So much goodness here, Jesse! I’m so glad you wrote this. I’ve heard snippets of your story into combining pastoring and poetry, but getting to read it more cohesively was a treat. And this statement: “My job, as a Christian…is to be ready to receive.” — so simple, yet I need the reminder again and again, so thank you for providing it here.
And this, my friend, captures a lot of what makes me glad to be a part of our tribe of Inhabitants. I love these poems (as you well know) and enjoyed getting a glimpse behind the curtain of your process. (And I definitely approve the purchase of an oil lamp!)
Thanks for this post. As a publishing poet and a longtime speaker at Unitarian Universalist worship services, I include poetry (my own or those from the many collections on my shelves!) in my homilies -- as well as poetic and scriptural writings from many other faith traditions. If ever there were a language of spirituality (ethereal, lyrical, imaginative, metaphorical), surely it is poetry!
Thanks for sharing your story here, it is good to meet a kindred spirit! In 2021 a friend and I started studying the Bible by picking a book, writing a poem for each chapter, ad meeting weekly to share the poems as well as the research and deep thinking we did to arrive at what we wrote. I've never been able to meditate on scripture the way I have when I engaged with the text creatively, wrestling what it meant to me, and how I could articulate it through poetry. It's turned into what we call the Bible Poetry Project, and we hope to write a poem for every chapter. The concept of Jesus as editor is brilliant! Grateful for all you've said here, thanks again for sharing.
Reading this today is balm to my heart. Thank you for this, Jesse! I am so honored to have been given the opportunity to read your sonnets. I think I need to visit your church!
"First, the Bible is roughly one-third poetry. Psalms and prophets are essentially off-limits if people aren’t readers of poetry." This is a great point for non-poets like me to consider! Thank you, and great article.
I was so glad to see that you’d written a piece about your experience, Jesse! There’s a lot of goodness here. I’ve experienced some of what you’ve described, and it’s so hard to convey to others that difference between an intellectual engagement with a text and the imaginative/creative engagement that comes with distilling it in poetry. Thank you for expounding it so beautifully!
It was poetry that helped me see the drama and depth of Scripture. And I want to communicate the truths I found with poetry. But I’ve not considered writing poetry as a way to “find” my sermon. Thank you for this article.
"My job, as a Christian in general and a pastor in particular, is to be ready to receive. I am asked to have the lamp filled with oil and the wicks trimmed." What a visual! Such a moving essay.
So fun to read these deeper reflections on your process, Jesse! What a rich call to let the imagination stretch its legs, and to find others doing the same.
I appreciate all these connections, Jesse, between sermon-writing, poetry, and simply listening to the Scriptures in fresh ways. Thank you for writing this!
So much goodness here, Jesse! I’m so glad you wrote this. I’ve heard snippets of your story into combining pastoring and poetry, but getting to read it more cohesively was a treat. And this statement: “My job, as a Christian…is to be ready to receive.” — so simple, yet I need the reminder again and again, so thank you for providing it here.
And this, my friend, captures a lot of what makes me glad to be a part of our tribe of Inhabitants. I love these poems (as you well know) and enjoyed getting a glimpse behind the curtain of your process. (And I definitely approve the purchase of an oil lamp!)
Thanks for this post. As a publishing poet and a longtime speaker at Unitarian Universalist worship services, I include poetry (my own or those from the many collections on my shelves!) in my homilies -- as well as poetic and scriptural writings from many other faith traditions. If ever there were a language of spirituality (ethereal, lyrical, imaginative, metaphorical), surely it is poetry!
Thanks for sharing your story here, it is good to meet a kindred spirit! In 2021 a friend and I started studying the Bible by picking a book, writing a poem for each chapter, ad meeting weekly to share the poems as well as the research and deep thinking we did to arrive at what we wrote. I've never been able to meditate on scripture the way I have when I engaged with the text creatively, wrestling what it meant to me, and how I could articulate it through poetry. It's turned into what we call the Bible Poetry Project, and we hope to write a poem for every chapter. The concept of Jesus as editor is brilliant! Grateful for all you've said here, thanks again for sharing.
Reading this today is balm to my heart. Thank you for this, Jesse! I am so honored to have been given the opportunity to read your sonnets. I think I need to visit your church!
"First, the Bible is roughly one-third poetry. Psalms and prophets are essentially off-limits if people aren’t readers of poetry." This is a great point for non-poets like me to consider! Thank you, and great article.
I was so glad to see that you’d written a piece about your experience, Jesse! There’s a lot of goodness here. I’ve experienced some of what you’ve described, and it’s so hard to convey to others that difference between an intellectual engagement with a text and the imaginative/creative engagement that comes with distilling it in poetry. Thank you for expounding it so beautifully!
It was poetry that helped me see the drama and depth of Scripture. And I want to communicate the truths I found with poetry. But I’ve not considered writing poetry as a way to “find” my sermon. Thank you for this article.
Wonderful article Jesse! I’m blessed to be ministered to by a sonnet-loving poet-pastor who knows how to bring scripture to life through verse.
"My job, as a Christian in general and a pastor in particular, is to be ready to receive. I am asked to have the lamp filled with oil and the wicks trimmed." What a visual! Such a moving essay.
So fun to read these deeper reflections on your process, Jesse! What a rich call to let the imagination stretch its legs, and to find others doing the same.
I appreciate all these connections, Jesse, between sermon-writing, poetry, and simply listening to the Scriptures in fresh ways. Thank you for writing this!