Thanksgiving, 2020

Please join us Thursday morning for a service of

Holy Eucharist

celebrating

The Feast of Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 26, 11 AM.

Join the Zoom at 10:30 before the Service to share your favorite Thanksgiving Gathering Traditions!

Stop by the church after the service to receive the Eucharist outdoors and socially-distanced.

Thanksgiving is a time when we bring the first fruits before God to give thanks for the many ways God has blessed us this year. At its core it is a celebration of the power of faith over fear, and the need to work together across difference.

While the tensions and oppression by colonists against Native American populations is a tragic part of our history, the early history of the pilgrims and their relationship to the Wampanoag stands in contrast to much of that.

If you would like to make a contribution to our own efforts to put faith over fear and to work together across difference, you can contribute to our COVID relief fund at this link.

E-Church 10:30am, 11/22

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
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+13126266799,,85296035556#,,1#,141735# US (Chicago)

Dial by your location

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        +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

Five Talents

This Sunday we have in the Gospels the parable of the Five Talents. A tough and absent master leaves his servants with varying amounts of money, 5 talents, 2 talents and 1 talent, to steward while he is gone. As I am sure you remember, the one with 5 made 5 more, the one with 2 made 2 more, and the one with 1, buried it because they were scared of losing it.

The master's response is predictable. rewarding those who made money, and punishing the one who was too fearful.

Too often we live in fear of losing what little we have. We bury it, hide it, scurry it away, so that no one comes to take it from us.

This comes to our time, our talent, and our treasure. Have you ever hidden a dream? a passion? a desire from the world because you were afraid of what people would say?

Within the Anglican Communion we have an organization - Five Talents International - that helps to empower people to overcome these fears and to go after those dreams and passions. www.fivetalents.org is a Christian Microfinance organization that builds off the parable of the Five Talents to teach practical, relational and spiritual skills to small business owners around the world. I have taught with them in Uganda, Rwanda and Honduras, and continue to be impressed and inspired by the work of this organization that helps to empower men and women to achieve economic independence and deeper connection to their communities and to Jesus.

One of the most memorable learnings I took away from these sessions was that in business and in life the most important thing is to put God first. When we let our greed or our fears dominate - we end up in a bad place, but if we put God first - we are able to evaluate our personal and financial decisions considering how this builds Faith, Hope and Love.

This week you all should have received a stewardship package from Memorial (including a great puzzle!) inviting you to 'be a part of our puzzle.' As you ponder whether and how to pledge this year - I hope you will consider putting God first in this too. Has Memorial added to your faith? Your hope? Your love in 2020? If so I hope you will pledge so that we can continue to offer this to others in 2021.

And if you would like to learn more about Five Talents, click on the link above or send me a note!

For more on stewardship click here: https://www.memorialboltonhill.org/stewardship

Election, Day After

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight.

Perhaps you woke up this morning feeling bent over and unable to stand. Perhaps you have felt that way for the last four years. Today may not feel as healing or satisfying as you had hoped. 

If you have spent some time in Baltimore City, you may also recognize that more than a few people in this city have been bent over and unable to stand for much longer than 18 years.  

As we struggle with the unknown of this election, the unknown of what is next, the frustration of things not being politically what we might desire - we should have the humility to remember that many of our friends and neighbors have been struggling with much deeper fundamental problems for a long time.  Some of us are still waiting for that healing touch, for the freedom to stand up and walk.

So let’s be gentle with each other and ourselves today.  Spend time outside, offer prayers, read scripture, call someone you love, do some tangible good if you can. Then let’s get back to the work of liberation. On Sunday I preached about freedom, and the freedom found in the Beatitudes, in the humility of seeing where God’s attention is and is not, and putting our attention there.  In striving for justice, for healing, for hope.

And When Jesus called for healing of this woman the powers that be said NO! Now is not the time!  This is a special day, we will deal with that later. 

But for that woman, for many women, for many people - these special days don’t matter because if you can’t stand then you can’t sing then you can’t worship then you can’t… be.  (I should note that this is both a physical and spiritual affliction.  Jesus is not being ableist here! This is a spiritual healing that results in a physical healing).  If we don’t as Children of God seek to provide examples of healing and hope, of justice raining like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream, then we should be surprised when the days we call people to action, those that are left behind don’t come.  Jesus heals, on Jesus time, and all we are called to do is walk along in love with those seeking it. 

So after you have rested, recuperated, vented, and caffeinated…. let’s walk together. Because for better or for worse, there is little else that most of us can do as the ballots are counted this election. But the work of Justice only increases from here on out - not just in the streets, but in the church and in our hearts. 

E-Church 10:30am, 11/8

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

E-Faith@8, 11/22

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

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83309554789?pwd=czZUbWt6Yk1WVmgvNlAwNExQUWc5QT09

Meeting ID: 833 0955 4789

Passcode: 214106

Dial by your location

        +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

Meeting ID: 833 0955 4789

Passcode: 214106

E-Church 10:30am, 11/1

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

E-Faith@8, 11/1

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

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83309554789?pwd=czZUbWt6Yk1WVmgvNlAwNExQUWc5QT09

Meeting ID: 833 0955 4789

Passcode: 214106

Dial by your location

        +1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

Meeting ID: 833 0955 4789

Passcode: 214106

The View from Robert Street

The Feast of Saint Simon and Saint Jude

October 28th, 2020

“Simon and Jude traveled together to teach others about Jesus.”

This brief description of the ministry of these two saints appeared in one of the summaries I found of their ministry, but it is also as succinct a summary of the Christian way of life as any I have seen.

We go together. 

To be with others. 

To share with them the life of Jesus. 

And to cause trouble.  Because after all that’s what Good saints do. Make some Holy Trouble.

That’s it!  That’s what we do! 

You might do this as a teacher, as a public servant, as a nurse or a doctor.  

You might do this as an advocate, an acolyte, an architect or an Astronomer.

You might do this as a lawyer, a businessman, a missionary or a preacher.  

You might do it as a laborer, a clerk, 

You might do this as a mother, father, sibling or friend.

But the work is always the same. You do it with someone else. You go minister to others. You share the Jesus story. And make trouble for the Devil. 

And everytime we share that story we become a part of that story and invite others into that story.  

Just as Simon and Jude did in the first century, and as so many saints have done in the generations before us. 

On this All Saints Day we won’t be worshipping together in the same way, or remembering in the same way, or sharing in the same way -- but we will still be doing the same work. So this week find someone to join with, and invite Jesus along to some ‘Holy Trouble.’

A Note to Self

Time has been a bizarre phenomenon in the time of COVID-19.  Two weeks ago, I received an envelope addressed to me in my handwriting, and I couldn’t imagine what it could be.   I opened the envelope and realized it was a note I had written as a closing exercise at the Beloved Community Workshop that I attended earlier in the year as a part of my Exploring Baptismal Ministry experience.  I opened the note, and it stated a lofty goal that I would work accomplish during the six months post the workshop.  My goal read “to work in a ministry addressing institutional racism.”  Little did I know that I would be at Memorial or that I would be fortunate enough to be working with Dr. Carol Scott and Ms. Shannon McCullough on KindredCoaches.

KindredCoaches is the result of an activist’s heart and her sense of spiritual responsibility to address injustice where ever she sees it.  Dr. Scott’s recognition that communities of color experience healthcare injustices at an alarming rate, is not news to her.  She has been addressing issues of healthcare disparities for years and became a Wellcoach to enhance her skills in working with patients.  She is an advocate for others and a warrior in this fight to bring health equity to communities of color.  The evidence of her latest advocacy work is the development and launching of KindredCoaches.

Kindred Coaches will encourage Courageous Conversations on an individual level and in group activities. The goals of this ministry are to address health inequities and healthcare disparities within communities of color within the Diocese of Maryland, primarily in Baltimore and surrounding areas. KindredCoaches is a partnership between Dr. Scott, the Diocese of Maryland’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians, and Memorial Episcopal Church.  This program was launched on Sunday, October 18, and currently, there are 38 registered participants in the six-week training sessions. 

This ministry received a small grant from the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church, NY.  This grant will allow the ministry to begin the hard work of fighting against healthcare inequities in communities of color.  The program continues to accept registration for our next training after the beginning of the year and will continue to seek additional funds to continue its mission.

When I wrote that note to myself over six months ago, I had no idea that I would be blessed to work with such a worthy mission.  But I know that God knew.  Thanks be to God.

For more information on KindredCoaches visit the website at www.kindredcoaches.com.