A Wee Blether

Full Collar

Due to the limitations of Vox, I've now moved to Wordpress. 

I'm blogging here:  http://adamjcopeland.com 

So change your favorites (or put me in them to begin with.)  You'll find a longish post there about the ups and downs of wearing a clergy collar. 

Good bye, Vox.  You were good to me in the early days, but over time, your limitations were just too vast.   No hard feelings, though.  Cheers.

Note:  This post, along with pictures of Loch Lomond can be found on my wordpress blog here.

It’s not like I have a ton of free time, and I need to start work on the two sermons for the 18th. But since I neither have access to a seminary nor church library here, and I didn’t exactly bring many books myself, I need to plan my reading a bit in advance to let Amazon do its work.

I’m looking for churchy books since I plan to read them on work time, though I’m always happy to add books to my fiction wish list.  While I’m quite interested in contemporary theology and church practices, I also need to watch myself as my current context doesn’t exactly scream ‘emergent worship’–I gathered that fairly quickly when the minister refers to God as “thee/thou” and “us thy servants.”

I have a modest monthly book budget, so help me spend it.

To begin the fun, I thought these looked good. Any more ideas?

Everything Must Change: Jesus, Global Crises, and a Revolution of Hope by Brian McLaren

Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church Is Transforming the Faith by Diana Butler Bass

Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings, and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary by Marcus J. Borg

It is often said that George Bernard Shaw described the UK and US as two countries divided by the same language.  After many a hesitation while trying to translate Scots speak into American English, I’ve begun to understand what Shaw might have meant.

• “Oh you look smart” a Scot might say.  Much to my chagrin, such a comment refers not to one’s intellect, but how well one is dressed.  “Smart” clothes mean dressy, good-looking, or stylish clothes.

• Fraser sometimes seems like he’s from another century, so when I first heard him use the word “outwith” I thought it was just a Fraser-ism.  But no.  “Outwith” comes up in speech fairly often.  I take it to mean not having to do with the things here, things outside, apart or away.  Strange.

• “Do you have a family?”  The correct answer is “no.”  Megan and I do not have “a family”  because we do not have children.  Having “a family” means one has children.  I don’t think this one sends the best message, but nobody asked me.

• “That’s you.”  “That’s us.”  “That’s me.”  These phrases are used when something that was being waiting on becomes complete.  For example, if you’re waiting in a queue (a line) and fail to notice your turn is up, the person behind you might say, “That’s you.”  Or if a waiter brings your food to you--at a casual restaurant--she might ask, “That’s you then?”

• A church example.  Worship does not include announcements, or notices, but “intimations.”  To some ears, “intimations” perhaps sounds proper, important, weighty.  To me “intimations” sounds rather haughty, old-school, and dusty. 

 
And not specifically related, but along the same lines.  Why when given tea and biscuits (“cookies” in America) do Scots rarely if ever also offer a napkin?  What, pray tell, is a visiting young minister supposed to do with messy hands while wearing a smart suit and explaining he doesn’t have a family.  Lick them?  Sometimes I wish I could just intimate: “To all outwith: when serving the assistant minister crumbly cookies or melty chocolate, offer a napkin for goodness sake!” 

A friend who shall remain nameless describes his aversion to blogs in this way: “Why would I want to spend my time reading about someone else’s issues that should probably be kept to oneself to begin with.” I certainly know where she’s coming from. That said, I’m going to take the risk of blogging about blogging, or more specifically, about web kindness.

I spent a few hours tonight trying to setup my RSS Feed. After becoming quite frustrated, I posted a message on the wordpress message help board and within an hour, two users had walked my feeble web-based mind through the process step by step. (I’m helpless at this stuff because I know no html.)

I have never and shall never meet these kind help boarders. There was no good reason for them to help for they gained nothing for their troubles save my thanks. And yet, they offered their kind assistance nonetheless.

The web facilitates many horrible deeds, as Oles feel all too strongly at the moment. But when used for good, it can bring out the best in people as they show kindness to people with whom, without the web, they would never interact.

Ok, if, like me, you didn’t know a lick about RSS feeds. Check out this great video.  But to do so, you have to go to my soon-to-be-up-and-running blog by clicking here.

I seem to be doing more on wordpress these days than Vox.  I don't want to say I've fully switched over, but I'll probably do so within a week or two.  For the time being, I'll post in both places. 

That said, for a sneak preview of a post I'll put up on Vox later today, check out my new blog HERE.

And please let me know your impressions.

100_3591

Megan and I attended, as Kathryn says, "a proper football" match this past weekend between Hearts (of Edinburgh) and Kilmarnock (of Kilmarnock). 

Unfortunately, the family team Hearts lost 3-1.  I can't exactly say it was a well-played game, but I'll blame that on the soggy pitch and windy weather. 

Viewing the match as an example of Scottish ritual, however, is fascinating.  Just as college (American) football in the south is often called a religion, so too might Scottish football.  One certainly feels affirmed when rooting for a win with hundreds of others.   Wearing the particular colors of a team identifies one as a true follower.  And the liturgy.  Well, let's just say I haven't heard phrases that colorful in church.

We hope to attend another match or two, perhaps in Edinburgh the true mecca for Hearts fans.  Until then, I might be stuck with Ayr United games.  

Castle

I haven't had proper time to read this article, but it's another Scottish interest in the news so I thought I'd put it up.  I'll make profound comments regarding thow he gospel's depictions of demons relates to Scottish castles in due time.

Slate Scottish Ghost Article

Sermon image

Here is the sermon text with which I preached last night.  I may post my sermons consistently, or not.

A sermon is preached during a particular act of worship of a particular people in a particular place at a particular time, so it’s a bit strange to post the text of such a sermon for general reading.  Please take such considerations into account if you have the time to click the file below.

A few interesting homiletical challenges faced:

--  it is generally understood in my circles that 2 Timothy was written by a follower and impersonator of Paul rather than Paul himself.  Since I didn’t have a good feeling as to where the congregation was on such a exegetical question, I began with “the letter-writer” and eventually moved to “Paul” after the briefest of explanations.  I’m far from sure as the best way to handle these situations and am afraid context should really help make the determination.

--   Similarly, the sermon’s focus on heaven (rather a strange focus for me) is problematic because I read Paul (the Paul of the 7-8 undisputed letters) to preach that when we die we die.  Then only later when Jesus returns are we all taken to heaven.  In the sermon I attempted not to contradict Paul’s timeline of death and heaven without drawing attention to this point and perhaps troubling those who work with the generally social conception that once people die they immediately go to heaven.  

--  One last small point for liturgical nerds like myself.  It hurt me, but I prayed the prayer of illumination right before the sermon rather than before the scripture reading since that is customary at St. Columba.  

Check back soon for pictures of a “proper” Scottish football match.

Celebration 1

I’ll have more pictures from a fun weekend soon, but here’s some from a little office celebration on Friday.  The champagne was lovely, the prawns tasty, and the mixed cheeses delicious.

Celebration 2

I’m in the office most days from 10:30 to 12:30 or so.  It’s not the best place to get substantial work done, but it is the hub of church activity.  As time goes by I’ll be interested to see whether I adapt to the slightly raucous environment or spend more time at a desk in the vestry.

Celebration 3

Opinions are mixed as to whether this office setup is common in the Church of Scotland.  Certainly space is quite limited here, but how often ministers lack studies/offices or their own space of some sort is an unanswered question of mine.

Celebration 4

You might feel sorry for me after seeing my seat in the office is stuck in the corner.  Don’t fret, though, because it means I get to ask others to pass me things when I need them.