The View from Bolton Street

Dear Parish Family,

John the Baptist knew how to call out the privilege of pedigree.

"You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

That type of privilege is something I took note of during my career as a scientist. People who went to the right graduate school got the best post-doctoral fellowships. People who did a prestigious fellowship got hired into the best faculty positions. Those people had the best track record at getting their proposals funded and so on. 

The privilege of pedigree sets us up for moral failure because it separates people early into two tracks, one of which facilitates success and the other making it an obstacle course. The latter path isn’t impossible to traverse, but it’s a tough one. We live in a culture that is ultra transactional. There are gold stars and demerits, and the people who decide what is worthy and what is not often fashion the notions of worth based upon their past experience of what they value as swell as a self-perception of value. Everything is assigned a value, and value becomes an idol.

John the Baptist called out the privilege of pedigree because it was a way of prompting people into the humility that God desires of the righteous. Until a person can let go of “Don’t you know who I am?” pride, that same person cannot face the Creator ready to learn who God is—ready to learn who everyone else is—beloveds of God.

What if we were to assume that everyone has value simply because God made us? What if we formed relationships under the assumption there is joy to be found in loving without justification? Isn’t that what Jesus did? 

At the occasion of a wedding, I always remind the couple at the start of the liturgy that marriage is for the purpose of mutual joy. On more than one occasion I have wished that I had said the same thing at the occasion of a baptism: joining the Body of Christ is for the purpose of mutual joy. To form a relationship because it adds value to one’s life is a little bit backward. To form a relationship because it brings mutual joy is to let go of privilege and the metric of worth, embracing the practice of love without rhyme or reason—love because that is how we were meant to live. That is how we build the foundation of the beloved community. Think outside the box.

In love and joy,

Pan +

The View from Bolton Street

Dear Parish Family,

This Sunday (December 8th) we will already be into the second Sunday of Advent. If feels like I just got here a minute ago and yet it’s been 14 weeks! I will take the opportunity to spend about 15-20 minutes after each service to update you on where we are in the transition process, and I’ll take some questions. If you have more questions than can be addressed at the time, please email or call me. I’d like to hold an all parish meeting early in the New Year, when we can all be together, share a meal and talk to strengthen relationships and begin to do some visioning work for the future.

For those of you who won’t be here this Sunday, here are some highlights that I’ll bring to the brief after-church discussions:

Group norms for a respectful conversation

Outline for the process of a transition time

We now have an excellent internal finance committee. They are looking into the last few years of the finances to see where we are in relationship to where we were. This is to help us craft the first draft of the 2025 budget.

We’ll talk about the status of the pledge campaign.

I will talk about some new policies and procedures that make us compliant with the constitution and canons of the church with regard not only to requirements, but also best practices for good stewardship of one another and of our finances. This includes required training for staff, lay and clergy leadership, and working with children.

I will talk about our Justice and “Repairing the Breach” (my words) ministries. In short, that remains a high priority!

This is not a comprehensive review, so just short highlights. If you want to continue conversation into coffee hour, I’m there for it!

I also want to announce two new things:

Beginning January 5th, we will have weekly adult formation in the Upper Parish Hall between the two services. We have some excellent and inquiring theological minds at Memorial, so let’s dig in each Sunday between 9:15 and ~10:10. This is the best way to include both the Faith@8 folks and the 10:30 folks. We are one church, and I want all people to have an opportunity to engage in theological reflection. I will also ask the Zoom regulars to talk about a day and a time that works for a Zoom formation opportunity. No one will be left out! CHOIR: I see you, and if you want to weigh in on the day and time of the Zoom adult formation, that will provide an opportunity that does not conflict with your rehearsal.

We will hold a program and party to celebrate Epiphany/Three Kings Day on Monday evening January 6th (our liturgical observance of Epiphany will be on Sunday January 12).

Jan 6 will be a potluck supper, and the topic of the program will be Epiphany: The Season of Exploration. What better way to start the new calendar year than with a party? This will be all fun, part mysticism, part science, lots of theology and full of good conversation. I’m learning so much from the Faith@8 folks about what happens when a group of people get inspired by a text and then organically riff on a number of topics, I wish for you all to have that experience.

I realize that this is not my usual weekly pastoral letter, but I wanted to take the opportunity to tell you these things.

To borrow from Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, I close by saying, And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. –Phil. 1:11.

In Christ’s love,

Pan

The View from Bolton Street

Dear Parish Family,

Today is a busy day. I am thinking about way too many things simultaneously: sermon prep, vestry business, how to keep the church clean, when to start adult formation, and all the things that you deserve as a church community. I have to remind myself that it takes time to “recalculate” the path forward, as my navigation app would say, following some big disruptions on the journey: a worldwide pandemic, departure of a pastor, financial pressures, a national and local election cycle filled with apocalyptic visions—these are just some of the things that characterize the environment in which we find ourselves. And yet… I feel joy and I feel hope as I slowly get to know you one by one. I hope you are starting to feel a little joy and hope too, as these things give rise to determination.

The joy and hope for me proceed from a sense that I am among people who care what their church is like, what their city is like, their country, and the world. That these things matter to you is reassuring to me because I care about them too. It tells me that I am with kindred people. The Holy Spirit gave me a gift when I was led into Memorial, because people who care how they move about the world are the people who will move the common good forward.

For every person who may be feeling stressed and discouraged in our parish community, there is another person in the community who loves kindness and justice and is willing to enter into relationship with you. You might think you are in the community because it suits your need for something in your or your family’s life but know that God usually does more than one thing at a time. For whatever reasons you have been brought into this community, God has called you here because you are exactly who someone else needs to deepen their own relationship with God and with community.

Don’t underestimate how beloved we must be that God gave us this gift of one another. As we stand at the threshold of Advent and the new liturgical year, we celebrate the brilliance of God’s immanent presence in human flesh. No longer do we regard God as not of this world, but rather as God deeply present in this fragile world that we inhabit. It’s not just the scriptures that we must read, learn and inwardly digest—it’s also the unique wisdom to be gleaned from one another.

If we each focus on deeply loving both God and one another, we will grow this community. No one can resist the deep welcome of genuine love. When you come to worship or to community activities this Advent, come prepared to love with your whole heart. Set self aside and be the love that you want in your own life, and then watch what happens. We are entering a time of deep mystery. Be present to it and watch what happens.

With love and gratitude,

Pan +

The View from Bolton Street

Dear Parish Family,

I realize that many of you will be traveling this Thanksgiving to be with family. I’ve heard from more than one person about how political views are creating deep schisms within families and anxiety is starting to build about spending time around the table when you “just cannot stomach” the views of some family members. 

The challenge of living in divided times is to take control of the division. Say no to the algorithms used by social media platforms that seek to sow discord instead of peace in your life and at your dining room table. Truly I hear your discomfort when confronted with family strife that is driven by politicians because I live it with some members of my own family. But please know this: even though it’s hard, we can choose who we want to be in this world. It just takes practice and it takes constantly recommitting when we don’t succeed at seeing the Christ in ALL people. As I look at the last words of David as recorded in 2 Samuel 23:1-7, I think about what my last words would be if I could choose them. Then I think about what more of my words would be if I could choose them, and I remember I CAN choose them.

If holiday gatherings  are stressful for you, think about them as an opportunity to play the role of the person you would like to be—the person you hope you are—the person you hope will be remembered after you utter your last words.

We are all so much more than we believe ourselves to be, and because of that, I believe we don’t have to let politics and hate keep us from fulfilling our intention to faithfully follow in the footsteps of Christ.

I am grateful for you, and whatever is happening “out there,” in the church I feel hope. Let freedom ring and love prevail—we can do this.

In Christ’s love and peace,

Pan +

The View from Bolton Street

Theme: Return of the Light

Location: Memorial Episcopal Church, 1407 Bolton Street, Baltimore, MD 21217

Show Dates: December 20, 2024 – January 5, 2025

Opening Reception: Friday, December 20, 2024, in the context of and following a worship service celebrating the Longest Night, 7:00 pm

Dear Parish Family,

In the gospel text for this weekend, Jesus goes all in on the prophetic voice: “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.” [Mark 13:5-8]

This is a dynamic world. Everything changes, and when it does, it can be disorienting and scary. Nevertheless, to be dynamic is to be alive. This means that we are ALWAYS living in a time of uncertainty. So what are we to do with that? My approach is to plunge into that “cloud of unknowing” with gusto. It doesn’t take away the uncertainty, but it does allow me to approach new things with my own agency rather than being passively swept up in them.

This is why Jesus’ prophetic voice is so important. The “end” is always near, because so is rebirth! It’s not trivial to be able to distinguish between an end and a beginning, but we must be able to see both to enter into the new thing: the birthpangs. One of my favorite scriptural texts is Isaiah 43:19: Look, I am about to do something new. Now it begins to happen! Do you not recognize it? If we are too absorbed with the end of something, we won’t recognize the new thing.

Without a doubt there are times through which we will not want to pass in our lives, and that is exactly when we most need to summon our courage and think with clarity. That is when you must (as Jesus warned Peter, James, John and Andrew) Beware that no one leads you astray.

There are many people who call themselves Christians these days. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. That is why we must never forget what love looks like—we cannot afford to forget about chesed when there are so many people claiming to be Jesus followers and yet act nothing like it. Look for the justice and the love. If you don’t see it, it’s because it isn’t there. That’s how you will avoid being led astray.

Our church is a place of tremendous potential. It is not because of who we have been, but because of who we can be. We need each other, and the city needs us to step up and reveal what the true love of God looks like. That’s how we keep each other from being led astray by pretenders who are nothing like the people Jesus has asked us to be.

This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.

In love and hope,

Pan +

The View from Bolton Street

Dear Parish Family,

Many of the clergy and wardens of parishes met with Bishop Carrie Wednesday to talk about how we were all doing in the wake of the election results. The bishop urged us to remember that while many people are distraught over the outcome, others are celebrating, and that our churches are likely to have both types of people in them. And while I am committed to trying to seek and serve the Christ in all people, I am aware that the people who are celebrating the election results are not the people who are feel under threat of further erosion of civil rights in our country.

So for those of you who may feeling joy, please try to understand that some people are afraid and uncertain. For those of you who are experiencing that fear, I see you. Our job as a Christian community is to be a welcome and safe space for people no matter what they are presently experiencing, knowing that it is a holy obligation to seek and serve Christ in ALL people. 

I don’t always succeed at that, but I am dedicated to trying because if faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen, as we read in Hebrews 11:1, then my faith should be placed in the conviction that continued steps toward a more just and beloved community will ultimately lead to the reality of that vision.

I leave you with a few lines from a prayer by one of my heroes—the Jesuit scientist and theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin:

From Patient Trust

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.

I am most decidedly impatient. And yet I do trust in the slow work of God. We are all that slow work of God. And that’s why I believe that we can really be that beloved community where no one has to be afraid.

In resolute hope,

Pan +

The View from Bolton Street

Dear Parish Family,

On All Saints Day, I am thinking about what Mary said to Jesus when she went to “where Jesus was” and told him that Lazarus had died. While the text says that she knelt at Jesus' feet respectfully, we are also told she leveled what must have been a crushing accusation at a man who loved her brother Lazarus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Many of us respond to the death of a loved one in a cascade of what ifs and accusations.

If he’d only gone to the doctor sooner.

Why did she keep eating junk food?

How could a whole healthcare team not watch him more carefully?

I was taught that this (John 11:32-44) is a story about eternal life. Certainly that is a worthwhile interpretation. However this time reading through the text, I saw something different based upon my own emotions after losing a beloved friend. I felt compassion for Mary, who, while speaking to Jesus with faith, also was a bit accusatory along the lines of Where were you when I needed you? Sometimes people cry out at God in their grief. In this story, Jesus grieved as well. John says Jesus began to weep. His faith was firm, however. Some of the people who had gathered said of Jesus, Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying? To my ear, that sounds an awful lot like “What have you done for me lately, God?” I wonder why we so often need more proof that God is reliably with us? Jesus grieved for his friend and for those around him who were also mourning.

This story, affirms for me once again, that God is with me when I grieve. That Jesus shed tears for his friend tells me that he experienced the full range of human emotion, and why wouldn’t he. Through grief and through fear, remembering that God is present to me in those times is key to moving through them.

In a life fully lived, there will be grief and fear. And there will also be joy and hope because there is love. I would not be willing to give up that joy and hope to avoid the grief and fear. Life is a “both/and” enterprise. Remember— God is with us and we do not need to be alone. It also comes with the responsibility to be as present to one another as we can. Be ready for the moments when God is sending you to be by someone else’s side in their own grief and fear.

 When we begin a prayer with “God be with you,” we are not saying “May God be with you,” but rather “God is with you” [now and always].

 In peace and love,

Pan +

The View from Bolton Street

Dear Friends, 

Today I am thinking of the psalm for Sunday, 34:1-8. And one verse in particular has captured my  imagination-- verse 4: “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me out of all my terror.” 

There are so many ways in which God has delivered me from terror when I lacked courage. The irony  of this seemingly simple recipe for deliverance from fear is that when we are in a state of terror and  anxiety, it can seem that there is no help to be found, so we might talk ourselves out of asking. In my  life, I have often had a difficult time asking for help from others because I am not confident I will  receive it. I still struggle with that. That was true for many years in my relationship with God: I did not  ask because I had already decided that I would not receive. Somehow I hadn't noticed that the Holy  Spirit already had my back and was helping me get through whatever it was that had gripped me with  fear. I had not been brave enough to intentionally seek help from God, but somehow I still received it.  In retrospect, it is staggering how God has led me through my life, and I feel such gratitude for that.  

Prayer is mysterious. Whether or not I have had confidence that God can and will deliver me out of  terror, I have come to realize that the act of seeking God is part of that deliverance. In the simplest of  prayers-- Help!-- I feel the shift. My heartrate slows, my thoughts become clearer, and my spirit  becomes calm. I can't even articulate what has happened; I only know that it has. 

There is a Unitarian Universalist minister named Christine Robinson sho has a wonderful blog called  Psalms for a New World. You can find it here: https://doubterpsalms.blogspot.com. Robinson  articulates her own interpretation of the psalms, never arguing that she is translating them, but rather  interpreting them for the context of her own life. That is difficult to do because these sacred songs were composed within the framework of a different cultural context. Here is her reflection on Psalm 34: 

How exactly do I do this? 

By opening my heart in gratitude and praise  

 for all the gifts of life. 

By focusing on the astounding intricacy of the world. 

By attending to the still small voices of healing and renewal 

 which save me in times of trouble. 

And by loving life and honoring that gift,  

 speaking truth, doing good, seeking peace. 

When I serve the highest I know 

I serve whatever God there is. 

The joy of this, no matter what my troubles, will keep me whole. 

How does Robinson seek God? “By opening [her] heart in gratitude and praise.” It works for Robinson, it worked for Job, and it works for me. Maybe it will work for you as well.  

In peace and love, 

Pan +

The View from Bolton Street

Dear Friends, 

Wow, I love the psalm reading for this Sunday (104:1-9, 25, 37b). I share Zoom Compline one night a  month with some members of a contemplative order to which I am committed: The Society of  Ordained Scientists. We were looking at the psalm together after Compline last night, and one of the  people on the Zoom said, “How funny that they snatched a Hallelujah and stuffed that snippet in at the  end of the selection!” I knew right away why that “snatched” Hallelujah felt so perfect at the end of the  text selection. It was because of some of the experiences I have had when nature overwhelms me with  awe. 

The first time I went to Antarctica, I was so excited that I was practically jumping up and down in the  C-130 transport plane. For those of you who have not been in the military or had other reasons to be in  such a plane, it's one where the “seats” are nylon webbing along the fuselage. They don't make you  keep your seat harness on during the 7.5 hour flight from Christchurch, New Zealand, but you have to  wear the government issued cold weather gear, including neoprene boots and a heavy parka. I'm telling  you these details to illustrate how hard it actually is to jump up and down in that get up. 

Nevertheless, I was bouncing along the aisles looking out different viewports as the icy continent came  into view-- it was so beautiful, and it was a life's dream to be there in person. When we landed, I exited  the plane onto the icepack that serves as a runway, and I really did start jumping up and down-- here I  was at the bottom of the world! Everything was mystically wonderful, and I actually did yell out,  “Hallelujah! I'm finally here!”  

Sometimes the things that God has made take my breath away-- not just nature, but also beautiful  music and other art, amazing people... “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have  made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.”  

In spite of the challenges that spring up in my life or in anyone else's, there is much to remind us that  God is there-- the God of excellent greatness-- the God who is wrapped with light as with a cloak. 

That same God who methodically made everything that exists has made us as well, and from that I  must infer that there is amazing complexity and creativity within us because we are made in the image  of God. Of course we're not perfect, but to focus on broken-ness as a way of characterizing ourselves  may be sabotaging our ability to confidently solve some of the problems that confront all people to  some degree or another. We are made to solve problems-- we don't need to be perfect to do so. We just  need to be curious and to be stubborn.  

As the psalmist said: O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the  earth is full of your creatures.You see? We are made in wisdom-- there's not telling what we can do if  we fix our hearts on our divine creator and our agency on being the stewards of all that God has  commanded us to respect and protect. 

In God's love, 

Pan +

The View from Bolton Street

Hello Friends! 

I want to talk about our time of transition. There are four basic parts to any transition in church  leadership. I want to give you an update about where we are and where we are headed. 

The first step is to process your time under the leader who has departed and address any problems that  presently exist. There will generally be a mix of feelings, and sometimes there are things left undone  that must be addressed and issues that have been deferred and now demand attention. This must take  place while the transitional leadership (me in this case) establishes relationships with all of you so we  can build the trust to enter into the next steps in the evolution of Memorial. How long it takes to  address the various things left undone and to process the last few years is complicated because  Memorial is in a situation of strained finances, and we have to discover why and develop a sound  approach to fixing it. Some of our operational processes must also be amended to be consistent with the business practices of The Episcopal Church. There are some operational areas that lack any formal  process and documentation, and we must develop that to ensure that future leadership has everything  that is needed to be successful. I will work as hard as I can to move swiftly, but I am still in the process  of discovering things, and I think this could take a few months to fully understand the state of the  church-- maybe as long as three months, though I am hoping two. How long it will take to fix the  finances and establish or fix broken processes is much harder to estimate because that is dependent  upon some variables I cannot control. I will need your help! 

The second step is much more fun. It is where we dream and discuss and imagine the Memorial of the  future-- say five years down the road. Who do you want to be? What kind of qualities do you desire in  a leader? What are some of the things you love most about your church? It is during this step that we  develop a parish profile that will be published on the Office for Transition Ministry web site and will  ultimately attract good applicants to lead Memorial. We will hold a couple of community meetings and  we will develop a parish wide survey, and then a committee will develop the profile. This will take a  few months-- it is the data gathering part and hearing one another that determine the length of the step,  and this will set up the actual search for success. 

The third step will be the search process for a permanent rector. The beginning of this step can  overlap with the second step if we have separate committees. The search committee should represent  the diverse perspectives of our community, and they will develop the criteria for the person who will be called to serve Memorial. A call notice will be carefully drafted; a job listing posted on the Office of  Transition Ministry website of The Episcopal Church and on other key places where clergy look for  work. Before the job listing is even posted, the search committee will determine the criterial for passing an application through to an interview, and they will develop metrics for the “short list” of candidates  who will be invited to a second interview. The final step of the search process will be recommending a  candidate to the vestry, who will then vote “yes” or “no.” Sometimes a parish search committee will  recommend the top two candidates to a vestry, and the vestry will make the decision, however how we  undergo this process will be determined by you. The length of this step could be a few months-- 5 or 6,  depending upon how many applicants you receive. 

The fourth step is forming a transition committee to welcome the new rector by providing the  resources necessary to get up to speed and be successful in their transition. This could include advice  on housing, schools if they have children, recommendations on various services, e.g., car mechanics,  grocery stores, etc. and information about this awesome community. This committee can be formed at  any time, as long as you are ready to greet your new rector on day one and go from there. It may only  take a few meetings and some homework to prepare for the rector's arrival. This work can be  accomplished in six weeks or less. 

This annotated outline is not exhaustive, but it should allow you to have a better feel for the process. 

Where we are in our transition work will be communicated to you clearly and regularly. You will not  be given details about various appplicants because those types of personnel details will be made held  confidentially by the search committee. But you will know where we are in the transition process. 

We have work to go in this awesome community. Some of the work will be fun, and some of it may be  difficult, but I promise to be as transparent as is possible and to keep our nominal parish life, our  ministries and our worship moving and vibrant while we engage in our process of transition.  

God is with us always. Pray for one another; spend time with one another; and listen for the voice of  the Holy Spirit, When God's people determine to do God's work of doing justice and living humbly in  love, amazing things can happen. 

In Christ's love, 

Pan +