The prophet Isaiah writes poetry: to express deep love between God and God’s beloveds, to convey heartache, to cleverly and poignantly pierce through word play, to evoke hope and catalyze action, to faithfully proclaim the truest nature of God. If poetry is good enough for Isaiah, pastor Megan suggests, it might just be good enough for us. We hear of sacred love, heartbreak, longing, and conviction from poets Jane Kenyon, Naomi Shihab Nye, Marwan Makhoul, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Lucille Clifton. Come along for the ride!
sermon begins at minute marker 4:41
Isaiah 5.1-7; 11.1-5
Resources
- BibleWorm podcast: Episode 510– The Song of the Vineyard and the Stump of Jesse, Amy Robertson and Robert Williamson, Jr.
- Jane Kenyon, “Briefly It Enters, and Briefly Speaks,” Collected Poems, 2005.
- Naomi Shihab Nye, “Kindness,” Words Under the Words: Selected Poems, 1995.
- Maxine Hong Kingston, The Fifth Book of Peace, 2003.
- Lucille Clifton, "spring song," The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton, 1987.
- After sharing this sermon in poetry, someone in the congregation reminded me of this gorgeous and piercing musical rendition of Isaiah’s poetry, by the inimitable Sinead O’Connor, may she rest in peace: “If You Had a Vineyard”
- Image: Marwan Makhoul, trans. Zeina Hashem Beck, via Gaza Poets Society, https://www.instagram.com/p/CO3URKVgw7M/
- Hymn: Hymn: VT 161 I Sought The Lord. Text: Holy Songs, Carols, and Sacred Ballads (USA), 1880 Music: J. Harold Moyer (USA), 1965, The Mennonite Hymnal, © 1969 Faith & Life Press/Mennonite Publishing House (admin. MennoMedia) Permission to podcast the music in this service obtained from One License with license #A-726929 and #57595. All rights reserved.