Today's Meditation
Read Colossians 4:2-18
2Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. 3At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, 4so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should.
5Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. 6Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.
7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me; he is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow-servant* in the Lord. 8I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know how we are* and that he may encourage your hearts; 9he is coming with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.
10 Aristarchus my fellow-prisoner greets you, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas, concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him. 11And Jesus who is called Justus greets you. These are the only ones of the circumcision among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me. 12Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you. He is always wrestling in his prayers on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in everything that God wills. 13For I testify for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you. 15Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters* in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. 16And when this letter has been read among you, have it read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you read also the letter from Laodicea. 17And say to Archippus, ‘See that you complete the task that you have received in the Lord.’
Selection from Wendell Berry’s Poem, “Mad
Farmer”
So,
friends, every day do something
that
won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the
world. Work for nothing.
Take all
that you have and be poor.
Love
someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce
the government and embrace
the
flag. Hope to live in that free
republic
for which it stands.
Give your
approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not
encountered he has not destroyed.
Ask the
questions that have no answers.
Invest in
the millennium. Plant sequoias.
Say that
your main crop is the forest
that you
did not plant,
that you
will not live to harvest.
Say that
the leaves are harvested
when they
have rotted into the mold.
Call that
profit. Prophesy such returns.
Put your
faith in the two inches of humus
that will
build under the trees
every
thousand years.
Listen to
carrion – put your ear
close,
and hear the faint chattering
of the
songs that are to come.
Expect
the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter
is immeasurable…
Practice
resurrection.
What do
you think Wendell Berry meant by “practice resurrection”?
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