so much that He sent His Son into the world to save us from our own sins.  As faithful, devout Christians we are called to live a Christian life.  In other words, we are called to dedicate our lives to Christ Who dedicated His life to us.  He did not come to this world to die on the Cross for Himself.  He died on the Cross for you and for me.  As such, let us never abandon Our Blessed Saviour.  Let us never turn aside from Him.  So often we get preoccupied with the business of the world . . .  or should I say the "busy-ness" of the world.  We don't have time for God because we are busy . . . . busy working . . .  busy cleaning . . .  busy shopping . . . busy running errands . . .  busy living life.  And yet the miracle at Cana shows that Our Blessed Saviour is indeed interested in every aspect of our lives.  He wants to be involved in our lives.  He wants to be a part of our lives.  Stay faithful to God.  Lead your life centered around God.  Turn your "ordinary" into the "extraordinary" as only Our Lord can do.

St. Margaret Church meets each and every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM.  Come hear the Word of God preached from the King James Version and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we receive the Precious Body and Blood of Our Blessed Saviour at Communion time.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Second Sunday after Epiphany, January 14th, 2018

Second Sunday after Epiphany, January 14th, 2018

Did you ever notice that sometimes something begins long before its' beginning?  In other words, sometimes things begin long before they ever start.  If I can use an example to try to show what I mean.  Think about sitting down to a delicious meal.  Now, this delicious meal doesn't simply begin when you sit down and start eating.  The food has to be prepared.  The food has to be delivered from the grocery.  The food has to be processed and delivered to the grocery and so on.  Same way with a movie or a TV show that you enjoy.  It doesn't just begin the moment you begin watching it.  The script has to be written.  The cast has to be chosen.  The production has to be produced.  There are rehearsals and lines to be memorized; sets to be built; etc.  Again, if you ever read a good book, very often there is a "preface" at the beginning which sets up the story or provides a background to what is important.  With this in mind, we hear St. Mark this morning beginning his gospel:  "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;"  And then St. Mark proceeds to talk about St. John the Baptist.  In other words, St. John the Baptist is the "preface" to Our Lord's Birth.  Well, if we want to be technical, the Prophet Malachi is the preface to St. John the Baptist because St. Mark writes "As it is written in the prophets . . . . "  and then we hear Malachi 3:1 quoted:  "Behold, I will send my messenger; and he shall prepare the way before me."  

The point is that sometimes that stories begin a long way back.  My story began a long way back.  Your story began a long way back.  It began with our parents . . . . and our grandparents  . . . . and our great-grandparents.   It began with our teachers and those who had an influence over us.  It began with the people who took an interest in us and wanted to instill in us values and beliefs and things that are important.  It began with the people that prayed for us . . . prayed for our spiritual and physical safety.  It began with the dreams of those who lived a long, long time ago but wanted things to be better.  Very often we are unable to see the relation between events but we know through faith that God is the Author of all things.  And as such, God put into motion the events that shape each one of us into who we are.  But if this is true, then we must also take the time to realize that God can use each one of us as His instruments in the world to help shape and form one another.  God uses us to do His work in the world.  The only question is do we allow Him to use us as His instrument?  

So many of us are too busy for God.  We are too busy with the things of the world to notice what God wants us to do with our lives.  You see, the question is not whether God has chosen us but whether we choose God.  God has chosen each one of us.  He has given each one of us special talents, skills and abilities.  But we are the ones who choose what we use those abilities for.  "You did not choose Me but I chose you; and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit; and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My Name He may give to you."  (St. John 15:16)

Remember in the Acts of the Apostles where Saul encountered Our Blessed Saviour and Saul was knocked to the ground and left blind for three days.  God chose Ananias to heal Saul but he was scared to do this because of the reputation that Saul had in persecuting the Church.  But God insisted because he had other plans for Saul.  "But the Lord said to (Ananias), 'Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My Name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel."  (Acts 9:15)  Saul was indeed a chosen instrument and through God's help, Saul went on to become the Apostle Paul.  He was chosen. 

Listen to what Isaiah writes:  "Is the axe to boast itself over the one who chops with it?  Is the saw to exalt itself over the one who wields it?  That would be like a club wielding those who lift it, Or like a rod lifting him who is not wood."  (Isaiah 10:15) (NASB)  What Isaiah is referring to is the fact that the instruments only do what we would have them do.  It is not the mixer that prepares the cake, for example.  It is not the hammer that builds the house.  The worker is the one who uses the hammer to build the house.   The baker is the one who uses the mixer to prepare the batter for the cake.  God uses each one of us as His instruments here in the world.  We are not greater than God when we do His work.  God uses us and we do His will in the world.  This day we should decide if we are willing to do what God will have us do.

Join us as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we join together as God's family and worship Our Heavenly Father.  Join us as we come to the altar to be fed the Precious Body and Blood at Communion time.  And, finally, please stay after Mass for some fellowship at our coffee hour.

St. Margaret Anglican Church worships at the beautiful Chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM.

First Sunday after Epiphany, January 7th, 2018

First Sunday after Epiphany, January 7th, 2018

On this first Sunday in the year 2018, the Church celebrates the First Sunday after Epiphany.  The epistle appointed for this Sunday comes to us from the twelfth chapter of the Epistle to the Romans.  In this chapter, St. Paul is urging us to remember that we are called to a higher calling .  . . . .  called to be Sons and Daughters of the Most High.  He reminds us to present ourselves as a "living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God . . ."  (Romans 12:1)   This is difficult for us to do in the day and age in which we live.  I say it is difficult because human beings, let's face it, have a natural inclination to take care of ourselves first and foremost.  Self-preservation is a term that I have heard and read over the years.  In other words, human beings  . ..  like any animal, quite frankly,  . . . . have a need to take care of ourselves.  When we are hungry, we seek something to eat.  When we are sick, we seek medical attention.  As human beings, in other words, we need:  food, drink, a roof over our heads.  We need warmth in the winter months.   We have this built-in need to take care of ourselves.   What makes us human beings different from the animals is that we take it a "step further," so to speak.  We want things "our way."  We want not only the basic needs such as food, water, etc.  We want pleasure . . . we want our desires to be satisfied.  Now, these desires take different forms for different people.  Some people desire drink.  Some people desire drugs.  Some people desire to be popular.  Some people desire wealth, .  . . . or fame,   . . . .  or to satisfy their lust.  The bottom line is that whether we seek to satisfy ourselves with booze or money or the latest fashion trends, in whatever form we are talking about, we are simply satisfying ourselves,  .  . .   satisfying our urges.  Typically, when we satisfy these needs we are simply looking out for ourselves.  "Looking out for number one," as the old saying goes.  

St Paul, though, is again reminding us that as Christians .  . . as devoted, faithful Christians . .. . we are called to a higher calling.  To serve someone greater than ourselves . . . someone greater than our "needs."  ". . . . not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think" (v. 3)   As I have tried to show above it is only natural in the human way of things to want to have things our way.  And yet St. Paul asks us to be transformed by the "renewing of your mind." (v. 2)  This is why I say it is not always easy to achieve because our basic instincts as human beings demand that we take care of ourselves first and foremost.  Christ Himself gave up the comforts of Heaven to walk with us as a human being.  Our Blessed Lord Himself showed what true sacrifice entailed when He carried His Cross to the hill at Calvary.  And each and every one of us have seen a glimpse of true self-sacrifice in countless examples here on earth:  single mothers who work two jobs so that their children can be taken care of; fire-fighters who rush head-first into a burning building in the hopes of saving someone they do not even know; soldiers who march off to war knowing that they may never see home again and yet they do just that in hopes of keeping those homes safe for their loved ones; teachers, nurses, police officers, etc. who each in their own way go above and beyond to show that they do what they do not only for simply a paycheck but because they want to make a difference in the life of someone else.  All these examples and more truly show a glimpse into transforming lives into something more than simply looking after our own needs and leaving it at that.  We are called by St. Paul to transform ourselves into something greater.  As I like to say, each one of us is called to change the "ordinary" into the "extraordinary"  because this is what Christ did.   This is not always easy to do, but with God's help all things are possible.

St. Margaret Church celebrates Mass each and every Sunday at 9:30 AM.  Mass is celebrated at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located as 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Join us for Mass as we listen to the Word of God found in the King James Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we hear God speaking to us in His Word.  Our Lord also offers to each one of us His Most Precious Body and Blood at Communion time.  Receive the Precious Body and Blood to strengthen and nourish you for your daily journey.  And afterward, please join us for our Coffee Hour to have some delicious goodies and good fellowship.