The View from Bolton Street
On Handmaidens and The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Song of Mary Magnificat
Luke 1:46-55
My soul doth magnify the Lord, *
and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
For he hath regarded *
the lowliness of his handmaiden.
For behold from henceforth *
all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath magnified me, *
and holy is his Name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him *
throughout all generations.
He hath showed strength with his arm; *
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, *
and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel, *
as he promised to our forefathers,
Abraham and his seed for ever.
There has been a lot of public discussion around Handmaidens recently - which I am sure delights the Blessed Virgin Mary - but leaves many of the rest of us confused. For the last four years the rise in popularity of “A Handmaid’s Tale” has left many of us with a rather perjorative definition and the current debate around the honorable Amy Coney Barrett’s membership in something called “The People of Praise” has only heightened that. The public square is rapidly defining ‘handmaiden’ as a woman who is docile, subservient, weak, dependent on her male counterpart for support, sustenance and direction.
But when Mary replied to the Angel Gabriel “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be with me according to Thy word” that was NOT what she intended.
Now let me be clear that this is not directed at Judge Barrett or the People of Praise. I do not know what their thinking was or is around the term, and that is not the point of this brief reflection.
Whatever the popular discourse is around handmaidens real and fictional, as Christians we should not let that discourse change how we understand the Holy Mother of God, Mary herself. To be the Handmaid of the Lord is not only a high honor - but is work that requires strength, courage, independence, patience, compassion and faith that God is walking with you when others in your life are walking the other way.
But don’t take my word for it! Listen to Mary herself - Her Magnificat serves as a perpetual reminder of what it means to be a handmaiden of the Lord.
For behold from henceforth *
all generations shall call me blessed.
He hath showed strength with his arm; *
he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, *
and hath exalted the humble and meek.
He hath filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he hath sent empty away.
This is the work that God is doing through Mary, that God is doing through all of God’s handmaidens. If there is such a thing as ‘women’s work’ in the Church this is it: to lead, to offer a prophetic voice, to show up when others are afraid, and to bring the living God into the world - over and over again. Monica and I are unabashedly raising our daughter to be someone who works directly with Jesus to right wrongs, to lift up the lowly, to feed the hungry and to cast out the rich and powerful.
That is what a handmaiden of the Lord is called to.
No matter what anyone else says.
E-Faith@8, 10/11
The Faith@8 group is continuing to meet during this time of social distancing. Join us for an informal, community led service with more questions than answers and an open spot for whoever appears. Just follow the Zoom link below!
Memorial Faith@8
Time: Sundays at 8:00AM Eastern
Join Zoom Meeting here: https://zoom.us/j/6394994372
Meeting ID: 639 499 4372
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E-Church 10:30am, 10/11
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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The View From Robert St.
Although they have no words or language, *
and their voices are not heard
Psalm 19:3
Okay, THAT sounds pretty good, right?
I can think of a few people that I wish had no words or language. Whose voices are not heard.
And it is reasonable for all of us, in times of conflict, to feel this way about our enemies. I am grateful for scripture that helps us process our joy and our anger. Our fear and our dread.
But if we expand this Psalm and read the whole thing — it may offer us some real hope.
Psalm 19
1The heavens declare the glory of God, *
and the firmament shows his handiwork.
2 One day tells its tale to another, *
and one night imparts knowledge to another.
3 Although they have no words or language, *
and their voices are not heard,
4 Their sound has gone out into all lands, *
and their message to the ends of the world.
5 In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; *
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to run its course.
6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again; *
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and revives the soul; *
the testimony of the Lord is sure
and gives wisdom to the innocent.
The world is very LOUD right now. Life is noisy. And worrisome. And fraught.
And it might feel like God is not speaking to us.
But Psalm 19 assures us that the Heavens are speaking, singing, in a great chorus, the glory of God’s handiwork! And while that song has no language or sound or voice — it goes out to all the lands — nothing is hidden from its heat.
In LOUD times however it can be hard to hear that still small voice. Which means we need to take extra time to pause, step back, reflect, and hear a God’s voice. If you are able I encourage you to take 15 minutes every morning and listen for God. One easy way to do this is to pray the Daily Office at prayer.forwardmovement.org or listen to the Morning at the Office podcast; you can find the podcast here: https://amato.podbean.com/
The world is not going to get quieter anytime soon, so if you want to stay close to God and to each other, we have to get quieter.
But we should not be silent either. There are many injustices in the world. Some being propagated by the highest office in the land. We need to boldly and clearly denounce those evils and work to undo them. Our moments of quiet and prayer help to sustain us in that work and ensure that our responses come from a Godly place and not a human place.
So, friends, for the next few weeks let’s practice a rhythm of quiet prayer and vocal action. In so doing we bring our prayers to life and we hope bringing a better world to life too.
The View From Robert St. (Copy)
Although they have no words or language, *
and their voices are not heard
Psalm 19:3
Okay, THAT sounds pretty good, right?
I can think of a few people that I wish had no words or language. Whose voices are not heard.
And it is reasonable for all of us, in times of conflict, to feel this way about our enemies. I am grateful for scripture that helps us process our joy and our anger. Our fear and our dread.
But if we expand this Psalm and read the whole thing — it may offer us some real hope.
Psalm 19
1The heavens declare the glory of God, *
and the firmament shows his handiwork.
2 One day tells its tale to another, *
and one night imparts knowledge to another.
3 Although they have no words or language, *
and their voices are not heard,
4 Their sound has gone out into all lands, *
and their message to the ends of the world.
5 In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; *
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to run its course.
6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again; *
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and revives the soul; *
the testimony of the Lord is sure
and gives wisdom to the innocent.
The world is very LOUD right now. Life is noisy. And worrisome. And fraught.
And it might feel like God is not speaking to us.
But Psalm 19 assures us that the Heavens are speaking, singing, in a great chorus, the glory of God’s handiwork! And while that song has no language or sound or voice — it goes out to all the lands — nothing is hidden from its heat.
In LOUD times however it can be hard to hear that still small voice. Which means we need to take extra time to pause, step back, reflect, and hear a God’s voice. If you are able I encourage you to take 15 minutes every morning and listen for God. One easy way to do this is to pray the Daily Office at prayer.forwardmovement.org or listen to the Morning at the Office podcast; you can find the podcast here: https://amato.podbean.com/
The world is not going to get quieter anytime soon, so if you want to stay close to God and to each other, we have to get quieter.
But we should not be silent either. There are many injustices in the world. Some being propagated by the highest office in the land. We need to boldly and clearly denounce those evils and work to undo them. Our moments of quiet and prayer help to sustain us in that work and ensure that our responses come from a Godly place and not a human place.
So, friends, for the next few weeks let’s practice a rhythm of quiet prayer and vocal action. In so doing we bring our prayers to life and we hope bringing a better world to life too.
The View From Robert St. (Copy)
Although they have no words or language, *
and their voices are not heard
Psalm 19:3
Okay, THAT sounds pretty good, right?
I can think of a few people that I wish had no words or language. Whose voices are not heard.
And it is reasonable for all of us, in times of conflict, to feel this way about our enemies. I am grateful for scripture that helps us process our joy and our anger. Our fear and our dread.
But if we expand this Psalm and read the whole thing — it may offer us some real hope.
Psalm 19
1The heavens declare the glory of God, *
and the firmament shows his handiwork.
2 One day tells its tale to another, *
and one night imparts knowledge to another.
3 Although they have no words or language, *
and their voices are not heard,
4 Their sound has gone out into all lands, *
and their message to the ends of the world.
5 In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; *
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
it rejoices like a champion to run its course.
6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
and runs about to the end of it again; *
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect
and revives the soul; *
the testimony of the Lord is sure
and gives wisdom to the innocent.
The world is very LOUD right now. Life is noisy. And worrisome. And fraught.
And it might feel like God is not speaking to us.
But Psalm 19 assures us that the Heavens are speaking, singing, in a great chorus, the glory of God’s handiwork! And while that song has no language or sound or voice — it goes out to all the lands — nothing is hidden from its heat.
In LOUD times however it can be hard to hear that still small voice. Which means we need to take extra time to pause, step back, reflect, and hear a God’s voice. If you are able I encourage you to take 15 minutes every morning and listen for God. One easy way to do this is to pray the Daily Office at prayer.forwardmovement.org or listen to the Morning at the Office podcast; you can find the podcast here: https://amato.podbean.com/
The world is not going to get quieter anytime soon, so if you want to stay close to God and to each other, we have to get quieter.
But we should not be silent either. There are many injustices in the world. Some being propagated by the highest office in the land. We need to boldly and clearly denounce those evils and work to undo them. Our moments of quiet and prayer help to sustain us in that work and ensure that our responses come from a Godly place and not a human place.
So, friends, for the next few weeks let’s practice a rhythm of quiet prayer and vocal action. In so doing we bring our prayers to life and we hope bringing a better world to life too.
Evensong for St. Michael and All Angels
Please join us on September 29th for a service of
Evensong
celebrating
St. Michael and All Angels
at 7 PM.
More information about the feast can be found here.
Rev. Maggiano will offer a Homily — “Do we Need Angels right now? Yes!”
E-Faith@8, 10/4
The Faith@8 group is continuing to meet during this time of social distancing. Join us for an informal, community led service with more questions than answers and an open spot for whoever appears. Just follow the Zoom link below!
Memorial Faith@8
Time: Sundays at 8:00AM Eastern
Join Zoom Meeting here: https://zoom.us/j/6394994372
Meeting ID: 639 499 4372
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,6394994372# US (Chicago)
+16465588656,,6394994372# US (New York)
E-Church 10:30am, 10/4
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
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84992001341?pwd=QUMvMFYzZU9HQkRLVmxISkVPRGlIQT09
Meeting ID: 849 9200 1341
Password: 563025
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,84992001341#,,,,0#,,563025# US (Germantown)
+19292056099,,84992001341#,,,,0#,,563025# US (New York)
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,85296035556#,,1#,141735# US (Germantown)
+13126266799,,85296035556#,,1#,141735# US (Chicago)
Dial by your location
+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
Meeting ID: 876 9436 6639
Password: 729226
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdoU8Ii34Q
Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg
by Karen Mercer
(Photo Illustration by the Daily Beast)
“In the path of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.” (Proverbs 12:28)
Eric Zellinski,D.C., a public health researcher and a pioneer in the Biblical public health arena, stated that “death is a five letter one syllable word that is the summation of all our fears. Regardless of age, race, gender, religion or status, death is inevitable. The thought of dying and not knowing what comes next has been one of life’s most profound mysteries. “
A few months ago when John Lewis died, Rachel, our E-Seminarian, was impacted as many of us were by his death. She talked about how much she was learning about his life and legacy even though she was not a witness to his significant parts of his life’s journey, she took the time to learn more about him. What a wonderful way to honor this civil rights icon.
On September 18, 61 days after the death of Congressman Lewis, here we are again; mourning the death of a person who has had such a phenomenal impact on our lives and history. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a trailblazer, a woman-rights icon, a woman who continues to provide hope for young women everywhere in their quests to venture into corners of life that are sometimes unavailable to them.
The country’s response to our current loss is quite different than it was two months ago. Justice Ginsburg hadn’t been dead two hours before politicians and the media pivoted from her death to how it would impact our country in terms of the election and cases before the Supreme Court. This isn’t an unusual position for us; to be concerned about how someone’s death impacts “us;” it is natural. But shouldn’t we take a moment to remember and honor the life of this amazing woman?
It’s hard not go to the places of fear and anxiety in a time of uncertainty and grief. The disciples experienced the same at the death of Jesus. And Jesus attempted to prepare them when he said in John 16:20, “Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. “ The disciples were grief-stricken and at the same time fearful of the future for themselves and Christianity. Our reactions are not new or abnormal, they are in fact human reactions.
Today, I encourage you to reach out to a young person who may not really know the accomplishments of Justice Ginsburg and share the stories of her life with them. Or reach out to a friend or colleague who may have forgotten the major impact that she has had on our lives as citizens and on the lives of women in particular. Read the stories about her life; not just as a public servant, but as a young woman who lost her mother before graduating from high school. Learn about her academic achievements; one of nine women in her class of 552 men at Columbia Law School and tying for first in that class. Learn about her role as wife and mother. What a way to give honor to this woman; learn who she was. Allow yourself to grieve the loss of another beautiful life that we were blessed to witness.
The future will take care of itself; for just a little while, let us honor the life of RBG. And never forget that just as God was with the disciples, God is and will be with us.
Amen.