Poetry and worship seem made for each other. There we are, gathered to share our understanding of a power-that-is-beyond-understanding, and we are convinced that more words will make it clearer.
Along comes the poet, with a striking image and very few words, and all of a sudden we get a glimpse we didn’t have before. Thomas Hardy famously wrote, “If Galileo had said in verse that the world moved, the Inquisition might have let him alone.”
Jesus modeled for our class today,
naked in his open-palmed innocence.
We had never seen such a model before.
He even brought with him his own light.
I went to the funeral home last night
to see a friend whose life was entwined with mine.
Someone once told me
that if you want to know the truth about a person’s life
go to their funeral.
