The View from Bolton Street

Hello Friends - 

We are entering a season of the liturgical calendar known, semi-sarcastically, as “bread season.” Last Sunday we read the feeding of the 5,000 from the Gospel of John, and now for four Sundays in August we hear Jesus’ reflections on the bread of life. Over and over again.

For preachers, it can feel monotonous. I’m not saying I planned my summer vacation around this… but I’m not saying that.

However, since I am departing Memorial the last Sunday of “Bread Season” - and because I will miss you all, I thought I would leave you with a series of reflections on Bread For… I mean Faith Formation.

There are four basic steps to breadmaking just as there are four steps to growing our Faith with Jesus.

Mix

Rest

Stretch and Fold

Bake

Today, we will talk about step one: mixing

Bread is a combination of four basic ingredients: flour, water, salt and leven. Each of these have a particular purpose and while you don’t have to be quite as exact in your measurements as you might suspect… big deviations will cause big problems. 

Rather than strain the metaphor too much trying to connect each ingredient with something “churchy” I would prefer we focus on the act of mixing. You take four different things and put them together to make one new thing.

Faith formation requires mixing. It requires difference. It requires exposing ourselves to something new, different and challenging and seeing where it takes us. 

Take some time to look around your life. Do all the people you interact with look and think the same? Do all the voices you interact with, all the media you consume, books you read reflect one point of view? When is the last time you made a new friend? Heard a new story? 

When is the last time you read the Bible? And let it shape your life?

One of the great things about scripture is that there is so much of it that no matter how much of it we think we know, there is always something new. Always a story to hear differently. 

So this week - practice “mixing”. Pick up the Bible. Say hello to a new person. Read something you might disagree with. And go to Jesus with your struggles with it. 

This is how we continue to grow and shape our faith as we live in to the promise of “the bread of life.”

The View from Bolton Street

The Baptismal Covenant (The Book of Common Prayer, Episcopal): 

Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in  the breaking of bread, and 

in the prayers?

Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to 

the Lord?

Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?

Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?

Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and  respect the dignity of ever 

human being?

The commitments we make in our Baptismal covenant, repeated above, offer a very simple guide to the Christian way of life.  What does it say? 

Learn, Eat, and Pray together.

Try to live a good life and when you mess up, apologize and try again. 

Love God, Love your Neighbor. 

Yes. Those Neighbors. 

Oh and Yes, even the ones you don’t know or like very much. 

The Christian life, distilled, is lived in community in order to seek out the common good for all and gradually expand that community outward. 

There have been many corruptions of this narrative offered in recent years, and honestly throughout history.  We are in a constant process of learning to be better and do better, in the hopes that future generations will live lives more directed towards God’s word and Jesus’ teaching. 

This Sunday we will welcome a new member into the family of Christ, Rosalie.  She is a little too young to make these promises on her own, but the good thing is we all will gather together on Sunday to make these promises on her behalf, until at which time she can make her own promises sometime in the future. And we all get to work together to be a part of meeting these commitments throughout Rosalie’s life and the lives of all of those who walk through these doors.  

I hope you will join us as we make these commitments and consider how you might recommit yourself to a life in Christ seeking to love your neighbor, care for the sick, and share in the breaking of the bread. 

The View from Bolton Street

He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.”

Jesus, shorter: Wouldn’t you feel better if you took a nap? 

There are times in our lives when everything seems to move at an intolerable pace. I can certainly say that moving to another city and trying to sell one home, buy another, say all the goodbyes, prepare for what’s ahead and still do all the things that need to get done is one of those times.  So please know I speak from experience when I say that sometimes we need to listen to Jesus.  And just. Take. A. Break. 

Because the reality is, you can probably wait a moment to send that e-mail.  You don’t have to share that facebook post right away.  You can linger a little longer over lunch. You can spend a few more minutes reading that book. The world will not, in fact, come to an end if you do.  And yet wherever we look something is telling us that we can’t stop. We can’t let up. We have to keep going. 

Jesus was no different. Look what happens immediately after he says this in the Gospels. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. The people would not let him rest.  And so he taught and healed, and then went to another place, and the people did it again! They ran ahead and did whatever they could to get closer to Jesus.  Such was their craving for peace, for healing, for relief.  

I have two things to say to you all (and to me!) about this.  1) You are not Jesus. And neither am I. We need to rest.  We need to seek out quiet deserted places to listen for the still small voice of God. We need to remind ourselves what gives us life, what brings us joy, what offers us peace.  Especially when the world seems so loud, and so busy, we need to make that time.  

And number 2)  chasing after someone (or something) else for your peace will not bring you peace.  What did all of these followers of Jesus end up doing to him?  Cheering for his crucifixion.  When we demand someone or something else provide us peace and clarity, eventually we end up turning on them.  Because that can only come from within. From recognizing the presence of God within us and seeking to coax it out and share it with the world.  

You may have, a time or two in the last week, said something like “If only…. Things would be better.”  and filled in that space with any number of things.  It is tempting to think there is a kind of silver bullet solution to our stresses and problems.  To our challenges, both local and national. 

“If only they would step down.” 

“If only they would stop fighting” 

“If only the Orioles would get another starting pitcher.” 

“If only I could touch the hem of his cloak.” 

But we can never predict what will happen with those external things. The pitcher could get injured, the replacement could be worse, etc. etc.  It may grant you some temporary relief, but it won’t end the conflict out there and it won’t bring peace in here, to your heart.

That can only happen by stepping back and listening for God. Allowing God to speak from your heart.  You have all you need right now to live a more peaceful, more joyful, more holy life.  And when we start living that way those other problems and challenges don’t go away! But they do take on a more appropriate context and priority in our life and in the lives of those around us

Take some time this week to step back and seek peace friends.  Seek out that still small voice of God.  

The View from Bolton Street

In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will.

Ephesians 1

There is an old adage, not exactly Biblical, that whatever happens it is “part of God’s plan.” You should know that there is no truth to this at all. All kinds of terrible things happen in this world that God has no part in, and certainly are not part of God’s plan. 

What IS true is that we all have a destiny that is deeply desired by God, that is to grow ever closer to the Divine until one day we are gathered there at the footstool of God in whatever life comes after this. 

The question for us is - will we live in to that destiny? Do we accept that inheritance? 

Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians reminding his followers of this inheritance and spends the rest of the letter helping them understand how to live in to that promise. 

How will you live in to God’s promise? 

Knowing that God had a destiny for you and that there is a place for you in God’s kingdom, how might you reorient your life to that end?

It could be as simple as a regular Bible study, adding a devotional practice to your morning routine, or committing to one act of charity a week. Maybe even seeking to reconcile with someone you said you could never speak to again. All of these have the ability to bring you closer to God. 

What will you do? 

The View from Bolton Street

Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

1 Thessalonians 5:13-18

Dear Memorial,

It is with a mixture of excitement and sadness that I write to you all to tell you that I have accepted a call to another parish and that my last Sunday with you will be August 25th, 2024. 

A week or so ago, our family was offered the opportunity to do something that has been in the back of our minds for many years: to move to North Carolina and be closer to family and friends. Neither Monica nor I expected things to progress so far so fast, but when you put the Holy Spirit in charge it is almost never in your hands. This past week I accepted the offer and we have begun putting together the various pieces for our own physical transition to North Carolina and the spiritual and practical transitions that will take place here at Memorial.  

Your wardens, Stacy and Beth, have been working with the Diocesan Canon for Transitions on a transition plan, and yesterday we met with the vestry to inform them of the pending transition as well. The responses have been a mixture of excitement for us, shock and surprise, and sadness, and... well we are feeling very much the same in the Maggiano household.  

It has been truly a privilege and honor to serve as your rector these last eight and a half years, to walk with you through moments of great joy and tremendous sadness, of new beginnings and of rough moments of confusion and loss. But what I have enjoyed most is seeing the words of our savior Jesus come alive in you, in word and in deed. From how you treat each other on a Sunday morning to how you rally support behind those who are hurting in our community you truly are Christ's hands and feet in the world. 

There will be much more to say before we say goodbye, but let me leave you with this. Come September I will no longer be the Rector of Memorial Episcopal Church. And that is sad for me and sad for you as well. But I do still get to be your friend. You will remain in my prayers as a parish and as individuals who have shared so much with me and my family. We will not soon forget you all.  

I began this reflection with Paul's farewell to the Thessalonians: if we can all follow Paul's words in the days and weeks and years to come, Memorial and the various communities we all come to serve and love will do just fine indeed. 

In Christ

Grey+ 

The View from Bolton Street

This week marks the end of Pride Month in Baltimore - an opportunity to celebrate all of the amazing achievements in equality that have been made in our region in recent years as well as to name the many challenges that still lay ahead.

I hope you will join us this Sunday as we mark the end of Pride month with a special Eucharist as well as by sharing Memorial Episcopal Church’s own history of LGBT inclusion.

During the service members of the Church will take turn reading portions of the history and during coffee hour you are encouraged to discuss and share things that surprised or delighted you or even things you felt were left out.

This is living history and we should be “proud” (within the limits of our Christian tradition I suppose) to celebrate these accomplishments and the people who made them possible.

The View from Bolton Street

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2020 —

On June 19, 1865, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln’s historic Emancipation Proclamation, U.S. Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3, which informed the people of Texas that all enslaved people were now free. Granger commanded the Headquarters District of Texas, and his troops had arrived in Galveston the previous day.

General Order No. 3 states: 

“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”

The View from Bolton Street

Pride and Prejudice: The Story of the Church

This past week I have been working with some members of the congregation to catalogue our parish’s history of LGBT Inclusion.  It is a pretty amazing journey!  And has been a joy to hear their stories and to delve into the parish (and local library) archives for additional information.  

Some highlights: as far back as the 1970’s Memorial was a safe place for Gay men and women to worship and be involved in ministry without having to answer any questions.  Memorial began the first AIDS healing service in the Diocese and was part of a consortium of believers that established the first AIDS Hospice here in the city. In the 1990s, Memorial spurred conversation by blessing a same-sex couple’s relationship publicly (drawing the ire of the Diocese and the National Church in the process).  In the 2000’s we were involved in pressuring both the Church (2003) and the State (2012) in the blessing of same-sex marriages canonically and legally. 

Memorial can and should take great PRIDE in our history of LGBT Inclusion. But with these stories also came quite a few stories of pain and prejudice. 

It is hard for younger Episcopalians to imagine a church where you were scared to acknowledge your own identity, or even be willing to have the internal conversation.  As one member put it to me, what was amazing was not just that gay people were accepted but that they were fully included in the life of the Church: “I was ‘included’ whereas in other churches at that time, acceptance meant tolerance, or not asking us to leave.”  

Prejudice is of course still alive and well in the Church. In some parts of the country even Episcopal churches may not be safe spaces for LGBT folk.  In our own city Trans rights are still hard to protect, and on a national and international level these rights are under constant attack.  It is wonderful that we will gather this Saturday for the Pride parade and that every Sunday Memorial will be an open and affirming congregation for all people no matter who they are or who they love.  

But we must also ask how can we continue to support, advocate, and lift up our siblings in Christ who do not yet enjoy the same freedoms. Every Sunday we gather to celebrate the coming Kingdom of God and then we spend the days in between seeking to build a world that is a bit more like that Kingdom.  

So this week let us celebrate the pride, acknowledge the prejudice, and continue to build the Kingdom. 

The View from Bolton Street

“I’ve got peace like a river, peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river in my soul”

Question for you: on a scale of slight dribble to roaring river, how is your peace? 

I hope more than a few of you will say “like a river in my soul, alleluia” and for that I am cery grateful. 

I suspect for others it might range from “babbling brook” to “downspout in a mild rain storm” and that too is something to celebrate and build upon.

And for a few it may be nary a trickle - and for you friends I offer many prayers. It is hard to be in. Place where you find little peace - in particular because peace is the kind of thing that once you have lost it can be hard to find again. 

The lectionary this week is filled with people seeking peace - the people of Israel demanding a king. The Corinthians looking for guidance amidst their own strife, the people of Nazareth angry at Jesus for the disturbance he has wrought — are all communities in their own way looking for someone to bring peace back to their livev. 

In our world today we see similar, and often competing, demands for peace. We have lost it. We can’t find it. We want, maybe demand, that it be brought to us. 

Amidst all that chaos why does Jesus do? 

He doesn’t leave. He doesn’t give in to the pressure of family and friends asking him to stop for the sake of peace. He doesn’t declare war. He simply looks to his left and his right and says:

Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

For Jesus and for us reclaiming peace in our hearts, our minds, our souls begins by simply doing the will of God, together, as people of faith. It begins by restoring a sense of peace among the chosen family doing the work right here. 

To borrow my favorite line from Bryan Stevenson, it starts by “getting proximate.” There is so much out in the world that is beyond our control. So much chaos and strife that is put in front of our faces to intentionally drive us crazy — and the answer is to simply focus closer to home. 

How can we bring peace to our church? Our block? Our neighborhood? Our city? 

How can we find common cause with our neighbors here? 

You can drive yourself crazy hoping for peace out there - or you can get to work building peace right here. 

The choice is yours - but Jesus has shown us the way, and I hope we can follow suit. 

The View from Bolton Street

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” 

Isaiah 6:8

Be careful what you wish for! Always a good mantra and even more so when the Holy Spirit is involved!  Whether Isaiah was just caught up in the moment, or felt fully enveloped by the spirit, or was just to dumb to say no — he heard God’s call in Isaiah and proceeded to spend the rest of his years condemning the people of Israel for their selfish, stubborn and reckless ways.  I am sure it is not the life he had imagined, and yet it was exactly what he was called to. 

Many of us who have been called one way or another to service to God and the Church have similar call stories, though hopefully not quite as dramatic as Isaiah’s. But there is nothing wrong with you if they are.

After all, when Martin Luther King, Jr heard the call he did not think it would end on a Memphis Motel balcony, The Rev. Dr Pauli Murray probably did not envision returning to Baltimore to pastor a church when she set out on her career, and many other sinners and saints could tell similar stories. 

The one commonality of course - is that at some point you turn your life over to God and acknowledge the Holy Spirit is in charge.  It sounds scary, but it can be quite liberating. 

Just knowing that from now on the standard by which you will be judged is not of human origin, but heavenly, is extremely liberating. Your life, your worth, is not determined by how much money you make, or how many titles you obtain, how many friends you have, or any other earthly measure - but only and exclusively based on one thing — did you seek to follow the spirit, come what may, and cost what it will? 

Friends as we prepare to gather this Trinity Sunday - I hope you might ask where God might be sending you? What kind of service the Holy Spirit might be laying on your heart? And how you might be able to obtain perfect freedom by letting go of the demands of this world and more fully embracing the promises of God’s Kingdom.