Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity, November 11, 2018

Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Trinity, November 11th, 2018

In the Ninth Chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew, we hear a certain ruler come to Our Lord in desperation on behalf of his daughter.  St. Matthew tells us that Our Lord immediately arose and followed the man to his home.  While on the way there, St. Matthew informs us,  a woman with "an issue of blood twelve years, came behind Him and touched the hem of His garment." (St. Matthew 9:20)  When Our Lord realized what was happening He turned to the woman and told her:  "Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole." (St. Matthew 9:22)  " . .  . Thy faith hath made thee whole . .  ."  Certainly, we look to a wide array or assortment of things in hopes of them making us "whole," don't we?  I refer to it as "the grass is always greener" syndrome, truth be known.  If I could just get that promotion at work that I want so badly, I will be happy.  If I could just pay off these bills that are killing me, I could be happy.  If I could just buy a house in this particular neighborhood, everything would be great.  If I can just make it to the weekend, everything will be fine.  etc. etc. etc.   You get the picture.  As I way, we come up with a wide array of things that will cure us, will help us, will solve our problems.  But as we saw a little bit ago, it is our faith that truly makes us whole.  In the passage appointed from this ninth chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel, we see the ruler, the woman and even two blind men, all coming to Jesus to cure them or their loved one.  We see these individuals desperate for a cure.  Without a doubt, they came to Our Lord in seek of healing.  And in each case Our Lord did not disappoint.   Our Lord cured each one.  Our Lord gave them the anointing that they sought.  

Yet in each of these cases mentioned in this short passage from St. Matthew, we see that "faith" turns out to be the key component.  In the case of the woman that touched the hem of Jesus' garment, Our Lord commends the woman for her faith and He says to her:  "Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole" (9:22).   And then fast forward to the two blind men seeking to be healed, Our Lord told them:  "According to your faith be it unto you." (9:29)  We place our "faith" in many people.  We place our "faith" in products which we use.  We place our "faith" in situations which we hope will give us happiness or peace.  And yet it seems time after time we find that the "faith" we place in these things ends up disappointing us:  people end up disappointing us; products fail or simply do not do the job; situations which we hoped would bring us peace and contentment only do so for a short time.  We need to place our faith in God.  We need to have faith that God will cure us.  We need to be content and satisfied with God and let everything fall into place.  " . . .  Be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole . . ."  Only God can make us whole but it is our faith that leads us to God.  It is our faith that allows us to know that God can solve my problem.  It is our faith which allows us to see God for who He truly is.  So often, as human beings we place misguided "faith" in people and things that only ultimately disappoint.  Yet, in God we will never be disappointed.  In God, we have our strength.  In God, we have the victory.  We should always turn to Him and stay close to Him.    

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church worships each and every Sunday at 9:30 AM.  Please take time to join us as we gather together to worship Our Heavenly Father as a family.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity, November 4th, 2018

Twenty-Third Sunday after Trinity, November 4th, 2018

In the Third Chapter of the Epistle to the Philippians, St. Paul reminds us that our true citizenship is not here on earth.  St Paul writes important words for each one of us to ponder:  "For our citizenship is in heaven" (3:17 ff)  For the Christian, this is always important for us to make note of.  It is easy to forget sometimes, if you ask me.  Why do I say that?  We have a tendency as human beings to focus on the "here and now."  In other words, we focus on what is affecting us right here and right now.  If a bill is due right away, we focus on that specific bill and leave the others for later.  If we have a particular report due tomorrow where we work, we take care of that report now and worry about the report that is due next week  later.  We may need to paint the bathroom but first we need to take care of the broken faucet in the kitchen,  etc.  In a general sense, we human beings  focus on the things of the world:  satisfying our desires; paying the bills; putting a roof over our head; etc.  And all of these things are perfectly understandable but St. Paul is giving us a good reminder that while, yes, we are human beings and we have to focus on the "here and now" of this life, we also have to take care of our other citizenship as Christians.  As mentioned above, so often we go from project to project just trying to take care of what needs to be taken care of immediately or what needs to be done now.  And everything else can wait.  When it comes to being a Christian, though, this can not wait.  Being a Christian takes effort.  Being a Christian takes patience.  Being a Christian takes practice.  " . . .  our citizenship is in Heaven," St. Paul reminds us.  And, as such, we need to see the world and approach the world through the eyes of Christ.  This is difficult at times because the human side of us wants to only focus on "us:"  my needs . . .  my desires . . . . my wants . . . .  Even in dealing with others, we want things our way.  And yet if we are to be true, committed, devout, practicing Christians, it is not our will that needs to be done, it is the will of Our Heavenly Father that must take priority:  "Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."   We must always remember that we are dual citizens . . .   of earth and of Heaven . . . . but our first allegiance is to God as Christians.  This is easy for us to remember when we are in church on Sundays but it is sometimes easy to forget when we are out in the "world," at our jobs, at the store, stuck in traffic, etc.   Thus, we need to remember the words of St. Paul:  "For our citizenship is in heaven . .  ."  We need to remember those words when we get stressed about the faucet breaking the kitchen.  We need to remember those words when our boss tells us at the last minute a report was due . . .  five minutes ago!   We need to remember those words when the whole world seems to be crashing down around us and everyone is getting on our nerves.  "For our citizenship is in heaven . . .. "

Join us on Sunday, November 4th, 2018 as we gather together to worship Our Heavenly Father.  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 receive the Precious Body and Blood of Our Blessed Saviour at Communion time.

St. Margaret Church meets every Sunday at 9:30 AM.  We worship in the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, which is located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.

All Saints Day, November 1, 2018

Do you remember the show, "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?"  I don't remember ever watching it, to be honest with you.  But I certainly remember the title of the show.  Who wants to be a millionaire?  We all do, don't we?   Within the last few weeks, there were a whole lot of folks that were asking the question:  Who wants to be a BILLIONAIRE?!?!?  With 1.6 Billion on the line in the Mega Millions Lottery, there were a whole lot of folks dreaming of becoming a billionaire.  I mean don't we all dream of being a millionaire?  Haven't all of us day-dreamed of becoming a millionaire?  I mean as a millionaire, we could pay off all our bills.  We could live where we wanted to live.  We could travel anywhere we wanted to travel . . . . buy anything we wanted to buy . . . . never have to work again.  Come on, haven't we all had a daydream or two about being a millionaire?

Probably, truth be known, we dream of being all kinds of things, don't we?  We dream of being professional sports stars.  We dream of making it big on the stage.  We dream of making it big in Hollywood.  We dream of all kinds of things, don't we?  Who wants to be a rock star?  Who wants to be a sports star?  Who wants to be a movie star?  But I have one question to ask that perhaps you have never heard asked before:  Who wants to be a Saint?  No, I am not talking about the "New Orleans Saints" of the NFL.  I am talking about a "Saint of God."  Who wants to be a Saint?  Do you want to be a Saint?  I know that I do and I am sure that you do too.  But in order to become a saint, we have to begin the work right here and right now.  We have to begin giving our heart to God.  A lot of people envision Heaven a whole lot of different ways.  But basically Heaven is God's home.  Heaven is where God is.  And Heaven is being in the presence of God.  Thus, why not be in His presence right now?  Why not spend time with God right now?  So many people are too busy to spend time with God.  We are not against God, mind you.  It's just that we are so busy.  We have jobs to go to . . . and we have homes to take care of . . . and we have children to raise . . . and we have to go shop  . . .   and etc, etc, etc.   We come up with all kinds of excuses as to why we don't spend time with God.  Until we need Him, of course.  But we have to make time for God here and now if we want to spend eternity with Him in Heaven.  "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours." (I Corinthians 1:2)   We are called to be saints but we have to respond.  We respond not only with what we say but with how we act . . . how we live . . . how we love . . . .  Who wants to be a Saint?

Feast of Saint Simon and Saint Jude, October 28, 2018

Feast of Saint Simon and Saint Jude, 

Sunday, October 28th, 2018

In the Fifteenth Chapter of the Gospel of St. John, we hear Our Blessed Saviour give sound advice to the apostles:  "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. "  (St. John 15:17)  Certainly, without a doubt, there were multitudes that loved and cherished Our Blessed Saviour.  But on the other hand, He had his enemies which hated Him with an intense passion as well.  We ask ourselves the question as to why anyone would hate Our Blessed Saviour?     Let us consider two reasons:

First of all, Our Lord did not "meet their expectations" in regards to being the Messiah.   Let us consider the fact that the Jews were long awaiting the Coming of the Messiah.  But, keep in mind, the Jews had a specific "image" in mind that the Messiah would look like and act like.  They were expecting to see a Messiah riding in a great white horse with a mighty army behind him.  They were expecting the Messiah to come in and wipe out all of his enemies.   They were supposing the Messiah to be powerful and mighty.   Thus, when they saw Our Blessed Saviour walking around and preaching and teaching and telling whoever would listen about the love of God,  They could not believe their eyes.  The Pharisees and the Saducees would never accept Our Blessed Saviour as the Messiah, quite frankly, because He did not meet their expectations of what they expected the Messiah to be.  So, too, sometimes people will not accept us because we don't fit in with what they expect of us.  The world will sometimes hate us too because choose to follow God instead of following the world.  

Next, we need to consider that Our Lord always told the truth.  And very often, let's face it, we do not want to hear the truth.   Our Lord told it like it is, as I like to say, and those in charge did not want to hear His words.  Our Blessed Saviour was not afraid to tell people what they needed to hear.  He went around and preached to vast multitudes and told them about His Heavenly Father.  Again, many of the things that He spoke about did not match up with they expected to hear about God.  So, too, we need to speak the truth no matter what.  But even in speaking the truth, sadly, many in our day and age today do not want to hear the truth.  "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God .  . . . . " (I Corinthians 3:19)  Thus, when we choose to speak of God in the world today, we should be prepared for scorn and ridicule from many because they do not want to hear about God.   Many people will not accept us because we do not tell them what they want to hear.  

St. Margaret Church gathers every Sunday morning to hear the Word of God and to worship Our Heavenly Father.  We are a traditional church.  We use the King James Version of the Bible and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Mass begins at 9:30 AM.  We celebrate at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Please join us and dedicate an hour of your week to God.  Return home to Him, the God Who waits patiently for your return.

Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity, October 21, 2018

Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity, October 21st, 2018

I know it's been a hot Summer but it seems like it is finally moving on to the next season.  I say "it seems like" because in Indiana, as I like to say, "if you don't like the weather, stick around ten minutes, it will change."   But whether we want to think about it or not, pretty soon we will be pulling out the winter coats, the scarves, the hats, the gloves, the boots.  We try to protect ourselves from head to foot when it gets so brutally cold in the winter, don't we?  And rightfully so because it doesn't make any sense to go outside in 0 degree weather not protected from the elements.  When the temperature is 10 below Zero, you want to protect yourself as much as possible from the elements so you don't get cold and you don't get frostbite.  We protect ourselves.  

In a spiritual sense, St. Paul gives the same exact advice when he writes:  "Put on the whole armour of God!"   (Ephesians 6:10)  St. Paul gives sound advice for protecting ourselves from the devil.  In this sixth chapter, St. Paul uses the analogy of a soldier dressed for war.  He goes on to describe all the different items that a soldier either wears or uses to protect himself from the enemy.  And then St. Paul makes the point that we should be fully protected as well in the spiritual sense so that we are protected from attacks from the devil.  If we are going outside in the dead of winter and it is 10 below Zero, we wouldn't go outside just wearing a tee-shirt, shorts and flip-flops.  It we are going into battle, it would not be wise to be dressed in simply a tee-shirt, shorts and flip-flops on our feet.  If we are going to a job interview at a fancy corporation, again, would it really be wise to go there wearing a tee-shirt, shorts and flip-flops?   We need to be dressed appropriately for whatever task faces us.  Most of us know this.   It is just common sense to dress appropriately for the elements or based on the situation.  But that being said, in a spiritual sense, how many of us are caught severely lacking?  

According to St. Paul we need the following items if we are going to be fully prepared:  " . . . . your loins girt about with truth, . . .  the breastplate of righteousness; . .  . feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  . . . the shield of faith,  .  . .  the helmet of salvation,  . . .  and the sword of the Spirit,"  (Ephesians 6:14-17)  Are we fully prepared?  I'm speaking about in a spiritual sense.  Are we fully prepared to face the world and the traps we might find in our way?  St. Peter tells us that the devil is like a lion seeking to devour us:  "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."  (I St. Peter 5:8)   Surely, we wouldn't go on an African safari unprotected, would we?  And yet we go about the world unprotected and unprepared for the attacks of the devil against us.  Always have God close to you.  Pray often.  Read the Scriptures often.  Go to church on Sundays if you are able.  Do this for your own edification and in order to help edify your fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord.  Always be aware of traps along the way . . .  traps that will take us away from God, lure us away from being faithful to God.  

St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church gathers together each and every Sunday morning at 9:30 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 and the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  Join us as we gather together as God's family and worship Our Blessed Saviour.  And, at Communion time, we come forward to receive His Precious Body and Blood so that we can be nourished for the journey ahead.

Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, October 14th, 2018

Twentieth Sunday after Trinity, October 14th, 2018

In the Twenty-Second chapter of the Gospel of St. Matthew, we hear Our Blessed Saviour comparing Heaven to a king who is throwing a wedding feast for his son:  "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)  The problem is that the invited guests would not come to the wedding.  The guests would either simply ignore the invitation or reject it outright.  As Our Lord continues His parable, He states:  "But (the invited guests) made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise"  (St. Matthew 22:5)  Judging from this parable that Our Lord spoke, people back then were not that much different from people nowadays.  How many of us simply go our own way without any thought of God?  How many of us make light of God's invitation because we do not have the time  . . .  we are too busy doing "our own thing" . . . . we would rather be doing something else . . . . we could care less . . .  .  We need to make the time.  We need to find the time.  We need to make God a priority in our life.  Our Lord stated:  "In My Father's house are many mansions:  if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you."  (St. John 14:2)  Our Lord is preparing a place for us but the question is are we preparing ourselves?  Are we spending time with God right now?  Are we trying our best to keep close to God?  Or are we too busy for God?  Are we too busy with the things of the world?    It seems to me that when a party is thrown, there is preparation on both the part of the host and the guest as well:  the host has to prepare the hall, prepare the food, etc.  But the guest also has preparation to make by getting properly dressed, cleaned up, etc.  God is inviting us to His house.  We have all been invited.  The question is are we even paying attention to the invitation? 

St. Margaret Church meets every Sunday morning at 9:30 AM.  We worship at the beautiful chapel at Marquette Manor, located at 8140 N. Township Line Road on the Northwest side of Indianapolis.  Please join us.

Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, October 7th, 2018

Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity, October 7th, 2018

One of my favorite movie actors is Charlton Heston.  Of course when I mention his name I am sure we all think of great movies like "Ben Hur" and "The Ten Commandments."  Another great movie featuring Charlton Heston playing the lead character is a 1961 classic called "El Cid."  For whatever reason this movie does not seem as readily available to view as his other movies.  That being said, there is a really memorable line in that movie.  Later on in the movie, El Cid captures the fortress of Valencia.  After the victory, his followers are begging El Cid to name himself as king of Valencia but instead he claims the crown for King Alfonso of Spain and has the crown delivered to the king.  Thus, it is said of El Cid:  "What a noble subject, if only he had a noble king."  In other words, the point being that El Cid was a more noble subject than was the king.  In short, El Cid was loyal to a king that was not deserving of his loyalty.  

Can the same thing be said of us?  Do we show our never-ending loyalty to someone or something that does not even deserve our loyalty?  How many of us go above and beyond for our job? . . . . for our profession?   We spend long, hard hours giving our best efforts for an employer that is not nearly as loyal to us as we are to it.  How many of us are loyal to friends that merely use us for what we give to them or what they can get from us?  How many in our society show their loyalty to drugs or drink and get nothing in return for their loyalty?  The only thing they git is the ruin of their lives . . .  their finances . . . their families so often pay the price as well.  

Being "loyal" is not the issue.  I am certainly not criticizing being loyal.  It is a good trait to have, without a doubt.  But that being said, I am only making the point that so many of us are loyal to people or things that are not worthy of our loyalty.  Not deserving of our loyalty.  Who then is worthy of such loyalty?   Of course the answer is quite clear:  God.  When we give our life to God, we are transformed as a new creature.  St. Paul writes:  " . . . and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. "  (Ephesians 4:17 ff)  Just like El Cid did everything on behalf of King Alfonso, we are called to do all our efforts on behalf of our King:  Christ the King!  And in so doing, we will begin to resemble Our Blessed Lord!  The characteristics of God will show forth in us when we give our heart to Him.  And this takes us back to what we were discussing earlier.   So many of us give our heart to something that is not worthy of our heart:  a company which we work for .  . . . a profession .. . .  . a habit  . . . . a brand name . . . . the list goes on and on.  We are called as Christians, though, to be loyal to God.  This takes making Him number one in our life.  As long as God is first and foremost in our life, everything else will fall into place. 

 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.