I’m not usually a fan of poetry. Most poetry does not capture my heart, though I think that is often the goal. Poetry speaks past our logic, reason, and answers and hits deeper within.
“Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” by Wendell Berry is a rare exception for me. This poem (you should go read it… An easy Google search will bring it right to you)… This poem captures something within me every time I read it.
The last line is “Practice Resurrection.”
To Practice Resurrection is to look past the obvious, the ‘now’, the ‘here’, the common. It’s to understand that we are living in a new reality, called the Kingdom of God. It’s to accept God’s invitation to live a new life, a life of freedom from sin, a life of faith and hope and love, a life where the fairytale ending of Resurrection is the reality that can be experienced today.
My friends say I have OPD: Optimistic Personality Disorder. I like to think I Practice Resurrection, that I live in hope of God’s promises being true, being realized today.
What we do here is to dig into scripture, faith, and ministry with this in mind: We are called to Practice Resurrection today in devotion, in life, and in ministry. This calling draws us deeper. This calling draws us to maturity. This calling assumes that Victory is possible and that God does the work.
Let’s Practice Resurrection together.
Rev. Joel Higginbotham
Joel is passionate about scripture, ministry, and theology. He cares deeply about faithfulness within the calling of being a pastor… faithfulness to scripture and to the theological traditions of the Church.
Joel has been pastoring since 2008, primarily to youth. He has been at his current church since 2014. He teaches Old Testament part time at Kingswood University. He loves to teach and mentor others in the faith, in ministry, and in life.