E-Church 7/19 9:30am

To join us, all you need to do is click on the link below. We will have the order of service up on the screen to follow along. We recognize that all of us have different levels of comfort with technology - we will do our best to help everyone do what they need to feel comfortable and participate!

Two tips for Zoom worship:

1) Let us see your face! If at all possible, please start a video feed so we can see each other face to face, even across distance. 

2) Please mute yourself unless you have a speaking role in the service. And if you find you are muted, please don’t unmute yourself unless asked. However - even when you are muted, please do respond to the prayers and readings, as we are all worshipping together. 

Join Zoom Meeting
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The View From Robert Street

The Image of Christ

There has been a lot of discussion recently about ‘White Jesus’ and not just at Memorial.  As is expected, whenever a religious topic enters the public sphere the dialogue ends up watered down and muddled. Because we are having our own discussions (and actions) around one image of a white Jesus it makes sense to offer a few thoughts on it here. 

A few basic things to keep in mind:

1. the image of Jesus has always been contested and political and its pointless to pretend otherwise.

2. It is good that there are as many images of Jesus as there are people on earth - because we should all be able to see Christ in each other. 

3. Jesus wasn’t white. 

We make a mistake when we argue against ‘White Jesus’ because we want to be ‘historically accurate.’  Jesus Christ WAS a man who lived in 1st century Galilee AND Jesus Christ is a universal savior for all humanity.  If we limit Jesus’ image to what he looked like when he was alive, we also limit the reach of his salvation.  As Christians we believe that Christ resides in each of us. The tomb is empty for a reason, so that we may seek and find Jesus in all places. So there is nothing in principle wrong with an image of Jesus with white skin. 

But that is not what ‘White Jesus’ is about. When we talk about ‘White Jesus’ we are talking about a modern effort to sanitize the liberating story of Christ into a mild-mannered blond haired, blue eyed Sunday school lesson.  More discreetly, we are talking about an effort to take Jesus out of the universal and in to the particular.  Jesus is made in the white man’s image as a reminder of who holds power and who doesn’t. Who is in control and who isn’t.  This ‘White Jesus’ imagery derives directly from the institution of slavery, both of native americans and African-Americans. Black and brown people are ‘less than’ - which justifies their enslavement, but if they accept Jesus taught to them by white men about the salvific acts of this one white man, they may be redeemable.  

This is the thinking that allowed Churches to give out ‘slave bibles’ that were missing all the stories of liberation from the Old Testament. That made it okay to have slave galleries or slave porches in churches. That made it acceptable for White Churches to provide black congregations with white pastors until they had grown enough in their faith to be on their own.  This is the thinking that led the Dame Family to dedicate ‘The Transfiguration Painting’ in our Sanctuary to the memory of The Rev. Dr. William Meade Dame. 

Now this does not mean that previous images of Jesus, or other images of Jesus in other cultures and contexts aren’t problematic. That’s why I started with reminding us that the image of Christ has always been political and disputed. From the very beginning! After Jesus’ resurrection Mary doesn’t recognize him in the garden, Thomas refuses to believe in his return until he sees for himself, the Disciples on the road to Emmaus don’t recognize him till he breaks bread, Peter is so confused by his appearing that he strips naked and jumps in the Sea of Galilee. A good portion of the book of Acts is dedicated to whether or not Paul did in fact meet Jesus on the road to Damascus. And that’s just the first few books of the New Testament! 

As early as the 300s you can find images of Jesus as a Roman Soldier and a Rabbi, with and without a beard, with dark skin and light skin, in stunning detail and as a stick figure. By the 1000’s images of Jesus as a woman were easy to find.  The impact and import of these images change and shift over time.  What they mean to us changes too.  During the crusades it was common for returning crusaders to get tattoos in Jerusalem to mark their conquest.  Today you will find every returning group of young hipster Christian pilgrims to Israel coming back with the same tattoos - mostly oblivious to the origin. 

All of these images and symbols were and are political. We can debate the windows in Notre Dame or the Sistine Chapel or Rafael’s forum, or the work of Caravaggio in another forum.  They may have used a light skinned Jesus, but that is not what we mean when we talk about ‘White Jesus.’ 

“White Jesus’ is not just about the image of a light skinned savior. It is also about the intention, the purpose, and the symbolism of the work. We are talking about images, teaching, and theology born out of a need to legitimize slavery that depicted good people as white and bad people as black and Jesus as the best of all. The image of Christ became then a tool of repression rather than liberation and a symbol of bondage rather than salvation. It is for this reason that we should interrogate both the art and the underlying theology of our churches and institutions so that we can depict a universal Christ who offers salvation to all, even us sinners.

Virtual Pilgrimage to the Holy Land - Register Now!

Join us this July for a “trip” of a lifetime!

Memorial Episcopal Church

Virtual Study Tour

July 22-August 2, 2020

Join with members of your community for a virtual study tour to Israel/Palestine.  Through the wonders of Zoom, while remaining safe at home, you will travel to the Holy Land and consider the rich complexity of what the land means to you and to Israelis and Palestinians who live there now.  Each meeting will focus on a different part of the land, including, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Galilee, the Negev, Lod, and Tel Aviv.  For each stop, you will receive a relevant article or book chapter to read in advance, as well as a short video to watch.  Each Zoom meeting will include a discussion of the reading and video, small group text study (havruta), and a meeting with a religious leader, social activist, or scholar for a short lecture and discussion. 

Who will we meet?

·         Dr. Marcie Lenk: The organizer of your virtual study tour, Marcie is a practicing Jew with a PhD in Early Christianity, who has dedicated her professional life to helping Jews, Christians and Muslims better understand one another.

·         Pastor Carrie Ballenger: Pastor of the English-speaking congregation at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem’s Old City, Carrie also serves as special assistant to Bishop Ibrahim Azar of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land

·         Ezra Korman: CEO of Makor Educational Tours, Ezra brings decades of experience as an Israeli tour guide and educator to create educationally oriented travel programs. 

·         Representatives of Roots / Judur: A partnership of Muslim Palestinians and Jewish Israeli settlers to foster understanding and mutual respect of the other.

·         Dr. Orit Avnery is a lecturer in Bible at Shalem College and a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute’s Kogod Research Center for Contemporary Jewish Thought. An expert on biblical law and narrative, she is the author of a volume on the Books of Ruth and Esther

·         Rachel Korazim is a freelance Jewish education consultant in curriculum development for Israel and Holocaust education. She engages audiences worldwide through innovative presentations built around the stories, poems and songs of Israel’s best writers.

·         And more!

What will we read?

·         James Carroll, “Introduction: Two Jerusalems,” Jerusalem, Jerusalem: How the Ancient City Ignited our Modern World, 1-23.

·         Karen Armstrong, “Israel,” Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths, 371-397.

·         Mitri Raheb, “The Empire,” Faith in the Face of Empire, 55-66.

·         Ari Shavit, “Lydda, 1948,” My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel, 99-132.

·         Karla Suomala, “Jewish Concern for the Land of Israel,” in Covenantal Conversations: Christians in Dialogue with Jews & Judaism, ed. Darrell Jodock, 91-99.

·         Barbara Mann, “Jews in Space,” A Place in History: Modernism, Tel Aviv, and the Creation of Jewish Urban Space, 1-25.

Meetings will take place on:
Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday: 1-3 pm Baltimore (8-10 pm Jerusalem),
and Friday: 9-11 am Baltimore (4-6 pm Jerusalem).

Additionally, meetings will be added on Wednesday and Sunday evenings Baltimore time for more discussion and social time.

Liturgy and Living - Mon 7/20 6:00 - "How to Be an Antiracist" Book Discussion

“How to Be an Antiracist”
Continued Book Discussion, Monday 7/20

Ibram X. Kendi's concept of antiracism reenergizes and reshapes the conversation about racial justice in America--but even more fundamentally, points us toward liberating new ways of thinking about ourselves and each other. Instead of working with the policies and system we have in place, Kendi asks us to think about what an antiracist society might look like, and how we can play an active role in building it. 

Please read the book by Monday 7/20, when we will finish our discussion, focusing on the second half of the book.

Click here to purchase the book!

Topic: Liturgy and Living
Time: Jul 20, 2020 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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E-Church 7/12 9:30am

To join us, all you need to do is click on the link below. We will have the order of service up on the screen to follow along. We recognize that all of us have different levels of comfort with technology - we will do our best to help everyone do what they need to feel comfortable and participate!

Two tips for Zoom worship:

1) Let us see your face! If at all possible, please start a video feed so we can see each other face to face, even across distance. 

2) Please mute yourself unless you have a speaking role in the service. And if you find you are muted, please don’t unmute yourself unless asked. However - even when you are muted, please do respond to the prayers and readings, as we are all worshipping together. 

Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 849 9200 1341

Password: 563025

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E-Church 7/5 9:30am

To join us, all you need to do is click on the link below. We will have the order of service up on the screen to follow along. We recognize that all of us have different levels of comfort with technology - we will do our best to help everyone do what they need to feel comfortable and participate!

Two tips for Zoom worship:

1) Let us see your face! If at all possible, please start a video feed so we can see each other face to face, even across distance. 

2) Please mute yourself unless you have a speaking role in the service. And if you find you are muted, please don’t unmute yourself unless asked. However - even when you are muted, please do respond to the prayers and readings, as we are all worshipping together. 

Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 849 9200 1341

Password: 563025

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Welcome Karen Mercer!

As a way of introduction, I will begin with expressing my gratitude and excitement to be with Memorial for my internship.  I recently completed Exploring Baptism Ministry( EBM) here in the Maryland Diocese and am a member of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church- Walbrook. Prior to my membership at St. Mary’s, I was a member of St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church Baltimore.  

I am originally from Clarksville, TN but spent most of my adult life in Indianapolis, IN before moving to the Maryland, D.C., Virginia area in 1999.  I am a mother of two wonderful adults, Hope and Michael and have three beautiful grandchildren.  I am married to Charles Mercer, the Rector of St. Mary the Virgin.

I am a retired Federal employee, having worked for 29 ½ years primarily in the Department of Health and Human Services.  My work history has included working with the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program at HRSA; overseeing grants to cities and states throughout the country and also with the Affordable Care Act at CMS. 

I hold a Masters in Pastoral Counseling and recently closed my private practice after 13 years.  I have worked with victims and perpetrators of domestic violence, and individuals with various mental health and wellness issues. I am a certified Prepare/Enrich marriage and pre-marital counselor

I have been involved in both St. Mary’s and St. B’s as a lay reader, member of Daughters of the King, and Eucharistic minister.  I have developed several small group activities at St. Mary’s, have led Adult Bible Study, Morning Prayers, taught confirmation classes, lead our Back to Church Sunday each year, been involved in Ashes to Go on Ash Wednesday, developed our Blue Christmas service, and coordinated the first ever Women’s Retreat at St. Mary’s. 

With all the work I have been blessed to do, I felt there was more God was asking me to do.  So rather than continue to be like Martha (as we read in the 10th chapter of Luke),  I heard the call to be more like Mary;  to be still and listen to Jesus which is what led me to EBM.  I am so glad that I took the opportunity to hear God’s call.

During my time in the EBM process, I heard the call to priesthood and am currently on a path toward ordination.  In speaking with my mentors from EBM and with Bishop Ihloff, each of them expressed that Memorial would be an appropriate and rewarding parish for me to complete my internship.

I believe my purpose is to proclaim the Gospel, to lead a congregation, to bear witness to others of God’s love for us all.  To share the Eucharist with others, to offer a sacred, safe place for those who are hurting is a blessing. I believe God is calling me to assist others to see the gifts God has blessed them with and to journey with them to a place of peace and joy that can only come from the realization of God’s love.  I also believe I am in a unique position to lead a multi-cultural congregation and to assist in reconciliation and healing. I know that Memorial will provide me with a first-hand experience of witnessing that type of healing and reconciliation.

The gifts I bring are:

• Openness

• Exceptional listening skills

• A calming presence

• Teaching

• Facilitation

• Administration

• Creativity

• A thirst for knowledge and application for that knowledge

• A love for Christ and the love of Christ

I look forward to this experience and thank you for your warm welcome.

Karen Mercer

E-Church 6/28 9:30am

To join us, all you need to do is click on the link below. We will have the order of service up on the screen to follow along. We recognize that all of us have different levels of comfort with technology - we will do our best to help everyone do what they need to feel comfortable and participate!

Two tips for Zoom worship:

1) Let us see your face! If at all possible, please start a video feed so we can see each other face to face, even across distance. 

2) Please mute yourself unless you have a speaking role in the service. And if you find you are muted, please don’t unmute yourself unless asked. However - even when you are muted, please do respond to the prayers and readings, as we are all worshipping together. 

Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 849 9200 1341

Password: 563025

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Liturgy & Living, SUNDAY 6/28 10:45 - Shelley Halstead

Liturgy & Living with Shelley Halstead,
founder of Black Women Build,
After worship on Sunday 6/28 at 10:45am

Black Women Build-Baltimore is a home ownership and wealth building initiative that trains black women in carpentry, electrical, and plumbing by restoring vacant and deteriorated houses in West Baltimore.

Black Women Build-Baltimore was founded in 2017 by Shelley Halstead who believes that for black women to build intergenerational wealth, with the inherent security and prosperity it can generate, they must also learn the skills necessary to maintain that wealth. Home ownership and the ability to maintain that asset is one way this can be achieved.

Shelley founded Black Women Build-Baltimore with a strong belief in the power of knowledge, skills and opportunity to shape a woman’s life. She is passionate about creating opportunities for black women to thrive. Using an intersectional framework Black Women Build-Baltimore offers its holistic training program to capable women who are ready for change, and would not otherwise have the opportunity. 

Memorial has committed to support Black Women Build, seeking to raise $6,000 to lessen the economic and social divide between black and white Baltimore. (Many of these homes are in the neighborhood around St Katherine's.) The $6,000 will support two women in getting into the program. To contribute CLICK OUR ONLINE DONATION LINK and select “Black Women Build” from the drop-down “Fund” menu.

Topic: Liturgy and Living
Time: Sunday 6/28, 10:45 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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The View From Robert Street

Should Christians take part in ‘Pride’?

This Sunday Memorial Church will celebrate PRIDE Month - with a special service, litany, and maybe even some festive virtual backgrounds. And every year around this time the question comes up... ‘Isn’t pride a SIN?’ And as a Christian who takes sin seriously, here is my response. 

First of all. YES, pride as it is biblically understood is unambiguously a sin.  All of the New Testament references to pride carry clear negative connotations.  And while the Hebrew Scriptures are a bit more balanced, almost always pride is ‘Good’ when God demonstrates it and ‘Bad’ when we do.  Even Jesus is pretty clear, reminding us that it is ‘the one who serves’ that is greater.  While there is no clear biblical list of ‘Seven Deadly Sins’ - they all have roots in scripture and pride in particular is one we should be mindful of.  After all it was pride that led to the Tower of Babel; pride that made Joseph’s brothers throw him in the well; pride that made Saul turn against David and try to kill his friend. 

For many Christians that would be it I suppose. Case closed. ‘The Bible says it. I believe it. That settles it.’  And I confess the Hebrew Scriptures and how they treat pride in particularly are convicting to me.  When humankind seeks to take God’s place. To act in God’s stead, that is particularly sinful.

But it is this precise argument that I believe compels Christians to celebrate Pride Month.  Because this Pride is not that pride. 

Because Pride didn’t start as a community celebration of uniqueness and identity.  Pride started as a revolt against a man-made system that told LGBTQ people that they were disordered, wrong, sinful, a scourge on humanity, and worse.  Pride started because good people of faith, Christian people, people like you and me, decided to TAKE GOD’S PLACE as judge and arbiter.  We decided to systematically demonize and terrorize a sub segment of God’s Creation that is fearfully and wonderfully made. We sought to build our own Tower of Babel to demonstrate our superiority and cast dispersions on those who were not like us. And it wasn’t the first time either.  Once upon a time we decided that white was ‘better’ than black. That male was ‘better’ than female. That english was ‘better than’ Latin. Or Greek. Or French. Or Spanish. We sought to subjugate God in God’s self to our own devices and desires and declare that we knew exactly what God wants for gay people. And for us. 

In short, Pride started not as a celebration of pride in the LGBT community but as a condemnation of the pride of the American community.  That Pride celebrations are still necessary so many years later should serve as a continued indictment of our blindness in the Christian world to our fellow siblings in Christ who so desire the love of God and of God’s Church and who we continue to leave on the margins.  In 2016, I marched in the Pride parade in Jerusalem.  They had to wall off the parade route because they were afraid of violent attacks. Every year in America we see stories about communities large and small hosting their first ever Pride events; the first time that people have felt the freedom to be honest about who they are or who they love.  Freedom because it was almost always Christians who mocked, derided, castigated them... or worse. 

I don’t expect most Christians who read this to agree with me.  I recognize that as a pastor in a denomination that fully includes LGBTQ members in all of the sacraments including ordination I am in the minority, and as the pastor of a church with a significant percentage of the congregation who self identify as part of the LGBTQ community I am in an even smaller minority.  I don’t expect the rest of the Christian world to wake up tomorrow and suddenly decide to be radically inclusive of the entirety of the LGBTQ community (though Jesus would truly delight in that!) 

But I do hope that all Christians would see Pride Month as a time to practice their own humility.   That they would remember that Tennessee Williams was attacked in 1979 after a Baptist Minister encouraged violence against the gay community.  That Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder were killed by two Christian men who were ‘serving their creator’ and defended by their pastor at trial. That Sean Kennedy was killed, in 2007, in South Carolina for being gay, and was defended by a pastor who attacked Sean’s family for being a threat to the Church.  That it was Christian hate that made Pride a necessity. That ‘Pride’ began as a protest against the sin of pride in the Christian community. 

If you are a Christian who thinks that ‘Pride’ is wrong I agree with you.  The pride that has allowed us - as a people who profess to follow a God of Love and Compassion - to look the other way as Christians hate, discriminate, attack and kill children of God because of who they are or because of who they love is absolutely sinful and needs to end.  So I will attend, and participate, in Pride this year in Baltimore because as Christians we must break down the hate that divides and separates all of us from the knowledge and love of God. In the Gospels, Jesus tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus.  When the rich man dies and ends up in Heaven he commands Lazarus, who he ignored, beat and starved his whole life, to get him a drop of water. But the Rich man found out as he stood up and looked at Lazarus, that ‘a Great Chasm is fixed’ between us - and that God and the prophets were on the side of Lazarus and the rich proud man was alone.  I know that Jesus is always on the side of the marginalized, the disenfranchised, the hurting and the lost.  And thats where I plan to be on Saturday, and for as long as I can after.