The View from Bolton Street
Look Back: Pentecost
The congregation wore red; as did the building. There were doves, and a trio of trumpets, and languages, both living and dead, from all around the world. The Feast of Pentecost this year held something for nearly everyone, and we hope you were able to join us. But if not, here are a couple of pictures of the trumpeters (from left - Isabella Chang, Kate Gorman, and Cameron Thomas) in session from the service. The entire Memorial Community would like to extend our thanks to the three of them for brightening our Feast of the Holy Spirit.
We hope to see you soon!
Summer at Memorial - 2018
Starting Sunday, June 3, there are lots of activities planned for this Summer. Here's the list, with links:
- June 3 - Next Century Circle Sunday with The Rev. Charles Cloughen, Planned Giving Officer, will join us to talk about Planned Giving in general, and Memorial's Next Century Circle.
- June 17 - Summer hours begin - Holy Eucharist Rite II moves to 9:30 am
- June 18- 22 - Rocketry and Engineering Earth - Science Camp with the Science Guys
- June 25-29 - Physics and Crime Scene Investigation - Science Camp with the Science Guys
- July 23-27 - Kitchen Chemistry and the Science of Art - Science Camp with the Science Guys
- August 13-17 - Chemistry and Earth, Wind, and Fire - Science Camp with the Science Guys
- August 20-24 - Baltimore Water Heroes Camp
The View from Bolton Street
Pentecost — Protest — and The Color Red
This Sunday is Pentecost—and to borrow from ‘Mean Girls’ “On Pentecost we wear [Red].”
Now in the Church we wear red for two reasons. The first is that it is the color associated with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost - the Tongues of flame that alight on the disciples heads as the Church comes alive with the Holy Spirit. But we also wear red to remember Martyrs. We remember the Saints who have given their life for their faith. Who have given their life to save others. And given their life so that others may see the evils of the world, the evils of repressive regimes, and (sometimes) the evils done in the name of God and Jesus. This is also the Jewish festival of Shavuot - the celebration of the gift of the Torah to the Jewish people. Two monotheistic traditions celebrating the coming of God to us, in very different ways, inextricably linked for thousands of years.
On Monday, the U.S. Government moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The move is largely on paper, at least for now, and only has small impacts on day to day operations. It is a moment of tremendous excitement for many American and Israeli Jews who long to see West Jerusalem recognized as the capital of Israel and who dream of a safe and secure Israel. Moderate voices, including the former Ambassador to Israel under President Obama have spoken in favor of this move.
On Monday, Palestinian protestors gathered at the Gaza Security Fence to dismantle the fence as a form of protest. Among the things they are protesting was the move of the U.S. Embassy. More than 50 protestors were killed and many many more were injured. These protestors are filled with anger and pain as they see their ancestral homeland slipping further and further away. Many moderate voices, including former Republican Foreign Policy experts, have condemned this move.
Two neighboring cultures, inextricably linked. One celebrating Independence Day - the other their Nakba, their darkest hour. Both of them with similar dreams of ‘Next year in Jerusalem’. Both struggling with their dream deferred.
As we Christians struggle with how to respond to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it behooves us to remember these two views, with very different origins, are deeply held convictions about what it means to call Jerusalem home.
Just as our own Pentecost celebrations do not negate or cancel out the Jewish vision of Shavuot, so also the Jewish vision for Israel and Palestine does not cancel out the Palestinian, and vice versa. We have a christian responsibility to call out evil, to stand up for those oppressed, particularly Palestinian Christians, and to hold our own government accountable for the evils we have encouraged. As we cry out for justice, however, and remember the lives lost in Gaza and in Jerusalem, in the streets of Tel Aviv and at IDF checkpoints in the West Bank, we should remember our Christian call to pray for peace. Peace in Jerusalem. Peace in the Holy Land and peace around the world.
So for Christians, this Pentecost we wear Red. Red for the Holy Spirit. Red for the blood of saint and martyrs who have died through the centuries. And Red for the blood of innocent lives lost around the world - in particular in Israel and Palestine. And we pray that the Holy Spirit fills hearts hardened by division with peace.
ERICA - Episcopal Refugee and Immigrant Center Alliance
Below is a little bit about ERICA - to find out more, buy tickets for the annual fundraiser, or donate to help the organization's mission - please click here!
Look Back: My Block, My Hood clean up day - April 28
On April 28 members of Memorial joined with neighbors from Bolton Hill, Sandtown and wider West Baltimore for the Mayor's Clean up Kick off day. Below are some pictures from the day, including the removal of a truly unwanted piece of trash.
Click here to see Grey+ talking about the day - hosted on Mayor Pugh's facebook page.
Ascension Day Service and Justice Meeting - May 10 at 6:30 pm
Tomorrow evening we will celebrate Ascension Day with a 6:30 Eucharist in the church. After the service will be our monthly Justice Committee meeting. All are invited to join us for both. The service should last approximately half an hour and the meeting should begin around 7:00 pm.
The View from Bolton Street
Living Words and Dying Words
If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. 1 John 5:9-10a.
Do you have a ‘testimony in your heart’?
I recognize this is very Evangelical language, which may be triggering for some. So let me try and phrase the question a different way, borrowing some language from Iona:
“Has God sent you out as a living letter to the world?”
This blessing from the community of Iona, perhaps the oldest mystic community in the British Isles, captures the essence of the message of the first letter of John perhaps better than anything I have seen. God Loves us. And so God sends us out as living letters, incarnate words, to the world.
Just as Jesus was ‘The Word’ made flesh/incarnate, so are we to be living words to the world - examples of Christ’s love, compassion and salvation to all those we meet.
Now sometimes our common life can get a little prickly. In Church we can get annoyed that the music wasn’t quite right, that the sermon wasn’t to our liking, or that an announcement was skipped, a program dropped. In the world we can be upset with someone’s political opinions, who they voted for, who they support. We can be upset with any number of things and our words can get ‘spiky’. You know, spiky words right?
FAKE NEWS.
Baby Killer.
Nazi.
Homo.
Warmonger.
Racist.
Whether these words are ‘true’ or not. They inflict so much damage that they are rendered almost useless in conversation among people in disagreement. Such words come ‘pre-loaded’ and when we deploy them we know (or should know) that they are liable to shut down rather than further conversation.
These are not ‘living words’ but ‘dying words’. And they can kill conversations and relationships. Now sometimes things need to die! Sometimes we need to cut off communication because the abuse and hurt and hate is just too much. And when we do that, we should do so conscious that we believe in the resurrection and with a prayerful hope that resurrection may come to that relationship sometime in the future.
But we should also work to use ‘living words’ more fully. To find the words God has written on our heart to share, not the words that a perpetually angry 24 hr news cycle has embedded in our brains. So that we can be kinder with each other, and with those whom we disagree more fully with. Particularly among fellow Christians and fellow Memorialites we should always assume the best in each other, and seek to offer living words to each other so that we may be living water to each other.
But in order to due that - we must dig past the first layer of emotion, past our skin and flesh. Past the bones and get to the heart of our belief. The heart of our faith. We must know what we believe!
That you (me, us, all of us) are beloved Children of God. That we have collectively made so many mistakes and yet God loves us anyway. And that Jesus Christ died on the Cross so that we all be reconciled — not just with God but also with each other. So that together we may find eternal life.
That ‘living letter’ is written on my heart. And there is a letter written on your heart; with a different tone, texture, and sentiment; but hopefully a similar message, that you can share.
Whenever we engage on an issue of import - be it the style of worship in Church or the character of the President - we do so fully immersed in that belief - and the belief that the person we are engaging with is a child of God, deserving of our love, respect, care, concern and our trust. Because in that moment we are nothing less than Christ’s emissary. A living letter in his own hand that is being shared with the world.
Grey+
Artwalk 2018 - MICA Commencement
This Friday is ArtWalk - MICA’s annual Senior exhibition and art fair. This year Memorial has had the pleasure of working with two MICA artists, Tyler Ballon - who created the painting in the Peace Chapel and Thomas Yang, who is a regular attender at our 10:30 service. Tyler’s art can be found on the second floor of the Main MICA Building on Mt. Royal Ave, and Thomas’ can be found on the fourth floor of the Brown Center - the Pyramid Like Glass Building at the end of Lafayette Ave.
Please come out this Friday and support these two, and many other, young talented artists!
The Feast of Pentecost
This year will be a special Feast of Pentecost with a focus on kids in the 10:30 service. We will once again be joined by members of the BSA jazz ensemble featuring our very own Kate Gorman. There will be readings in a multitude of languages. The children of the parish will be singing during the service - in short, a full day about the future of Memorial, by the future of Memorial.
We hope you will join us, May 20, for either Faith @ 8 in UFH or Rite II at 10:30 in the church.
Baltimore Water Heroes Camp - looking for staff
Registration for MEC’s summer camp, Baltimore Water Heroes, is underway! We will have a group of up to 25 children from grades K to 8 for this one week camp but we need some volunteers and staff to make it happen.
We are currently recruiting the following:
1 or 2 camp leaders who have experience in teaching, youth facilitation and or/environmental science (remuneration)
Camp Counselors - older teens, college students or adults who will help implement camp activities (possible remuneration)
Volunteers to help with any number of activities, such as swimming, pre-care and aftercare
Camp will take place from August 20-24, 2018. Visit the camp link here for more information. Email Amy Rial at rialster@gmail.com if you are interested in any of positions above.