The View from Bolton Street
The View from Bolton Hill
A Youth Sunday Reflection
Here, we just call it Sunday!
There is an old Simpsons episode where they go to Brazil to find an orphan child that the family had sponsored who has gone missing. Homer gets kidnapped and in an effort to escape tells his kidnappers that he has to stop because “I have a bladder the size of a Brazil nut!”
His kidnapper replies, “eh, we just call them nuts here.”
I love this because it reminds us that sometimes it is our perspective that needs to change.
I am really glad we are doing youth Sunday on the second Sunday of every month this year. It is a joy to see kids more involved in worship and in the life of the Church. This started way back when we, in the middle of the service(!!), pulled the prayground out of the historical chapel and moved it and the children into the front of the church and a place of prominence in our common life.
But I would be gladder still if every Sunday felt like youth Sunday - that is if every Sunday gave the sense of youthful exuberance, expectation and excitement. It is often said that Children are not the future of the Church they ARE the Church, Today. But we often don’t allow that to be true - both because of impediments that the Church as an institution puts in place, and in our own (and I say this as a parent) difficulty in getting our kids to Church every Sunday.
Let’s face it. Our parents were much more religious about religion than we are (sorry about the pun)
Perhaps it is the three years of pandemic worship that got us out of the practice, perhaps it is the need for one day, or one part of the day, with no commitments, perhaps we don’t find anything particularly useful in the worship.
Whatever it is for you, I encourage you to see if, just for the fall, you can make a commitment to try and be in Church every Sunday. If we offer our children the same consistency of worship and access to the divine provided to us, perhaps they will develop the same ingrained patterns of worship, service and devotion that bring us to God’s table today.
I’m looking forward to worshipping with all of you Sunday (especially the kids) get ready for many more Simpsons references to come!
The View from Bolton Street
They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. - Jeremiah 17
The most important words to say in Church are “thank you.” Say it often, and mean it, and today I say it to you. Thank you for the many gifts that you share with our community.
You have heard the familiar expression “can’t see the forest for the trees” before. We most often use it to describe that occasion in which we lose sight of the big picture while focusing on the details. Sometimes I worry that in Bolton Hill you can’t see the church through the row homes! Luckily, from my position, I often experience the blessing of being able to see the big picture of our congregation – the ministry we bring to our neighbor inside and outside the neighborhood, the impact we have on the larger community, and the ways that week after week we come together to celebrate our faith and praise God. Turns out it is a pretty big forest.
And I get to wander amongst the row homes ….. oops, I mean trees! And I get to hear how much it means to people from all walks of life that we are here. From the small shoot reaching out from its seed and finding the sunlight, to the mightiest tree, standing tall, showing strength, offering sheltering love to those who need it. You are those trees, each drawing strength from our meal and showering the world with the love and grace you have come to know here. I am blessed in that here in our congregation, I can see both the forest and the trees!
When I walk through a forest, I am aware of the tangle of roots, how one tree is connected to another. Trees use these networks, secretly talking to each other through their roots, passing information along. Adult trees share their sugars with young saplings, a dying tree can send its remaining resources back out to help the community. These networks, these roots of abundance, keep trees in place just as much as they free them to grow and share. There is a richness in that soil, in those roots that you can’t always see but it lies just beneath the surface.
The theme of our annual pledge campaign this year is Rooted in Abundance, and we are reminded that we are a mighty forest comprised of ancient trunks and sprightly saplings, each of us contributing our gifts to a world that needs us. On Sunday, October 15 , our annual Pledging Campaign begins. As you hear the messages and stories of abundance this season, take note of how our generosity can spread and widen our root structures of faith and action.
In gratitude,
The Rev. Grey Maggiano
Rector, Memorial Episcopal Church
The View from Bolton Street
The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
Exodus 16:3
When we sit down and consider all of the impacts that our existence has on the world around us, it can get pretty depressing pretty quickly. The food we eat, the cars we drive, the trash we produce, the shoes we wear, everything seems to have a negative environmental impact. How can we honor God's creation when everything we enjoy seems to hurt it!
Moreover, what will really happen if I give up these things but no one else does? Why should I suffer if the net impact is the same?
This is the argument we usually hear when we complain about paper straws or not being able to use plastic bags. "Why do I have to drink water out of a soggy piece of paper while Bono flies his own plane to Davos?!?" (Or something like that).
Expanding our vision more broadly, whenever our circumstances change, we are usually quite quick to compare ourselves to others. Start exercising... but I'm not as fast as they are; change jobs... but everyone in my old job seems happier; Move... the weather here is so much worse; and so on. Maybe the most obvious example is changing lanes in traffic. No matter what you always wish you were back in the other lane! You are always comparing yourself to the place you where when you left.
It is no different for the Israelites in this week's reading. They have just escaped multi-generational enslavement at the hands of the Egyptians and are now free and on their way to a land that God has promised just for them and.... they complain about the food.
They forgot all about the enslavement and imprisonment. About being stuck working for an empire that was not your own, that was hard on the body and soul of you and everyone you love, and they just remembered that they ate pretty good.
It is hard to grasp, but we are similarly bound to a system of imprisonment and subjugation that harms us and everyone we love. An empire built on fossil fuels, trash mountains and single use plastics. An empire of concrete and steel, where trees are an obstacle, flora and fauna a nuisance, and only two kinds of green are worthwhile -- money and easy to roll out sod.
And when we begin to opt out of that empire? When we begin to embrace a life more connected to the land, more responsive to the needs of creation? When we see our role transition from 'Master' of creation to 'Steward' of creation? Well then the complaints start.
This fruit tastes weird. these straws don't work. There are too many bugs out here. What is the point?
Ultimately the small sacrifices most of us make for the sake of the environment are nothing compared to the suffering of the israelites. But this scripture talks to us about how easy it is to slip back into unhealthy patterns, even if those patterns and behaviors are soul sucking and life taking. May we, in our desire to be better stewards of the planet and better stewards of ourselves, not get sucked into the kind of negativity that pulled at the Israelites in the desert, and instead embrace the freedom of something new and the promise of something better in the not too distant future.
The View from Bolton Street
God willing and the people consenting, The Reverend Carrie K. Schofield-Broadbent will be ordained and consecrated a Bishop in the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and Bishop Coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland.
Saturday, September 16, 2023, at eleven o’clock in the morning
The Right Reverend Eugene Taylor Sutton, and the Standing Committee request the honor of your presence at The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, 3101 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20016.
Chief Consecrator: The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church
Clergy: cassock and surplice, red stoles
Bishops: rochet, chimere, tippet
Tickets not required. Visit this page for details on parking, accommodations, and more. Details will be updated as available.
Contact transition@episcopalmaryland.org. with any questions.
Thank you for your continued prayers for our diocese and for Bishop-elect Carrie.
The Rev. Dr. Mark Gatza
Ms. Alma Bell
Co-chairs
Episcopal Diocese of Maryland Transition Committee
The View from Bolton Street
The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfillment of the law.
Paul's Letter to the Romans
When I was in High School, Homecoming had a very different meaning. It meant a football game, and a dance, a parade with floats, and a whole spirit week that felt like a sprint up to the big day...
On second thought, maybe Homecoming at Memorial is not that different. Well, except for the floats (Maybe next year?)
Of course, one big stress for any High School student was "Who am I going to the dance with?'
Will we go in a big group? Will we rent a limo? Will I ask someone I like? Will we go as "just friends"? Will I ask the person I have a crush on to go as just friends and then spend the night trying to get up the nerve to tell them how I really feel? Will I skip it because dances are 'lame' but secretly wish I had gone to see what the fuss was all about?
Over the summer a young couple came to Memorial to visit and when I asked what brought them there they said 'Actually it is our first date!' I don't know how the rest of the date turned out, but I was amazed at the bravery behind asking someone to Church on a first date, and a little inspired as we come up to Homecoming this Sunday.
Maybe we should all invite someone to come to Church with us this week? What about someone that you haven't seen in church in a while? Someone who used to love Memorial but hasn't been here for some time? Or someone you think would really love this community, who is seeking a deeper relationship with God and with God's people?
Or maybe that someone... is you? If you are reading this and haven't been with us for awhile.
You don't even have to pay for lunch, we will provide it for you!
See you in Church!
The View from Bolton Street
A Season of… Creation?
This past week the Episcopal Church has announced the launch of the ‘Season of Creation’, running from September 1- October 4th, the feast of Saint Francis of Asissi (https://seasonofcreation.org/) in the Episcopal Church. Unlike other seasons in our church life, this is not a liturgical season (like advent or lent) but a thematic one, and one that is too be celebrated ecumenically with our siblings in Christ of various denominations.
Borrowing from Pope Francis, “In this Season of Creation, let us dwell on these heartbeats: our own, those of our mothers and grandmothers, the heartbeat of the created heart and that of God’s heart. Today they are not in harmony, they do not beat together in justice and peace. Many are prevented from drinking from this vigorous river. Let us listen then to the call to stand with the victims of environmental and climate injustice, and to put an end to this senseless war against creation.”
While this may feel like just liberal politics, we can see the impact of environmental degradation everywhere around us. Poorer air quality in urban neighborhoods leading to higher rates of asthma, higher rates of pollution in predominantly black neighborhoods in Baltimore, ‘heat islands’ where the temperature is 5, 10 or even 15 degrees higher in certain parts of the city than others.
This is a season both to mark and remember that ‘our island home’ is indeed fragile, and we need to care for it; and also to reflect on what actions we can take as a congregation to make an impact and change that current reality.
Over the next few weeks our prayers, homilies and music, as well as our outward work, In the reading from Exodus this week, we are reminded of Moses’ encounter with God in the burning bush and that where he is standing is indeed ‘holy ground.’ Keep in mind that Moses was not anywhere special. He was in the wilderness, not somewhere most people would consider Holy. And yet it was.
Our community is full of such sacred spaces. From the Sunflower Garden at Harlem Park to the St. James Square pocket parks, to Sumpter Park, and the Filbert Street Garden, we have lot and lots of Holy Ground right around the corner. Over the next few weeks I hope we are able to get to know those places and spaces better.
But first - we have some work to do on our own Holy Ground. If you haven’t noticed, the flower planters ,and tree pits, memorial garden are looking a bit overrun around the church. While some of our neighbors have taken on the work in the Rectory garden, there is still plenty of work to do outside.
So I want to invite you to labor with me this Labor Day weekend, weeding, straightening and planting to make our outdoor space reflective of the care and love we have for God’s creation.
I hope you can join us SUNDAY at 11:00 am (after Church) and MONDAY at 9:00 am, for about two hours each day. We should be able to make a sizable dent in making this space shine.
The View from Bolton Street
When Natalie had finished speaking all* these words to all Israel, She said to them: ‘I am now Seventy Four years old. I am no longer able to get about, and the Lord has told me, “You shall not cross over this Jordan.” The Lord your God himself will cross over before you.
Deuteronomy 31:1-3 (sort of)
The final words of Moses to the people of Israel has been going around inside my head for the last few days as I contemplate Natalie’s retirement. Despite having only known each other a few years,it feels like she has been a part of my life for so much of it.
Some of that is practical; in the last five years Natalie has been a pastoral counselor and confidant through some of the most challenging parts of my life, and I have attempted to be the same for her.
She also has played a significant role in my growth as a rector, as a priest, and as person of God, helping me through some of the most transformative moments of my ministry. And likewise I have attempted to try and be a similar support to her through significant moments in her life and ministry.
I do feel a little bit like Joshua, being left at the shores of the River Jordan with similar words of comfort… “Don’t worry, its all going to be fine.” But I wanted to take a moment in this reflection to let Natalie, and all of you, know that I do not feel abandoned. In fact, I feel energized, emboldened, empowered to do all this work that Natalie has set before us.
And a little bit scared.
But look at these words that Moses left for Joshua, and that Natalie in turn leaves for us:
See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days.
As a community of faith, as co-laborers in God’s vineyard we have decided to choose life, and to choose it abundantly. Churches all over this country are dying. Drying out on the vine. Slowly losing people, energy, space and place.
But we have chosen something else. And we have Natalie to thank for that.
So I hope you will join me this sunday at 9:30 am as we say well done good and faithful servant to The Rev. Natalie Conway, as we listen to her farewell discourse, and as we consider how we continue to choose life here at Memorial.
The View from Bolton Street
She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”
This retort to Jesus stings. There really is no way around it. Jesus makes a trip to Tyre and Sidon, north of Israel. It is a Gentile country, and a Canaanite woman approaches him asking for help. Jesus' response is to say "It is not fair to take away the children's food and give it to the dogs."
Now. AT BEST. Jesus is trying to make a joke. AT BEST. No matter how you interpret this, he is likening Canaanites to dogs and reminds his disciples that he is only called to the lost sheep of Israel. There may be many a lot of contextual reasons for Jesus' comment, many likely lost to history. We can even go ahead and put the blame on Matthew, the collator of this Gospel. But we still have to wrestle with Jesus saying this and, perhaps even harder to deal with, that the woman talks back to Jesus and he agrees with her.
There are a lot of directions you can run with this text. But for me, as a man in a position of power, I prefer the simplest.
It is not a sin to be wrong. It is not a sin to correct your bad actions. And it is not a sin to acknowledge when you messed up.
Let me say that again:
It is not a sin to be wrong. It is not a sin to correct your bad actions. And it is not a sin to acknowledge when you messed up.
When you are in leadership - whether in the church, government, the private sector, or even in your own home, humility is such an important and yet often forgotten attribute. But as Jesus demonstrates, there is tremendous power in humility. Jesus is able to both model to his disciples how to recover from a mistake, and to model to the Canaanites how to break down barriers between cultures, especially when there is mistrust and pain involved.
It would have been easy for Jesus to follow his disciples lead and ignore the woman, or to respond antagonistically to the challenge. But he takes another path. A path that perhaps more leaders today should take.
He listens. He reflects. and he responds by changing not just his words but his actions, then AND going forward. This is not a one off appeasement to avoid getting cancelled. Jesus from this point on changes his view on salvation for the gentiles which is pretty good news for us.
What else could change in your life if someone showed a little more humility? What could change if you did as well?
The View from Bolton Street
When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified . . . and cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Tale heart, it is I, do not be afraid.” Matthew 14:26-27
Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, ‘You of little faith, why did you doubt?’ Matthew 14:31
Well, Jesus, it’s easy for you to say do not be afraid. You’re the one walking on water. Peter tried to come to you, but fear overcame him, and he began to sink. Jesus grabbed his hand and said: “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
How many times have we heard that line in Scripture—do not be afraid. The most commonly repeated phrase in the entire Bible, in both the Old Testament (over 100 times) and New Testament (about 44 times), is “Fear not! or “Have no fear!” or “Do not be afraid!” or “Be not afraid!’
Everyone is afraid sometimes, about something. I have a fear of heights, snakes and other crawling things, and lately, falling. We live in a world that offers plenty of chances to fear. We can also creatively think of new things to be fearful of. So perhaps, that’s why the phrase “do not be afraid” is often repeated in Scripture. Trusting in God will counteract the effects of fear. Even though the admonition is not to be afraid, the implication that trusting is having faith in God.
This week, on August 15th, is the celebration of the Feast of the Virgin Mary. The Annunciation is the perfect story of fear that turned into faith. A young woman, a virgin, is visited by the angel Gabriel who has been sent from God. Gabriel says: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.” Not only is Mary perplexed but I believe she was also afraid. Gabriel tells her that her cousin, Elizabeth, who is advanced in age, is also with child. Gabriel says: ‘For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ All her fears and doubts were erased by her faith in God.
If we don’t focus on the fear but increase our faith, then we have nothing to be afraid of. Focus on our relationship with God, focus on God’s nearness, focus on that light that burns inside of us to erase some of the darkness of the world.
Be Not Afraid (song by St. Louis Jesuits) Chorus:
Be not afraid,
I go before you always
Come follow me
And I will give you rest.
The View from Bolton Street
Leaps of Faith
At the end of June, we heard Father Grey’s announcement and call to action. An Afghan family that was being granted asylum to the United States would soon arrive in Baltimore, and would be aided by Memorial Church. As a member of the Memorial Vestry, my mind had dwelt on the pressing financial issues that our church faced post-COVID. Would we be able to take on this new challenge, and would we have the resources and energy to bring an unfamiliar family into our care? Nevertheless, I found myself raising my hand to help create a Welcoming Circle for the Afghan family.
With less than a week's notice, volunteers from Memorial, the Episcopal Refugee and Immigrant Center Alliance (ERICA), St. Thomas at Owings Mills, and the Chizuk Amuno Synagogue sprang into action. This was my first introduction to ERICA and to members of the other houses of worship, but I found myself quickly and happily drawn into their cooperative fray. I was thankful for their advice, as many of them had had experience working with refugees and asylum seekers, and their guidance gave us a format to support the newcomers. In record time, the volunteers, including a few Afghans who had only arrived a few months prior, transformed two unoccupied floors of an old house, quietly cluttered with stored items and years of dust, into a new home and refuge for the newcomers. Furniture and household items were procured, and a positive energy radiated into the house.
I did not know very much about the family that Memorial would be supporting, but I did wonder about the threats that they might have endured, the traumas that had forced them to leave. I wondered what hopes and fears they harbored as they left behind family and home, as they made a leap of faith into the unknown. I wondered how they viewed America and Americans - what they would expect from us when they arrived?
“God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam,
though the mountains tremble at its swelling.”
Psalm 46:1-3
Of course, I need not have worried about my fellow Memorialites feeling stretched thin. We have welcomed the new family and witnessed the joy of their reunion with loved ones. Many parishioners continue working tirelessly to help address medical, food, clothing and scholastic needs. I am thankful for those who have shown the family local resources and the charms of our neighborhood, and who have helped them adapt to the quirks of living in a lovely but old building.
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
I Thessalonians 5:11
Joys aside, the road ahead for our guests is long and uncertain, and I expect that we will experience miscommunication and misunderstandings as we learn to understand each other. The family is eager to build new lives in the United States, and Memorial is committed to help them on the road to independence. But I understand from my own experiences, as an American transplanted back to the United States after a childhood in Singapore, that adaptation to American life will require patience from all sides. As the boundaries of unfamiliarity and language fade, however, I am hopeful that we will get to know the family well. I look forward to hearing their stories, to learn more about their extended family, culture and about Afghanistan. I hope we truly get to know them in a meaningful way, as members of our community.
The first few months of the family’s arrival are particularly critical. We are partnering with the Samaritan Community to collect non-perishable foods, toiletries and supplies for the family during this time. Please contact Wendy Yap at wendy.yapper@gmail.com or other members of the Memorial Vestry for more information on how to provide support.