Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

John 8:31- 32  (KJV)

Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.

Blaise Pascal, Pensées
 

In July of this year the Gallup Poll published the results obtained from asking Americans this question regarding seventeen major institutions: “Now I am going to read you a list of institutions in American society. Please tell me how much confidence you, yourself, have in each one -- a great deal, quite a lot, some, or very little?”

The results for “Church or organized religion” were as follows: a great deal – 17%; quite a lot, - 15%; some – 35%, and very little – 30%. (If you're interested in seeing all the results of the poll, you can see them at https://news.gallup.com/poll/647303/confidence-institutions-mostly-flat-police.aspx)

I am making what I believe is a safe assumption that of the 65% who said they had “only some” or “very little” confidence in organized religion there were a goodly number who would claim to be “spiritual but not religious” and a number of others who would say something along the lines of “I believe in God but don't need anyone else to tell me what to think” or some other similar wishy-washy sentiment. I would love to be able to ask each of them, “You don't believe in organized religion? What other kind is there?”

The very word “religion” is derived from the Latin res ligio, the literal translation of which is “the things that bind.” It means both “the things that bind us to the divine” and “the things that bind us to one another,” as well as “the things that constrain us.” John Wesley may well have had that etymology in mind when he preached that “There is no such thing as a solitary Christian.”

Individual opinions about spiritual matters are not a religion. They are simply opinions. They arise from our individual hopes, fears, tastes, and desires and are no more reliable an indication of truth than my opinions about electricity. When there's an electrical problem at my house, I don't try to fix it myself. Knowing full well that I would most probably create further problems, and possibly even electrocute myself or burn down our house, I call a qualified electrician. That electrician will have the benefit of three centuries of human knowledge of the nature and qualities of electricity and of how to apply that knowledge to keep my lights on and my coffee maker functioning.

Look again at those meanings of res ligio, and then consider the state of American society today. We are divided, and in some respects not merely divided but splintered, on a number of fundamental social and political issues. Many of those divisions are attributable to sheer human greed and ambition for power and a complete disregard for the freedoms that have been the proud and productive values of Americans since the inception of our country. It seems that there are far more forces to tear us apart than there are forces that “bind us together.”

Furthermore, we are beset by social and political evils that violate not only our individual liberties and political institutions but even the most basic values of a civilized society.

On the political front, successive presidents of both parties have ruled (there's no other way to put it) by addressing major policy questions by executive orders rather than by seeking the will of the people through their elected legislators. Our trust in the electoral process itself has been badly eroded by the adoption of practices that seem designed to allow for non-citizen registration and numerous other forms of electoral fraud.

Regarding our society apart from the political scene, not only residents but businesses are fleeing many of our major metropolitan areas due to violent crime and dire urban decay. Human waste on the streets of San Francisco. Discarded syringes on school playgrounds. A police station abandoned during riots in Seattle. Marriage rates low, divorce rates high. Children who don't know their fathers. Mothers who don't know who fathered their children – unless a DNA test is taken.

When the actor Steve McQueen was asked about his religious views he replied, “My religion is blue skies and green grass,” to which a critic commented, “If a jackass could speak he would say the same.” Man apart from God is little more than a beast.

A society of such people, a society that turns its back on “organized” religion and embraces individual opinions with no binding obligations either to God or to other people and no restraints on the pursuit of individual desires without regard for the rights and well-being of others is hardly worthy of being called a society at all, and that is the world in which we live.

Only a very few are called to withdraw from the world into the monastic life. The rest of us have different vocations in the world. What are we to do? We are to persevere and to support one another in that perseverance. Do so in prayer, in worship, in devotion to the Scriptures, in fellowship, in acts of kindness, in virtuous living, in generosity of of goods and in generosity of spirit, in holding fast to the knowledge that though all others may deny the truth, it is, nevertheless the truth.

There is an old saying that “The mills of God grind slowly, but they grind exceeding fine.” God is surely to be trusted, and those who do trust in Him will not be abandoned by Him. The world around us can and should cause us to feel disapproval, distress and disgust, but we should never feel despair.

We do indeed live in what are in many ways dark and even darkening days, but I urge you to remember that the world has seen only one day when the darkness seemed to all human reason totally dark, when the ultimate rejection of God and the triumph of evil seemed absolute and irrevocable – the day of Christ's Crucifixion. On the night before that uniquely terrible day, sitting at table with His disciples, having predicted His betrayal, His death, and their abandonment of Him, h]He told them, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.” (John 14:1 KJV)

And so, after the Resurrection, they did, and they and those who followed them went on to begin the conversion of the world. That conversion has been erratic, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, and the Church has undergone, survived, and eventually triumphed over every trial and persecution that it has endured.

Keep the Faith, and practice it with confidence, not in ourselves, but in Him.

-- Father Bragg+

All things come of thee, O Lord,

and of thine own have we given thee
Please click here to help St. Andrew & St Margaret of Scotland
Completely Updated list of needs for MaRIH crisis pregnancy center

MaRIH Center with its all volunteer staff provides help to mothers-to-be and mothers in need.  Please provide some of the items that are needed.. (You can leave the donations where the food for the food bank is collected on the pew in the undercorft.)

Especially Needed
 In Bold and with an asterisk are a critical need.

Diapers (sizes newborn, *1, 2, 3, *4, *5, & *6)
*Lovies
*Baby wipes
*Diaper rash ointment
*Baby shampoo
*Baby blankets
*Baby bottles
*Bibs toddler
*Formula: Simulac Advance Formula
Formula: other but not recalled
*Wash clothes
*Hooded towels
*Fall Winter clothing: 3-6 mo, 2T
*Winter coats 2T
*Grocery gift cards

Food Bank Needs
Please help this month with a food donation if you are able. Those we help feed are very thankful for the food we provide to them each month. Please also buy low sugar cereals (and not the kid's types that have lots of sugar).  Current needs include the following:
canned meats (chicken, corned beef, spam)
peanut butter
jelly
tuna
canned vegetables (corn, green beans - (regular and low sodium)
 individual fruit cups (low sugar)
canned fruit (low sugar)
canola or vegetable oil (48 oz)
boxed cereal (low sugar) and instant or old fashioned oatmeal (18 oz or 42 oz)
pasta (regular and gluten-free):
instant potatoes
single serving fruit juice
macaroni & cheese
soups: Chunky or Progresso,noodle soup; chicken broth, cream of mushroom
 coffee, cooking oil, flour, sugar
SERVICES & EVENTS
 
Men's Group, this Saturday , 8:30 AM. Breakfast, Fellowship & Bible Study, all men are invited

Sunday Services, 7:45 AM, 9:00 AM, & 11:15 AM (for online participation for the services go to: https://www.facebook.com/saintsofscotland) 

Sunday School, 10:30 AM

Nursery 9:00 & 11:15 Services

Wednesday, 12 noon, Holy Communion and anointing for healing, (for online participation for the service go to: https://www.facebook.com/saintsofscotland)

Wednesday at 7:30 PM,  Bible study with Fr. Bragg  on Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews (bring your Bible and for parishioners and our readers across the country who are not able to attend in person you can see it online at https://www.facebook.com/saintsofscotland)

Annual Pet Blessing – Saturday, October 5, between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. To volunteer, please email Fr. Chris at scotlandsaints@gmail.com.

Consecration of Bishop-elect Jeffrey Johnson as Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic States, Saturday October 12, 11:00 AM (11 AM is correct time not 10 AM), St. Alban's Anglican Catholic Church, 4006 Hermitage Rd., Richmond, VA 23227

Sunday Oct. 13, Parish Picnic at Fort Hunt Park following combined 10 AM Service  (there will be a 7:45 AM service). Please invite family, friends, & neighbors to picnic.  Hot dogs, hamburgers, bbq, beans & potato salad as well as some beverages provided by parish.  Please bring finger foods and desserts

Next Vestry Meeting, Monday October 28, 7:30 PM
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St. Andrew & St. Margaret of Scotland
1607 Dewitt Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22301-1625