The View from Bolton Street

I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.

When Isaiah preaches these words - he and the people of Israel are in exile.  They are away from their homes, their land, and their God. Isaiah promises a new thing! water in the desert! Food and drink to the hungry and the thirsty!  

You won't be surprised to know that not everyone believed him. They couldn't believe it even as it was happening! "Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?" 

Over the last year, Memorial has been doing tremendous work just below the surface on justice and reparations.  A new thing indeed has been springing forth.  Our justice and reparations committee has developed a policy paper on What Reparations Means and How We Are going to do it. (link: Black Paper_Hollyday Initiative_FINAL JANUARY 6 2022.docx (squarespace.com) )

They drafted a position description and screened hundreds of candidates to find the ideal person to lead this effort. We asked all of our finalists to come up with some initial steps with Memorial and Anthony's recommendations fit perfectly with who we are and who we aspire to be.  I wanted to share below a few of the proposals Anthony share with the committee: 

1. CULINARY DIPLOMACY: BREAKING BREAD AND BARRIERS is reminiscent of a time when families set down at the dinner table together to share a meal and talk, to reflect on their day,

create memories, discuss strategies, and even settle disagreements. 

2. UPCYCLE IT 21217: In addition to positive environmental changes, upcycling has significant

social and personal benefits because behind every upcycled product is transformation.

3. THE GHOST LIGHT SERIES: When theatres go dark at the end of the night, they turn on a

“Ghost Light,” offering visibility for all to return safely. Inspired by the tradition, the Ghost Light

has a new significance and a broader symbolic meaning of hope and transformation. We will create theatrical performances led by community members to encourage collaboration.

4. CULTURE SWAP matches community members with partnering organizations to spend a day

together in each other’s community sharing insights and brainstorming ways to address social

inequities and challenges. 

I am delighted to introduce Anthony Francis, the founder of Bmore's Coalition for Positive Change (link HOME | Bmore coalition (bmorescoalition.com) ) As Memorial's Justice and Reparations Organizer.  Anthony started this Monday and he will be with us at Church on Sunday. 

We have also raised almost $120,000 of our $500,000 goal and developed consistently stronger relationships with partners in West Baltimore.  If you would like to make an additional contribution or a pledge for the next four years you can do so here: https://onrealm.org/memorialepiscopal/-/give/JRF

I hope you will be able to join us on Wednesday April 20th for a screening of Deserted a short documentary featuring Anthony that will follow with a conversation with Anthony and the Director. This will be a great way to meet Anthony and to better understand the issues around equity and safety in West Baltimore. 

Welcome Anthony!

Lenten Reflection 4

"Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven..." Psalm 32:1

Perhaps the word "happy" isn't what comes to mind when we think about Lent. I mean, Lent is all about repentance, right? Yes: Lent is about confession and repentance. In Lent, we confess that we've denied God's goodness in each other, in ourselves, and in the world God made. But the thing is: Lent isn't a season just to feel miserable or unworthy. Lent isn't about grinding ourselves for forty days until Easter comes. Instead, Lent is a season about being restored and renewed by God who has opened the way of forgiveness for us.

The psalmist writes, "Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven..." In this season of Lent, Psalm 32 actually invites us to find happiness: happiness that comes from being forgiven by God.

Happiness for the psalmist isn't about being sinless or perfect, nor is it about ignoring our sin and accountability to one another. God has opened the way for us to confess our sins and be forgiven—and at our deepest core, being human is not about being a sinner but about being loved and transformed by the One who defeated the power of sin on the cross. The steadfast love of God is an open doorway to repentance, forgiveness, amendment of life, and trust in God.

Psalm 32 reminds us that when we sin, it's the same God who loves us that forgives us. Even when we sin, God still provides a way for us to experience happiness. Happiness that comes from acknowledging our sin and accepting God's forgiveness. Happiness from being forgiven by God who is swift to forgive, then amending our lives and seeking reconciliation—attending to God's instruction, as the psalmist puts it.

"Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord; shout for joy, all who are true of heart." Psalm 32:12

This Lent—in this season of repentance, restoration, and renewal—may we find happiness knowing that sin isn't the end of the story, for God is full of abundant love, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. "Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven..."

Amen.

The View from Bolton Street

Herod was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse his daughter. Mark 6:26

Now that is a familiar feeling. A father never wants to disappoint his daughter. As true for Herod as it is for me.

Sometimes, this is perfectly harmless. “Can I borrow the car daddy?” “Can I have 20 dollars Daddy?” And sometimes… it ends up with John the Baptist’s head on a platter!

What is at play here for Herod is the same thing that often is at play for us - saying no to his daughter and refusing the kill John the Baptist does not just mean disappointing his child.

It also means acknowledging in front of all those people that he is not King. That there is some bigger power out there that Herod does not understand that he is terrified and amazed by.

Ultimately, when asked to make the decision, Herod prefers to remain a small king rather than listen for the voice of the True King.

The question is why. Why does Herod not want to give up some of his power. We think sometimes these kind of decisions are made from a place of strength but it really comes from a place of deep weakness. Herod’s daughter tricked him, his wife betrayed him, the only person he knows WON’T lie to him is the man he is asked to kill. But he has to kill him or else he acknowledges how weak his reign is, how little power he has.

Have you ever made a decision like this. Held out angrily trying to retain some power or authority you never really had? Tried to control the world around you even though Jesus was right there saying “you need help friend.”?

Few of us will be asked to serve up physical heads on physical platters - but many of us deal with the temptation of double crossing, tricking or proverbially stabbing a friend in the back to hold on to a little bit of power, even as we know, WE KNOW, we don’t actually have any power - we are just too scared to say so.

Herod killed John the Baptist only to have Jesus show up next. What power are you willing to crucify a friend for? And how can you let that go and give it up to Christ?

Lenten Reflection 3

What a blessing during this winter to be participating in a Sacred Ground group following the curriculum of the Episcopal Church’s antiracism program. We are reading Howard Thurman’s seminal work Jesus and the Disinherited which helps to put Jesus front and center as a Jew within a Roman occupation. And thinking about how the Church has gone from the teachings of a dispossessed and marginalized man to an organization that has been used to control and undermine peoples. So much to struggle with but also so much hope and beauty. That the church can simultaneously be used to marginalize and control but that every day people continue to still see the words of succor and purpose that is contained in our Bible.

In Exodus when God says to Moses that he will send him to bring the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses says “Who am I?”, he is God’s chosen. When we stand on this sacred ground we are all chosen to bring our peoples out of degradation and into fellowship. We are all asked to gather together in God’s name and to worship together. As Fr Grey said to us last week, this ground remains holy when we continue to gather and be together, bringing life and through fellowship.

 As we approach Easter and the resurrection we must continue to see how we use our talents to maintain the sacred ground and support the Word of Jesus in all our interactions.

Holy Ground

Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”

Holy Ground. That sounds wonderful right now. A place so safe you don't even have to wear sandals. just bare feet and open hearts in front of the divine.

Certainly we all have places that we consider Holy Ground. Iona. Claggett. Taize. Thin places where we suddenly feel closer to God. There are other kinds of hallowed ground, of course. Camden Yards, The Big House in Michigan, Wembley, Wimbledon. Closer to home you might think of Faidley's, The Jones Falls, or even Chaps Pit Beef as 'hallowed ground.'

Perhaps one of the reasons we have so many examples of hallowed ground is that we are desperate in this day and age for that connection to the divine. But the mistake that we make is (as so often happens) not reading to the end of passage.

Because after God is done talking to Moses, this Holy Ground reverts to being just... ground. What makes any ground holy is the presence of God, and if we are to believe the Gospels, the most reliable way to achieve the presence of God is... to gather together.

In the Church, there is a strain of sacramental and liturgical theology that says places (and items) are sanctified by their use.

When Memorial is a Church. When the altar is set and the candles are lit and the community is present and prayers and voices are lifted... then God is truly present.

Many of you have felt such moments, and many hope to do so again or for the first time.

But when the candles are extinguished and the linens are put away and the hymnals set back in their chairs it becomes, like so many other spaces, an empty building. Memorial is indeed sanctified by its use and it has been out of use for some time.

This is why you all elected to renovate the sanctuary so we could put the space into 'use' more often, and why we freely open our doors to the community in many, different ways. It is also why many of us have felt rather bereft of that spiritual connection, because this sanctified space has been in such disuse.

Now. We have learned (and re-learned) some important things about God's presence. First we have been reminded that we count among this body both the living and the dead, and when even one of us is gathered in the sanctuary we are still surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses that came before us.

Second, we have experienced first hand that just as God can make Godself present in a mideast desert, God can be present in a zoom room or any other metaphysical space. This has been welcome good news for all of us, especially in the darkest days of the pandemic.

What does this all mean for Memorial and our little patch of sacred ground going forward? I think it means that first and foremost we should be intentional about how we gather, pray, work and serve in this place. That we gather with a renewed vigor to worship and serve the Lord in all of God's goodness.

AND that because we now know the sacredness and the holiness does not come from the stones and brick, but from God's presence - we also seek to take that presence out to the broader community.

So that, wherever we are standing might be Holy Ground, if only for a moment (Though I recommend that you keep your shoes on).

Lenten Reflection 2

Genesis 15:18—On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.”

Prayers of the People, Holy Eucharist I—Open, O Lord, the eyes of all people to behold thy gracious hand in all thy works, that, rejoicing in thy whole creation, they may honor thee with their substance, and be faithful stewards of thy bounty.

Prayers of the People, Form IV—Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory.

Honestly, I don’t like the word Ownership, I prefer Steward, because my sisters and brothers that is our calling.

We must always remember that all things, including ourselves, ultimately belong to God and God entrusts us with resources and the responsibility to be good stewards of God’s creation.  A good example of this is the Parable of the Five Talents.  The Parable of the Five Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) is not really talking about money but stewardship and responsibility.  In short, we are not to waste what God has given us.  We should not hide what God has given us.  We are not to do nothing with what God has given us.

Each of us has God-given gifts and the things we have are blessings from God.  We don’t all have the same gifts but whatever we have, God expects these gifts, these blessings to be used wisely.  We have free will to choose.  It is up to each of us to decide how to use these gifts to be lights that shine. 

What will we do with the gifts we’ve been given?  The laundry list is long.  I’m reminded of a quote from Maya Angelou—“Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.”  We will help the needy, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, grant forgiveness, love one another, etc.?  Of course we will, because we are willing stewards in God’s kingdom.

I often speak about being a beacon of light to shine in the darkness of those less fortunate than us. We can be good stewards of our time, our talents, our faith, our friendships, and our lives.  We can delight in creation, respect the dignity of all persons, and responsibly use the Earth’s resources.

Most important is to be good stewards of ourselves—our mind, body, and soul.  If we aren’t good stewards of ourselves, then we cannot be good stewards of anyone or anything else.  The Lenten period is a time to reflect on how to be good stewards of ourselves.  Use these forty days for reflection, prayer, and rest.

Author: Deacon Natalie+

Lenten Reflection 1

During this Lenten season, the Memorial community is reflecting on the meaning of place. This week, we are asked to consider the physical space of Memorial Church at 1407 Bolton St and what it means to us.

For me, Memorial was the place that brought me back to church after leaving the Catholic Church in which I grew up - with many years of wandering in between. The prayers, sounds, and smells reminded me of my childhood and were comforting. That was 19 years ago. Since then, I have laughed, cried, hugged, celebrated, and remembered too many times to count in this space - from the choir chairs, the pews, and even the pulpit a time or two. I was involved in turning this space into a theater for 2 weeks out of the year - whether singing, dancing, baking, producing, or directing. Those were opportunities to bring joy in community and create with my kids - especially during troubled times in my life and the life of Baltimore.

I find energy in the peaceful quiet when the church is empty and the loud symphony when it is filled. Though there have been times when I needed distance from those stone walls. And when I was ready to come home, the doors were open and I was filled once again.

So, these last two years as we were forced into the wilderness for much longer than 40 days have been difficult. I am grateful that we were able to redefine church and remain in community from afar, but I have missed the inside of the sanctuary and the gatherings in Farnham Hall. I missed having the option of celebrating worship in our space. I can't lie - I enjoy attending church in my jammies with my coffee in hand and puppies at my feet. While comforting, still not the same sense of comfort I get sitting in the pews (I do miss the pews...) or singing with the choir (I miss that, too).

I was reminded of this a few weeks ago when I attended church in-person for the first time in two years. I could feel the sound of the organ (our new organist, Kenny, is amazing). The service was active again (it feels weird standing on zoom). There were one armed hugs. All the parts of the choir were blended as they should be. I received the eucharist and was fed. In my gratefulness of having our virtual services, I forgot about those moments where I feel the thin spaces and closer to God.

For me, I need that sacred space to gather. A place where I can lay down my burdens. A place of welcome. A space that can be transformed for the good work that needs to be done that day for God's people. A space that continues to evolve to meet the needs for this community and the broader city of Baltimore. A space that serves as an example for my kids for how to care for others and love thy neighbor - all our neighbors. I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming service or event.

- Stacy Wells, Junior Warden, resident of Bolton Hill, and mother of Nate (14) and Mary Anne (13)

Celebrating Spontaneity!

Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Luke 13:32

Today something amazing happened. I had a meeting in Harlem Park and so I drove back past St James Lafayette Square, and Father Meadows was walking across the street. 

So I stopped and hopped out, and he invited me in to chat and to stay for their noon Joint Lenten program. 

And I said yes! 

When is the last time you ran into someone spontaneously and agreed to do something you weren’t planning to do?

For me it was March 3, 2019 when some friends asked if I wanted to meet for dinner. 

So now I’m in a room full of people I don’t know, listening to a preacher colleague and getting ready for a “communal” lunch (still grab and go). 

What joy there is in spontaneity! 

In this weeks gospel, Jesus is admonished by some friendly Pharisees that he should go into hiding because Herod is out to get him. But Jesus says (more or less) I’m sorry we are having too much fun! I don’t know what today or tomorrow will bring but I know I don’t want to stop.

Jesus. Big fan of spontaneity. 

As masks come off and restrictions lesson it will be emotionally and physically challenging for some of you to re-engage with work, church, and life in general.  If you are feeling worried, anxious, or stressed about the prospect - let me encourage you to find the joy in the unexpected.  Celebrate the spontaneity that our continually shifting reality presents and lean in to it.

Now. I know that does not mean everyone reading this loves to meet new people. That is a “me” problem for sure. 

But there are many ways of celebrating Spontaneity. Stop in at the BMA to see the new BMA staff curated exhibition. Pop into your favorite restaurant for a drink or a meal. Find a new store, a new path, a new thing to celebrate. And savor it.  Find a new seat in church, a new favorite hymn, or just enjoy the way the light falls in the sanctuary on a Sunday morning. 

The next few months will be again a season of changes. It is important to find the joy in these changes because like Jesus we don’t quite know when that Third Day is coming, so let’s have fun and find some joy today and tomorrow.

Baptized by Water, Spirit and Stories

Bolton Hill is full of stories sprinkled just beyond our baptismal font in the nave: stories flowing in the fonts of Black neighborhoods. Baptized by water and by Spirit, members of our Memorial community have been on a journey. A journey of paying attention and listening to stories: stories from our neighbors at Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary School. 

As many of you know, Baltimore City Public Schools suddenly announced their intent to close Eutaw-Marshburn last year. For us at Memorial, our baptismal calling was to listen. With consent, members of our church community listened to parents, students, and educators struggling to find answers: answers to what was happening, or why the school was closing. We heard stories of frustration and exhaustion. Stories about the immensity of COVID-19 and the school closure amplifying stress in their school community.

Seeking change with our neighbors, we rallied together outside Baltimore City Public Schools’ headquarters to delay the vote. We prayed with signs, our feet, and with silent listening. Silent listening so that our neighbors’ voices might be amplified. Listening and not expecting our neighbors to relive their stories for our benefit. We listened to stories about after-school programs, food distribution, early childhood education and family support programs at Eutaw-Marshburn. We listened to our neighbors’ stories of love, family, strength, pride, and solidarity. We listened to our neighbors’ stories of fears about children having to cross some of the busiest streets in Baltimore to get to school if Eutaw-Marshburn closes. We joined our neighbors in seeking a two-year delay to the vote. Baltimore City Public Schools granted one year.  

Listening is at the heart of our baptismal calling. In baptism, we recall the story of God's love and justice at work throughout history. Through baptism, we are empowered to bear witness to the grace and power of God moving amidst our neighbors today and their stories. Living into our baptism requires action: listening to stories—Black stories—not speaking over our neighbors’ stories. By listening, we might bear witness to the truths being told, honoring our neighbors’ sharing of their stories with us. By listening with an open heart and mind, we might pursue communities of reconciliation and justice—a stirring of Christ’s passion in Baltimore.

We are unsure of what stories lie ahead for Eutaw-Marshburn. Even so, as a Justice-Focused Jesus-Centered community, we trust that we need to continue listening. Bolton Hill is full of stories sprinkled just beyond our baptismal font in the nave: stories that flow in the fonts of Black neighborhoods. Baptized by water and by Spirit—and by stories—may we continue to center the voices of our neighbors, paying attention and listening to their stories: stories from our neighbors at Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary School.

Masks & Scripture

When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him.

Gosh, even the lectionary gets it. Okay,  maybe the  Israelites weren’t  fearful of a maskless Moses that day, but many of us have had a sense of fear, trepidation, worry, confusion when we have walked into a space and seen people not wearing masks.  It’s been a very long time since we’ve seen each other’s smiles. 

Here in Maryland, the Governor rescinded mask mandates for State buildings and recently the Maryland School Board announced the same for schools. Across the country more localities are doing the same.

Stepping back from the anxiety of seeing people maskless again, this should be good news!  We have been suffering and struggling with the COVID 19 pandemic for two years now, and wearing a variety of masks, face coverings and other types of protection.  Our state is 84% vaccinated with at least one dose.

Many in  this community and our loved ones have contracted COVID 19 and are doing well,  particularly now that vaccines are readily available.  Masks, particularly in crowded places, or if one is ill, may become a more common part of our lives as they are in many parts of Asia. Though sometime in the coming months, the majority of people won’t be wearing them for  the regular comings and goings of life - shopping, parties, school, and church. This is a significant change. 

When one lives through a traumatic experience, like the pandemic has been, , moving out of it can often be just as hard.  It is the reason the Israelites were worried of leaving Egypt, why they wanted to stay in the desert instead of finding the promised land, and why they were fearful when they saw Moses’ face - not because he forgot his KN-95, but because they knew he had heard from God - and that it meant something new for them.  This new stage of the pandemic is new for us. 

Fear not, I am not taking direct messages from God on when we should remove our masks in Church, nor do I expect to.  But, we have been taking our cues from the Mayor of Baltimore and the Bishop of Maryland.  For now, we will continue wearing masks in worship and while singing, but we may soon be at a point when masks will be optional.  

We will, as we always have, listen to the Diocese and Baltimore City’s public health authorities and follow their instructions in order to create a safe environment for us all.  I know that some people will feel more comfortable still masked when the time comes for Memorial to change our current requirements.  Wearing a KN-95 offers protection to the wearer, even if others are unmasked.

When you see friends, neighbors and strangers without  a mask - even if their face is shining like the sun -  it is ok to acknowledge that this is different, and that it could elicit feelings of fear . Have faith that we are moving past this one challenge, and hopeful for what the future holds.