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Sermon: Growing Up With God

Posted on February 13, 2011 by Adam J. Copeland

First Presbyterian Church of Hallock, Minn.

February 13, 2011

Growing Up With God

1 Cor. 3:1-9

A few years ago now, the presbytery surrounding metro Atlanta declared a goal of increasing the number of adult baptisms in year by 10%. In a presbytery that large, they figured, there were too few growing churches and too few people coming to understand that they are claimed and loved by God.

In Atlanta (here too, but especially in a metro area like that) there are many people who grow up without any church influence. They’re never baptized as children. According to a recent study, about 25% of college freshman across the country have never even attended a worship service, let alone call them believers. And so, the presbyters of greater Atlanta made the goal of increasing the number of adult baptisms, of increasing the number of people who understand Jesus Christ as their Lord even though they didn’t attend church growing up.

There’s no real way to know for sure, but we can guess that most of the people in the church in Corinth were like these Christians the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta is seeking. … Continue Reading

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Congress goes to college

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Adam J. Copeland

At least 32 members of Congress sleep in their congressional offices when they stay in Washington. Here’s a story on Utah’s up-and-comer Jason Chaffetz (who I follow on Twitter and disagree with about 90% of his tweets), re Jason’s cot and underwear washing plans

According to TIME though, a “watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington yesterday sent a letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics demanding an investigation into members sleeping in their offices.” Apparently there are questions as to whether sleeping in one’s office is “official use” of congressional quarters as opposed to personal use. It can also get awkward when members, wearing their pajamas, walk through the halls of congress on the way to the gym to shower.

I totally get that, on a congressional salary and flying back and forth to Washington, it may not make sense to pay Washington D.C. rates for a second home. The watchdog group is taking the wrong tact. Instead of suggesting members should refrain from sleeping in their offices, they should lobby that all members of the House and Senate may only sleep in their offices. Sounds too farfetched? OK, I’ll accept a congressional dorm or two. Here’s why it’s a splendid idea.

Living together in a dormitory settings strengthens friendships, encourages the exchange of ideas, and is the right solution for Washington’s partisanship. Why do so many churches hold leadership retreats or youth retreats? Because it helps bring people together and focus on a common goal.

The reality of congressional life these days is that it behooves representatives to be in their own districts as much as possible. They don’t want to be branded  a “Washington insider.” They also need to raise money. Yes, that’s a shame, but that’s life. So, how about we maximize the time they are in session in Washington and make Congress like a longterm retreat. Design dorm rooms to be rather spartan, but make gorgeous common areas so congresspeople are incentivized to hang out together. I can see the possibilities already: congressional table tennis tournaments, group breakfasts, pranks on the first-year dorms, dorm-styled sweatshirts.

So, to the representatives that sleep in congressional offices, I say: thanks for serving your country…and why don’t you invite a friend for a sleepover?

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Sabbath 2.0

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Adam J. Copeland

Originally posted at Gathering Voices: Faith Conversations from TheThoughtfulChristian.com

My family once rented a cottage on the isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland. While I remember little about the cottage itself (other than the view of sheep out the front window), I do clearly recall instructions in the guestbook: “do not hang out to dry laundry on Sunday.” Apparently it’s a faux pax on Skye — or perhaps just illegal — to publicly launder on the Lord’s day.

Though Sunday is the day on which my blog receives the fewest visitors, for many of us, social media takes no sabbath. As I consider my own heavy social media use and possible addiction (see Jenna Johnson’s article) I’ve become increasingly aware of those who abstain for a time.

Screen shot 2011-01-30 at 8.36.52 PMFor instance, last Lent several friends gave up Facebook. A technology writer I follow travels internationally for a month each year and sets her email to automatically reply: “I’m taking a month of vacation and will not read this email. Period. If you would like to contact me next month, please send another note then.” Other friends have stopped accessing Twitter or Facebook on weekends.

I haven’t taken the full offline plunge as of yet, though perhaps I should. Even contemplating a day offline, however, makes me aware of how I use the Internet for so many daily tasks and not just social media: cooking and recipes, news, movie times, emails, directions, and keeping in touch with friends and family. I don’t have a television, so my major source of news and information is the Internet and National Public Radio. While I can envision many benefits of not signing-in to Facebook for a few days, I would miss awareness of local, national, and international news were I to opt-out even for a day. And this would all get even tougher if I ownded an iPad or e-reader.

But why consider a social media sabbath at all? Two theological reasons come to mind.

First is the obligation of Christians not to worship idols. Certainly, I don’t ever pray to my smartphone or worship my laptop (though I am, admittedly, quite an Apple devotee). But if my use of social media ever stands-in-for my connection to God, if my attraction to technology obscures my personal devotion to God, then it’s high time for some major recalibrating.

Second, I try to approach all of God’s gifts — gifts of friendships, of creation, of money, of resources, and time — with a view towards faithful stewardship. So, when using technology I ask myself questions like: is ___ minutes on Facebook a faithful use of my God-given time? Am I using Twitter to connect to God’s people or build up my own ego? Do I really need to read another article on half-marathon training plans? While the cultural notion of wasting time or diminished productivity can be helpful, I also try to think of my use of technology with a more Christian understanding of stewardship in mind as well.

There’s not much internet access on the isle of Skye — certainly the island boasts more sheep than computers — but I wonder if the old advice of that guest book might be updated: sabbath-keeping 2.0.

image by carol henderson

Additional Resources from www.TheThoughtfulChristian.com

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Your pastor’s dirty little secret…maybe

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Adam J. Copeland

“A sad secret for many pastors is this: the only time they pray is during Sunday worship; the only time they read the Bible is to prepare their sermons.”

Or, at least, you’ll hear that claim — and others like it — fairly often.

I suppose there’s no way to tell, really, if it’s true. But I get the point. Sure, us pastors aren’t always the best at practicing what we preach, especially when it comes to prayer and reading scripture.

My guess is that, for many, our bad habits begin in seminary when so much of prayer and Bible reading changes from tasks one engages for fun to tasks one completes for assignments (and grades). Though my seminary offers a spirituality certificate program, the regular Master of Divinity curriculum does not emphasize spiritual practices. In fact, many students experience a sort of prayer and Bible reading withdrawal in seminary. But this post isn’t about seminary, it’s about the practices of pastors in pastoral ministry.

So, I wonder, what have pastors found as the best ways to attend to daily prayer and scripture reading?

I’ve tried various strategies myself over my pastoral internship and early years of ministry. I’ve had the Daily Lectionary texts automatically emailed to me every morning. I’ve (attempted) to keep up with a practice of reading through the Bible in a year. I’ve set aside a certain time in each day for prayer. I go in cycles — something works for a while, and then I get lazy or get busy and I must adjust.

I have a friend who is part of a pastor group that prays the newspaper headlines each time they get together.

Another friend, before he turns on his computer at church every morning, prays first and reads the Bible.

Other friends have experimented with smart phone apps that supposedly help prayer, reflection, and encounters with scripture.

So, as I search for a better way myself to practice my spiritual disciples, I wonder what ways of prayer and scripture reading you find works well (or doesn’t) for you.

image by Irum Shahid

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On pastor groups and Sundays off

Posted on February 5, 2011 by Adam J. Copeland

I’m in Louisville, Kentucky for the weekend, hanging out after the conclusion of my Pastor Group meeting and before the Presbyterian Committee on Congregational Song (PCOCS) begins meeting Monday. I still have a bunch to do to prepare for PCOCS, but two quick reflections are in order.

First: my pastors group is awesome. A lot of financial and brain resources over the past few years have been devoted to making young pastors resilient and wise (or at least less unwise). Specifically, millions of dollars from the Lilly Foundation have gone towards different types of support groups, discussion groups, learning cohorts, etc. to help pastors pastor better longer. It’s thought that better supporting young pastors in their transition from seminary through their first few years of ministry will help bring down the high burnout rate.

But I’m not in a Lilly-funded pastor group. At the end of seminary, six of my friends and I got together and made our own. We committed to meeting annually for 3-5 years or so. We just had our third year’s meeting and everyone agreed to a fourth. It’s fantastic.

These things are quite contextual and groups like this can’t be carbon copied, but here’s a few gleanings that make my group so splendid:

  • our diversity — we pastor small congregations and are associates at large churches, we work in 6 different states, some work mainly with youth, some work mainly with grandparents
  • our lack of diversity — we all graduated from Columbia Seminary in 2008 or 2009; we have many shared memories from the same classes and professors
  • time to catch-up, time to laugh, time to cry, time to pray
  • this year, at least, discussing specific case studies from each of our experiences
  • sharing book and article suggestions
  • studying an article together and meeting with a theologian for an afternoon (this year: Barry Ensign-George led us very well)
  • living together in a lodge or large house for our meeting
  • good food; good beer (loved the BBC Bourbon Barrel Stout)
  • fun/free time that’s not for sharing or processing

Lilly grant pastor groups are great. Ours is too. I totally recommend some form of a transition into ministry group for all pastor types.

Second, in other news, I’ve been going back and forth on whether I’ll attend worship anywhere tomorrow. On the one hand, the prospect of sleeping-in is really appealing (my Sundays usually start at 5-something-o’clock). I could really use the rest. Worship is important, but a guy needs a Sunday off every once in a while. Also, it’s good to pushback against my inherent pastor’s-son-protestant-guilt when I don’t attend.

On the other hand, it’s a great opportunity to visit a new church and worship in a new way. And I especially enjoy attending non-PC(USA) congregations on Sundays off.

Whatever I decide, and as much as I enjoy preaching, I mostly will breathe in the sweet air of not having to stand in a pulpit this week. Sometimes those steps up to rostrum seem oh-so-high. Sometimes one just needs to regroup.

image by RACHEL GILMORE

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Praying the headlines: Egypt unrest

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Adam J. Copeland

Originally posted at Gathering Voices: Faith Conversations from TheThoughtfulChristian.com

As the pastor of a small rural church in northwest Minnesota, until recently the only time I mentioned “Egypt” was when reading scripture in worship. We’re situated many miles from a stoplight and thousands of miles from the troubles in the Middle East, but last Sunday in our adult class, “Where is God When Disaster Strikes?” someone addressed Egypt within the first five minutes. Depending on one’s perspective, the unrest there is a “disaster” or “a long-awaited political awakening,” but no matter its description, shockwaves from Egypt are traveling to every corner of the globe. So, of course, we in the church must talk about it.

At many points over the years, and particularly after the shooting in Tucson a few weeks ago, I’ve heard this story told: Jane hadn’t been to church for many years, but after the September 11 attacks, Jane went to worship on the Sunday following the disaster. Not a word of the liturgy or from the pastor specifically addressed Sept 11, and Jane hasn’t been back to worship since. I don’t generally like planning worship or preaching out of fear, but I take the point of the story that worship — and presumably all church life — should address current problematic issues of the day. When we don’t, we fall short.

But what can congregations do to address the current turmoil in Egypt and the Middle East? It’s tricky, but here’s a start:

  • Get educated. Sure, not every church can invite a Middle East expert to lead Sunday School, but with the resources of the web surely we can at least help our congregations spread some basic knowledge.
  • Don’t be places of gossip. Conspiracy theory emails and nonsense stories tend to spread in tumultuous times. Help your congregation be a place to quash rumors.
  • Embrace challenges, fears, and concerns. You don’t have to be a Middle East expert to hold a conversation on how to approach troubled times. Sometimes simple statements can go a long way like, “Some of the images we see on TV are difficult to watch. Sometimes I don’t know what to think, but I know God can work through anything, and is even in the midst of chaos.”
  • Pray — in small groups, with prayer chains, and in corporate worship. (Examples of Presbyterian leaders’ prayers are here, and an ELCA statement is here)
  • Make it personal. Lift up stories members can relate to — like, for me, a local student studying abroad in Egypt.
  • When in doubt, tell the broad story of God’s love, redemption, and coming transformation rather than connect current-day particular events to “God’s will” or judgement.

Today’s troubles are in Egypt, Tunisia, and the broader Middle East, but other troubles in other regions are sure to come. Though it’s sometimes easier to ignore complex world events, Christ calls us do otherwise. As Wendy Farley puts it, “When hearts become stable in the midst of disaster and face down their despair, when communities stand firm in the integrity of conscience and compassion as temptations to spiraling corruption rage, we feel the blowing of the Spirit in our midst.”

Additional Resources from www.TheThoughtfulChristian.com

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Sermon: Foolish Baptism

Posted on January 30, 2011 by Adam J. Copeland

First Presbyterian Church of Hallock, Minn.

Jan 30, 2011

Foolish Baptism

1 Cor. 1:18-31

Dear Annika,

Welcome to church. Heck, while we’re at it: welcome to life! I know it’s been a roller coaster these last few weeks. First there was the whole being born thing. Good job on that, by the way. Things went down well at Altru in Grand Forks, and I hope the drive back home wasn’t too bad. Sure, it’s cold outside, I know. But you live in Minnesota — northern Minnesota — you’ve just got to get used to it. And from what I hear, you got enough snuggy outfits at your baby shower to keep you nice and warm every day from now until kindergarten!

… Continue Reading

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